I revisited a painting from late 2018 that I wasn’t entirely satisfied with. I am gathering paintings for my February solo show making hard decisions. This particular piece was on the edge but now it will be attending the exhibit! The show is at the Elliott Fouts Gallery in Sacramento, California.
I have never been an optimistic person. In grade school, learning vocabulary, the teacher asked us if we were optimists or pessimists. A girl I had eyes for said, “Oh, we are both optimists.” She was a bit smarter than I was, but as she explained the difference, I knew she was horribly mistaken.
For some odd reason, I am filled with an unrealistic optimism for the new year. I am making my living painting, it’s not easy. My days are only getting shorter, never mind. I have a vision for my work, mastery of my materials. For the first time in my life I know my greatest work is ahead. I am excited to make it.
I hope you all find passion and meaning in 2019.
I love painting moody water and cloudscapes. I tend to turn them into something I think of as an emotional landscape. Expressive and full of motion, a place to put my feelings I suppose.
This is one I just finished yesterday. I will be working on some more along this theme!
This is a new painting I am pretty excited about. Inspired by many shockingly beautiful evenings up hear in North Idaho.
This piece is going to my solo show February 2019 in Sacramento at the Elliott Fouts Gallery!
It seems like I always have a lot of “series of paintings” I want to work on. This is one I am going to boost up a bit higher in priority. A sort of heavenly view of the skies. Dreamy and a bit surreal or at least that is my thought today.
I painted this little study this morning. I am also prepping a bunch of larger panels to move forward with these paintings…
This time of year light does seem like something either remembered or glimpsed shining on a distant mountain. Light is the star of the show in this painting.
I am going to be putting coats of varnish on this piece today, then time to frame!
I have new representation in Jackson Hole, Wyoming! I have taken many trips to Wyoming and Jackson in particular. A really amazing town with a lot of great art galleries and artists.
Yesterday’s painting, it felt like a pretty good day in the studio.
Another new painting in the studio. This one is bound for Elliott Fouts Gallery, that hour glass is draining quickly! I need to deliver these paintings in early January.
Again I find myself focusing on filtered sun and a dramatic sky with this painting. I have some exciting plans that are just a bit of a departure from my typical work… stay tuned!
I also have some paintings available at a super cool gallery in Missoula. Check out the link!
https://radius-gallery.myshopify.com/collections/brian-sostrom
A cool little painting from April. I was experimenting with framing options, this one worked well. Since then I have switched things up significantly. I am now painting on thicker wood panels and using a more minimal floating frame. Everything is always changing, hopefully evolving… it is good to pause and reflect at times.
brian sostrom 