Paintings SOLD at the Suzuki Music School of Westport

While Frank has buried himself in his studio this Fall, painting portraits, figures, and landscape commissions (evidence to come soon), these two paintings were busy hanging at the Art4Music Benefit for the Suzuki Music School of Westport.  Happily they are now hanging in new homes. The show,  curated by the lovely Heidi Harrington, is on display until July 2012, should you be in the Westport zone.

Cloud Study. 6x8"  Original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann©

Midnight Road. 16x20" original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann©

Love this one....it is part of a series Frank began during a few nights of brilliant moonlight on Monhegan...we would have a nice dinner together, couple glasses of wine...we'd get the kids to bed, and then Frank would pack up his easel and headlamp, to go out and paint...again. 

Painting Commission, finished and installed

Here's  the view of the road in front of our house from our winter season on Monhegan Island, ME that Frank painted for a client's mantle piece. The room it lives in has walls of grayish/tan wood, so this really stands out amidst the neutral tones of furniture and other decor.

"Snowy Road" 34 x 62. original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann.©

Paintings with New Homes in Pennsylvania

We had a fantastic turnout for Frank's Local Landscape Event, which was last Thursday night 7/28. Here are just a few of the paintings which found new homes, including the smallest, 6x8" to the largest, 50x60". Besides ogling over the paintings, we ate and drank and made merry. For those who joined us, thank you so much, and for those who couldn't quite get there, you were certainly missed. 

Hay Rolls on Driveway. 6x8" original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann. SOLD

Hay Study. 6x8". original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann. SOLD

Chanticleer. 12x16". original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann. SOLD

Along the Stream.  50x60" . original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann. SOLD

In Pennsylvania, painting from sun up to sundown!

If you are anywhere near Berwyn, PA, you should consider coming for 

Frank's one-night only Local Landscape Event.  He's been painting from the first light until the last light of day, trying to find shade in this unforgiving heat.  

Come join us for a look at Frank's show, and as always, a lovely dinner and wine will be waiting.....

Date:  Thursday, July 28th, 2011

Time:  5:30-9:00pm

New location:  403 Waynesbrooke Road, Berwyn, PA

RSVP:  203-444-3100

Hayfeeder in Autumn.  original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann , click to enlarge.

Award at the Lyme Art Association

The Hudson Valley Art Association (HVAA) held the reception to their 80th Annual Exhibition at the Lyme Art Association last Friday night. Frank, en route from his 3-week painting stint on Monhegan Island, Maine (with our kids in tow, similarly clad, ragamuffin style) arrived just in time to receive the prestigious Frank Mason award for the painting below.  The show runs until July 31st, 2011 for those in the Lyme area.

Horn Hill in Winter.  18x24"  oil painting by Frank Bruckmann ©

Monhegan Island Workshop

Frank and his students spent last week painting all over Monhegan Island, Maine, on his 2nd Monhegan workshop gig. I've received reports from many that it was truly a fantastic workshop with tons of fun, lobster, and a number of really nice paintings.  He is still there, but this week is for him, he says, to paint.  The kids and I arrive this Friday.....

Frank at work during the 2011 Monhegan Island Painting Workshop-photo my MLO'COnnell

Full Moon Painting in FL

The whole time Frank was on his FL trip, he looked forward to doing a full moon night time painting.  Here is the result, midnight in the eerie Apalachicola Cemetery, FL.

Waiting for Zombies, Apalachicola, FL -original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann©

Memorable Paintings of the Forgotten Coast, FL....The Plein Air Paint Out

Very little text necessary....here are some gems from Frank's first week of painting, all of which I personally witnessed.  I'm back in CT, firmly planted in my "mom" role, while Frank continues to paint....he has cranked it up a notch, so I expect to post more paintings soon.  Here is more info about the event, the Plein Air Paint Out.

Billowing Clouds 9x12".  oil painting by Frank Bruckmann© SOLD

Sunrise over the Bayou.   11x14" oil painting by Frank Bruckmann©

Cloudscape at Turkey Point.  11x14.  oil painting by Frank Bruckmann©

Sunset from the Sandbar. 11x14" oil painting by Frank Bruckmann©

Porch Lights 9x12. oil painting by Frank Bruckmann©

Stowed Away!!

Frank was packing to attend the Plein Air Paint Out Event on Florida's "Forgotten Coast" and I was feeling a bit envious of his road-trip-painting-adventure that i've only heard about over the years....boats full of ice with oysters on the half shell, early sunrise paintings, Southern hospitality, oyster/tequila shooters, the "Forgotten Coast" in FL's panhandle, painting all day long, beaches and swamps and critters from the swamps and peepers so loud at night you have to close the windows,  being in our VW vanagon, with the ability to pull over and make yourself an espresso on a whim, meeting and painting with other artists and shmozing with potential buyers at cocktail parties, staying in very sweet accommodations....i couldn't stand it anymore!  So, i've stowed away, and our kids get a whole week long sleepover with their favorite neighborhood family!  win win x 2!

I'm writing from a particularly isolated patch of 95 in South Carolina. Pretty good time we are doing considering we left CT 16 hours ago and have only stopped for those necessary things, and one 2-hour power snooze. 

Giant chicken and the Vanagon at pit stop, N. or S. Carolina

Savannah at twilight.  Lots of live oaks with dangling moss...

Boardwalk at Summer Camp, outside Carabelle, FL

Frank getting to work at the Scipio Creek Marina

I

TV Spot promoting 14th Annual Westville Village ArtWalk, this Friday and Saturday!

Frank is one of the many artists who will be showing their work during the ArtWalk on Friday and Saturday this weekend.  Frank's studio will be open from 11-3pm on Saturday, May 7th. Give yourself a lot of time to visit the whole neighborhood and bring the kids and grandkids or whatever kids are in your life as there are going to be many kinds of art (painting/sculpture/theatre/moving theatre/music/fashion/singing) to celebrate at this event..... check out my TV appearance on Channel 3 in Hartford where I have no shame promoting our art, in this short video: Me promoting the ArtWalk

And go to the ArtWalk Schedule for all the details. If you come for the day, you will see our village at it's best and understand why Frank chose Westville, the people and the scenery to be the subjects for 2 entire bodies of work. Need a reminder?  Here is the Occupational Spirit series, and below is a piece from his West Rock Series, most of which have found their homes on the walls of our neighbors!

West Rock in Autumn  original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann©

St. Barth Art

This small series was painted last summer when we spent almost a month in St Barth, French West Indies....the beaches and vistas are tremendous, the food and language very French and chic, and these paintings are hanging in the lovely villa  La Belle Vie . check it out.

Road up to Vitet 12x16" -Original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann

End of the Day (Grande Fonde) 11x14" Original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann

Pointe Milou 9x12"  Original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann

Pointe Milou -  Original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann

Around the Bend in Grande Fonde- Original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann

Through the Guanahani Palms-  Original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann

Pose in long black dress.

This picture was taken after roughly 5  3-hour sessions of posing for New Haven's Brush and Palette Club. Frank wanted a "finished" portrait of me, so I fished out that black dress that I wore to everyone's weddings in the 90's, added some pearls (a gift for being a bridesmaid in one of those weddings)  my grandmother's earrings, and BAM...fancy portrait time.  Frank claims he has a long way to go, I will post it when it is "complete".

SoNo, CT: Art-In-Windows Project

Frank lived in South Norwalk, CT for most of the 90's......South Norwalk still has some stalwart artists and advocates, mostly Dennis Bradbury, a visionary who has been touting all that is great about SoNo for decades. She curates the Art-in-the-Windows project through the Norwalk Arts Commission, and invited Frank to bring down one of his New Haven Cityscapes, an award winning painting that has left a huge empty space on our LR wall, as you can imagine...see pic below.

Clock Tower 40 x 62".  original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann.

In the living room with the Clock Tower painting reigning above.

As I mentioned, Frank lived in SoNo, in a really cool studio above the 3-Angle Liquor Store, just next to the busy and noisy train tracks.  Since he'd just returned from near a decade in Paris and different cities in Spain, he wanted to continue painting outside, and that is when he launched his SoNo series.  If you ever walked down Washington or Main Streets of SoNo in the 90's, you probably saw Frank, painting street scenes, chatting with anyone who happened by.  Below is an example.....and perhaps the only painting left from this era.  It is of Avery's which was a Jamaican restaurant, and it is the location where his art is currently being displayed through the Art-in-Windows project mentioned above.

Avery's. 18x24"  Original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann.

Congratulations Frank!

Frank was just awarded the prestigious New Haven Paint and Clay Club Active Member's Prize. The show opens this Sunday, March 20th from 2 - 5 pm at John Slade Ely House, 51 Trumbull Street, New Haven, CT. Here is the painting that made that happen....

Gabbro Series #13. Original Oil Painting by Frank Bruckmann 48 x 64"

Off to Ridgefield Guild of Artists

Extremely windy day around here, and Frank HAD to transport a painting that was just a few inches bigger than our VW Vanagon would allow. Check out that tie down system. I think he drove 40 miles like that. Did i mention how windy it was, and that I called to make sure they made it there?

If you are in the area, I recommend a visit. See the postcard below for details....

Below is the hanging committee, standing in front of that painting we'd stuck on top of the van.....They are smiling because they'd finally finished a full day of hanging art.

To Begin...we have to go back.

I will open this BLOG by delving into the recent past of artist Frank Bruckmann. Here are notable career happenings over the past 2 months, and then we will move steadily forward, never really knowing what to expect (who can ever know?)....the entries are all in my voice, as I am partner/wife/friend of Frank's and much better suited for describing such things. He prefers relaying his stories/feelings/moods with paint.

2/17/11: Opening for IMAGE UNSEEN, at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts in Storrs, CT. thru April 22, 2011. This show features only 3 recipients of the 2010 Artist Fellowship award from the CT Commission of Culture and Tourism, which Frank was awarded last spring. This is one of the paintings he is showing below, from his Occupational Spirit series.

The Racquet Stringer 48"x34" original oil painting, Frank Bruckmann.

2/3/11-"The Jeweler" from Frank's Occupational Spirit series has found a new home. This painting depicts the shop owner going about his daily ritual of setting up the front window in Westville. It's new owners had been anticipating it for a year now, ever since Frank lent it to the Smilow Cancer Center in New Haven. The hospital has such a HUGE collection of art, over 700 original pieces, that they shot a video all about it... see if you can find 2 of Frank's paintings in the vid, which are now part of their permanent collection.

The Jeweler, 48x60" original oil painting, Frank Bruckmann. SOLD

1/30/11- at Kehler Liddell Gallery, the Opening of "I+love+you", where Frank has surprised us again, painting something very different from the Gabbro series, a small series of sensual paintings, depicting lovers in various positions, all titled "Lust", but in different languages.

Lujuria 11x14" oil by Frank Bruckmann SOLD.

Lussuria 11x14" original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann

Luxure 11x14" original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann

Luxuria 11x14" original oil painting by Frank Bruckmann

1/25/11- Ribbon Cutting at the brand new Start Community Bank. They contacted Frank months back to ask him to lend some paintings from the Occupational Spirit series for their big lobby. Bank President Bill Placke "had to have them" as he felt they represent the small businesses that Start wants to help support and "start-up". Start Community Bank had their ribbon cutting ceremony, read the article here.

1/22/11- Road Trip to PA, where we placed 2 paintings from the PA series. New clients and everything!

Resting in the Shade. 40x54". oil by Frank Bruckmann. SOLD

1/21/11-Closing Event : To properly end the show, we had a closing event, where we featured local singer/composer/musician Gaylene Vasilopoulos who composed original music that were inspired by the paintings of Frank and sculptures of Susan Clinard. She gave a performance at the event which the crowd really loved. It was a good way to close the show. Go to her site and listen to some samples...The event was covered in the New Haven Independent article

12/18/10-Shadow Puppet Workshop. Tons of kids and parents took some time during their pre-holiday rush to participate in this first time ever event at the Kehler Liddell Gallery. It was covered in this New Haven Independent article.

Listen to performance and visual artist Polly Sonic play the saw blade! An excellent counterpoint to the kids playing with their puppets. I should have told Frank to quit cranking on the accordion, don't you think?

Kids showing the shadow puppets they made...see more pics on the link above.

12/16/10-We hosted the Westville Guitar Trio and friends at Kehler Liddell.....there were adults attending too, but they weren't nearly as much fun to photograph and these spontaneous dancers...

The Westville Guitar Trio and Friends are Linda Drazen, Don Wunderlee, Alan Shaw, Naomi Senzer,(pictured) Tim Kane, and Nate Trier(pictured)

12/12/10- Opening of "New Work" at Kehler Liddell Gallery, Westville New Haven, CT. Sculptor Susan Clinard and Frank Bruckmann presented a show of work that is unlike anything they'd done in the past. See the review: New Haven Register, 1/2/11, by arts editor Judy Birke, click here.

My self-imposed role during the run of the show was to host 3 events, one for families, and 2 other music events, plotting to get all kinds of people in to the gallery, to participate in the event of course but to also experience the sculpture and Frank's paintings. All events ran smoothly, 2 of 3 even got some ink, please see links above.

This is what Frank calls the Gabbro series, ultra close-up paintings from the rock that are the foundation of Monhegan Island, ME, which make up those craggy coastal views all up Maine's coast. He began really looking at the rocks, living our Monhegan Sojourn for 6 months last year, (January through June 2010) and got more and more involved in their structure and components, and built these up with multiple layers of paint. LOTS of texture.

Gabbro Series #9, 24x36" oil painting by Frank Bruckmann SOLD

Gabbro Series #13, 48x64" oil painting by Frank Bruckmann

Gabbro Series #15, 60x64" oil painting by Frank Bruckmann

Enjoying the show at Kehler Liddell Gallery