Folinsbee Considered

A Monhegan Moment 12x16 oil by David Lussier. (I was influenced by Folinsbee’s palette with this one.)

30 SECONDS IN THE STUDIO

Folinsbee Considered

Sometime in 2022 I acquired a book about the life and work of John Fulton Folinsbee. “Jack” Folinsbee was an American landscape, marine and portrait painter, and a member of the art colony at New Hope, Pennsylvania. He is best known for his paintings of the factories, quarries, and canals along the Delaware River, but he also spent a great deal of time in Maine and bought a farmhouse between Bath and Wiscasset in 1949. At this point, he embarked on a new aspect of his career as a marine painter. 

The book “Folinsbee Considered”is the most comprehensive look into the fascinating life and work of this great painter. I’ve been familiar with Folinsbee for a long time now, but this winter I picked the book back up in earnest and dove in headfirst. 

This publication has led me to explore in more detail, the work of many of his contemporaries; like Jonas Lie (Lee) Harry Leith Ross, Fern Coppedge, and Robert Spencer to name a few. I knew of all these painters, but now I am digging in a little more and seeing how they may have influenced each other in their work, particularly how Jonas Lie, Robert Spencer and Harry Leith Ross inspired and influenced Folinsbee a great deal. That said, “Jack” Folinsbee was indeed his own person and made it a lifetime journey to explore and find his own voice in American Art. He is truly genius. 

In our weekly critique classes ‘David Lussier’s Art Circle,’ I guide the weekly painting challenges, given as assignments to the groups at the end of each class, around both what the group will specifically benefit from, based on what is being turned in, and around the exploration of paintings by other past greats that we look at each week in class.  

We have been digging into Folinsbee a great deal. It is a wonderful way to be able to learn and be inspired. By exploring and taking it all into careful consideration, everyone is growing leaps and bounds in these group classes. For Pam and me it is both rewarding and challenging to be steering the ship constantly into uncharted territory. The energy, camaraderie, and work within these Art Circle Groups is nothing short of amazing. 

For me personally, I find that by challenging myself daily, much like I do with my students, I am forever in a state of flux and learning, and I am never just standing still. Hopefully, that is evident and seen in my work. It is paramount to a fulfilled life, to be always striving to learn more, and to make painting a lifetime exploration towards finding your own unique voice. 

 Warm Regards, 

 David & Pam

John F Folinsbee Catalogue Raisonné

Visiting Old Friends

E.Charlton Fortune, Above the Town (Monterey Bay), 1918. Oil on canvas, 30 1/8 x 40 1/8

We’ve been pretty busy visiting old friends during the pandemic.

Pam and I have visited a plethora of art museums and galleries online, since March of last year. When you really dig in and explore the painting images of past greats, you really do feel like you’re visiting with old friends. Each week, we search online for paintings by a variety of masters, to share the work with the group of artists who make up David Lussier’s Art Circle. Not only do we search and find images of great paintings, but we search websites to find large file images that allow us to zoom in and really see the work up close and personal.

It’s akin to standing a foot away from a painting in a museum and practically putting your nose to within an inch or two from the canvas. We do this in order to see the artists brushwork and paint quality. We’ve gotten called on this a few times over the years by security guards just doing their job. The act of being able to do this online is an absolute pleasure and you can study the work for as long as you like.

The list of great paintings that we’ve looked at and discussed is a long one. It’s inspiring to see how painters used their skills to compose their paintings, used color and made their marks in paint. It never gets old and you can learn a lot. Recently we looked at the Monterey Museum of Art and the paintings of E Charlton Fortune. An American Impressionist from California, She was well traveled, studied in Europe, New York and San Francisco and was very prolific. Fortune died in Carmel California in 1969. Her compositions are amazing and busy, but fantastically designed. Her brushwork and use of paint in general is exciting to look at.

There are numerous museums who are offering large file images online, of work that is considered public domain and there are many galleries who give the viewer the opportunity to enlarge and zoom in on some painting images. It’s fun to have a look!

Warm Regards,
David & Pam

Gratitude

Gratitude

As we navigate through our daily lives during a very real pandemic situation, Pam and I find ourselves grateful for simple things. We are working everyday from our home and studio and we are re  connecting with so many friends, family and students on an almost daily basis. The online ‘Art Circle’ painting and critique groups that we are holding weekly, are continuing to provide us with a sense of normalcy. I can assure you that the Art Spirit is alive and well. Since we began the groups 8 weeks ago, approximately 235 new paintings have been created by these spirited artists!

We have also been connecting weekly with our 6 grown children who live all over the country. Zoom meetings are here to stay, that’s for sure. We have spent more personal time with them online during these last 8 weeks, than we have been able to, when we are all so busy with crazy schedules. Even the spirited way that artists, musicians and some television shows are connecting with us during this time are quite fascinating. For instance, watching Jimmy Fallon do his tonight show from his home, with his wife Nancy as cameraman and his two young daughters included in the show, brings us a glimpse of the personal side of the late night host and quite frankly it’s pretty refreshing.

He is interviewing his guests as they shelter in their homes. Both the interviews and live musical performances, which are being done on zoom, have been awesome and intimate. Recently, being brought into the living room of singer/songwriter, James Taylor, while he sang ‘You Can Close Your Eyes’ with his wife and son singing harmony, was both mesmerizing and touching.

This kind of rethinking during this unprecedented time is part of what makes us all unique and yet it shows us that we are all in this together and we can get through it together. We’ve all had to take a step back from our lives that are constantly on the go. I think we are all seeing how important it really is to be connected with family, friends and loved ones.

We are trying to find the good in all of this. After all we can’t change the situation, but we have control over how we react to it. We are grateful for our blessings amid the difficulties. Thank you all for being part of our life. We wish you a safe journey through this time and please stay safe!


Warm Regards,
David & Pam

Watch James Taylor and his family sing 'You Can Close Your Eyes' CLICK HERE