Visit Me and My Paintings at the Fenimore Art Museum, August 12th

I’m excited to be exhibiting new paintings at the Fenimore Art Museum’s Art by the Lake event on Saturday, August 12, 2023 from 10am - 5pm in Cooperstown, NY.

I’ll be there to talk to visitors, do a painting demonstration and sell a new series I’m working on now. The event includes myself and over twenty artists. Come say hi and see some great art!

Subscribe below to get a reminder of the event and receive updates on my new works.

Photos from my previous Art by the Lake events:

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Fenimore Art Museum Location

5798 NY-80, Cooperstown, NY 13326

 

Plein Air Garden Week

I had a great week painting outside at my local community garden in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (Red Shed Community Garden)! Thanks to everyone that followed along and came to visit me. The weather was perfect for the first five days. One the last (sixth day) it was a downpour, but it worked out — I was able to paint from underneath the stage at the center of the garden. Now that my plein air week is over, I wanted to share the paintings I made as well as photos from my time there:

Irises (14 x 11 inches)

$580.00

Alliums and Irises (11 x 14 inches)

$580.00

Sold

Garden Path (10 x 8 inches)

$360.00

Bleeding Hearts, Alliums and Irises (12 x 18 inches)

$680.00

Sold

Chives in Pot (8 inches diameter)

$290.00

Two Irises (7 x 5 inches)

$220.00

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PHOTOS FROM MY PLEIN AIR GARDEN WEEK

Planning My Plein Air Garden Week

POST PLEIN AIR GARDEN WEEK UPDATE:

I had a great week painting outside at my local community garden! Thanks to everyone that followed along and came to visit me. Now that my plein air week is over, I wanted to share the paintings I made and let you know they’ll be available to own once they’re dry starting on Sunday, June 18th. To get a reminder for the sale, be sure to join my email list here:

Paintings I made during my plein air week:

Oil on wood, 14 x 11 inches

Oil on wood, 11 x 14 inches

Oil on wood, 10 x 8 inches

Oil on wood, 12 x 18 inches

Oil on wood, 7 x 5 inches

Oil on wood, 8 inches in diameter

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ORIGINAL POST:

Plein air painting of Red Shed Community Garden last May

I’m excited to share that for the second year in a row, I’ll be spending a week painting at Red Shed Community Garden in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I’ll be at the garden every day, starting Monday, May 15th through Saturday, May 20th. I encourage anyone in the area to stop by and see my work in progress. If you want to make art in the garden as well, feel free to bring your art supplies and come join me! I’ll be there every afternoon as long as it’s not raining too much.

Plein air painting (painting outside) is always an adventure. It’s challenging to make a painting in one sitting while also dealing with the weather, insects and changing lighting. But it’s also exciting to work quickly and directly from nature.

Follow my progress online:
I will update my Instagram page daily with the work I’ve made, share my experience and update my schedule in case you’re interested in visiting. My hope is to make five paintings in six days!

Visit me in person:
Red Shed Community Garden
266 Skillman Ave., Brooklyn, NY (View in Google Maps)
Mon., May 15 - Sat., May 20, daily, 12 - 5PM (weather permitting)

Red Shed Community Garden location:

 

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Yosemite National Park Digital Drawings

As part of my recent National Park painting series, I have some of my Yosemite digital drawings available in the form of posters, T-shirts and totes.

Yosemite National Park Framed Poster

from $40.00

Yosemite National Park Unisex T-Shirt

$39.00

El Capitan in Yosemite National Park Unisex T-Shirt

$39.00

Yosemite National Park Large Organic Tote Bag

$33.00

El Capitan in Yosemite National Park Large Organic Tote Bag

$33.00

National Park Series

Visiting any national park is always a big deal to me. Along with being beautiful, these parks have an extra layer of magic to them knowing that they’ve been designated as national parks and that we’ve committed to preserving them as forever places. With the pandemic receding, I’ve been back to traveling more and would love to visit (and revisit) some of these amazing places.

To show my love of the National Park System, I made a series of small paintings celebrating the parks I’ve been to and the ones I’d like to go to next:

Sold

Grand Canyon (7 x 5 inches)

$220.00

The park I would most like to revisit is the Grand Canyon. When I first saw the Grand Canyon, I instantly recognized that (in the best way possible) nothing in my life matters. It really put my life into perspective and I saw the world beyond myself and beyond human history. Those exposed layers of earth got me in touch with the amazing fact that we’re standing on a rock floating in an infinite space. I’d like to get back in touch with that feeling.

Sold

Egret in the Everglades National Park (7 x 5 inches)

$220.00

With five visits so far, I’ve been to the Everglades more than any other national park. This painting shows one of the many egrets I saw there this January in Shark Valley, a bird and alligator filled section of the Everglades that has an amazing 15 mile bike loop.

Sold

El Capitan and Half Dome, Yosemite National Park (5 x 7 inches)

$220.00

Sold

Half Dome, Yosemite National Park (5 x 7 inches)

$176.00

The most dramatic national park I’ve been to is Yosemite. And that’s saying something since all the national parks are dramatic. The 4,000 foot cliffs, giant waterfalls, fields and river are stunning. It might be the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. Sequoia National Park is nearby and equally stunning with its giant trees.

Sold

Jordan Pond, Acadia National Park (5 x 7 inches)

$220.00

Acadia is the closest national park to me and I loved how varied the landscape is - on a short hike you’ll pass a beautiful lake, go through the forest and then abruptly be on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

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More Parks to Visit

Below are a few of the national parks I have yet to visit but I painted since they are on the top of my list for where to go next. Let me know if you’ve been and have any tips!

Sold

Yellowstone National Park (7 x 5 inches)

$220.00

Sold

Angels Landing, Zion National Park (7 x 5 inches)

$220.00

Arches National Park (7 x 5 inches)

$220.00

Sold

Glacier National Park (5 x 7 inches)

$220.00

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MY STORE: NATIONAL PARKS DIGITAL DRAWINGS

Yosemite National Park Framed Poster

from $40.00

Yosemite National Park Unisex T-Shirt

$39.00

El Capitan in Yosemite National Park Unisex T-Shirt

$39.00

Yosemite National Park Large Organic Tote Bag

$33.00

El Capitan in Yosemite National Park Large Organic Tote Bag

$33.00

See all available paintings:

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See all available items:

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Studio Clearance Sale, Sunday, Jan 29th

I’m currently in the middle of working on a series of National Parks paintings that I’ll share in March. But in the meantime, my apartment is overflowing with paintings so on next Sunday, January 29th, I’ll be having a studio clearance sale in time for Valentine’s Day. I want to find as many homes as possible for my old work so I have room for my new 2023 paintings. Most of my works will range between 25 - 75% off. I’m also open to any reasonable offers. You can see my available works here.

Below are a few of the works that will be on sale.

My Year of Experimental Landscape Painting

In order to keep myself focused and always learning, I've been choosing a theme for how I approach my art at the start of every year. To contrast my 2021 theme of selling lots of work, I decided that for 2022, I’d focus on creative experimentation. Trying lots of different techniques turned out to be a lot of fun and definitely helped me learn lots of new skills. Below are some of the different experiments I tried in 2022:

Studying the Masters

I started the year by copying the works of well-known artists. This exercise was a great way for me to get out of my heard and try different painting techniques. It got me thinking I could be much more adventurous in my colors and compositions.

My study of "Einzelne Häuser" by Egon Schiele

Digital Drawing

In February, I bought an iPad and Apple Pencil so I could try digital drawing. Even though I have a lot of drawing and painting skills, there’s nothing like trying a new medium to make me realize how far back square-one can be when working with new tools. One of the great things about drawing with the iPad is how convenient it is to bring outside for a quick and easy drawing session. This is especially true for cold winter days when I can’t be outside forever. I’ve had so much fun with the iPad, that I’m going to keep making digital drawings into the new year.

"Sunset View from Williamsburg," digital drawing

Plein Air Painting (Painting Outdoors)

Plein air painting is tough. It’s not easy to start and finish a decent sized painting in one day, it’s hard to be exposed to the elements for eight hour stretches and it’s a lot of work to drag all my painting equipment to a painting location and back again. But I’ve found the intensity of painting outdoors is a lot of fun and totally worth it. The connection I make with the subject matter is much greater when I’m there in-person and I think that’s reflected in the paintings I make. Plein air painting turned out to be the most rewarding experiment for me this year with my week-long plein air residency at my local garden being the highlight.

"Garden in Bloom," plein air painting

Creating My Store

My extended recovery from COVID this fall took away the energy I needed to paint for a few months. But I did have enough energy to use my computer, so I started an online store that offers my artwork on t-shirts and shoes. I’ve been happy with the results and look forward to expanding my store in the new year with lots of fun new items.

Community Garden T-Shirt

Trying New Styles

I’ve been trying a variety of drawing styles as well as different brush and palette knife techniques in my paintings this year. The idea is that my new paintings would look different but still recognizable as being mine. This is something I’d like to keep exploring in the new year as there a lot of different painting techniques I’d still like to try.

Sunset Near Radio City Music Hall

The Year Ahead

For 2023, I’ve decided that I’m going to base my art around six series of works, each with it’s own theme. I’ll announce each series as I start it and allow people to follow my progress in real-time. Once I’m done with a series, I’ll share the finished works before moving on to the next theme. My first series will focus on our National Parks.

Photo I took of El Capitan in Yosemite, 2018

Wishing you all the best as you plan out your new year!

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Works Under $200

For the holiday season, I’ve list all the paintings I have available under $200.

Shipping in the US is free

Sold

Clearing (8 x 6 inches)

$220.00

Roses (8 x 6 inches)

$175.00

Sold

Sylvester Manor Farm, Shelter Island (8 x 6 inches)

Sale Price:$165.00 Original Price:$220.00

Sold

Birches (III) (6 x 4 inches)

$175.00

Sold

Birch Trees (6 x 4 inches)

$175.00

Sunset over Jamaica Bay (5 x 7 inches)

$220.00

Sold

Birches (II) (6 x 4 inches)

Sale Price:$110.00 Original Price:$175.00

Sold

Birches (I) (6 x 4 inches)

Sale Price:$110.00 Original Price:$175.00

Sold

Flowers in Garden (7 x 5 inches)

$220.00

Sold

Irises and Path (7 x 5 inches)

$175.00

Sold

New Mexican Landscape (7 x 5 inches)

$175.00

Sold

Birch Trees at Sunset (4 x 4 inches)

$175.00

Sold

Clearing on the Mountain (7 x 5 inches)

Sale Price:$75.00 Original Price:$220.00

Sold

Field and Trees (7 x 5 in.)

Sale Price:$75.00 Original Price:$220.00

Trees on Brooklyn Street (6 x 4 inches)

$175.00

sale

Sunset (7 x 5 inches)

Sale Price:$75.00 Original Price:$175.00

Sold

Stormy Sea (8 x 6 in.)

$220.00

Cave (8 x 6 in.)

$220.00

Sold

Sunny Day (8 x 6 in.)

Sale Price:$75.00 Original Price:$220.00

Catskill Forest Men’s High Top Canvas Shoes

$84.00

Catskill Forest Women’s High Top Canvas Shoes

$84.00

AFI's 100 Greatest Movies of All Time

Last winter Ariel and I were in need of a pandemic activity so we decided to watch all 100 movies on the 2007 list of AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies of All Time. The AFI list emphasizes not just great movies, but popular films that helped change the course of cinema. After a year-and-a-half, we finally saw them all! Here are some highlights from our movie watching journey:

The Charming Silent Movies: 1916 - 1936

We loved all of the silent movies, especially the Charlie Chaplin movies which are just amazing:

• Modern Times (1936)

• City Lights (1931)

• The Gold Rush (1925)

Chaplin’s movies are the best - they’re funny, clever, well acted and have lots of great stunts.

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) is also another amazing film from this time with beautiful high production sets that feel otherworldly.

Joyful Comedies of the 30s

Our favorite decade for movies was the 1930s. These films were modern, playful, smart and silly, probably to relieve people from the pain of the great depression. Most striking of all, these movies revolve around female characters who are empowered, opinionated, weird and funny. I had assumed that female representation had only grown over time, but based on the movies we watched on this list, that’s not true. I’m not sure that films from today represent woman as well as they did in the 30s.

Our favorites:

• The Philadelphia Story (1940)

• Bringing Up Baby (1938)

• A Night at the Opera (1935)

• Duck Soup (1933)

The last two films are Marx Brothers movies which we had never seen before and loved.

The Who-Done-Its of the 1940s

40s movies on the AFI list are very brooding but still have the fun vibe of the 1930s films, with many of them being film noirs. The plots are very prominent, with great, fast-talking scripts. Most of the 40s films we saw felt as if they were written by Aaron Sorkin (West Wing fame) with lots of clever, dense dialogue. I might argue this decade represents a high point for cinema.

Our favorites:

• The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

• All About Eve (1950)

• Double Indemnity (1944)

• Sunset Blvd. (1950)

• Citizen Kane (1941)

50s Morality Tales (1950 - 1965)

Most of the 1950s movies on the list had a strong moral message, perhaps a reaction to the chaos and trauma of WWII. However, a lot of our favorites from this time didn’t lean so heavily on trying to impart a lesson.

Our favorites:

• 12 Angry Men (1957)

• Some Like It Hot (1959)

• Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

• Rear Window (1954)

• Vertigo (1958)

• Psycho (1960)

The last three movies above are Hitchcock films which are fantastic.

The Horrifying Traumamatic 70s (1966 - 1980)

The films from this time period are like nothing else of this list, they are raw, angry, depressing, violent and are very male oriented. Deaths are common in these movies but are rarely acknowledged as significant. Women are barely on screen and are usually prostitutes that get murdered halfway through. All or some of the main characters are randomly murdered often in the last few seconds of the film. The main characters typically have issues with expressing their feelings and frequently withdraw, lash-out, do drugs, kill or get killed. We found many of these movies were rough to watch. Here are a few examples of the tough ones, but there are many more:

• Midnight Cowboy (1969)

• Taxi Driver (1976)

• Raging Bull (1980)

• The Wild Bunch (1969)

• A Clockwork Orange (1971)

We found the rape scene in Clockwork Orange unwatchable. Raging Bull and The Wild Bunch were an absolute grind for us to get through. Midnight Cowboy was my favorite from the list above, but still a tough movie to watch.

70s films are way over represented on this list, but it was an important and innovative time in film making.

Here are some of the movies from this time that we enjoyed:

• The Godfather (1972)

• The Graduate (1967)

• In the Heat of the Night (1967)

• 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

• Cabaret (1972)

• Jaws (1975)

• Star Wars (1977)

Reflecting on Trauma: 80s AFI Movies

The 1980s are famous for its silly, light broad comedies. This list is missing some classic 80s comedies like The Princess Bride, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters etc. The 80s movies they do have on the AFI list are reflecting on trauma which makes sense given how traumatic the 70s movies were. E.T. looks at divorce, Tootsie looks at sexism, Sophie’s Choice looks at WWII and Platoon looks back at the Vietnam War. Unlike the 70s movies about trauma, the 80s movies create a bit of distance between the trauma and the viewer, making them much easier to watch.

Do the Right Thing was a real highlight for us — poignant, funny, emotional, well-made and sadly very relevant to this day. Outside of Do the Right Thing and In the Heat of the Night, the films on the AFI list have very few significant roles for people of color. In fact, it was not uncommon to see blackface in many of the older films on the AFI list.

Our 80s favorites:

• Do the Right Thing (1989

• E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

• Blade Runner (1982)

Violent 90s Movies

Almost all of the 1990s movies on this list revolve around a fascination with violence. I’m not sure why that is, but that seemed to be the mood of the 90s!

Our favorites:

• Goodfellas (1990)

• The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

• Pulp Fiction (1994)

• Saving Private Ryan (1998)

• Schindler's List (1993)

Our Top Favorite 25 Movies:

1 The Godfather (1972)
2 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
3 Modern Times (1936)
4 Do the Right Thing (1989)
5 Rear Window (1954)
6 The Wizard of Oz (1939)
7 Star Wars (1977)
8 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
9 Psycho (1960)
10 Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)
11 The Philadelphia Story (1940)
12 City Lights (1931)
13 A Night at the Opera (1935)
14 The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
15 Apocalypse Now (1979)
16 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
17 Bringing Up Baby (1938)
18 Titanic (1997)
19 Cabaret (1972)
20 Vertigo (1958)
21 In the Heat of the Night (1967)
22 Pulp Fiction (1994)
23 Blade Runner (1982)
24 Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
25 12 Angry Men (1957)

Films with Strong Female Characters

Since this list is dominated by strong/interesting male characters, here are the films on the list that I think are great and also have strong female characters:

• It Happened One Night (1934)

• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

• Bringing Up Baby (1938)

• The Wizard of Oz (1939)

• The Philadelphia Story (1940)

• All About Eve (1950)

• Sunset Blvd. (1950)

• Some Like It Hot (1959)

• To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

• The Sound of Music (1965)

• Cabaret (1972)

• The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

• Titanic (1997)

Let me know what films you think should be on a 100 best list!

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Having Fun Making Shoes! Catskill Forest High Top Canvas Shoes

For the past month I’ve been recovering from Covid and haven’t had enough energy to get back into painting just yet. So instead, I got on my computer and started experimenting with designing and printing my art on a variety of materials.

I’m experimenting with lots of materials (including traditional fine-art prints), but my shoe experiment has been an early success so I thought I’d share them in case anyone is interested in owning a pair or gifting them for the holidays.

Catskill Forest Women’s High Top Canvas Shoes

$84.00

Catskill Forest Men’s High Top Canvas Shoes

$84.00

I found a company that would make high quality shoes for me and gave them a try. The print came out great and the shoes are actually, very well made. I especially like the padded collar at the top which makes them more comfortable than any other high top shoe I’ve owned. I ordered my normal shoe size and they ended up fitting great and were comfortable.

I’ll be sharing more of my prints as I get them!

New Works & Upcoming Fenimore Art Museum Event

I’m excited to be releasing a new series of small works on Saturday, August 13th both in-person as well as online:

Fenimore Art Museum Event

Come to Art by the Lake to see me and my new paintings! The event will be on Saturday, August 13th at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, NY from 10am - 4pm. I’ll be there to talk to visitors, do a painting demonstration and sell artwork. The event includes myself and over twenty artists.

Museum Instagram Live

For those that can’t make it to Cooperstown, you can see the event virtually by tuning in to my Instagram Live (@alexroediger) at 3PM on August 13th. I’ll give a tour of my work on display and answer questions. You’ll also be able to view and purchase my paintings here starting at 3PM. Also be sure to get notified by email of the Instagram Live and sale:

All paintings will be 20% off during the event, both in-person and online.

Preview of Available Works

Here’s a selection of just a few of the 35+ works that will be available, many for the first time. All paintings are oil on wood panels, ready to hang.

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