Daily Painters Of Utah: Right Beside Me by Crystal Cook

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Right Beside Me by Crystal Cook

Right Beside Me

5" x 7" watercolor

click here to bid

My two oldest boys are back at school and the house is unusually quiet today. It's just me and my little one and the unlit Christmas tree that still sits in the corner because I'm hesitant to pack it away and say goodbye to all the good times we had together this holiday season.

Maybe that's why I chose to paint this image. A mom and her baby, no matter the species, walking this life together.

It's something that's always on my mind, but especially lately. I'm feeling a little sad about how quickly my children are growing, I'm trying to enjoy every single stage of their life, and hoping that I'm teaching them everything they need to know to grow to be the men God intends them to be.

Becoming a mother has been the greatest joy in my life and I find it interesting that even when I paint subjects other than my own children this theme still pops up in my work. And I imagine that it always will.

I hope you all are having a great week. :) I'll see you Tuesday to announce the winner of my blogoversary print giveaway.

If you happened to miss my earlier post and you'd like a chance to win, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post.

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Russell Black

Russell Black was born in Northridge, CA, and grew up in the San Fernando Valley. After attending UCLA and a brief tour of duty in the USAF, Russell was employed by General Telephone of Southern California where, in 1984, he was the drafting project leader for GTE's involvement in the summer Olympic games. After leaving the phone company in 1990, Russell opened up his own creative design firm specializing in product design and his clients included Nike, Reebok, McDonalds, and many individual entrepreneurs. At this time he also taught college accredited courses in art and design at the Learning Tree University in both Thousand Oaks and Reseda, CA. Russell moved north to the East Bay area of San Francisco in 1996, and taught art for the city of Pleasanton for six years. Now residing in Dammeron Valley, just north of St. George, UT., Russell is currently teaching various art courses in both drawing and watercolor in and around the St. George area. russellblack@live.com

Patricia Christensen

My college education was in commercial graphic arts, but portraits have always been my strength. I now work from my home studio painting and doing portrait commissions as well as other subjects. I have won awards in local shows in western Washington state before moving to Utah. I work primarily in pastel and acrylic and have taught workshops in pastel, acrylic and pen & ink. I am active in the Ogden Palette Club and look forward to exploring the opportunities in the Utah art scene.

Crystal Cook

Crystal Cook is a watercolor artist who specializes in portraits, both human and animal. As a mother of three small sons her children are a major focus of her work. She strives to express the powerful love a parent feels for their child. Crystal is a two star member of the Utah Watercolor Society, her work was selected for the 28th Annual Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors, and her paintings are included in private and corporate collections as well as exhibitions in galleries and competitions throughout the United States and abroad.

Maurine Harris

Working out of her studio in St. George, Utah, Maurine Harris is becoming recognized as a painter of color and variety. She has won numerous awards and recognitions in local exhibitions. Not one to rest on her laurels she is constantly trying to improve her skills and learn new techniques with the most talented artists and instructors she can find. She is active in the promotion of art in her community and her paintings are on display in a growing number of galleries around Southern Utah and Nevada.

Philip V. Hopkins

Phil’s colorful and realistic depictions of the western landscape reflect his extensive illustrator background. His expert drawing skills bring his subjects to life whether he is depicting an antelope standing guard on a hill or a river flowing quietly through the dense forest of the Bitterroot Mountains. Phil has shown his artwork in galleries in Ohio, California, Arizona and Utah and is currently affiliated with Gallery 25 in Ogden, Utah. Two of Phil’s paintings for the U.S. Air Force are in the Pentagon collection and a painting of the USS Des Moines, a ship Phil served on in the Navy, is in the Gold Star Military Museum in Des Moines, Iowa. His resume is replete with fine art awards he has received over the years.

Trevor Howard

There was never any doubt in my mind that I would be an artist. I've always loved to draw. Growing up in Wyoming I was surrounded by colorful, expansive, and broken landscapes. I think this must have become a part of me because of my affinity to these scenes. Now that I call Utah my home the scenes have changed, but I still feel a need to capture the harmony I see and preserve it. I've worked as an in-house artist, a freelance artist for publications like The Washington Post and Scholastic, as well as a graphic designer. The common thread through all of these transitions in my life has been visual communication. Now through my painting I hope to communicate in a more intimate and indirect avenue.

Melanie Nogawskiart

My job as an artist is to capture the essence of a place, person or feeling, and to pass that onto others. It’s a transformative process for me, as well as for the canvas. I grew up in Utah surrounded by the Majestic Wasatch Mountains. I have always felt most at home in nature, and my hope is that we all preserve the beautiful places, so future generations can experience them as we have. It's a big part of why I paint landscape, it shows others the beautiful places I have seen, and preserves these spots in memory for those who will follow.

Linda Dalton Walker

The essences of my paintings are archetypal, narrative, symbolic, and brightly rendered. They invite the viewer into the mystery. The uniqueness of my paintings is derived not only from the expressive way in which I paint, but also from the research that has been involved. My life-long interest in the human figure, symbology, and mythology surrounding the Divine Feminine has been a tremendous source for my paintings. For me painting is using my imagination to convey an underlying message and inspire the viewer to create his or her own narrative interpretation. Very often the viewer is moved to emotion the paintings conjure within them. I have been painting with oils for the past 15 years; prior to that time I used acrylic, pastels, and photography. My oil paintings and charcoal drawings are a reflection of my classical art training from Kamille Corry, in her small art academy, who received her art training at schools such as the Florence Academy of Art, Studio Cecil-Graves in Italy, and her extensive training with painter D. Jeffrey Mims. Working under Kamille was the most influential point in my artistic life. It changed the way I think about art, as well as the methodology of pursuing my skills as a painter. These atelier methods, traced back to the old masters, and ultimately to Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks and words of art, have helped me articulate my thoughts and feelings accurately on my painted surface. I just completed painting my interpretation of the Tarot's Major Arcana (22 paintings 12 x 18), and I am now working on the four seasons.

Becky Whitney

Becky is a high-energy individual who loves to paint and her enthusiasm is contagious! Becky divides her time between St. George and Panguitch, Utah. She owns A Passion for Painting Art Gallery in St. George and Victoria Lane in Panguitch. She sells her works through both of these galleries as well as other Utah locations. She has traveled extensively throughout the U.S. for painting workshops as far away as Washington, D.C. and as close as the local Dixie College. Her favorite mediums are oils and pastels. She paints in the classical style—a layered style of painting used by the old masters while using modern color theory and enjoying the availability of today’s materials.

Angela Woods

I would like my paintings to invoke a feeling or memory through simple compositions. Everyday objects and scenes can be very poignant. They often tell an extraordinary story. I take as much pride in my preliminary sketches as in the painting. The negative spaces define the objects and help to achieve the overall effect of the painting. I an still evolving as an artist. Painting is a phenomenon and it takes a lot of work to keep refining the artist's talent and technique. Although I'm always improving, I'm never completely satisfied. This drives my desire to constantly improve. What's important for me is to know that there is long term appreciation of my work. I want buyers of my paints to continue to enjoy them long after they have purchased them.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Right Beside Me by Crystal Cook

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