Contempop Gallery Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Acrylic & ink on photographic paper

Untitled (Taos Pueblo) Ink on paper, 1985-1990 Signed by the artist in ink lower right (see photo) An early New Mexico period work, created shortly after the artist moved from New York. Provenance: estate of the artist Dehn Heirs Condition: Excellent Image/sheet size: 13 1/8 x 18 1/2 inches Virginia Dehn From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Virginia Dehn Virginia Dehn in her studio in Santa Fe Virginia Dehn (née Engleman) (October 26, 1922 – July 28, 2005) was an American painter and printmaker. Her work was known for its interpretation of natural themes in almost abstract forms. She exhibited in shows and galleries throughout the U.S. Her paintings are included in many public collections. Life Dehn was born in Nevada, Missouri on October 26, 1922.] Raised in Hamden, Connecticut, she studied at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri before moving to New York City. She met the artist Adolf Dehn while working at the Art Students League. They married in November 1947. The two artists worked side by side for many years, part of a group of artists who influenced the history of 20th century American art. Their Chelsea brownstone was a place where artists, writers, and intellectuals often gathered. Early career Virginia Dehn studied art at Stephens College in Missouri before continuing her art education at the Traphagen School of Design, and, later, the Art Students League, both located in New York City. In the mid-1940s while working at the Associated American Artists gallery, she met lithographer and watercolorist Adolf Dehn. Adolf was older than Virginia, and he already enjoyed a successful career as an artist. The two were married in 1947 in a private ceremony at Virginia's parents house in Wallingford, Connecticut. Virginia and Adolf Dehn The Dehns lived in a Chelsea brownstone on West 21st Street where they worked side by side. They often hosted gatherings of other influential artists and intellectuals of the 20th century. Among their closest friends were sculptor Federico Castellón and his wife Hilda; writer Sidney Alexander and his wife Frances; artists Sally and Milton Avery; Ferol and Bill Smith, also an artist; and Lily and Georges Schreiber, an artist and writer. Bob Steed and his wife Gittel, an anthropologist, were also good friends of the Dehns. According to friend Gretchen Marple Pracht, "Virginia was a glamorous and sophisticated hostess who welcomed visitors to their home and always invited a diverse crowd of guests..." Despite their active social life, the two were disciplined artists, working at their easels nearly daily and taking Saturdays to visit galleries and view new work. The Dehns made annual trips to France to work on lithographs at the Atelier Desjobert in Paris. Virginia used a bamboo pen to draw directly on the stone for her lithographs, which often depicted trees or still lifes. The Dehns' other travels included visits to Key West, Colorado, Mexico, and countries such as Greece, Haiti, Afghanistan, and India. Dehn's style of art differend greatly from that of her husband, though the two sometimes exhibited together. A friend of the couple remarked, "Adolf paints landscapes; Virginia paints inscapes." Virginia Dehn generally painted an interior vision based on her feelings for a subject, rather than a literal rendition of it.] Many of her paintings consist of several layers, with earlier layers showing through. She found inspiration in the Abstract Expressionism movement that dominated the New York and Paris art scenes in the 1950s. Some of her favorite artists included Adolf Gottileb, Rothko, William Baziotes, Pomodoro, and Antonio Tapies. Dehn most often worked with bold, vibrant colors in large formats. Her subjects were not literal, but intuitive. She learned new techniques of lithography from her husband Adolf, and did her own prints. Texture was very important to her in her work. Her art was influenced by a variety of sources. In the late 1960s she came across a book that included photographs of organic patterns of life as revealed under a microscope. These images inspired her to change the direction of some of her paintings. Other influences on Dehn's art came from ancient and traditional arts of various cultures throughout the world, including Persian miniatures, illuminated manuscripts, Dutch still life painting, Asian art, ancient Egyptian artifacts...

In Japan they are known as Nishikigoi, or living jewels. These brilliantly colored varieties of the Amur carp have been selectively bred by family owned fisheries for generations. When I began this series of Gyotaku (Japanese fish printing) I studied the many varieties of Koi, each with their own unique colors and patterns. My particular favorites are the Tanchos which can be identified by the distinct red spot on their heads. To create these pieces I print common carp I catch myself with sumi ink using traditional techniques used by Japanese fisherman dating back the mid 1800's. I then tint the images using watercolor. In each piece I hope to translate a sense of movement to give the viewer a sense of calm one might experience watching the living versions lazily meandering around a serene pond. —Jeff Conroy Several koi swim in a circle while autumn leaves fall on the surface of the water in this Gyo-tako method of painting by artist Jeff Conroy. After inking and taking impressions of the koi, the artist then uses watercolors to enhance their beauty. By using marbled mulberry paper to print on, he has created the illusion of water with the swirls of the mulberry paper. The paper itself has a soft hue and slightly wavy texture adding the overall feel of the artwork. This artwork is unframed. Contact gallery for framing options. Jeff Conroy Autumn Cotillion sumi ink and colored pencil on mulberry paper 25h x 37w in 63.50h x 93.98w cm JEC103 Gyotaku - A Japanese word translated from "gyo" meaning fish and "taku" meaning stone impression. It is the traditional Japanese method of printing fish, a practice which dates back to the mid-1800s. This form of nature printing was used by fishermen to record their catches, but has also become an art form of its own. Gyotaku is a Japanese method of printmaking that traditionally utilizes fish, sea creatures or similar subjects as printing "plates" in its process. The literal translation of the word is "fish stone rubbing...

Transformista 3 - Original Figurative Drawing by Jose Luis Cuevas (b. 1934 d. 2017.) This original ink drawing by Cuevas depicts two distorted figures pressing their faces together....

Paula Valenzuela Living Heart, 2025 Watercolor and acrylic inks on paper 12 x 9 inches This one-of-a-kind work on paper comes unframed and ships in a tube. External, visible frame a...

Leaves is a modern artwork realized by in the 19 th century Ink and Pencil. Good conditions 

A modern Chinese watercolor painting depicting three stallions running underneath a blazing sun.

Landscape is a China Ink Drawing and Watercolor realized by Reynold Arnould (Le Havre 1919 - Parigi 1980). Good condition on a cream colored paper. No signature, titled and dated...

An abstract expressionist miniature etching on paper depicting a numerous different insects following a line of arrows by R. Silvestrov (Russian). Si...

Multi-layered collotype by Patricia A. Pearce (American, b. 1948). This piece is unsigned, but was acquired with a collection of other Pearce work. No frame. Patricia Pearce (Americ...

Original China ink drawing on ivory colored cardboard, representing the biblical scene of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise. Hand-signed on the lower right margin, in black...

Donald Stacy "Star Shining" c. 1950s Ink on paper 14" x 16.5" unframed Unsigned Came from artist estate This ink drawing on paper entitled "Star Shining" was created by Donald Stacy...