John O'Neil

“Cotopaxi” Colorful Warm Toned Geometric Abstract Painting

1977

Gray, pink, red, and yellow toned abstract contemporary painting by Chicago-based artist, Richard A. Johnson. Painting depicts various shapes and lines that appear to be floating above the canvas. Dimensions Without Frame: H 49.75 in. x W 55.88 in. Artist Biography: "There is something about the ocean that is so entwined with our makeup, that I can't help but be drawn to it. There really is nothing more powerful or hypnotic. The movement is ever changing and the attempt to capture that moment of change is what has engaged me in these pieces. There is something so ephemeral about all life that is perfectly captured in a wave. It only exists for a moment, but it's beauty and dynamism is so powerful that for that brief amount of time, nothing else matters. And yet, there is a subtlety, a moment of expansive calm, the monochrome of the colors and yet the exquisite and diverse play of tones. All of this captivates me and compels me to try and capture it all that on canvas." - Richard Johnson The luminescent beauty and lyrical quality of Richard S. Johnson's work is what captivates collectors today. "Old Masters" technical virtuosity, pre-Raphael romanticism, and contemporary expressionism and abstraction all combine to create his unique works of touching depth and artistry. Born in Chicago to an artistic family, his earliest reminiscences are of pouring through Charles Dana Gibson, N.C. Wyeth, and John Singer Sargent books on rainy afternoons. While still in grade school he won a scholarship to the prestigious Art Institute of Chicago. He later attended the American Academy of Art and upon graduation began a very successful career as an illustrator. Turning his attentions to fine art after winning a competition in International Artists Magazine, Rick was invited to Japan where his one man show was so successful that he has been invited back numerous times and has developed an international base of collectors. He has also won many awards in competitions here in the United States including the Award of Excellence, in the Oil Painters of America Midwest regional Juried Competition and People's Choice Award at the International Museum of Contemporary Master's of Fine Art in San Antonio, TX. Perhaps the term that best describes Rick's work is "Poetic Intimacy". His sure brush strokes, bold use of color and impasto, and delicate rendering of the human face and form all work together in a harmony that refuses to draw attention to themselves for their technical virtuosity, but rather to draw their viewer into the awareness that they are sharing one, serene, contemplative moment; that the light that pours over the subject's skin also caresses theirs. Rick's expressive skill for capturing the human form has brought him numerous commissions: - John F. Kennedy at the JFK Memorial Library in Boston. - A commemorative painting of the presidents from Eisenhower to Bush currently hanging at the President's Council on Physical Fitness in Washington D.C. - Rear Admiral Richard S. Truly, USN, the first commander of the NASA Space Shuttle...

Contemporary blue, yellow, and white acrylic painting that utilizes a unique lace texture to create a landscape by Houston artist Mark Flood. Originally a background element in Flood...

Jon Rowland. Detail #6- part of my Portraying the Essence theme. As with Detail #4 this theme has emerged as some of the paintings and sketches themselves have been deconstructed an...

Wonderful mid century modern mixed media abstracted Northern California landscape by Hilda Davidson Kaster (American, 1912-2008), circa 1950. The artist uses layers of mixed media earthtones and natural textures such as leaves and bark to create the aesthetic of the deep forest of Sebastopol, California. Signed lower left corner, on verso with exhibition and gallery labels. Presented in rustic wooden frame of period (fair condition), Image size: 18"H x 24"W. Hilda Davidson Kaster was born in Oakland, California in 1912 to Russian Jewish immigrant parents. She went to New York in the early 1930s to study art. At the Traphagen School of Design, she was a student of Moses Soyer and William Gropper, who were founders of the Ashcan School. Later in the 1930s she worked as a commercial artist and designer for I. Miller Shoes...