Porch

Porch
Watercolor on paper
5" x 7"
Chris Breier © 2016

This past summer I took a road trip to Canandaigua, New York with my brother. We ate lunch by the lake and then visited Sonnenberg Gardens. It was hot and I was feeling tired. We were exploring the gardens when I spotted a set of rocking chairs on the porch and headed straight for them. After rocking in the chair for awhile I noticed there was a patio set around the corner that looked even more comfortable.

"We should do a painting here!" I said to my brother as I plopped down in the comfy padded chair and pulled out my drawing supplies. Yes, I admit it, the motivation for this painting was to sit down and enjoy cool breeze in the shade. While we were painting, a volunteer was playing the piano in the living room inside the mansion, she played a number of classical pieces such as Beethoven's Für Elise.

DeLorean with the gullwing doors open.

When we were picking up dinner at a local Wegmans, I noticed there was a car show in the parking lot. I spotted a DeLorean and I stopped by to take a look. I took a few pictures but I didn't get a chance to talk to the owner, I think the trilogy "Back to the Future" creates a lot of attention for him. People were probably asking him about flux capacitors or how many jigawatts he needed to get back home!

The original painting is for sale.

The engine compartment of a DeLorean

The Artist's Magazine Annual Art Competition

My painting "The Library" is in the December 2015 issue of the Artist's Magazine. I received an honorable mention in the Still Life / Interior category which was judged by Sherrie McGraw. Here is a more detailed post about the painting.

The cover of the December 2015  issue.

Sitting Room

Sitting Room
Acrylic on archival paper
8” x 10”
Chris Breier © 2015

The original painting is available.
This room at the Sonnenberg mansion would be perfect for lounging around on a warm summer afternoon. I was interested in painting the natural light and the windows. The antique sofa added some character to the room although I eliminated the striped fabric pattern because I felt that it would have been too distracting. If you were to look out the windows on the right, you would be able to see Canandaigua Lake in the distance.

Piano and Rocker

Piano and Rocker
Acrylic on archival paper
8” x 10”
Chris Breier © 2015

The original painting is available.
When I was working on this painting it made me think about how music and art are similar. They both require solitude, years of practice, and an area that’s dedicated to the work. Studios and workshops are inspiring to visit.

The curtain diffused the sunlight coming into the in the room and I enjoyed painting the soft lighting. I noticed that there are examples of reflected color in this painting, the color of the floor is reflected onto the piano legs and the lower part of the walls. The rug had an intricate pattern but I roughed in the basic shapes and kept it simple. If you know what kind of piano this is, feel free to leave it in the comments.

Desk

Desk
Acrylic on archival paper
8” x 10”
Chris Breier © 2015

The original painting is available.
This is the same desk that was featured in the “Library” painting that I posted a few days ago. There are a number of interesting challenges to paint, the transparancy of the lenses was probably the area that I spent the most time refining. The glasses in that era had longer arms that wrapped around the ear and these were a little misshapen, the one arm seemed to be leaning inwards.

Library

Library
Acrylic on paper
8” x 10”
Chris Breier © 2013

This is a corner of the library at the Sonnenberg Mansion, I could imagine myself sitting at this desk writing letters with a dip pen.

I enjoyed painting the warm colors of the woodwork; the color of the wood changes dramatically depending on the lighting. The glossy varnish reflects the light from the window so some areas of the wood are almost the same color as the window. The other colors of the desk range from deep orange and dark browns. There were stacks of white chairs for a wedding party outside of the window but I completely edited them out, it’s important to remove the distracting elements.

The globe was a fun object to paint, I wanted to handle it in a painterly manner. The base is a dark oval with a touch of white for the highlight. It’s interesting how a small touch of white can create the illusion of glossiness.

This painting received an honorable mention in the Artist's Magazine annual competition, and was featured in the December 2015 issue.

Sonnenberg Mansion

Sonenberg Mansion
Acrylic on paper
8” x 10”
Chris Breier © 2013

The original painting is available.
This was the first picture that I took when I arrived at Sonnenberg Gardens. Only a small portion of the Mansion is visible in the painting and I like how that creates intrigue–it makes me interested in climbing the stairs to see what’s on the other side of the wall. The sidewalk and stone wall also direct your eye to the focal point of the painting.