Odyssey to Venice Sept. 14, 2011

Wall paper...Malibu Inn

John Fante's Hangout, Malibu Inn

 

Santa Barbara Mission Demo Sept. 12, 2011

Every Painting is a Work in Progress. Nature isn't always cooperative, and some times it is  in need of an adjustment or two. That's where I come in; to tweak a branch, enhance, eliminate, delineate a subject.  It's all to fit my aesthetic...(what ever that may be).


Mission Roses (Painted for the 225th Anniversary of the Santa Barbara Mission
14x18 oil/canvas 2011
Artist's Collection

www.thomasvanstein.net

Remembering 9-11 September 11, 2011

Six Months after 9/11 I visited New York to meet the owners of the Eleanor Ettinger Gallery. I had come to see the space where I would have my first solo art exhibition in downtown Soho.


I visited Ground Zero, and painted a nocturne of the melancholy scene. The air still smelled of death. Windows still shattered, and papers strewn up in the neighboring trees.


I hired a taxi cab to take me through the Lincoln Tunnel over to Hoboken, where I set up my easel and sketched the luminous bluish white lights rising up deep into the night sky.


It was an ominous sight to behold. My painting doesn't even scratch the surface of the depth of significance these search lights represented. 


All I know, is it was a pivotal moment for me and my philosophy on life.




Blue Lights, Ground Zero
36"x12" oil/canvas 2002
www.thomasvanstein.net

Santa Barbara Mission Sept. 9, 2011

One never knows when a painting will sell, and when it does, where it goes.

I painted this painting of the Breezeway at the Santa Barbara Mission, about two years ago, as a demonstration for my plein-air painting class.

It remained in the inventory at the Bottoms Art Gallery since that time and only came close to selling it couple of times.

This last weekend I participated in a benefit art show to raise money for a matching grant to help restoration work continue at the Mission. This was in celebration of the 225th anniversary of the Mission's founding.

I got the painting out of the Gallery and placed it for sale at the event. On that day, I am happy to say this painting finally found a home; It was purchased by a previous collector of mine.

In today's economy, selling art seems to be a rare occurrence; and when it happens I feel an immense gratitude that the art market is still alive and kicking.


Mission Breezeway
18x14 oil/canvas 2009
Private collection

www.thomasvanstein.net

Santa Barbara Mission, Nocturne Sept. 2, 2011

Celebrating the 225th Anneversary of the Santa Barbara Mission I am contributing one of my Plein Air Nocturnes. I will have six paintings on exhibit for the event this Sunday, September 4, 2011, from 3 to 6 pm. It is open to the public. 

There will be 23 other Artists in the Festival including: Wayne Hoffman, Ted and Judy Villa, Thomas Mann, Kris Buck, and Tina Foss

Mission Nocturne
11x14 oil/canvas 2011

www.thomasvanstein.net 

Hot Rod in the Hood August 28, 2011

Looking out of the Kitchen Window I caught a glimpse of  a gleaming persimmon colored 1932  Ford Sedan Hot Rod parked across the street at the Spot.

Persimmon Colored Passion is a bright idea...and so is the care and craftsmanship that went into this work of art.

www.thomasvanstein.net

Heart Rock Cafe August 25, 2011

My Heart Rocks!

Look what the Earth gives up?

I sometimes wonder and wander the beach.  Every now and then I catch one, or two...maybe three hearts of stone. I know it's kinda silly but hey it's cool.  It's kinda like cloud dispersing, or like seeing the Virgin Mary  or Jesus  in a stain on a wall or in a potato chip.

All it takes is imagination, and a keen eye.

In my irrational search for the meaning of life, here's what I've realized about Heart Rocks:

Some are perfect, some askew;
Some are old and crusty, some are fairly new.
Some are dark, some are light;
Some look like they glow at night.

Some are hard; (well duh, they're stone);
Some are brittle and lite like bone.
Some are smooth and some are glossy;
Some feel porous and some seem saucy.

Some look perfectly cliche' in shape;
Some are deceptive; (they're more like, fake!)
Some feel way too heavy to hold;
Some are warm and some are cold.

Some lay obvious, some remain buried.
Hearts shaped rocks are wide and varied;
I search for them because it's fun;
I see my heart in every one.

On this, my 50th Birthday, I hope I don't get stuck between a rock and a heart space!

www.thomasvanstein.net