Featuring Artist Scott McBee

Artist Scott McBee's stunning, large-scale paintings are some of the most intricately rendered works that I have ever seen. His finely detailed nautical portraits of ocean liners and yachts are approximately 3 x 9 feet in size. The glorious marine life series is created with vivid colors and gold or silver leafing. Scott's exquisitely refined art will take your breath away! Please enjoy our conversation below.

Scott. thank you so much for participating in this interview for our readers.

1) When did you first become interested in being an artist?

At a very early age, I would say around 7. I always loved to draw and play with paints. Whenever I was handed an assignment in class or given home work it always came back to the teacher with artwork plastered on both sides of the paper. I had very little interest in doing my homework and my teachers were not amused. Needless to say there was a meeting with my mom. 

2)  At what point in your career did the intricate nautical portraits of ocean liners and yachts become a passion?  

I understand you have clients who commission your work from all over the world.

 I've always had a life long passion for ocean liners and steam yachts since I was a boy. I was always doodling or building a model of one or the other. I was fascinated by the design and construction as with all the details that go into the creation of a ship.  

   My passion for painting ocean liners and steam yachts emerged about 15 years ago. I started my career in NYC as a commercial artist  working in advertising.  As an experiment and gift to myself  I decided to take a month off and do something I loved to do. To follow my passion so to speak.

   Painting the ocean liners and yachts were and still are for my own pleasure.  The paintings are an extension of my love for model building I did as a kid. I manage to squeeze a model  in every so often in between commissions.

   I began receiving commissions after my first gallery show with the Chinese Porcelain Company here in NYC.  My clients range from bank executives in  Singapore, media presidents here on the east and west coast as well as yacht owners and enthusiast. They all share a common interest in nautical architecture, history and a passion for the sea.

 My two most recent commissions were of the Cunard liner, R.M.S. Queen Mary and the aircraft carrier H.M.S. Invincible. Both commissions were from a gentleman who had traveled on board the Queen Mary as a child and served on the Invincible as a naval officer. They were a pleasure to paint and I have a very happy client.

3) I also love your stunning Marine Life Series! What inspired you to create these incredible paintings?  

   Thank you Karena. I had recently taken a vacation to the Bahamas and was inspired by the natural beauty there. From birds to fish. Rather than painting in a traditional manner I decided to put a twist in the way of working with colors and metallic finishes such as silver or gold leaf. I'm fond of  working in hues of blue, corals and reds for that particular series.

4) Are there mentors in your life who have encouraged you in the arts? 

   My mentors are my high school art teacher, Mr. Floyd Nordwick, the late Terry Wilke, the amazing artists Basil Gogos, Marie Mutz and my partner James Andrew. There are many more. I believe everybody you encounter in your life makes an impact on who you become.

5) Who are some other artists that you respect and admire?  

   I draw a lot of  inspiration from the great nautical painters, Antonio Jacobsen and Stephen J. Card, Klimt, Cassandre, and John Singer Sargent in their incredible drawing skills, use of color and composition.

6) What interests and activities do you enjoy when not in the studio, painting?  

   I love to travel and explore new places. Reading a good book, building a model, cooking with James Andrew, movies, working out  and allowing myself to do absolutely nothing on occasion. 

7)  Scott, where can readers find your art and do you have any upcoming exhibits? 

   I have two web sites for my work.   

Scott Mcbee - Ocean Liners 

www.scottmcbee.com/illustration

I am currently represented by

 The Chinese Porcelain Company at 

232 East 59th street,5th floor

NYC, NY, 10022

Tel:212-838-7744 

The Island Store

P.O. Box N7776

Nassau, Bahamas

Tel: (242) 377-1050

Lindroth Design

312 B South County Road

Palm Beach, Florida, 33480

Tel: 561-249-1205

8) Finally, what advice would you give to the beginning artist of any age?

Don't be afraid to express yourself, to stand out.  

Don't be afraid to make a mistake or "mess it up".

STOP being afraid..... the daily home work assignment.  

Stay open to new ideas.

Learn to listen, be honest, true to your word.

Surround yourself with positive, like minded friends.

Please visit Scott's websites to view more of his extraordinary works of art or to contact him.

Thank you to interior designer James Andrew of What is James Wearing ? for the introduction!

Thank you to my Family, Friends and Followers who support the Arts!

xoxo

Karena

The Arts  by Karena

Harrison Howard's Chinoiserie Art for Caspari

One of my favorite artists of all time, Harrison Howard, now has one of his Chinoiserie themed paintings featured on a new line of paper goods from Caspari. "Garden Folly" is a perfect choice for the plates, napkins, place cards and more which are offered in this new summer selection.The perfectly executed, yet oh so whimsical details will take your breath away.

Harrison is renowned for his intricate works of art which include The Flower Lady,  Shells,  and the Chinoiseries Series. His murals and wall panels are well known in Southern California (he lives in the Point Loma area of San Diego) as well as throughout the world as his client list is stellar.

Please enjoy some of his works of art featured here and then visit his website, www.harrisonhoward.com to peruse and learn more about this exptemely talented artist. Even one of his paintings or lithographs will be stunning in any room of your home, although in pairs they make a very dramatic statement.

The Architect

Rendezvous at Night

According to Harrison, on his paintings, " They are the product of numerous other influences as well, including many of the things surrounding me in everyday life, and extending to a passion for many areas of the decorative arts, such as the fanciful Chinoiserie designs of the 18th century Frenchman, Jean Pillement. In particular, I would acknowledge the countless other artists through the ages, too numerous too mention here, whose work has electrified my imagination. My pictures are aimed at the fundamental pleasure that almost all of us take in imaginative and quirky ideas."

Yellow Tree Snails and Red Coral

The Seahorse

Assortment of boxed Note Cards

The Blue and White Pavillion

Harrison's  new Garden Folly line can be purchased directly from Caspari online or found at your better gift shops which carry Caspari paper goods. His works of art and contact information for Harrison Howard are located at his site www.harrisonhoward.com and also at Tiger Flower Studio  

Thank you to my Friends and Followers who support The Arts

Please leave a comment as they truly make my day!

xoxo

Karena

The Arts by Karena

If you are not receiving updated posts, please subscribe by email so that you will not miss the latest features.

Artist William Glackens

Cape Cod Pier 1908

This astonishing monograph accompanies the first major retrospective  of William Glackens works of art, at The   Nova Southeastern University’s Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 23–June 1, 2014. Then the exhibit will travel to Parrish Art Museum, Water Mill, New York, July 20–October 13, 2014, and finally The Barnes in Philadelphia from November 8th 1024 to February 2 2015

In a richly illustrated volume  we are provided a comprehensive introduction to William Glackens (1870-1938), not only an important American realist painter, one of the liveliest and most influential painters of the early twentieth century. Glackens was a  founder of the Ashcan School, along with painters such as Robert Henri and John Sloan. He was very crucial to the introduction of modern art in the United States through his collaboration with Albert C. Barnes and his championing of landmark exhibitions of American and European avant-garde art. 

Traveling to Europe with Barnes in 1912, they returned with works by Renoir, Picasso, Pissaro, Van Gogh, Cezanne and others, thus beginning the world renowned Barnes Collection of Art

The Ashcan School was an artistic movement during the early 20th Century. This group of artists often produced works depicting scenes of daily life in New York City. The most famous artists working in this style included Robert Henri (1865–1929), George Luks (1867–1933),William Glackens (1870–1938), John Sloan (1871–1951), and Everett Shinn (1876–1953), Several of these men met while studying with  the renowned realist Thomas Anshutz at  The Philadelphia  Academy of the Fine Arts.  Several also worked together as illustrators during this time period.

William and Glenna Glackens 1914

The finest of his works spanning over a fifty-year career, includes paintings previously unknown to the general public, are reproduced in this magnificent tome including intimate nudes, portraits, and figure studies to vivid still lifes, vibrant street scenes, and landscapes, in which he captured people and their surroundings with matchless spontaneity and spirit. The book features essays by important scholars examining the artist's relationship with French painting, his social observation and interest in costume, his depiction of women, and his role as a tastemaker.

This is the first all inclusive survey of William Glackens in nearly half a century, and this exhibition brings together 45 paintings and 20–25 works on paper from public and private collections throughout the United States. Glackens’s influential career spanned five decades and this exhibition will enlighten  a new generation with the breadth of his oeuvre. Glackens reveals through his art his delightful passion for life, as well as his cache of refined, painterly techniques. Several important canvases and works on paper will be on public view for the first time.

A Spring Morning in Washington Square  by William Glackens, New York 1910 over for Colliers Weekly Magazine

Artist's Daughter in Chinese Costume 1918

Glackens urged his younger friends and students to paint in the robust, loose, and unrefined  spirit of his favorite poet, Walt Whitman, and to be unafraid of affronting the current tastes. He believed that working-class and middle-class urban settings would provide better material for modern painters than drawing rooms and salons.

Girl with Apple 1909-1910

There is both an intensity and luminosity to his palette. When I look at many of Glacken's paintings, there seems to be a slight veil that beckons one to peek behind and see into the real glory.

Bathers at Bellport

The sea was an important part of Glacken's life and a recurring setting for many works of art. His bold bright and spontaneous brushwork is breathtaking.

While you may see influences of Monet, Cezanne, Hopper, and others, Glacken's style stands out in a most compelling and beckoning way that you will love!

Images and publication courtesy of Skira Rizzoli

You may purchase William Glackens , Edited by Avis Berman, Contribution by Elizabeth Thompson Colleary, Heather Campbell Coyle, Judith F. Dolkart and Alicia G. Longwell  at Rizzoli New York

Thank you to my many friends and followers who support The Arts 

xoxo

Karena

The Arts by Karena