This is one of my favorite paintings.
A friend posted a video on Instagram of her daughter running by on a dreary winter day — it’s a split-second long. I loved the complementary colors and motion, so I thought I’d try to capture both on a small 12″ X 12″ canvas. It is in a private collection on the East Coast.
You can find my work on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/bosalisbury2018/
And, over on Facebook at: Bo Salisbury Fine Art… Read the rest
It seems like forever ago when I walked into downtown Grass Valley for their annual classic car show, snapping away with my Nikon. When I got home and looked at all the photos I shot, it just seemed natural to paint the passage of time. I had to move some cars parked out front, but that guy actually walked out and started taking photos on his phone. Nevada Club is acrylic on canvas and is part of a private collection.
You can find my work on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/bosalisbury2018/
And, over on Facebook at: Bo Salisbury Fine Art… Read the rest
I wanted to capture a downtown Grass Valley scene without the Del Oro Theater in it. So, here is my acrylic on canvas painting of Fable Coffee: 12″ X 16″. It took years, but I was finally able to sell it to a good friend and fellow painter.
You can find my work on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/bosalisbury2018/
And, over on Facebook at: Bo Salisbury Fine Art
I thought I’d try my hand at hyper-realism, but I don’t think acrylic paint was the best choice. Live and learn, they say. I painted this from a photo of Olive and Sylvie I took at the Aquatic Center. It’s a 40″ X 40″ canvas, and it has found a home.
You can find my work on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/bosalisbury2018/
And, over on Facebook at: Bo Salisbury Fine Art… Read the rest
I find constant inspiration for painting from Instagram, where I discover some very fine compositions by friends and family. When I am working on a large painting or feel uninspired, I go to my collection of Instagram finds and work on a small piece or study. Recently, my friend Jonah posted a self-portrait of himself that was wispy and mysterious. I began by painting his portrait in color, as I imagined him without filters, and then glazed over it until I achieved the effect I wanted. Here is an example of the first stage along with the finished vignette.
You can find my work on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/bosalisbury2018/… Read the rest
Going through family photos, my eyes landed on one I had never seen before. My grandfather Arnold, is on the left with my grandmother Louise in the center. Her twin Lucille is on the right waving her kerchief. They are standing near the San Gabriel River in El Monte California, at the family ranch. The original photo was a sepia and I wanted to preserve that look while surrounding them with a sky blue. This is oil and acrylic on canvas.… Read the rest
This was a small painting born from sheltering in place during the early months of the COVID 19 pandemic.
The painting began years ago as one of my first attempts at oil on a black gessoed canvas. My first attempt was dismal. So, I decided it would be an abstract, but that became horrible. So, I thought I would experiment with collage on oil paint using pages from an old Bible and dried flowers.
I still wasn’t happy with it until I had the gas mask idea, inspired by current events. A friend from the coast really liked it — now, it’s his.… Read the rest
Sunrise Over SPD is acrylic on canvas 36” X 48”. This wasn’t my favorite entry, but it won the People’s Choice Award at the Nevada County Fair in 2019 and it now hangs near the checkout at SPD Market in Nevada City.
You can find my work on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/bosalisbury2018/
And, over on Facebook at: Bo Salisbury Fine Art… Read the rest
This is acrylic on a 24″x 30″ canvas. I took a photo of Olive in a blueberry field on Christy Hill in Sedgwick ME, on an overcast day, and thought it would make a good composition if I made up a horizon and cloudy sky. It is part of a private collection.
You can find my work on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/bosalisbury2018/
And, over on Facebook at: Bo Salisbury Fine Art… Read the rest
I was looking at photos and video from our trip to Maine in July 2016. I wanted to paint these girls playing on a float on Blue Hill Bay in a way that would communicate activity and the passage of time. I decided to create a series of five small paintings in a left-to-right timeline depicting the girls in different positions on the float as they moved from one side to the other, in order to look at a crab they found. But, I was unsure if it would communicate what I wanted — and, that was the downfall of this project.… Read the rest
I knew Winston Churchill was a painter, but I only recently heard of his essay, Painting As A Pastime. Former President George W. Bush credited this little book with both his deliverance from “sitting on the couch, eating potato chips” in retirement and awakening in him a newfound passion for art and painting. I thought I’d read the essay online, but The Estate of Winston S. Churchill has a tight hold on the former British Prime Minister’s massive collection of writings and correspondence.
I read the reviews and found this gem on Amazon.com “used” — it was actually new and I picked it up for about the price of a sugary, dairy-based corporate coffee drink.… Read the rest
I’m a new artist and had this conversation with Denise the other day: “My drawing skills are horrible and I’m so impatient that I’m not really observing my subjects at all. After I get going, the process slows me down and I begin seeing everything I missed.” Denise, as she typically does, listened patiently to my exposed inner thoughts and acknowledged my concerns. Then, she continued with her reading. This is a “conversation” we’ve had at least five times over the past couple of months and it was just this last Monday I engaged in the self-flagellation one more time.
On the way home from Bodega Bay on Tuesday, we stopped at the Goodwill in Auburn, I picked this book up for a song and began reading it last night.… Read the rest
My latest urban landscape is Bubba’s Bagels, a familiar sight to most Nevada County residents. It is acrylic on canvas, but I wanted it to have a more printerly look. The colors are all desaturated to some degree with the ultramarine blue of the Arco sign being the closest to a pure hue. I wanted to create interest in a very mundane scene by placing elements exiting the frame in different directions, while drawing the eye into the center of the piece. The actual color scheme of the shop is captivating when you drive by it — so, I tried to get that just right.… Read the rest
This year I had two entries in the Fine Arts competition at the Nevada County Fair. I received a Third Place for a Nevada County Scene with my Fudenjuce, which is acrylic on a large reclaimed yard sale canvas. It is one of a number of urban landscapes I am planning for the future. Although I received a third place, I was very happy with the result because I was competing across all skill levels including professionals.
I received a First Place in the novice category for my acrylic painting of a boat on Bridge’s Point in Brooklin ME.… Read the rest
I completed my acrylic painting class about two weeks ago and this was my final project: Olive At Seven. I’m generally pleased with it, although it gave me a bit of trouble in combining white with raw umber and, then, glazing and going to a gray. After encountering that problem, I created swatches and learned that raw umber has some blue in it, evidently. I found that by mixing in a little burnt sienna, it “warms” a bit and will go to a creamier tint. Oh, well. That’s why I’m taking these classes. This painting is in a private collection.… Read the rest
My first acrylic painting class is drawing to a close. This is the first time I’ve put serious energy into painting since high school, over 40 years ago. I’ve learned a lot from our excellent instructor, Sandra Miller, at Sierra College. And, I can’t say enough about the wonderful color theory course I had with Linda Byrne two semesters ago.
One of the most enjoyable projects was a mixed media assignment. I decided to parody (not mock) this familiar Paul Delefsen print, Serenity. Denise found it at the thrift store, heading out to the garbage. We displayed it in our patio each summer, in order to capture the feeling that we were in a cool redwood grove, on hot afternoons.… Read the rest
I’m back in school again, taking an acrylic painting class and a publication design course, learning Adobe InDesign. The strategy at this point is to take courses I need to move forward in my new career: writing, designing, laying out, and publishing books that hardly anyone will read, aimed at niche audiences, interested in obscure subjects. Doesn’t that sound super-bohemian?
the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic, or literary pursuits. In this context, Bohemians may be wanderers, adventurers, or vagabonds.
I’m feeling hipper and groovier by the moment.… Read the rest