Large Paintings

BY BRIAN STEWART

	Lift Your Eyes Not to long ago I went on a white water rafting expedition down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. The trip was designed for artists with frequent and timely stops for painting, and great food! This was a painting trip I’ll never forget. One of the things one is overcome by when sitting on the floor of the Grand Canyon is how big, old, majestic and special this place is. It makes one feel very humble and spiritual, making today’s personal troubles insignificant. I tried to capture that feel in this 2007 ARC Salon award winning painting. One thing that makes this painting unique is you’ll see a lot of paintings of the Grand Canyon from the rim, but very few from the floor. 30 x 40, oil on linen, in a gold, gilded 20th Century style frame. SOLD

	The Trailer Park I love funk, junk, antiquity, American Moderne Design and older pop culture. From these elements I get artistic inspiration and great visual stories. That’s what inspired this painting of a circa 1938 trailer park. This sun drenched, idyllic setting features early streamlined trailers, including the rare Bowlus on the right, a 1937 Ford Phaeton Convertible (my all-time favorite car), a few of my favorite people…and of course, Gustaf my late dog. This painting is not a “found” image as most plein air paintings are, but rather a vision I had and then went out and got the elements. I did the 3 studies, 2 in Bisbee, AZ and 1 in St. Paul, MN and then composed the final painting in the studio. 18 x 40”, oil on linen in a white gold frame custom designed to match the theme of the trailers.



	The Canoe Maker I admire good handcraft and the Birch Bark Canoe is certainly that. Built of bark, roots, wood and pitch with few tools they’re a thing of beauty. Originally designed and built by the Native American Indians, and later by the Voyagers, it was very important to the economic development of this country in the 18th and 19th Century. It allowed Voyagers to gather and trade fur pelts from the upper reaches of Canada and bring them by river to the markets on the East Coast and Europe. I painted this at the Grand Portage National Monument in northern Minnesota where they have first-rate re-enactors / craftsman building canoes, huts, etc. and doing presentations on that historic and important way of life. 18 x 24, oil on linen in gilded, 20th Century style frame.

	The Moose This painting was an attempt to recreate one of those rare moments when I came upon a moose in a glade but didn’t have a camera. I was struck with how big and beautiful these animals are. The image stuck in my mind and I wanted to do a painting of it but I needed to photograph some moose to paint from. As luck would have it, I read an ad and hired a moose caller in Grand Marais, MN who guaranteed to bring in moose. I was skeptical but had nothing to loose but time and a few bucks. He took me out early in the morning and I watched and listened as he bellowed these weird sounds out of a hand made birch bark megaphone as I sat poised with camera in hand. After two hours not one moose. Embarrassed, he asked me to come out one more morning free of charge and was I glad I did. He brought in 5 Bull Moose that morning as I shot many photos that became important reference for this painting. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my art life. 18 x 24, oil on canvas, in a gilded, 20th Century style frame.

	Crossing the Saint Croix I like railroad imagery and bridges. I’ve painted them a lot. This dramatic scene with the railroad track, swing bridge and partially frozen river is on a stretch of the Saint Croix River that divides Minnesota from Wisconsin just below Bayport, MN. I spotted the bridge from the road but had to do some snooping and hiking in the snow to get to this vantage point. It was very early this past Easter morning and as I began to paint it clouded up and began to storm creating a dramatic sky and light effect. I was able to capture that in my study for this painting. The reminder for me that morning was: I just have to show up. 24 x 36, oil on linen, in a gilded silver frame.

	North Shore Icons The North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota has a mountain range known as the Sawtooth Mountains, named so because of the abrupt, steep angle of the backside, creating a sawtooth pattern that has become the areas logo and trademark. This view is from the harbor in Grand Marais, MN in the late summer evening when the light creates this wonderful view. 14 x 28 in a gilded, traditional style frame.