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 the coast. I love finding moments of beauty in otherwise overlooked places. This one is 30” X 48” and I can’t wait to get painting!

Caprock Canyon - NEW Southwest Daily Painting featuring the Vivid Orange Caprock Bluff Against Clear Blue Sky by Mark Nesmith

Caprock Canyon
By Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
12” X 16”
2020

CLICK to bid in the auction or buy it now.

It’s been a few years since I’ve made it out West, but lately I’ve been daydreaming about Caprock Canyon. Caprock is a beautiful state park in West Texas.  Ever since I went camping there with my friend Jon I’ve had the vivid red rock formations etched in my mind. I took hundred of photos as we hiked the rugged terrain.  Recently as I was cleaning up my external hard drive I came across the unedited RAW images and once again found new inspiration.

I began this 12” X 16” oil painting Monday. By the afternoon the canvas was covered and I decided to leave it for the night. This morning I came in and realized I hated it. I took a palette knife and scraped everything off. People often think I’m crazy when they see me erasing an entire painting like this, but sometimes you have to destroy in order to create. The second time around the painting felt much better. I stayed after work a couple of hours and finished it up the same day.

Visit www.marknesmith.com to view more of my art and like and follow me on Facebook and Instagram.

Oracio del Sol - NEW vivid sunrise oil painting - thick impasto with cool blue and violent tones contrasted against bright yellow and orange hues by Mark Nesmith

Oracio del Sol  by Mark Nesmith
Oil Painting on Canvas
20” X 20”
2020

CLICK to learn more or purchase this painting.

I started this 20” X 20” canvas inspired by mornings spent at Galveston Island State Park a year ago. The sky went in with ease and I thought I’d finish it in a couple of days. One thing led to another and it seemed like I was always getting a sidetracked into another project or a new natural disaster in SE Texas. The painting sat quietly in my classroom waiting for me to come back to it. Thus week I finally put it back on the easel and started laying in the water. Again it felt like it almost painted itself. I think it was worth the wait and just goes to show that it’s never too late. The next day my temperament favored thick paint and I spent my time at the easel playing in the water.  I developed deep impastos in the waves with scrapes and stokes of the palette knife. My bristle brushes added loose strokes and scumbles of thick, buttery color. The cool blue and violent tones contrasting against vivid yellow, orange and pink notes lend a little of Van Gogh’s intensity. 

Painted on 1 1/2” deep gallery wrapped canvas, the sides are finished in a neutral tone and the painting is wired and ready to hang.

Skyfall - New Daily Painting of the Sunrise After a Storm by Mark Nesmith

Daily Painting 1/23/2020

Skyfall
by Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
6” X 6”
2020

CLICK to bid in the auction or buy it now.

After finishing a 20" X 20" beach sunrise I'd been working on yesterday I had lots of little piles of lovely color mixed on my palette. I decided to see what I could make of them and was inspired by my morning commute. This daily painting is a view of the sun starting to rise after a stormy night. Our little slice of Texas has been very wet and dreary as of late. I'm often searching for the slightest ray of sunshine above the trees as I drive to Port Neches to drop my son Samuel off for morning workouts before school. Here the warmth of yellows and orange starts to spread from the horizon to the remnants of the cloud front above, bathing the dark, cool clouds with splashes of red. Sunrise is always a welcome sight, but I find it especially exhilarating after a storm. I wanted to keep this one fresh and loose and made myself work quickly, spending just over an hour with my brush. Even amidst the hustle and bustle of rush hour there’s time to look to the skies and appreciate our beautiful world.

Skyfall is an oil painting on 1 1/2” deep gallery wrapped canvas. I’ll finish the edges in a neutral grey and wire the back to hang.

Back in the Saddle Again

It’s been a while, but I’ve finally decided to free up some time and get back to my blog. A lot has happened the last few years, not the least of which is getting married to my love Elizabeth.  She’s not only beautiful and smart but is a talented painter in her own right. I’d like to introduce you to her wonderful watercolors and her newly created site on Daily Paintworks.

Elizabeth Nesmith
Blue
Watercolor on Paper
12” X 9”
2018
Click HERE to bid in the DPW Auction or Buy It Now

Here’s her first offering Up for DPW auction. . “Blue” is one of my personal favorites from her and was shown at Third Coast Gallery in Galveston as part of our two-person show there. Stop by and check out her new DPW site and stay tuned for lots more of her wonderful watercolors!

https://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/1032343

New Life for an Old Painting

Resurrected Landscape
by Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
12" x 24"
2016

Click here to purchase this painting.

This painting is a resurrection of sorts. A little more than a year ago we used to live in Country Village Apartments on Fannett Road just outside Beaumont, TX. The apartments aren't much and they're pretty old, but they are situated on a lot of land which made them ideal for dogs. There are fields and woods and plenty of nice views, but what really stands out about the place is the little horseshoe shaped pond lined with pines. For some unknown reason they call it Cedar Lake. I'd often take walks there in the morning and evening and loved the unique combination of the shape of the pond, the ring of pines along the narrow bank, and the flickering reflections on the water.

I first started this painting while I was still living there. I had already painted a few small panels of Cedar Lake and fleshed out this 12" x 24" canvas pretty quickly one evening. Later I went back at it hoping to add some brushwork and push the color and ended up hating it, so the canvas was relegated to the closet. It somehow stuck around and survived the move to our house but has been out stuck in piles of junk in the garage ever since. A couple of days ago I was going through some boxes looking for guitar parts and I stumbled upon the dusty canvas in the corner. Suddenly I thought I saw a glimmer of life, so I put the canvas on the easel and spent the last couple of days painting it all over again. It's funny. This canvas sat unwanted and hidden from view for more than a year, only to find new life and vibrancy in a couple of days. Sometimes it just takes fresh eyes and a little faith to be resurrected.

This is a 12" x 24" oil painting on 1/2" deep gallery wrapped canvas. It's available and looking for a good home.

The Space Between - new daily oil painting of Lake Mineral Wells

The Space Between
Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
6" x 6"
2016

Click here to buy this painting.

I'm still dreaming of spring and the lake. This is another recent painting inspired by my memories of vacationing at Lake Mineral Wells with my kids. We stayed in one of the little screened cabins at the waters edge. Across the inlet from us was an outcropping of trees and boulders, and in the distance a small island set against the distant shore. The mornings were bathed in a brilliant bright and warm light. I really need to get back there again soon! This is an 6" x 6" oil painting on 1 1/2" deep gallery wrapped canvas. The sides are finished in black and the canvas comes wired and ready to hang.

New daily painting "Daybreak" (morning on the lake)

Daybreak
by Mark Nesmith
Oil on Canvas
6" x 6"
2016

Click here to bid in the Ebay auction.

Finished and looking for a good home! "Daybreak" is a 6" x 6" oil painting on 1 1/2" deep gallery wrapped canvas. It was inspired by my memories of camping at Lake Mineral Wells with my kids several years ago. I had to fight the urge to do to much to this one. I love the freshness and spontaneity and all the texture. These little paintings are listing for $200 - 250 at my gallery, but I'm starting this with a low bid of $40. Here's a great chance to start or add to your collection. I'll be posting several paintings over the next few weeks that just haven't found their place yet so check back for more auctions.

The Dishman Art Museum and my painting "Crystal Head"

Crystal Head
Oil on Canvas
14" x 14"
2015

Well, in a funny turn of events, looks like I might have my first painting to call a museum home. A while back I gave Lamar baseball Coach Jim Gilligan a painting of a Crystal Head vodka bottle. It was meant as a thank you. Coach and I had talked quite often (at the Tradewinds Tavern) and he often shared stories about world renowned artist John Alexander who he has known for years. John was coming to Lamar for the dedication of a painting studio in his honor and Coach was determined that I needed to meet him. Of course John is somewhat of a legend in the Beaumont art world as a local boy who made it big. Since my conversations with Coach were always at a bar and often included talk of Crystal Head Vodka (John Alexander co-founded the vodka with Dan Aykroyd and designed the bottle) I thought he'd get a kick out of the little still life painting I had been working on. Coach passed it on to John, and now it seems John donated the painting to the Dishman Art Museum at Lamar. Funny how things work sometimes. Every artist dreams of having their work in a museum. Maybe this will be the first of many. If any of you want to donate my work to another museum I'll buy you a drink sometime and say thanks lol!

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 :-)

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!