An Artists Studio

 

On my most recent trip to London, I visited the new V & A Storehouse.  The warehouse that houses most of the Victoria and Albert Museum's items that are not currently on display in the museum.  While there I saw this painting that tickled my curiosity.  It was painted by Irving Lawrence (1897-1988), an artist I did not know.

The painting is called "Alick Johnstone's Scenic Studios and it represents a studio where stage sets are designed and painted.

Lawrence was the grandson of actor Henry Irving and was trained at the Royal Academy. He became an artist and set designer working on both theatre and films.  He would have known Alick Johnstone's studio very well.  

The backdrops pictured in the painting were used for the final scene of Henry VIII which opened in 1925.

Touched by the Southwest

 

I saw this painting on display at the Laguna Beach Art Museum back in 2014 and my first thought was that it was a Georgia O'Keeffe.  I was wrong, the artist is Anna Katherine Skeele (1886-1963).  Skeele was born in Ohio and moved to New York as a young woman to study art.  She spent time in Florence Italy studying art history and finally moved to California and attended art classes at the California School of Fine Arts.  She soon began teaching art at Pomona College.  

She spent time in the southwest and became fascinated by the people and the places there.  This painting is called "Rancho Church" and it depicts the San Francisco de Asis Mission in Taos New Mexico, a subject that was also painted by Georgia O'Keeffe among others and photographed by Ansel Adams.

An Elegant Woman

 

I enjoy looking at art in all of its forms and I also enjoy learning a little bit about artists I've never heard of.  I was impressed by the beauty of this painting but I had never heard of the artist Louis Anquetin (1861-1932).  The name of this painting is "An Elegant Woman at the Elysee Montmartre".  

Anquetin is a French artist who came to Paris to study art. He met artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.  The two artist became friends with other artists one of whom was Vincent Van Gogh.  

Anquetin's work seemed to fall behind as other artists embraced the more modern art movements.  He stayed with the more traditional style of the old masters.  He left behind some beautiful works of art.  You can see some of them on his Wikipedia page.  

This painting is now in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.

On My Wall

 

I have something a little different this week.  This is an original work of art that is hanging on a wall at my house.  I met this artist in Santa Fe New Mexico the last time I was there and his whimsical paintings and books drew my interest the moment I saw them.  I think it's because they spark the seeds of exploration and wanderlust that bubbles inside of me.  The artists name is Jeffrey Schweitzer and he lives and works in Santa Fe.  He has published several small books (I bought one of those too) along with a collections of illustrations. 

Here is one that was on display in his tiny studio inside the lobby of the Inn at Loretto, the hotel where I was staying.  

That little travel trailer reminded me so much of my many travels with my family when I was growing up.  My family traveled for many years with a travel trailer staying at beautiful and interesting places all over the United States and Canada.

Jeffrey has an Instagram site where you can see more of his wonderful works of art. His books are available on Amazon.com.  

Looking at this little painting always makes me want to hit the road once again.