Artists Of Texas Contemporary Paintings and Art

This work in progress is painted with Sennelier oil pastels on 12 x 9" Colourfix paper.  To see more of my artwork, please visit my blog at Hackberry Street Studio .

These two steppers were painted quickly with oil pastel on 7 x 5" Pastelbord.  Working fast just helps me to keep my work from being too tight.  To see more of my artwork, just click here to visit my blog.

"Red Peppers" Oil Pastel 36" x 12" To Purchase follow this link Visit  Russ Mackensen Fine Art  to view more of my work.

WIP Stage 2 of “Masterpieces to THE MASTER” These next 2 panels are from Caravaggio and Bouguereau separated by almost 300 years.   Each artist had acclimation and those that did not appreciate their work (not so much by Bouguereau). Caravaggio’s work much more so for his departure from the norms of his time. He also suffered from his personal demons, which cut his life short at 39 years of age. Bougereau, like Caravaggio, was destined to produce art from a young age. He painted until almost the end of his life. Kara Lysandra Ross stated about Bouguereau’s religious works: “As a devout catholic, Bouguereau, as so many other religious painters, viewed his work as a form of worship both of God and of his most beloved creation, mankind. Bouguereau’s love of Christ can clearly be seen in his painting for which he took no short cuts and spared no time and dedication in creating.” These 2 panels have very distinct styles but carry the same pa...

WIP of “Masterpieces to THE MASTER” In preparation for an upcoming show by Faith Artists with the theme of ““In Spirit”, intending to enliven and inspire the viewing audience”, I came across this quote: “Be of good cheer, the Lord is on your side. Which brings me to the one proven and true secret of the masters. This holds true across the board, from Giotto to the Hudson River School, to Moran, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Rapheal, Da’Vinci, Michelangelo, Titan, Rubens, the impressionists, name the school and you will find this to be true of the old masters. They painted God into their images, the spirituality of the past masters is what makes their work great. Fredrick Church didn’t paint landscapes, he painted God through landscapes. This is what separates the masters from the guys who were just pretty good.” Author unknown. Looking at the individual words of the theme “In Spirit” their meaning speaks to that statement. “In” expressing, inclusion or involvement, and “Spiri...

FLOATING LILY 12" x 9" Oil Pastel "Floating Lily" was awarded an honorable mention in the 2013 Oil Pastel Society on line members show in the Professional/Signature category. The show can be viewed on the  Oil Pastel Society  web page. Russ@rmackensenfineart.com Russ Mackensen Fine Art