Ars Longa Vita Brevis

Recognition for Pier, San Clemente

Every month Fine Arts Studio Online (FASO) hosts the Boldbrush Painting Competition, which draws both national and international entries -- not just watercolors, but oil, acrylics, pastels, representational and abstract work, mixed media and digital art.  There are awards for top works in various categories.  I have entered a number of times, but with very low expectations given the competition from hundreds of gifted and professional artists from all over the world. In addition to individual awards in each category, the FASO staff select what they judge to be the top 15 % of all works submitted, which they dub the "FAV15."  So I was delighted to be notified September 30 that one of my paintings, Pier, San Clemente, had been included in the FAV 15 for the August Boldbrush contest.  I think the last time I was that surprised and pleased I got a quarter from the Tooth Fairy.

Yarmouth Art Festival

I was honored to learn that two of my pieces were accepted into this year’s Yarmouth Art Festival, a juried show that will run online from October 19-31.   They are:

• In the River, a fly-fishing scene in Rangeley, Maine, 8.5 x 11 inches, graphite and white charcoal on gray toned paper.  A 10 x 14 watercolor version of this same scene is currently on exhibit at the Thos. Moser Freeport showroom and gallery.
• Town Landing, Falmouth, Maine, a 10.5 x 7.5 watercolor.  This little piece is a favorite of mine because it reminds me so strongly of where I grew up.

When I entered for the first time last year, it triggered a wonderful front-page feature on my work by Bob Keyes of the Portland (ME) Press Herald. I even found a good new home for one of my entries, Sumac Bush. 

The Yarmouth Art Festival catalogue should be available for browsing by October 18, the day before the show opens.  So mark your calendars and check the show out online at https://yarmouthartfestival.com/. 

Video and Print Interviews

This has been an eventful month for interviews: 

• You Tube: For much of the year I have been building a web page at the GeoGalleries.com site to make available fine art prints of my work.  GeoGalleries, which has over 100 artists in its fold, decided to make me the feature artist this month on their You Tube channel.  You can view the 13-minute interview here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piNXe75VJtI&feature=youtu.be 
• Website Video: In a related development, my website now has a “Videos” section on the main menu.  The Geo Galleries video can be found there, and I will add more videos as my embryonic production skills develop.
• Blog: Todd Pierce, public affairs counselor in Athens when I served there as ambassador 2013-2016, suggested I do an in-depth interview for my primary website on the connection of art to diplomacy and how I came to paint watercolors. Todd is smart, and time and again proved a wise adviser, so I agreed. He posed a series of questions, and I answered them on my blog.  As in the YouTube interview, only in more detail, I discuss my painting process.  I also review what artists have influenced me and make a few recommendations on books and materials for aspiring watercolorists .  There are links to 12 paintings that illustrate the discussion. The full interview is here: https://www.daviddpearce.com/blog/161218/pierce-and-pearce-on-art-diplomacy-and-the-connection-to-watercolors.  An excerpt:

How do you work, i.e. plein air, from photos you've taken, from other people's photos, from memory?

“It’s a combination of things.  A mere photo is never enough.  That can be useful for reference, or for jogging memory but it starts with going somewhere and having a special feeling about a place. 

“Conveying that feeling is the key.  You are not in the business of conveying literal reality, a photo will do for that.  You are in the business of expressing what is special, what emotion you felt, what drew your attention about a subject. 

“I might go somewhere and do a little plein air sketch in my notebook.  Or I might do a quick drawing.  Or I might not have a sketchbook with me, and just stare hard at a scene, thinking what it is about it that draws me in.  Here a photo can help trigger those remembered impressions when you get back to your studio.  But it’s not the photo, it’s the feeling.   

“Since I am conveying my interpretation of this subject, I reserve the right to rearrange it, change colors, move objects around to suit the composition, add or subtract people and things.  Whatever serves the overall purpose of conveying what I want to convey.”

Holiday Season

Art is always a gift in good taste, so as we head into the holiday season, I would appreciate if those of you who know my work well would consider pointing family and friends interested in original art to daviddpearce.com, the Yarmouth Art Festival and the Thos. Moser showroom in Freeport, Maine.  Similarly, for fine art prints – small, large, framed, unframed, metal and stretched canvas --   see my collections at https://geogalleries.com/ddpearcefineart/.  There you will find high-quality prints of works that are now in the hands of collectors and thus not otherwise accessible.  While fine art prints are less expensive than original works, these prints are very high quality products that will be a beautiful addition to any room. They are made to last, with archival papers and the best materials. I have been building the fine art prints site all year, and will continue adding to it.  So far, there are about 40 different paintings on offer in about 150 different sizes and formats.   

“Room” Feature Now on Website

As you’re looking, you may notice that my website (www.daviddpearce.com) has a very good new tool for gallery viewing:

An upgraded “Room” feature now allows you to view paintings in different settings and get a very accurate idea of relative size – e.g. a small piece will be shown over a desk, but a larger piece will be pictured over a table or couch or fireplace in a living room.  You can access the Room feature by clicking on any painting you wish to view and then the “More Info” button at the bottom of the screen.  This will take you to a details page with size, price, back story, as well as both Zoom and Room buttons to take a closer look at the work.

My best wishes.  Please stay safe and healthy, one and all, as we close out this fall season.

David