Happy Birthday Rodin!

The Thinker- 10" x 13" by Greg Newbold

Today marks the 173rd birthday of one of my all time favorite sculptors Auguste Rodin. Few sculptors have made such a lasting impact on art as Rodin. I have had several opportunities to witness firsthand, the brilliance of his work and whenever I do, I never cease to be moved and amazed at his passion and skill. Perhaps the most iconic sculpture ever created is Rodin's The Thinker.

Rodin's The Thinker

I used this piece as an inspiration and homage when I was asked to create a cover for The Village Voice's literary section many years ago. The articles were all book reviews relating to war, it's aftermath and the effects on the people of such regions. I thought The Thinker would be the perfect metaphor and so I constructed him emerging from the wreckage of battle with gun still smoking. The small flower growing amidst the rubble represents the hope for a better tomorrow. I think Rodin himself would be both pleased and amazed at the staying power his work has had. Thanks for the inspiration and Happy Birthday Rodin!

Check out this nice tribute to Rodin at Artwife Needs A Life

The Sentinels

The Sentinels- 16" x 20" Oil on board by Greg Newbold

I have a thing for hay bales. I probably stems back to summers when we would have to buck enough bales to fill up the hay barn for the winter. In the moment, you hate it. It's hot itchy work and the bales are heavy. If the hay was dense, the bales could easily weigh seventy five pounds or more. Getting the last couple of layers loaded onto the truck was always a brutal effort. Of course with today's modern machinery, the bales are massive and require heavy equipment to remove from the field. These two bales lie in wait like desert buttes for their trip to whatever winter storage destination is their fate. I love the solid almost graphic shapes that these great bales offer as subjects. I also liked working a lot more with the palette knife on this painting.

#449- A Soft Spot For Sheep

#449- Oil on board by Greg Newbold

If you have followed my blog, you will no doubt remember a few other paintings I have done involving sheep. Growing up, I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with these creatures. Our family homestead where my widowed great aunt lived always had sheep and as she had no children, we took care of them for her much of the time. For a time in my teen years, it was my daily chore to feed, water and otherwise monitor the animals. I didn't always love taking care of the sheep, especially in bitter cold weather, but I loved visiting with my Aunt Mame. These are not her sheep, but they represent the memories I cherish from that time in my life. See some of my previous sheep themed paintings below.

Aunt Mame's Sheep
Winter Coats
Unburdened
Penned In

The Days Are Long

The Days Are Long- 8" x 10" oil on board by Greg Newbold

I have been painting a lot the last few weeks creating new works for my galleries. That's right, I have added another gallery to my stable. This one in Park City, UT. I won't jump the gun just yet, but I will announce formally the new gallery next week when I deliver the first batch of paintings. In the meantime, I will be posting a few of the new pieces over the next week. Enjoy!

Painting Videos Now Up!

Half Dozen- 12" x 20"- oil,  by Greg Newbold

The landscape painting tutorials I filmed with the Kimball Art Center are now up on YouTube. The painting contest for grades K-12 goes from now until November 17th, 2013. Students can upload their paintings to the Kimball Art Center site here. I am told there will be prizes. Here is a link to all of the videos.


The lighting was not as bright as I had hoped, but it was done in house on a budget and overall, I like the results. The information I share will be very helpful if you have beginners in your house or if you just want to check out how I painted this one. Disclaimer: the final painting was finished up in oils since I will be sending it to my gallery.

Kimball Art Center Video Tutorial

Half Dozen- Oil over Acrylic, 12" x 20" by Greg Newbold

Last week I had the chance to film a painting demo for the Kimball Art Center in Park City, Utah. They hare holding a painting context for children in grades K-12 in conjunction with their current exhibit "Painters of the Wasatch Mountains". Children will have an opportunity to enter their own lansdscape painting and have a chance at prizes.

Blue taped filming area with my equipment set up

The goal was to break down the painting of a landscape into segments that were each 2-5 minutes long and to make it understandable for young kids without boring older students. Easier said than done. I divided things into segments such as materials, choosing a subject, basic color mixing, value patterns, blocking in, pushing and pulling and finishing up.

The camera was above me on a tripod.

We determined it would be best to paint the demo in acrylic paint even though most of my landscape work is oil paint. We decided that acrylic would be the most readily available of any medium and be the most versatile for younger kids.

my hands were the only part filmed- OK by me.

where the acrylic painting stopped at the end of filming

Filming took place over two afternoons (due to some camera issues) and then I finished the painting up at home. I actually did paint the final layer in oil, but most kids wont understand the difference or even be able to tell when the final painting is flashed on screen. After getting the painting back in the studio, I decided to add some interest and color to the far background. It felt a little too flat, so I added a tree line and some blue hills.

Thanks to Jenny Diersen, Educational Director at the Kimball Art Center as well as the rest of the staff who helped make this an enjoyable experience for me. I would do it again anytime.

I am still waiting to see the final cuts of the demo and I will post the links when I get them. 

Nap Time

Nap Time- 8" x 6" oil by Greg Newbold

A week or so ago I went to paint on location at our local living history park, Wheeler Historic Farm. I happened upon the sweetest little scene I could imagine and knew I had found my subject.

The Farm had recently been blessed with a new little calf and she was asleep in the sunshine right at the doorway of the barn. As with any live subject, I knew she could move at any moment, so I set to work. I quickly blocked in the structure of my piece and tried to get as much of the little calf indicated as possible.

She kept moving and stretching, but did not get up and leave for nearly half an hour. I got a good indication of what I wanted before she finally heard the breakfast bell and slowly sauntered into the barn to eat.

As I worked a little more on the barn and foreground, I hoped she would come back out so I could get a few more photos, but alas, a fleeting moment was all I was blessed with. Luckily I got a few good photos and was able to finish it up in the studio.