“High Seas” original oil on linen by Ron Nicolaides.
January 2019
“Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.” —Leonardo da Vinci
“Having worked on this painting for many years, more than twenty years, in September of 2018 I chose a different focus. The sun, too bright and the waves not powerful enough, in my opinion.” Ron Nicolaides
“The beginnings and ends of shadow lie between the light and darkness and may be infinitely diminished and infinitely increased.” Leonardo da Vinci
“It is always attempting to paint the light that I remember most. It is my inspiration.
Light and its elusive quality can transform a landscape in just a matter of time.
Originally, the sun was the focus, later, as the painting matured; the light on the sea and its fleeting magic was given more highlights.” —Ron Nicolaides
Painted in the Hudson River School of Painting style.
Q: What is the Hudson River School of Painting style, you ask?
A: Hudson River School of Painting, an American art Movement, was originally a group of American landscape painters of several generations who worked between about 1825 and 1870. The name, applied retrospectively, refers to a similarity of intent rather than to a geographic location, the members of the group drew inspiration from the picturesque region north of New York City, through which the Hudson River flows.
An outgrowth of the Romantic Movement, the Hudson River school was the first school of painting in the United States; with its proud celebration of the natural beauty of the American landscape and in the desire of its artists to become independent of European schools of painting.
Hudson River School paintings reflect three themes of America: discovery, exploration, and settlement. The paintings also depict the American landscape as a pastoral setting, where human beings and nature coexist peacefully. Hudson River School landscapes are characterized by their realistic, detailed, and sometimes idealized portrayal of nature, often-juxtaposing peaceful agriculture and the remaining wilderness, which was fast disappearing from the Hudson Valley in the 19th century just as it was coming to be appreciated for its qualities of ruggedness and sublimity.
Hudson River School of Painting uses symbolism and allegory to convey feelings about the natural world, often with connotations of the supernatural.
“Pacific City Haystack Rock” original oil on linen by Ron Nicolaides.
“Ron Nicolaides paints in the Hudson River School of Painting style. Note the use color, weather, light and shadow, and other dramatic elements in nature suggesting creating strong juxtapositions and high seas in the same painting. This is the essence of any masterful work of art.” D. Fairweather, gallerist
And, too, on January 3, 2019 a tale of three Oregon coast Haystack Rocks:
There are three Haystack Rocks on the Oregon coast. Visitors from out-of-state who tend to latch onto the one in Pacific City, or the one in Cannon Beach or the one in Bandon. Indeed, there are three major landmarks, all regularly photographed, and all by the name of Haystack Rock.
One is the gargantuan Haystack Rock at Pacific City at 340.6 feet high and is almost a mile offshore from the landmark Cape Kiwanda.
The Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach is 235 feet high and sits right up on the tide line of the famed north coast town.
The Haystack Rock in Bandon is 105 feet high and is in Coos County. All sea stacks are federally protected and are closed to public access.
http://coastexplorermagazine.com/features/oregon-coast-sea-stack-rock-formations
Ron Nicolaides, lives in Oregon and studied art at Washington University in St. Louis Missouri, but is primarily a self-taught artist. He painted his first oil seascape in his teens and credits art museums as a basis for his continuing knowledge of art and the Hudson River School style he pursues. Artist Eugene Garin has served as his mentor. However, his work is heavily inspired by the European Old Masters with his greatest stylistic influence being the Hudson River School of artists, such as Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran, Frederic Church and Herman Herzog.
The western landscape and Pacific coast are the predominant subjects of Nicolaides’ paintings.
Nicolaides, with years of study and experience has become a powerful accomplished artist. He has captured majestic landscapes and has mastered the mesmerizing translucent waves in his depiction of the sea without freezing its energetic rhythms.
His strength is his capacity to push the limits of oils and multiply glazes to create the masterful works that bring the viewer right into the scene.
“I have developed a distinctive style that I truly own. I have a consistent body of work to show for it.” —Ron Nicolaides
Read more about the artist at http://www.fairweatherhouseandgallery.com/ …artists tab/ …Ron Nicolaides