Thursday, November 5, 2015

New gallery representation through Ugallery

Cloudburst
by Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
12" x 16"
2015
Available through Ugallery.com

Earlier this week I announced Part 1 of my big news for the week. My friend Donna Davis Kurtz pointed out that she hasn't seen Part 2, so here it is:

I'm thrilled to announce that I've been accepted to exhibit online with Ugallery.com. Ugallery.com is a curated online gallery that promotes work in 45 countries worldwide. Ugallery.com has an impressive sales record and garnered lots of great press, including reviews in the Wall Street Journal and a feature on This Old House. They curate every piece shown on the site and take great care to present professional artwork. They also participate in some art fairs and host exhibitions from time to time. They maintain offices in New York and San Francisco. It's a great opportunity for me to expose my work to a wider audience.

My work went live today. Visit marknesmithart.ugallery.com and let me know what you think. I'm very excited and hopeful about this new venture!

P.S. There's a Part 3 to my big news coming up soon :-)

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

New Exhibit at the Texas Artists' Museum and Other Breaking News!

Two Umbrellas
by Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
24" x 24"
2015
On display at the Texas Artists' Museum

I believe in creating your own momentum, and sometimes the universe lends a helping hand. Not long ago I contacted the local museums and art spaces about possible exhibition opportunities. This past Saturday I received a call from the Texas Artists Museum. TAM is a non-profit art space in Port Arthur that exhibits and promotes local and regional artists. They usually feature three artists each month, but one of the artists scheduled to show in November wouldn’t be able to participate due to recent health concerns. They had received my email and viewed my work online and were wondering if there was any possibility I could step in and be part of the November exhibit. Ordinarily a couple of days notice wouldn’t be enough time to put a show together, but I’d recently brought back some work from my two-person show at Davis Gallery in Austin and from my summer shows in Galveston at Third Coast Gallery, most of which hasn’t been shown in SE Texas before. Altogether I had more than two dozen pieces I could show, so Monday afternoon we loaded up the cars and trucks and headed off to Port Arthur to hang the show.

I’d like to invite you all to the artists’ reception on the second Thursday of November, 11/12/2015, from 6 – 8 PM. It’ll be a fun filled night with lots of art and refreshments. TAM was hit hard in the last few hurricanes and is coming back strong. Let’s all help support this great institution in Port Arthur.

That was quite a whirlwind start to my week, but I have more breaking news too! I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve been accepted to exhibit online with Ugallery.com. Ugallery.com is a curated online gallery that promotes work in 45 countries worldwide. Ugallery.com has an impressive sales record and garnered lots of great press, including reviews in the Wall Street Journal and a feature on This Old House. They curate every piece shown on the site and take great care to present professional artwork. They also participate in some art fairs and host exhibitions from time to time. It’s a great opportunity for me to expose my work to a wider audience. My work should be available starting Thursday, November 5, 2015 at marknesmithart.ugallery.com.

A while back I announced that I was negotiating a contract with a large Austin based art publisher interested in producing and selling prints of my paintings. Unfortunately that seems to have fallen through, but as luck would have it I was contacted by a different publisher based out of McKinney, TX. Orisons Décor is a smaller company that sprang to life out of their already successful and long running gallery. They are very artist centered and offered very favorable terms with their contract. They offer reproductions through their online service and also partner with several leading interior design firms. I’ve just completed editing the first batch of graphic files and descriptions we’ll be offering and they should be available through www.orisonsdecor.com soon.  

Thank you all for your continued support and interest in my art. You make it all possible!

Mark


P.S. Don’t forget, if you’re anywhere near SE Texas on Thursday, November 12, 2015 stop by the Texas Artists’ Museum in Port Arthur to see my exhibit and say hello!

Monday, November 2, 2015

New 8" x 10" daily oil painting of the 1877 tall ship Elissa at Galveston, TX

"Lady Elissa"
by Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
8" x 10"
2015

 Click here to bid in the Ebay auction for this painting.

This 8" x 10" oil painting on canvas features the figurehead of the 1877 tall ship Elissa from Galveston, Texas. Elissa was built in Aberdeen, Scotland as a merchant vessel in a time when steamships were overtaking sailing ships. She was originally launched on October 27, 1877. According to the descendants of Henry Fowler Watt, Elissa's builder, she was named for the Queen of Carthage, Elissa, Aeneas' tragic lover in the epic poem The Aeneid.

Since painting this last week I've been commissioned to paint a large 28" x 40" version for Tradewinds Tavern at the MCM Elegante Hotel in Beaumont, Texas. Sometimes little things turn into big things with a little luck and perseverance.

Friday, October 23, 2015

12" x 12 Oil Painting "Above and Below" by Mark Nesmith and the separation of Heaven and earth




Above and Below
by Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
12" x 12"
2015

Click here to purchase this painting.

This 12" x 12" oil painting was inspired by the Neches River near Beaumont, TX. I painted this over a couple of afternoons while I was on Spring Break. Originally I was thinking of it as a kind of counter balance to the intensity of a painting of the Neches titled "The Burning Down" that I had painted a couple of weeks before. This one started as a calmer almost mirror image of the composition of the first, but as I worked those vivid oranges insisted on pressing forward, overtaking the distant shore and the reflected light in the water. Meanwhile the trees in the distance struggle to maintain the slightest separation between the sky and the earth.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Thank YOU! A Special Announcement from Mark Nesmith

Dear Friends and Family,

Thank you sincerely for your past and continued support of my artwork!  A few years ago I wouldn't have thought it possible that I'd achieve so much in such a short time.  I owe it to you! So many of you have shared my artwork, mentioned it to your friends, or even purchased a painting for yourself.  It's that kind of grassroots support that really gets the wheels moving.

This year I've been able to exhibit my work in Galveston, La Grange, and Austin.  I was asked to be a showcase artist at Le Grand Bal at the Dishman Art Museum at Lamar University, and I've been featured on www.emptyeasel.com and in an interview for the Artists of Texas blog.  I've gained collectors in sixteen states in the USA which puts my goal of having work all across the country in sight.  Most recently I've signed a contract with Orisons Decor line to start publishing and selling prints of some of my paintings.  

Now I'm thrilled to announce that one of my boyhood dreams is about to come true.  I've been invited to exhibit at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas! Their Cafe Arts program features local and regional artists.  I'll be showing at AMSET from August 18, 2016 through October 30, 2016.  There will be a reception tentatively scheduled for Sunday, August 21st  to open the show.

There will be invitation postcards mailed out closer to the exhibition date along with email updates and reminders.  I want to make sure that you, my friends, family, and patrons are there to share in this very special day. Please take a moment to subscribe to my email list, and stop by my web site to learn more about me, leave some feedback or a comment on my blog, or just browse my artwork portfolio. If you'd like to receive a postcard invitation in the mail please email me directly or send me a message through Facebook or text to update your physical address.

Thank you for your support and for your friendship.

Sincerely,

Mark Nesmith
www.marknesmith.com
art@marknesmith.com
409.548.8060

PS:  Your support has made this possible for me. Thank you!  Don't forget to sign up for my email list on my web site to receive continued announcements regarding my art work, and message, email, or text me your snail mail address for your postcard invite to my show at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas!






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Wednesday, October 21, 2015

12" x 16" Oil Painting "Stormy Night" and being happy when it rains

Stormy Night
by Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
12" x 16"
2015

Click here to purchase this painting.

I've always loved watching the sky when it rains, especially the moments just before and after a storm. The light takes on such a dramatic cast and even the most familiar sights seem new. We'd had some pretty big storms in SE Texas on this day, but by the time sunset rolled around the rain was leaving. What remained were these incredible cloud heads and the flicker of light just above the horizon. So many lovely tints and subtle shifts of color in this sky, from light mint greens through pinks and violets and deep blues. I painted just a few days apart from "Cloudburst" and it testifies to the endless variety of a Texas sky. This was another of those rare gifts that seemed to paint itself.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

12" x 16" oil painting "Cloudburst" and the joys of painting in the zone

Cloudburst
by Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
12" x 16"
2015

Click here to purchase this painting.

I'm a sucker for a good light show, and some of my favorite moments include the rays of a new sun bursting through the clouds. This painting was finished it two short sessions on the same day. I wanted to keep the freshness and spontaneity of the brushwork and colors in the clouds to have the feeling that the sun is exploding to life in the morning sky. This was one of those little gifts that just seemed to paint itself. The best moments as a painter are when you just kind of zone out and disappear from yourself and let the brush do its magic.

Monday, October 19, 2015

"Mirror, Mirror" reflections of a SE Texas Cypress Swamp

Mirror, Mirror
by Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
16" x 12"
2015

Click here to purchase this painting.

As a boy some of my fondest memories were hiking through the Big Thicket with my father. He directed the summer camp for the YMCA and we'd often take field trips to the Katy Nature Trail near Kountze. The cypress sloughs were always our favorite. Seeing the ancient trees reflected in the shallow water is an image that has lasted in my mind my whole life. To this day I return to the Big Thicket to sketch and take photographs. I seek out Cypress anywhere I can, and someday hope to complete a whole series of them like Monet's water lilies.

I kept thinking I would do more to this little canvas, but every time I came back to it I stopped myself. I love the contrast of the warm tones in the Cypress trunks and background against the cool jewel-like blues in the foreground.

Friday, October 16, 2015

Port Neches Art Walk on the Ave - Saturday, October 17th, 2015 from 2 - 6 pm


Join us this Saturday, October 17th, 2015, for the inaugural Port Neches Art Walk on the Avenue from 2 - 6 pm. There are dozens of artists involved along with food trucks and fun for the family. We're setting up a booth with artwork from our students at Port Neches Middle School, and I'll have a booth with my own paintings as well. I'll also be performing some tunes with my talented friend Patrick Coletta. It's a free event and there's sure to be something for everyone.

Saturday, October 10, 2015

New 12" x 12" oil painting "Puesta del Sol" (another Bolivar sunset)

Puesta del Sol
by Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
12" x 12"
2015

Click here to purchase this painting.

I love to walk along the edge where the ocean meets the beach at sunset. The world seems to disappear in a swirl of color and there's the sense that it's only a thin veil that separates things in this world. You can see the sunset from the exact same spot every day and every day it's brand new.

As I worked on this nearly abstract view of Bolivar along the Gulf Coast I had images of the great J.M.W. Turner filling my head. His work often features vast skies full of twisting colors that seem to have a life of their own. Like much of Turner's most famous works, this little painting of the Texas shore has just the barest hint of solid form to anchor the scene and keep it from dissolving into pure abstraction. Full of thick, juicy impastos of paint and lush color, this painting is meant to be a celebration of the beauty of our world.

Friday, October 9, 2015

John Alexander and the Crystal Head

Crystal Head
by Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
14" x 14"
2015
As an artist growing up in Beaumont, TX and attending Lamar University it was impossible not to know about John Alexander. Alexander, born in 1945 in Beaumont, earned his bachelor’s degree from Lamar in 1968 before gaining a Masters Degree from SMU and teaching at the University of Houston. These of course were all stepping stones to his move to New York and rise to renown in the art world.  Alexander’s work hangs in the collections of some of the most prestigious museums in the world, and he has had major retrospectives of his work at the Smithsonian and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.

Though I’ve known about him for half of my life and often seen him across a crowded gallery (most recently at The Grand Bal at the Dishman Museum where I have to admit I was thrilled to see my painting “Somewhere Under the Rainbow” hanging near his as one of the showcase artists this year), I’d never had the opportunity to actually meet the man. Well as luck would have it, he was in Beaumont this week for the opening ceremony of the newly named John Alexander Painting Studio at the Lamar University Art Department, and I finally had the chance to press the flesh and talk a while with Mr. Alexander.

It’s really a few chance meetings that led to this encounter.  My sweetheart Elizabeth has been working at the MCM Elegante Hotel in Beaumont for more than a year now.  One of the regulars at the tavern there is none other than Jim Gilligan, the Lamar University baseball coach and Texas Baseball Hall of Fame member.  Over the past year I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know coach a little.  He’s a lively story teller and a great guy.  Turns out he’s been friends with John Alexander for years.  When Coach found out I’m a painter from Lamar and have never met John, he was determined to introduce us.  I’ve seen coach a few times over the last month or so and he always reminded me about Alexander coming in for the ceremony at Lamar and that he was intending to introduce us.  I was touched by the gesture and thought I should do something in return.

The other piece to the puzzle happened this past week.  Elizabeth and I were talking about Coach and John Alexander and she suddenly remembered that she needed to order a bottle of Crystal Head Vodka.  Alexander designed the bottle and partnered with Dan Aykroyd to found Crystal Head in 2007, so they wanted to make sure they had some on hand at the bar. It occurred to me that the bottle would make an interesting little still life painting and a perfect thank you gift.  

I finished the painting the day of the ceremony so it was still too wet to give to him in person. Instead, I took a picture of it on my phone and showed it to Coach Gilligan at Lamar.  He instantly grabbed my phone and made his way across the room to John Alexander and motioned for me to come over.  John was surrounded by well wishers, friends, and representatives from the university and was constantly posing for photos with someone, but he took the time to talk to me a few minutes and wish me well with my career. I told coach I would get the painting to him after it dries and he said he’d have it shipped to John.

I wound up going to the Elegante that evening to see Elizabeth, and sometime around 10 PM John Alexander stopped by Tradewinds at the Elegante with a gift for me.  He gave me a hardbound book from his retrospective at The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and signed a little note to me inside the cover.  We spoke a while about art and Lamar, some professors we had in common and other artists from the area.  He’s a very genuine guy and an entertaining storyteller himself.  It’s not often that you get to meet someone of John Alexander’s status, and it’s even rarer when they turn out to be so down to earth and friendly.  It’s an experience I won’t soon forget and was truly an honor, and if I ever make it big I hope to be as gracious and generous with my time as Mr. Alexander.


Tuesday, September 29, 2015

New 12" x 24" oil painting "Gulf Stream Lights" by Mark Nesmith

Gulf Stream Lights
by Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
12" x 24"
2015

Click here to purchase this painting.

I never grow tired of the brilliant sunsets at the coast. I love the way the world dissolves with bursts of color in the clouds and reflected on the ripples of the waves. This 12" x 24" oil painting on canvas is titled "Gulf Stream Lights"and is full of thick, juicy impastos of paint and lush layers of color. "Gulf Stream Lights" was recently featured as part of my exhibition for the Galveston Art Walk at Third Coast Gallery on the island.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Procrastination

I've procrastinated about this a long time, but I'm finally getting around to starting a newsletter from my art website. I'll be sending out updates with info on shows, new artwork, reviews, and other interesting tidbits about my work and the arts in Texas.

Please enter your email and name to subscribe to my newsletter, and share this with anyone you think might be interested. Your information will be kept private and won't be shared with anyone else.

Thanks so much for all your support! I couldn't do any of this without you.





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Tuesday, September 22, 2015

New 12" x 12" oil painting "Miss Kim" from the Stingaree Marina at Crystal Beach, TX

"Miss Kim"
by Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
12" x 12"
2015

Click here to purchase this painting.

A little over a year ago my sweetheart Elizabeth was manager of the Down Under Bar & Grill at the Stingaree at Crystal Beach. I was fortunate enough to spend lots of time out at Bolivar that summer. The Stingaree Restaurant and marina is a must see whenever you're at Crystal Beach. They've got good food, but what really brings me back are the sights and sounds of the marina.

The Miss Kim is always docked just in front of the Down Under (the bar and grill underneath the Stingaree). I've painted her once before at dusk. Here I've tried to capture the incredible reflection she casts at sunset. I worked on this off and on for several days this week and finished this afternoon. It's always a challenge balancing the hard edges and details necessary to be convincing with a subject like this with my love of lose paint and vibrant color, but I'm pretty happy with the result. It makes want to sit back with a cold Shiner Bock and enjoy the gentle breeze of a sunset at the coast.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

New 10" x 8" Daily Painting "Fort Travis" by Mark Nesmith

Fort Travis
Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
10" x 8"
2015

Click here to purchase this painting.

I've been painting a lot of Bolivar lately, especially the light house and bolivar flats. I realized a few weeks ago on my way back from Galveston with my son that I've never painted Fort Travis so I spent a few hours today on this little 10" x 8" oil painting of some of the rustic doors at the fort.

Old Fort Travis sits at the western end of the Bolivar Peninsula just before the ferry landing to Galveston. The current fort was constructed in 1898. In 1961 several area residents took shelter at the fort to ride out Hurricane Carla.Currently the fort is a park operated through the Galveston County Beach and Parks Department. Several of the concrete bunkers still remain, and it's a great place to watch the ships or to fish.

Friday, September 4, 2015

A Painter of Memories and the Bolivar Light House

The Beacon
Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
8" x 10"
2015
I have painted the Bolivar light house several times in the last couple of years.  It's a sight I never seem to grow tired of and brings back the thrill of waiting on the ferry to go to Galveston as a kid. I started this little 8" x 10" after lunch a couple of days ago and spent yesterday afternoon finishing it. I often post progress photos of my paintings on Facebook, and yesterday when I posted this one I immediately had a buyer.  She and I have been Facebook friends for the past year or so and she often sends me incredibly thoughtful and kind comments about paintings I post. She's wanted to buy one for herself for a while and the timing hadn't worked out yet.

She used to live at the coast but moved to North Texas decades ago.  She had plans to move back home to the Gulf Coast with her sweetheart but he died a year or two ago.  Turns out this would be their anniversary and she's decided to make this painting an anniversary present to herself in honor of her life with him. When she commented about the painting she told me "It looks like you have painted a picture of a memory of a light house...not just a painting of a light house.  You're a painter of memories."

Wow! It's always nice to have buyers for my work, but when something I've made touches someone so deeply money doesn't compare.  When people ask me about the subjects I choose to paint I always point out that each and every image is related to a memory I have of time spent with the people I love. My paintings are a personal diary of sorts.  I'm humbled and honored every time someone else chooses to make my memories a new page in their own book of life.



Wednesday, September 2, 2015

"Idyll Time" new 16" x 20" oil painting by Mark Nesmith

Idyll Time
Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
16" x 20"
2015

Click here to purchase this painting.

This is another lost gem. I started this painting a couple of years ago. I don't get out much to paint plein air anymore, but I started this one while I was staying out at my brother's place. He has a bit of land and lives in a rural area. I'd take bike rides for miles seeking out places to paint around the nearby farms and pastures. This little cropping of trees was close by and I was often struck by the contrast of the warm field against the deep blues of the sky. For some reason the scene struck me as something Inness might paint. I spent a few hours laying this painting in and was pretty happy with it but for whatever reason I never got around to finishing it.

Flash forward a couple of years and a couple of moves....Elizabeth and I have our own extreme home makeover in progress. We bought a little house and are gutting it to the studs one room at a time. I was going through some of the storage looking for any art supplies I might have hidden and stumbled on this canvas. It was dusty and a little worse for wear but the scene struck me. I brought it to my make shift studio in my classroom a while back and finally got around to it this week. I've spent a little time in the afternoon the last couple of days basically treating the original as an under painting and painting, scumbling, and scraping thick impastos of color on top.The end result is maybe a little more impressionistic than some of my work but I love the lush textures and colors. We've had pretty dreary weather here this week but working on this painting took me away to lazy summer days.

Friday, August 28, 2015

"Pipe Down" new daily 8" x 10" oil painting by Mark Nesmith

Pipe Down
Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
8" x 10"
2015

Click here to bid on this painting.

I'm not a bird watcher exactly. I don't know the names of them all. I don't carry binoculars and I don't really seek out avian life, but I often notice birds, particularly when I'm at the beach.  Lately I've been plugging away mainly on larger canvases, often spending a few weeks or more coming back again and again to work on the same images.  Now that my shows at Third Coast Gallery in Galveston and Davis Gallery & Framing in Austin are in full swing I thought I'd get back to some smaller daily paintings I could finish in a couple of hours and just relax a little. 

I recently stopped off at Bolivar Flats and a couple of other beaches on my way back from the gallery in Galveston to shoot some reference photos and make a quick sketch or two of the sunset.  Bolivar Flats is sort of a mecca for bird watchers and photographers, and as usual there were plenty of our winged friends around.  These little pipers always catch my attention because their squatter statue stands in such contrast to the plentiful herons and pelicans.  

I started this 8" x 10" at lunch with a simple charcoal outline.  I wanted to keep things simple so I only used one, scraggly 1/4" flat bristle brush for the entire painting but tried to keep the surface interesting by varying my strokes and using the handle of the brush as well.  I've done a few small 5" x 7" panels in the past of spoonbills and pelicans, but this was my first piper.  At some point I'd like to try my hand at a larger more fully rendered bird, but for now I'm enjoying these occasional small flights of fancy.

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

"Bolivar Rising" 15" x 30" oil painting of a Gulf Coast sunrise by Mark Nesmith

Bolivar Rising
Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
15" x 30"
2014

Click here to purchase this painting.

When we were packing up to move I stumbled upon this forgotten beach painting I started 4 or 5 years ago. I wasn't happy with it and never finished it but I kept it around thinking I'd get back to it someday. A while back I starting playing around on it again. After two or three afternoons at the easel, I'm finally happy with it. The sky now casts a warm, radiant glow and I think I've managed to catch a bit of the calm rhythm of the waves I feel when sunrise wakes the coast. This painting really has me dreaming of warmer weather and salty breezes. Sometimes digging up the past yields new treasure.

This painting was recently featured in the artist showcase at Le Grand Bal at the Dishman Museum in Beaumont, TX and as part of the art walk at Third Coast Gallery in Galveston.  It had a buyer at Le Grand Bal but the sale fell through, so it's time to find this beach a new home. It's on a deep gallery wrapped style canvas. The edges are painted a neutral grey and the canvas is wired and ready to hang.

I'm the featured artist for Volume 6 of the AOT Collectors Update!

I'm honored to be the featured artist for the AOT Art Collectors Update this week.  The page has some of my paintings, bio and statement, and information on some of my current events. Please take a few moments to check it out and let me know what you think. It's a great feature and worth subscribing to for ongoing information about some great artists in Texas.

Click here to view Volume 6 of the AOT Art Collectors Update featuring my work. 

Monday, August 24, 2015

New Artists of Texas Page

My Artist of Texas webpage got a makeover today.  Stop by and check it out and let me know what you think.


Saturday, August 22, 2015

"Mudbugs" oil painting and the joys of a Southeast Texas crawfish boil

Mudbugs
Mark Nesmith
Oil on canvas
24" x 30"
2014

Click here to buy this painting.

I grew up in Beaumont, TX, but after graduating from Lamar University with my BFA in 1998 I moved to Dallas. Over the years trips back home to SE Texas became less frequent as I wound up working more and more to support my growing family, but the people, places, and culture of SE Texas and the Gulf Coast was always in my heart and my mind.
 
When my marriage was coming to an end in 2011-12 I moved back to my hometown where most of my family still lives as a much needed reboot for myself. Beaumont had changed a lot in the years I'd been gone. There were still lots of familiar places, but most of the friends I'd had growing up had moved away. I reconnected with a few people from my past, fell in love with my beautiful muse Elizabeth, and have been working on my happily ever after ever since.
 
One of the things I did after moving back was to start painting and drawing my new (old?) surroundings, and one of the ways I started meeting new people and making new friends was at the crawfish boils at The Pacesetter Lounge which my girlfriend was managing at the time. I like crawfish ok (never liked all the work it takes to peel them though,) but what really makes a crawfish boil special is sitting around with everyone sharing stories and laughs over a cold beer and some spicy crawfish. This painting is kind of a still life, but for me it's a reminder of all those evenings spent with good friends making new memories for a new life. This painting was originally exhibited as part of my one man show at The Art Studio, Inc. entitled "The Way Back Home" and recently was on display at Third Coast Gallery in Galveston. I think it's time to find these mudbugs a good home.

Friday, August 21, 2015

Press release for "Terra Chroma" two person show with Denise Fulton at Davis Gallery & Framing in Austin, TX


Enchanted Rock
by Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
36" x 48"
2015

Landscapes by Denise M. Fulton and Mark Nesmith
On View: August 15 - September 26, 2015
Opening Reception: Saturday, August 15, 7-9pm

Austin, TX – As we draw parallel lines between Denise M. Fulton and Mark Nesmith's work, we also begin to articulate a theme around the structure of texture. A distinctive mark making sets them apart, as the world around them takes shape through the expressive handling of the medium. Terra Chroma will delineate those parallels while also affirming the individual nature that each artists expresses through the vehicle of the brush.

Denise Fulton, in earlier years, was working in textile design. With the medium of acrylic on panel, she uses a direct painting style. Each stroke placed is intended to compliment the ones around it, creating a movement and texture that is characteristic of her works. Each mark is translucent, and the variations of thin and thick paint at the edges of each stroke adds a sense of depth and complexity to the piece. While the paint is still wet, scratching and lifting creates a secondary texture and vibration to the scene. Born in Ohio, Denise Fulton has been painting since 2009 and now resides in Austin, Texas.

Mark Nesmith works mostly with oil on stretched canvas. His landscapes adhere to an observed reality that he claims to "reinterpret through time, memory and imagination." Working mostly from digitally altered photographs and his own reference sketches, he creates dramatic compositions, scraping away and scrubbing at the paint to give the work a patina-like texture. His hand is very expressive, and the worlds created on the canvas are full of color and seductive light. Mark Nesmith is a musician, painter, and teacher and is featured in many private collections across the United States and overseas.

* * * * *
Davis Gallery
837 W.12th St
Austin, Texas 78701
512-477-4929
Hours:
Mon-Fri | 10-6pm
Saturday | 10-4p
Jen Jenkins
Assistant Gallery Directorcontact @ davisgalleryaustin.com

"Crystal Clear" Oil painting Bolivar Penninsula and the beaches along the Gulf Coast

Crystal Clear
Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
16" x 16"
2014

Click here to buy this painting.

Here I am again at my favorite stretch of the Bolivar coastline. From Bolivar Flats if you look to the right you get a glimpse of Galveston Island in the distance, to the left and you see the beach houses along Crystal Beach. This was a perfect beach day, soft pastel clouds just overhead and a brilliant blue sky with the sun illuminating the distant hook of the shore and slightest indication of houses and civilization along the horizon. This painting was part of a recent show I was featured in at Third Coast Gallery in Galveston as part of the summer art walk series. It's wired and ready to hang and looking for a good home.

Updated available works on Daily Paintworks

Bolivar Rising
Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
15" x 30"
2014

Click here to buy this painting.

I've been blessed this summer to have so many opportunities to show my work in some wonderful galleries. I've been so busy that I've neglected my Daily Paintworks page, but I still have bills to pay, a wreck of a house to renovate, and a teenage mouth to feed, so I spent some time this morning updating my online gallery of available artwork including the beach paintings I brought back from Galveston this week. If you think you might be interested in helping me get a new home for my little art babies, follow the link to my Daily Paintworks gallery and check out the available pieces. Towards the top of the gallery page you can select to view available paintings only or all artwork including pieces I've already sold. There's information about each painting and a Buy It Now button for PayPal.  I'm also available for commissions if you have something special in mind. Thanks for all the encouragement and support you all give me about my artwork! 

Click here to view my available paintings on Daily Paintworks.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Empty Easel article featuring my paintings

Here's a great EmptyEasel feature about my landscape paintings. EmptyEasel is one of the most established art sites around and averages a few hundred thousand visits each month. I'm honored to have been selected as their featured artist this week. 

http://emptyeasel.com/2015/03/18/mark-nesmith-dramatic-unpeopled-landscape-paintings/

Friday, March 13, 2015

The physics of Van Gogh

Van Gogh has been one of my reference points since I first took up a brush. On our trip to New York in college my friend and fellow artist Curt Cryer and I we're enthralled by even the smallest Van Gogh paintings at the Met. This is a fascinating animated video explaining the link between Starry Night and modern physics. Check it out!

http://www.upworthy.com/in-125-years-millions-of-people-have-looked-at-this-painting-no-one-really-saw-it-until-now

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Waking with the waves


Bolivar Rising
Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
15" x 30"
2015
Click here to purchase this painting.
When we were packing up to move I stumbled upon this forgotten beach painting I started 4 or 5 years ago. I wasn't happy with it and never finished it but I kept it around thinking I'd get back to it someday. A week or two ago I started playing around on it. After two or three afternoons at the easel, I'm finally happy with it. The sky casts a warm, radiant glow and I think I've managed to catch a bit of the calm rhythm of the waves I feel when sunrise wakes the coast. This painting really has me dreaming of warmer weather and salty breezes. Sometimes digging up the past yields new treasure.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

I am a River, starting a new 36" x 48" painting


A couple of nights ago I was listening to the Foo Fighters Sonic Highways and zoning out during a 3 mile run, and then the song "I am a River" came on and I found myself imagining the Neches.


 It's been a lifetime since I've taken a canoe down any river, but my mind's eye was flooded with a vivid yet slightly unformed idea. Curious, I found an interview where Dave Grohl talks about how his inspiration for "I am a River." The song was recorded in New York, and like the other songs on Sonic Highways it contains references to the city and the interviews with the musicians he talked to while he was there.  


The river part refers to Minetta Creek which flows beneath Manhattan. Grohl said he thought it's a beautiful idea that something primitive and natural lives beneath the modern urban sprawl of New York, and that maybe there's something like that river that connects us all. I like that idea. I like thinking that somehow we're all connected across the thousands of miles that separate us. 


I started this 36" x 48" canvas yesterday afternoon. Lately I've been doing very minimal drawings for my paintings, really just bare outlines and broad layouts, but this idea felt like it needed more so I spent today fleshing it out a bit. The tree lined banks are those of the Neches here in SE Texas, at least the way I remember it.  I used a few different photos for reference and haven't quite decided the color or mood I'm after, but I can see it taking shape.

Monday, March 9, 2015

New oil painting "Fire in the Sky"

Fire in the Sky
Mark Nesmith
Oil on canvas
24" x 20"
2015
I've stared at these two oaks outside my classroom all year thinking I should paint them. One day I watched the sun fight through the dark clouds of a dying storm. It was like a burst of fire in the sky. I've held that image in my mind and yesterday after school I started laying in the beginnings of this painting.  

I haven't decided if this is finished or not yet, but nothing is yelling at me when I look at it so I'm leaving it alone for now.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

New forest oil painting "Against the Sky" by Mark Nesmith


Against the Sky
Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
10" x 8"
Click here to purchase this painting.

As a boy I practically lived in the woods. There was a small pine forest behind my home in Beaumont, and I spent my time out of school in the woods building forts, climbing trees, racing, and just losing myself in the sights and sounds of nature. Later hiking trips through the Big Thicket only reinforced my love for the tall and graceful verticals of an East Texas pine. The sight of the towering pines against the sky has always entranced me, and to this day I feel my eyes and thoughts pulled to the shimmering sky seen through the branches of the pines when driving anywhere in SE or East Texas.It's a sight I've always felt compelled to paint and draw, but generally haven't felt much success with. 

Lately I've been wanting to take another stab at the woods and have been planning a few large canvases featuring the Big Thicket area. I've started to do a few small paintings to kind of find my path, so to speak.Here a couple of pines tower above the distant treeline and are silhouetted against the vibrant pink clouds at sunset. True to the form of my recent paintings this canvas has thick impasto with layers of color and textures.



Monday, March 2, 2015

New beach landscape oil paintings "Bolivar Suite" by Mark Nesmith

"Bolivar Suite"
Oil on Four canvases, each 6" x 6"
2014

Been awhile since I've shared anything here, but now that Spring is around the corner i find myself dreaming of the coast more and more. Those dreams are starting to work their way onto my canvases again. I know I posted some of these when I was making them a few months ago, but don't know if I shared the finished series. I call it "Bolivar Suite". Each of the four canvases is 6" x 6" and features the same view of Bolivar Flats with different light. These have been on display as part of my show in Baytown and are now listed on the Daily Paintworks site individually.  Hopefully we'll have warmer temps and some sun soon to enjoy our beautiful coast.  I've attached links to the Paintworks site if you'd like to view more or bid in the auctions.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/335351

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/335352

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/335355

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/335356

Sunday, March 1, 2015

New oil painting "The Burning Down" by Mark Nesmith

The Burning Down
Oil on Canvas
12" x 12"
2015 
Click here to purchase this painting. 

I'm often drawn to the tree lined shore of a lake or river. Here the pines at the distant bank are nearly silhouetted against the fiery sunset. It can be a challenge to balance my love for loose, thick paint with the demands of representation on a small canvas. Here thick impasto works hand in hand with thinner veils of color and subtle sgraffito effected by the handle of a brush, a whirl of movement and explosion of color that seems on the verge of burning itself down.


Unexpected Beauty in a Roadside Ditch - NEW Water Lily Painting in Progress by Mark Nesmith

Here’s the view from my easel today. I drew up a couple of large views or water lilies from the drainage ditch past Winnie on the way to ...