Instructor Spotlight: Mark Brockman

If I were to write an adage on ‘how to go far as an artist’ based on Mark R. Brockman’s style it would be: walk softly and carry a big hat. For the past 12 years, students at the Delaplaine have enjoyed Mark’s gentle encouragement and easy-going style ~ and exquisite taste in headgear.
Teaching mostly oil painting in an open studio format, Mark Brockman guides students through composition and the use of color in classes that enjoy a loyal and dedicated following. “The Delaplaine is a great place, they give me a lot of freedom in how I teach. The building itself is great. It is a great place to see artwork, to learn how to create regardless of what medium you choose to work in.”

Working mostly in the mediums of oil and pastel, Brockman’s paintings, though representational, are expressionistic in nature with great concern for color and the physical texture of the paint. “The paint texture is as important to me as the colors and subject.”

Brockman finds inspiration in the woods, farms, and orchards that are within walking distance of his studio in Pennsylvania. “I am drawn as much to the abstract quality of what I see as I am to what the subject may be,” Brockman explains. “A stream or fallen logs are more then just that but, in themselves, are often an abstract painting.” Brockman’s hope is that in painting more common subject matter he can draw attention to such commonplace things, “and show the importance of them and that beauty can be in most any kind of subject.” Regarding his style Brockman explains, “it evolves slowly, never stops changing and I hope it never does.”

As to his hats, Brockman explains, “I like hats. My summer hat is a canvas hat made by a woman in California. It is made to be used on sailboats, it is light can get wet and I can fold it then when ready to wear it opens up as if it were never crushed. My winter hat is a replica of a hat worn in the 1860's that I bought in Gettysburg, the hatband is a Native American beaded band made, I was told, by an Indian woman in the southwest. The band is typical of the work done in the 1800's as well. My wife gave me the hatband, she is a descendant from one the tribes of the Iroquois nation, though the bloodline is quite thin now. As you can see I like my hats. Everyone should wear a hat.”

And everyone should also take a class with Mark Brockman.

Oil Painting Studio runs six Tuesdays from 1—3:30pm beginning November 3 and six Wednesdays from 6:30—9pm beginning November 4. Register online HERE

In the Side Gallery until November 15

David Bottini, for Gabriel – Romantic Realism

David Bottini signs his work as "Gabriel" in dedication to the lasting effect that his Italian grandfather had on his love of nature and forests. David is currently showing landscapes, painted in acrylic, in the Side Gallery at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center through November 15. His choice of landscape subject combines saturated color and a sharp focus romantic sensibility.

His inspiration for these paintings begins by wandering in the woods, seeking the perfect interplay of branches, sunlight and shadow, then capturing the scene in sketches and photographs. The final compositions lead the viewer into the painting by means of a stream, a road or a pasture bending out of view. A few smaller works confront the viewer with a barrier of trees and branches, with sunlight sifting through.

“My paintings narrate a personal journey where a solitary moment is captured in time and stored in your memory, a glimpse of the path that leads just beyond your mind’s-eye view. Where a ragged trail, a sideway glimpsed view, a view through forest toward a distant vista, or a weather worn pasture caught in a breeze capture your interest and become frozen in memory.”

David studied art at The Rhode Island School of Design, The Maryland Institute, and The Savannah College of Art & Design. He has taught in Wash. DC area prep schools and colleges during the past 20 years and exhibits in art galleries in Washington D.C., Gettysburg, PA, Mechanicsburg PA, and Jacksonville, FL. His work is in private and commercial collections throughout the US and abroad.

The 2009 "Rive Gauche" Art Auction is Underway!!!

Artworks for the 2009 "Rive Gauche" fundraiser are currently on display in the F&M/Kline Galleries. This is a "silent auction" (bid sheets are posted next to each artwork) and you do not have to be present at the Gala on October 24th to be a winning bidder, but it sure would add to the excitement!

The image (above, right) is of a painting by Calvin Edward Ramsburg, who also happens to teach abstract painting classes at the Delaplaine. This piece titled "Coral Reef" (acrylic on Rives BFK paper, mounted on canvas) is one of the 53 fabulous pieces up for auction and on exhibit. A wide variety of media are represented, including acrylic, oil, and watercolor paintings, collage, pen and ink drawings, jewelry, sculpture, metal and wood furniture, and hand-dyed silk clothing.

Stop into the Delaplaine to see the exhibit and be tempted! You could be the winning bidder, and give a boost to the Delaplaine (which is a non-profit) and to contributing artists, as well. And what an extra special gift you would have to give to a loved-one or to yourself!