Delectable Art

Artist Comments
"The plain and ordinary can also be great subject matter to paint," shares artist Brian McCarty. In this urban scene, Brian paints the side of an orange-painted...

Artist Comments
"This is the fountain in Washington Square in New York on an October afternoon," says artist Nick Savides. Water leaps and flashes h...

Artist Comments
"Elements of the city and the country mingle in subtle ways," says artist Michael Wedge. Part of Michael's series that explores the contrast between urban and r...

Artist Comments
"The setting is on the High Line, above West 22nd Street on a chilly October afternoon," says artist Nick Savides. A woman sits on a...

Artist Comments
Artist Brian McCarty depicts a quiet rural home behind a red barn. Surrounded by a field of grass and autumnal trees, a car sits on the winding dirt path. "Everyday life is caught in a moment," says Brian. "Arriving home, or getting ready to leave home. A lazy afternoon." Just the type of subject Brian loves to paint.

About the Artist
Artist Brian McCarty paints idyllic landscapes and bucolic architecture. “Growing up in rural New Jersey, I’ve always found old houses, barns, and the countryside interesting subjects,” says Brian. Influenced by his mom who was a self-taught artist and art teacher, she encouraged Brian to pursue anything artistic. After graduating from Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art and earning his BA in Art from Thomas Edison State College, he worked professionally as a graphic designer in New York for the largest publishing houses in the country. A career that spanned thirty-six years. Brian has done comedy and sketch writing with the Groundling Theater, and worked in a few major feature films as an actor. To begin his process, Brian takes photos of his references with an iPad, crops the images to his liking, and paints directly on his canvas with a quick oil wash. Recently returning to painting full time, he converted a room in his house into a working studio. “I get lots of natural light, and listen to music and podcasts while I paint.”

Words that describe this painting: country, house, home, barn, farmhouse, farm life, country living, road, architecture, impressionism, autumn, oilpaint, architecture, impressionism, oil painting, green, brown

House and Barn...

Artist Comments
"Fall is a transitional time of year," says artist Brian McCarty. Golden leaves dot an evergreen yard and driveway of a quiet home. Strong trees stand tall as t...

Artist Comments
Artist Yangzi Xu offers an inviting scene on a rainy afternoon at the downtown market in Paris, France. Warm lights bring the streets aglow with vibrant colors as they shine through lights from establishments and a huge red awning. People walk on wet pavement under a stretched reflection of the muted sky. Structures recede into the distance that wanders deeper into the city.

About the Artist
Artist Yangzi Xu captures a nostalgia for Chicago and its dramatic seasonal changes in her expressionist cityscapes. Having a full-time job and being a wife and mother, Yangzi makes a habit of painting everyday to keep her passion exciting and fresh. She keeps a queue of ideas and reference photos that she takes throughout the year. She looks through her references, tweaks and adds elements to them. Once inspiration strikes, Yangzi draws several sketches and begins to work with oils on canvas on multiple pieces at once - to keep each painting spontaneous and new. "I try to capture the paradox of life in the city, where one can be in a crowd and yet feel alone," Yangzi says. "My main intent is not to capture the physical reality of a scene, but to express my own moods and feelings to my audience." In her free time, Yangzi enjoys reading, with her current favorite genres being biographies and memoirs. Yangzi is an alumnus of DePaul University in Chicago.

Words that describe this painting: France, market, travel, city, street light, Paris, Europe, cityscape, rain, rain rainy, mood, market, reflection, evening, dusk, buildings, road, pedestrians, umbrella, architecture, impressionism, travel, architecture, impressionism, travel, oil painting, brown

Rainy Day, Paris Market...

Artist Comments
Artist Paula Martino offers a sunny view of a countryside home in the quiet rural district of Brazil. With the use of a palette knife, Paula captures the temperate scenery in vibrant warm hues. The same palette extends itself into the sky creating an orange and pink atmosphere. The landscape radiates heat while compositionally balanced by a refreshing flourish of vegetation. The colors beat the midday sun onto terra cotta roofs as surrounding trees cast sharp shadows below. A white truck peeks from the driveway beside a wooden fence. Pops of color in blue, green, purple, and yellow appear in the courtyard from pieces of laundry strung along clotheslines.

About the Artist
Artist Paula Martino paints impressionist scenes, especially of places with water. “They reflect the energy and emotions I feel when I see a compelling locale I visit,” says Paula. Using various tools, she applies thick layers of color with oil or acrylic paint and sometimes uses stencil work. With her palette knife technique, she unveils strands of lighter hues amidst her dominantly saturated palette, creating a semi-abstract element. Paula worked as a CPA for thirty-five years running her own tax practice while raising three children, with one having Down Syndrome. All the while pursuing art part-time in a studio her husband built for her in their basement. After retiring in 2020, she decided to pursue her art practice fully, studying in earnest with nationally recognized colorists, portrait artists, and landscape painters. “The experiences of caregiving and tax prep forced me to be very conscientious and organized with my time and efforts. I needed to be so completely organized for so long that it is a relief to be a little messy in my studio.”

Words that describe this painting: residential, trees, Brazil, truck, fence, laundry, oilpaint, grass, South America, impasto, warm, yard, courtyard, summer, trees, season, palette knife, house, home, facade, architecture, impressionism, architecture, impressionism, oil painting, orange

Laundry Day...