Patrick Saunders

My 90-minute portrait study of Rhoda, from last Friday's open session at the ‪@coppiniacademyoffineart1440‬. Her multi-colored hair made it interesting.


“Rhoda's Rainbow Hair”
• Oil on Linen
• 12” x 16”
• 90 Minutes

Painting photo by ‪@Saundersfinearts‬


#patricksaunders #patricksaundersfinearts #oilpainting #oilpaintersofamerica #representationalart #realistart #contemporarypainting #portrait #portraitstudy #portraitsketch #portraitpainting #portraitartist #allaprima #coppiniacademy

4 days ago | [YT] | 6

Patrick Saunders

This self portrait by American artist Cecelia Beaux from the permanent collection of the ‪@smithsoniannpg‬ is a wonderful exercise in restraint. With most of the painting executed in thin washes of color, the artist conveys an ethereal quality to the piece as her face emerges from the canvas. Such a perfect example of how less is often more in a painting. Notice how the edge of her face on the left side of the painting is completely absent, and this lost edge gives more form and volume to the head than any additional brushstrokes could have achieved.


Born in Philadelphia in 1855, Beaux began her studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts before training at the Académie Julian in Paris under William-Adolphe Bouguereau. Upon returning to the United States, she achieved great success as a portrait painter. She was the first woman to hold a regular teaching position at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts where she remained for 20 years. William Merritt Chase stated "Miss Beaux is not only the greatest living woman painter, but the best that has ever lived. Miss Beaux has done away entirely with sex [gender] in art."

"Self-Portrait"
• Cecilia Beaux
• Oil on Canvas
• 17 7/8" x 13 7/8"
• c. 1889-94

Painting photo by ‪@Saundersfinearts‬

#artreview #artdiscussion #artcritique #arttalk #americanpainting #americanart #americanartist #ceciliabeaux #nationalportraitgallery #smithsonian #patricksaunders #patricksaundersfinearts #representationalart #realistart #portraitpainting #MuseumTourTuesday

6 days ago | [YT] | 5

Patrick Saunders

Artist friends, if you want to paint with me this year, most of my 2026 workshops are sold out, but my fall class at Warehouse 521 in Nashville is still open. Go here for more information, and to register: patricksaunders.com/workshops.html

“Waiting”
• Oil on Linen
• 15” x 30”
• Private Collection

#patricksaunders #patricksaundersfinearts #paintingworkshop #paintingclass #artworkshop #arteducation #artinstruction #oilpainting #representationalart #westernart #warehouse521

1 week ago | [YT] | 10

Patrick Saunders

There are less than two weeks left to see the "Nicolai Fechin: An Artistic Journey" exhibition, on view until April 5th at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman, Oklahoma. This painting is another example of pieces from private collections currently on display at the show.

Once again, Fechin lets the paint texture suggest the form in large areas of the painting. Notice how effortlessly the beard and hair are rendered. The drawing is all centered in the face and the hands, and their accuracy allows Fechin the freedom to let other areas sing with spontaneously applied paint.

"Old Patriarch"
• Nicolai Fechin
• Oil on Canvas
• Undated
• Private Collection

Painting photo by ‪@Saundersfinearts‬

#artreview #artdiscussion #artcritique #arttalk #russianpainting #russianart #russianartist #nicolaifechin #fjjma #patricksaunders #patricksaundersfinearts #saundersfinearts #representationalart #realistart #portraitpainting #MuseumTourTuesday

1 week ago | [YT] | 3

Patrick Saunders

My floral "Multifaceted" has been accepted into the ‪@RWNortonArtGallery‬'s 10th Annual BLOOM! Juried Exhibition. The show’s opening reception on March 26th from 5-7 p.m. is free and open to the public. If you are in the Shreveport area, you can see the exhibition in person and enjoy the museum’s 40-acre botanical garden, where their azaleas are now in bloom.

"Multifaceted"
• Oil on Linen
• 9" x 12"
• Available at BLOOM!

#floralart #floralpainting #floralartist #roses #fineart #oilpainting #patricksaunders #patricksaundersfinearts #rwnortonartgallery #artexhibition #artshow #BLOOM #artmuseum #botanicalgardens #shreveport

2 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 8

Patrick Saunders

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, this week's #MuseumTourTuesday is a piece by Irish painter William John Leech from the permanent collection of the ‪@nationalgalleryie‬.

The composition in this piece is fascinating. With the main figure pushed all the way to the right side of the canvas, and her gaze pushing the viewer even farther to the right, Leech uses both the figures of the background nuns as well as the weight of the foreground flowers to pull our view back to the left. Every area of interest surrounds the empty center of the canvas, creating a circular composition that keeps us moving throughout the entire image.

Born in Dublin in 1881, Leech studied at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art and the Royal Hiberian Academy, before enrolling at the Académie Julian in Paris to study with William-Adolphe Bouguereau.

"A Convent Garden, Brittany"
• William John Leech
• Oil on Canvas
• c.1913
• 132 x 106 cm

#artreview #artdiscussion #artcritique #arttalk #patricksaunders #patricksaundersfinearts #representationalart #realistart #oilpainting #irishpainting #irishart #irishartist #williamjohnleech #nationalgalleryofireland

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 7

Patrick Saunders

A "loose" painting looks effortless, but it's often far more difficult to achieve than a photo realistic painting.

In my latest art newsletter, learn how to loosen up your paintings and add energy and excitement to your work. Sign up for it here: patricksaunders.com/signup.html

"The Tea Party”
• Abram Arkhipov
• Oil on Canvas
• 79 x 131 cm
• 1919

#artnewsletter #artadvice #artinstruction #arteducation #artinspiration #arttalk #patricksaunders #patricksaundersfinearts

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 11

Patrick Saunders

Maria Dewing painted some of the most beautiful and lush garden scenes. In this piece from the permanent collection of the ‪@americanartmuseum‬, the flowers are not perfect, but natural, with some clearly past their prime. There's no vase or carefully cropped bouquet. Her florals can't be contained, and burst through the confines of the canvas. One gets the sense that turning in any direction will reveal more. We're not just admiring the flowers in her painting, we are surrounded by them.

Maria collaborated on a number of paintings with her husband, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, who went on to overshadow her own career. She often painted the floral portions of his compositions, and rarely signed her name.

Sadly, she regretted her own career later in life, believing that she had not realized her full potential, and feeling unable to compete with her husband. She deserves a much more elevated stature among the most well known American artists.

"Garden In May"
• Maria Oakey Dewing
• Oil on Canvas
• 1895
• 23 5/8" x 32 1/2"

Painting photos by ‪@Saundersfinearts‬

#artreview #artdiscussion #artcritique #arttalk #patricksaunders #patricksaundersfinearts #representationalart #realistart #floralart #floralpainting #MuseumTourTuesday #americanpainting #americanart #americanartist #mariadewing #smithsonian

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3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 3

Patrick Saunders

My latest short on painting natural textures.

1 month ago | [YT] | 1

Patrick Saunders

In 1911, Nicolai Fechin painted this portrait of eighteen year old Alexandra Belkovitch, the daughter of the director of the Kazan School of Art, where Fechin taught for a decade. They were married in 1913 and emigrated to the United States in 1923 with their daughter Eya.

As always, the rendering of the face is beautiful in this piece, but it's the form of the hands that I find absolutely stunning. Without over rendering, Fechin has given the hands volume and interest, and best of all there's that slight press into the cheek with the index finger, which brings us right back to her face.

"Alexandra Belkovitch"
• Nicolai Fechin
• Oil on Canvas
• 1911
• Permanent Collection of the ‪@FredJonesJrMuseumArt‬

Painting photo by ‪@Saundersfinearts‬

#artreview #artdiscussion #artcritique #arttalk #russianpainting #russianart #russianartist #nicolaifechin #fredjonesjrmuseumofart #patricksaunders #patricksaundersfinearts #saundersfinearts #representationalart #realistart #portraitpainting #MuseumTourTuesday

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 7