Thursday, November 16, 2017

A Triptych Commission

Projection of the paintings installed.
I had a nice commission through the Quidley & Company Galleries this year, to do a triptych for the mantel pictured above. I thought I would share a little about the process of this project.

After the client had selected me for the commission, they didn't necessarily have a clear idea of what they wanted in the space except to have three paintings that go together installed into the architectural panels above their mantel. So we went over some of my previous works, and they really liked this one...
Erik Koeppel "The Wildcat Brook" 16 x12 in. Oil on panel
I proposed that this painting be the basis for the center panel, and to have the two side paintings be invented extensions of the scene. I sketched the idea out  in pencil on a sketchbook page as follows:


As this idea was well received, I went on to a small oil sketch...



Then it was on to the full sized panels, which came to a total of about 6ft. wide. I had to build a little custom apparatus to hold the panels together while I worked...
This shows the setup, and the paintings on the first day of work, when I blocked in the major structures of the pictures.
Then came six months of painting. The challenge for me was to make the three paintings flow together well, but also to have each of them stand on there own as a picture. Here is the finished triptych:

Erik Koeppel "The Meeting Waters" 31 3/8 x 70 in. Oil on panel, Private Collection
Special thanks to Quidley & Company for setting this project in motion. I really enjoyed the challenge!

Learn more about me and my work at www.ErikKoeppel.com

Although my calendar is busy, I'm always interested in commissioned work. Feel free to get in touch: Erik@ErikKoeppel.com



Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Grand Prize at Plein Air Texas

I'm very honored to report that my paintings won both The Grand Prize and Artist's Choice Awards at Plein Air Texas. Additionally both paintings sold, as well as numerous other pieces created at the event.

It was wonderful to spend time painting with so many talented artists and have access to numerous beautiful private ranches around San Angelo, TX. Everyone was so nice, and I would highly recommend this event to artists and collectors.

This is the description from their website, "The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts welcomes 34 of the top Plein Air artists in the world to SAN ANGELO, TEXAS!  The fourth annual EnPleinAirTEXAS is one of the top plein air competitions in the country and attracts award-winning artist applicants from coast to coast and from outside the U.S."

You can find tons of photos from the event on their facebook page: link

Here are some of my photos:
Grand Prize, Erik Koeppel "Head of the Concho River" 16 x24 in. Oil on panel, Private Collection



Erik Koeppel "Sunset from the San Angelo Museum of Fine Art" 6 x 8 in. Oil on panel, Private Collection
Receiving the Artist's Choice Award
Erik Koeppel "Sulfur Draw" 11 x 14 in. Oil on panel, Private Collection
Erik Koeppel "Sunrise at Six Mile Ranch" 14 x 24 in. Oil on panel, Private Collection
9x14 out taken in progress

6x8 taken in progress

9x14 taken in progress

12x18 in. Sunrise in the Cotton Fields in progress

We had a great time.

The next competition in March, I'll be judging rather than competing. I'll also teach a workshop following the event:

ARTISTS Please apply!
Upcoming Plein Air Event, deadline November 15th, 2017
I Find more info at: www.shadowsontheteche.org