Skip to main content

R. J. Newhall - Livingston, MT Artist

Just outside Butte, Montana, the Continental Divide looms large, the sign at Homestake Pass says it is 6,393 feet above sea level.  The Continental Divide provides a high point for the North American Continent and creates the hydrological divide where water flows in several different directions including:  The Pacific, Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.  In these high points, the rock formations cover the mountain sides where batches of rubber rabbitbrush and silver sagebrush grow through the alkaline cracks and craters of the rock.  The gray-green shrubs grow into a rounded bouquet, each two to five feet tall, and when the sun is just right, the brush takes on Montana texture with shadows and shades that give it a dark purple glow.  In these higher elevations, the treeline is the edge where the tree habitat is capable of growing, creating stunted or dwarf pines.  Bob Newhall knows and captures these Montana scenes with a brisk pen and watercolor brush as in the painting below.

"Montana Sagebrush and Dwarf Pine"
Watercolor on Paper

Signed Lower Right:  Bob Newhall with Year
Robert J. Newhall, aka, Bob, is a native Montanan who started using watercolors at twelve.  His childhood landscape served as inspiration, and the sky, mountains, grasses and grains served as a palette guide.  He went on to study architecture at Montana State University, providing a strong foundation for design and aesthetics, while honing his sketching skills.  He attributes his quick sketching techniques to the art department at MSU.  The art collectors within his community adore his quick sketches, as they capture the essence and personality of the subject matter.  Frequently he adds a little watercolor tint to create depth and form to his sketch.    
     
He spent most of working career in Berkeley, CA, turning design ideas into one-of-a-kind furniture.  Also during his time in California he sculpted, painted and drew, continuing to sharpen and enrich his artistic talents.  Bob returned to his beloved Montana and resides now in Livingston, where he shares space in Gallery O, additionally, you can find sketches at Out of the Blue Antiques, on Main Street. 



   

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Japanese Wooden Dolls: Kokeshi-Ningyo "こけし-人形"

This article is dedicated to my Japanese (nihongo) Sensei, Atsuko Kuwana, who helped me learn to speak Japanese. Collectors come in all varieties, some plan their collections, others start by chance.  I saw my first kokeshi(こけし) wooden doll in 2005 while participating in a grassroutes exchange program between the U.S. and Japan.  I was staying with a family near Nagoya and the couple’s young daughter had one.  Years later when I was named a Mike Mansfield Fellow from the U.S. government to the Japanese government, and was living in Japan, I would see them frequently at flea markets and souvenir shops next to the natural hot spring resorts in the area known as Tohoku.  Before leaving for Japan, I studied all things Japanese at the George Shultz Foreign Service Institute (FSI), including a professor that covered domestic and family life and some short statements on kokeshi.  After arriving in Japan, the National Personnel Authority ( jinjiin ) was responsible for...

MARCEL (Marcella Anderson) Torpedo Factory Artist

Marcella Anderson and/or Marcy Anderson (1946 - 2015) was better known as "MARCEL", a popular serigraph/silkscreen artist, at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in historic Old Town Alexandria, VA. She maintained a gallery and work space at the Torpedo Factory from 1976 to 2015. At the top of the stairs on the 3rd floor was this large light filled studio with a charming blonde woman surrounded by her silkscreens. In the early 80s, her work consisted mostly of water reptiles, fish, birds and environmental scenes. She kept with nature themes during most of her time at the studio. Her obituary stated: "Marcel was known for her bold, yet sensitive, use of color and design. Her images in all media reflected her love of nature. Her glowing color, both intense and delicate, was achieved through the use of transparent layers of color." Marcel was born and raised in Seattle, Washington and studied at the Cornish School of Allied Arts. Before arriving in the DC area, she had ...

Walter von Gunten - Scherenschnitter Artist

In the 1990's R. A. Baumgart, wrote an article for the Journal (Wisconsin Newspaper) entitled:  Scissors Art:  the Lace That Takes a Million Snips.   The subtitle was:  For Sheer Intricacy, It's Hard to Top the Delicate Folk Art of Long Ago Europe.  Baumgart's knowledge was helpful in creating this blog. Scissor cutting art has been practiced in much of Europe for centuries, but the work has now faded.  It reached its peak about 200 years ago.  It was the people's art, and when done by the Germans and Swiss it is called scherenschnitte.  When accomplished by the these two groups, the work tends to be more delicate and more detailed in design.  Scherenschnitte was cut from single sheets of paper and pasted on a contrasting paper background.  Common subjects were fantasies of trees, elves or rural scenes. "Bird in the Bushes" Cut Black and Gold Paper on White Mat Board Framed:  Approx. 20 X 16.5 Inches Signed Lower Left:...