Masters Study: Jacob van Ruisdael

"Wheat Fields"
Jacob van Ruisdael
circa 1670

I love to study old and new masters of art. As an art instructor, I teach their techniques and styles to my students to help them gain a better understanding of fine art and develop technical skill.  Often I will cover old masters' paintings (but usually change it up a bit) to learn something from them myself. I varied this Jacob van Ruisdael painting "Wheat Fields" as a cloud study. Jacob van Ruisdael (1628-1682) is one of my favorite Dutch landscape painters from the17th century.

I started this as an old masters painting demo for my 5th grade art classes at Carolina Forest International Elementary when I was filling in for the art teacher while she was on maternity leave. While in between spring and summer semesters at ECU... I finally got a chance to finish it yesterday. Here is my cover of van Ruisdael's "Wheat Fields."

In Art,
Bernie

"Wheat Fields" by Bernie Rosage Jr. after Jacob van Ruisdael
8 3/4"x14 1/2" oil on linen
2013

Freedom Fountain Exhibit

Bernie and several of his art students will have paintings on exhibit at the Council for the Arts "Freedom Fountain" Exhibit from May 5 - 25, 2013. Opening Reception, Sunday, May 5th from 2:30-4:00pm. Drop by the Council and see this special show. Several students' work is shown in this video produced by G10 for the city of Jacksonville.

Freedom Fountain Art Exhibit from City of Jacksonville NC on Vimeo.

Onslow Art Expressions Artists Represented:

Bailey Stocker
Johnnie Shane
Betty Brittian
Linda Haley
Connie Wenner
Barbara Soos
Curtiss Russell
Sue Murphy
Ruth Casey
Olivia Rosage
Bernie Rosage Sr
Bernie Rosage Jr.

 

 

Bernie and his Onslow Art Expression's artists, the Onslow Outdoor Painters Society (OOPS), and other local artists create artwork for the Council for the Arts. May 2013 exhibit centered around Jacksonville's newest landmark, the Freedom Fountain. Check out this video...

 

 

 

 

Upcoming "Impressionism" Workshop by Bernie ~ May 18, 2013.

"Spend the Day with Claude Monet" Workshop

Presented by the

Council for the Arts

Instructor: Bernie Rosage Jr. of Onslow Art Expressions

Workshop Department: Studio

Date: Saturday, May 18, 2013 ~ 10am until 3pm

Media: Acrylic or Oil Paints

Level: Beginner and Intermediate

Workshop Fee: $15 per student… The CFTA is helping fund this special workshop.

Class Size: Limited to 10 adults

Location: Jean Wenner Studio, Council for the Arts, 826 New Bridge Street, Jacksonville, NC 28540.

Materials: Bring a packed lunch… we’ll have lunch in the studio. Bring materials listed below for whatever medium you plan to use (Easels will be provided).

Oil Painters List: Assorted Bristle style brushes, odorless mineral spirits, container for oms, mixing palette, rags or paper towels, two 11x14” canvases, and paints - Titanium White, Cadmium Red (or Vermillion), Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Sap Green, and Dioxazine Purple.

Acrylics Painters List: Assorted Bristle style brushes, water container, mixing palette, paper towels, two 11x14” canvases, and paints - Titanium White, Cadmium Red (or Vermillion), Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Sap Green (or Hooker’s Green), and Dioxazine Purple.

Workshop Details: This one day workshop will introduce the students to the "Father of Impressionism," Claude Monet. Artist/instructor, Bernie Rosage Jr., will dress in circa 1880 attire and give an interactive living history program as he portrays a middle aged Claude Monet. He will share art history from the Impressionist Art Movement and talk about Claude Monet's contributions and unique painting style. This workshop is more than a living history program, the main focus is painting in the style of Impressionism. Bernie (aka Monet) will teach students the impressionistic style as they paint a finished painting in the style made famous by Monet. The workshop is designed for beginning and intermediate artists using the mediums of oils and/or acrylics. Bernie’s step-by-step approach and individual attention makes this workshop perfect for beginning artists but challenging enough for intermediates. This unique workshop allows the students to witness art history through one of the art world's most important figures plus paint in the style of one of the world's most influential art movements... Impressionism!

Had a great class Friday!

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day... check out these works by Bernie Rosage Jr.

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with prints and cards from these Ireland Paintings by artist, Bernie Rosage Jr. Safe and secure online purchasing through Bernie's store at Fine Art America. 100% guarantee... check it out by clicking any image. Happy St Patrick's Day!
Slainte,
Bernie

CFTAs "Soup in a Bowl" Fundraiser... HUGE Success!

Tami, Olivia, and I had a great time at the Council for the Arts "Soup in a Bowl" fundraiser... check out the video..

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Math and Art... huh???

Here's what an artist does to make a connection to "examples of real world math" for a college math assignment... Hope you enjoy it...

Art since the early Renaissance times has included mathematics, especially geometry, in creating the most pleasing compositions for drawings, paintings, and architecture. As an artist, I still use these methods today to create interesting compositions that hold a viewer’s interest and put emphasis on the focal point of the work. Two main examples are the use of the “Rule of Thirds” and the “Golden Mean.”

The “Rule of Thirds” simply divides the canvas into thirds with a “Tic, Tac, Toe” type grid. The four points where the lines intersect naturally create the points of the most interest on the canvas. The artist situates his or her focal point on or near one of these points to create a pleasing composition.

 

Example from one of my paintings…

 

 

　

The “Golden Mean” or “Golden Ratio” is another mathematical way artists use to set up engaging compositions. The “Golden Mean” is based on the mathematical sequence discovered by mathematician, Leonardo Pisano Bogollo, who lived between 1170 and 1250 in Italy. "Fibonacci" was his nickname, which roughly means "Son of Bonacci".

As well as being famous for the Fibonacci Sequence, he helped spread through Europe the use of Hindu-Arabic Numeral (like our present number system 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9) to replace Roman Numerals (I, II, III, IV, V, etc).

By definition, the first two numbers in the Fibonacci sequence are 0 and 1, and each subsequent number is the sum of the previous two. In mathematical terms, the sequence F_n of Fibonacci numbers is defined by the recurrence relation and can be written as a rule mathematically:

x_n = x_n-1 + x_n-2

or

F_{n =} F_n-1 + F_n-2

The “Golden Mean” highlights a spot very close to the “Rule of Thirds” method determined to be the point of interest.

 

 

Examples of the “Golden Mean” in art and architecture…

 

 

The Fibonacci sequence is a consistent and infinite sequence that is found in nature. Here is a surprise. If you take any two successive (one after the other) Fibonacci Numbers, their ratio is very close to the Golden Ratio "φ" which is approximately 1.618034...

Recent studies have linked the Fibonacci sequence follows the patterns in nature, uniting math, science, and nature design. For example, sunflowers often have precisely 55, 89, or 144 petals, numbers that figure in the famous Fibonacci sequence. Nature, it seems, has certain mathematical underpinnings.
 

Researchers have even dubbed the sequence as the fingerprint of God. Read more on this at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/describing-nature-math.html .

 

This all proves that math can be COOL!

Thanks for dropping by...
In Art (and Math),
Bernie



Sources and resources:

http://www.mathsisfun.com/numbers/fibonacci-sequence.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/describing-nature-math.html

 http://www.homeschoolmath.net/teaching/fibonacci_golden_section.php

 http://www.maths.surrey.ac.uk/hosted-sites/R.Knott/Fibonacci/fibnat.html

　

　

　
　

Bernie's art students exhibit in special art show...

CFTA's 35th Annual Students Art Show Awards Ceremony ~ 2013

 

Congrats to Onslow Art Expression's middle school artists; Dailey Rae, Shayla, Isabella, Erin, Starling, and Olivia for having works selected for the Council for the Arts 35th Annual Student Art Show and Competition. These photos are from the Opening/Awards Ceremony on Sunday, March 3, 2013. This special art show will be on exhibit through March 22nd at the CFTA.... Make plans to attend.

 

Click image to see all the photos...

 

Onslow County... All County Arts

Artists... Bernie Rosage Jr., Stephen Greer, Mitchell Morton and Janet Nickle had the honor of working with over 40 of the best high school artists in Onslow County. We gave a "painting from life" workshop in four different 1 hour 45 minute "break out" sessions. The event is called "All County Arts" and brings together the best artists from each high school in the county for a weekend of collaboration and workshops to celebrate these young artists and promote the arts in our community. The event is headed up by Janae Copeland, Education Coordinator for Arts in the Onslow County Schools, and all the Onslow County high school art teachers. They did a GREAT job in organizing this event which is in its fourth year.

Irish Thatched Roof Cottages by Bernie Rosage Jr.

Prints and Cards available from this painting by Bernie Rosage Jr. at Fine Art America... Click image twice for details and prices.

Source: fineartamerica.com via Bernie on Pinterest