Olga's Masterpiece

Olga Krimon's painting breaks every rule in the book and is perhaps one of the finest figurative paintings we have every hung in the gallery. Which is saying a lot based on the caliber of artists we are fortunate enough to carry in our humble M Gallery inventory. She centered the figure, placed it too close to the top edge, etc., etc. yet the thing is a masterwork and belongs in a museum. Her paint handling, management of edges, values, chroma, drawing all speak of intense easel time, meticulous training, a great eye & remarkable talent. Ms. Krimon is destined to be a rock star painter. And, she has no idea how good she is...humble as a mouse she is typical of the best painters I see...for them "there is never there"  in terms of mastering their craft. "There is never there" for these painters in the creation of master works, studies or simple studio notes. Stop by the gallery in Charleston this week if you can...Olga's painting is on display along with several other of her works. We are in the midst of the chaos of hanging the wonderful works of Tony Pro, Matteo Caloierio & Brooke Olivaries...so excuse our jumble. But come on by & visit or of course see us on the web at http://www.mgalleryoffineart.com/searchresults.php?artistId=12055

Roger Dale Brown's painting evokes a sense of space & drama which allows one's mind to wander, open up to a possibility of rest & peace and perhaps a new day. The Nashville based painter has seen more than his share of painful images (post flood) and still maintains the gracious presence of a southern gentleman. His community may be wallowing in mud & muck but the elegance of his imagery carries on in the best of traditions. I feel like Scarlett herself could look out at this sunset murmuring the famous line about another day and sleep peacefully. I know in my own life there have been enough disquieting moments to make me sure I am a member of the human race...and gifted with the lessons of adversity. Our commonality as people in enduring strife & yet being able to glimpse at beauty and find hope so carefully defines our humanity and our connection with the divine. Roger has a very special gift in being able to deliver that holy moment of comfort and hope to his canvas and let us take it home to our lives and be collected in arms of the divine and the ease of it all. This painting by Roger Dale Brown is available through M Gallery of Fine Art 16 S Palm Avenue Sarasota FL or on the web at http://www.mgalleryoffineart.com/masterpiece/title.php?ititlenum=12866

Scarlet Stains

Scarlet stains on the arches of this beautiful San Miguel Mission so clearly reveal the nature of human frailty within the sanctity of life. The recent scandals of the pedophilia and subsequent cover ups have rocked the church, horrified its faithful and evoked scorn among the secular.

The centuries old institution in its many forms will likely endure. The nature of human frailty will remain mired in self absorption and cruelty and require the external absolution delivered by an institution larger than the individual. What individual could ever forgive themselves for the horror these men delivered unto the trusting children under their care? It requires a presence larger than life; a presence based on faith for no experience allows for the absolution of this type of transgression. When I view Frank Gardner's painting of this mission it is as if I am viewing one of the icons depicting miracles; like the statue of the Virgin with tears of blood, the church is stained with the blood of innocents and yet basks in the miracle & beauty of a Mexican sunlight, dappled & pleasant in the high mountain mesa air. This lovely work can be seen at M Gallery of Fine Art 16 S Palm Avenue in Sarasota FL or on the web at www.mgalleryoffineart.com

Molly's Roses

When we lived in our previous house down in Venice the woman who lived behind us went a bit batty and one day snapped all the heads of my roses as she walked by as my recompense for talking out side during the day in my lanai on my cell phone. I think she must have had her hearing aid turned way too loud, for she lived quite a distance across a pond and I am not all that loud. Nonetheless it made her mad and in a fit of pique she shuffled over in her walker and beheaded my roses, just like the unhappy Queen in Alice in Wonderland. It apparently took the stuffing right out of her and not to long after she was packed off to a “residential treatment facility”, (what as kids we called the looney bin). One thing is clear is that the roses’ beauty was not to be tolerated in her increasingly ugly world, any more than my happy prattling to friends, family & co-workers. Molly Schmid’s roses, laid so casually with their ribbon are like my happy conversations on the lanai…without consciousness and seeming eternal, certainly fresh and happy. When the ugly demons possessed my neighbor’s brain, they would have none of either, snapping off any head daring to smile out of its fox hole. When I look at Molly’s roses I find them quite enchanting and the buds, as they unfold very charming. I think of my neighbor, wonder if she is still alive, hoping, if she is, that her tolerance for grace & beauty has returned. Molly’s Roses are on the wall at www.Mgalleryoffineart.com.