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Portrait of Joseph Burrough Plein Air Painting

Photo Credit: Kevin Schindler

Bio

I am an oil painter living in Richmond, Virginia. I first picked up my brushes and began working in oils as a hobby at age 15 while growing up in the small town of Tappahannock, Virginia about an hour northeast of Richmond. I taught myself how to paint largely by reading “how to” books on drawing, painting, and by closely studying oil paintings in galleries and museums. All through high school, college and into my adult life, I painted whenever I could, taking only one “intermediate” painting course as an elective my senior year in college and, surprisingly, winning an award in the Jr./Sr. Art Exhibit.

After leaving a career in facilities management in 1993, I pursued my lifelong dream of painting full-time. Since then, I've had the privilege of studying under two internationally-known and award-winning artists, Jim Wilcox and Scott Burdick. My plein-air (open air, onsite) oil paintings of rural Virginia, the James River, the Tetons of Wyoming and the wind blown shores of the Outer Banks of North Carolina offer a balance to my more detailed, retrospective works of historical Richmond. To view my recent works, click on “Paintings”, or “Italy Paintings”, as well as some of my best sold works in the “Archive” section.

Artist Statement

Oil painting has always fascinated me from an early age. The rich colors, the depth of a three-dimensional reality on a two-dimensional canvas, the thick impasto strokes over thin oil washes, the feel of buttery paint at the end of a brush, the rich smell of linseed oil and the exotic fragrances of aromatic varnishes–all add to a full, sensory experience.

I enjoy capturing the many moods of nature with a loosely-rendered realism, be it a peaceful, relaxing vista, or a fleeting, windswept moment. My goal, whether in the studio or out painting a “plein-air” on location, is to interpret what I see in a way that stops the viewers in their tracks and causes them to appreciate the beauty and majesty of the natural world in an inspiring new way.

Juried Competitions & Exhibitions

2010 PaintAmerica Top100 Competition (3 paintings)
2007 Paint America 2ndMini50 (2 paintings)
2006 Arts for the Parks Top 200 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming (2 paintings)
2006 Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional Juried Exhibition

Corporate Collections

Media General (21 paintings, including 3 large paintings in the boardroom)
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond (3 paintings)
The Medical College of Virginia
The Richmond Times-Dispatch - Selected to create a painting and produce the limited edition print “Morning Delivery” to commemorate their 150th anniversary and raise donations for the Richmond Christmas Mother Fund.
Johnston-Willis Medical Center Surgery Suite

Awards

“Judges Choice Oils/Acrylics” Arts on the Lawn, Johnston-Willis, 2002
“Second Place Oils/Acrylics” Arts on the Lawn, Johnston-Willis, 2001
“Second Place Oils/Acrylics” Hanover Artfest, 1999
“Best in Show” and “First Place Oils” Hanover Artfest, 1998
“Judges Choice” Arts at Bellgrade, 1998
“First Place Oils/Acrylics” Arts on the Lawn at Bellgrade, 1997
“Honorable Mention” Arts on the Lawn at Bellgrade, 1996
“Second Place Oils/Acrylics” Arts at Valentine Riverside, 1995
“Best in Show” Arts on the Lawn at Bellgrade, 1994

Memberships

Associate Member, Oil Painters of America, 2005-Present
Jack Woodson Sketch Club, 1997 - Present
Member, Metropolitan Artists Association, Richmond, VA 1994 - 2003

Galleries

The Berkley Gallery
40 Main Street
Warrenton, Virginia 20186
540.341.7367
http://www.berkleygallery.com

The Little Gallery on Smith Mt. Lake
16430 Booker T. Washington Highway
Moneta, Virginia 24121
540.721.1596
http://thelittlegallerysml.com/about.html

Warm Springs Gallery
Courthouse Hill
Warm Springs, Virginia 24484
540.839.2985
http://warmspringsgallery.com

Gallery Flux
307-B England Street
Ashland, Virginia 23005
804.752.3540
http://www.galleryflux.com

Urbanna Harbor Gallery and Art Services
202 Virginia Street
Urbanna, Virginia 23175
(804) 758-2828
Urbanna Harbor Gallery Facebook Fan Page

Limited Edition Print Portfolio

“Dawn on the Great Turning Basin”
“Boarding at the Packet Office”
“Cruising on the Canal” - Modern day interpretation of the historic Kanawha Canal
“Skyline of Richmond, c. 1858” - Historic view across the James
“Skyline of Richmond” - Modern view
“The Rotunda” at Longwood University
“Summer Sunset Over the ACL Bridge”; (giclee)
“The James at Pony Pasture” (giclee)
“The James below Pony Pasture” (giclee)

 

Links

Link to fellow artist and award-winning wildlife painter William G. Smith: http://www.williamgsmithart.com

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