oil – M. Szal

I have been working on a new series of oil paintings of the Presidents of the United States. I read the books The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency and The Imperial Presidency to gain some background insight into the topic.

Greg Dow of Dow Art Gallery in Fort Worth, Texas

My old boss and mentor, Greg Dow, instilled my love of America inside my character. His father collected Lincoln pictures and memorabilia, some of which I helped restore when I worked for him at Dow Art Gallery (the oldest art gallery in Texas). I will likely dedicate my Lincoln picture to them both since, after Pratt, it was Mr. Dow that really taught me how to paint on a professional level. He gave me a job in 2011 when Roman was born and I thought my life was over since I had to leave New York City. Thankfully, he helped me realize it was only the beginning. I would never have been able to have my first big show at Fringe Art Gallery without his help/connections.

Video of my oil painting process

This is a video with some process footage of my painting the first picture. George Washington was in the British Army before the Revolutionary War, so I painted him in a younger version and then painted over in the older version. All the pictures are in oil paint on canvas boards, which are 12 inches by 12 inches. I added a hand to the portrait holding some cherries since George Washington could not lie to his father about chopping down the cherry tree. Yet, I have not taken any pictures of this latest stage.

Oil on Bristol, 2014 – This was painted from observation from a tarnished silver tea set that I inherited when my grandma Dot passed away more than a decade ago.

This is an old color study that I found while reorganizing some of my old portfolios. I will post some more old gems and rarities like this in the enminent future, especially ones that have never been posted or never have left the studio/sketchbook. This teapot was from an old knock-off silver set my grandmother gave me when she passed away. She raised my brother and I almost by herself, so she was very much like a mother to me. So, even though it is not worth much in a monetary sense, it is worth more than the Sun and the Moon for me personally.

She wasn’t big on Art, but she always believed I could be a great artist if I put my all into the brush she would say. We lost her almost ten years ago when I was only in high school. Grandma Dot is what I used to call her, short for Dorothy. She also turned me on on of my favorite painters even nowadays, John Signer Sargent. Can you see the influence of Sargent in the wet on wet oil style and color filled highlights?

I am also considering making a series of short videos that discuss my studio process and my major influnces from the Old Masters of Art History. I think combining some old works from sketchbooks and portfolios that have not seen daylight in quite some time with historical influnces would be a good way to showcase some of my old work while also informing my artistic peers and the public at large about important works of art/artists that they may have unintentionally neglected or could further their apperication.