The Post-Exhibition Blues
Do you, dear artist, go into a funk after an exhibition? When the frenzy and anticipation of preparing for a show are behind you and the party high of opening night is over,… Continue reading
Portrait painter to the elite
The Grand Palais in Paris is planning a retrospective of Marie-Louise-Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun for 2015. A master colorist like her idol, Peter Paul Rubens, Vigee Le Brun (1755-1842) enjoyed great success as… Continue reading
New website
Hi all. My website revamp is complete. Check it out at http://www.clarethorbes.com. Kudos to webmaster Michael Gabriel (www.michaelgabrielcommunications.com) for turning my half-formed ideas into this fresh new look. I love his creative solution… Continue reading
For the Love of Cows
Painting cows en plein air should be easy, I thought. Placid animals, they’ll stay nice and still, right? Well, they may not move quickly, but they’re in constant motion! Where’s a cow whisperer… Continue reading
Puppy Love
Our Lab-Border Collie hound never met a dog toy he couldn’t shred. Only his Kong Ball is intact. A portrait of Spock is in the works. Now on, from Dec. 6 to Dec.… Continue reading
Web site redesign
My website, clarethorbes.com, is being redesigned, so new images will be posted here for now. I’m reading Rembrandt: The Painter at Work, by Ernst van de Wetering. The oak panels Rembrandt painted on… Continue reading
50 Sittings for One Portrait?
French artist Leon Bonnat (1833-1922) asked this and more from his portrait subjects. Laudable devotion to one’s craft, but agony for the sitter, I would think. For images and more info on this… Continue reading