Ron Donoughe, Painter

Scrap Yard, 30 x 40, oil on canvas

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:53:00 +0000

Landscape painting can encompass just about anything. Here we have a scrap yard. This holds a lot of memories for me and a close friend who used this as their playground. The entire area is a cornucopia of shapes and colors, all waiting to be recycled. The large yellow machine on the top shears it all into small pieces before being shipped to a steel mill. I choose to paint it with snow because it introduces a lighter value and delineates the forms.

Twin Windows and Chairs, 9 x 12, oil on panel

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:48:00 +0000

This is part of my Johnstown series. I was taken by the twin windows and chairs, not to mention the twin shadow slices. Sometimes the most mundane setting can be a piece of art. Degas once said, "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see".

My painting Blue Awning was just used for this book cover, Emily Alone. The novel, which is set in Pittsburgh, has received good reviews. Here is the link, Emily Alone, Penguin Books

House Alone, 30 x 40, oil

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:08:00 +0000

This is a house I've painted twice before. I like the way it sits on the edge of a hill all by itself. The trees seem to be guardians that frame it to anyone who approaches. I left out the parked cars and junk piles. Let's just call it artistic editing.

For anyone interested I'll be showing at First Night in downtown Pittsburgh, Dec. 31. The exhibition, The Painted City, is at 937 Liberty Ave. 6-11 pm. Here is the link for more info.

http://www.firstnightpgh.org/fest_event/the-painted-city/

Reaching Tree, 16 x 20, Oil on Linen

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 22:34:00 +0000

Sometimes a simple shadow is the reward for seeing. I titled this Reaching Shadow because it appeared to extend the entire width of this oddly windowed house.

I usually don't paint interiors, but this one done seven years ago at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art was just acquired for their collection. I'm so proud to say this is the third piece of mine in their collection of American Art. Thank you to the Westmoreland Society and the museum for making this possible. http://www.wmuseumaa.org/

Pigeon Cluster, 30 x 40, oil on canvas

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:32:00 +0000

Sometimes I walk the streets near my studio wondering if there is anything new. New in the sense that I haven't noticed before that is worthy of becoming a painting. Usually it is a light and shadow situation which catches my eye. But here were a bunch of pigeons clustered together on telephone wires. (I suppose they were getting ready for bed.) The thin vertical telephone pole shapes, wires and birds broke up the sky space while also adding an authentic texture to this city scene.

Windswept, 24 x 48, oil on canvas

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 17:57:00 +0000

This painting is from a collaborative effort with my twin brother Don. While here in San Francisco he shared a photo from the coast he took this summer. I liked it so much that this painting was created. During last visit here I did a lot of coastal studies which came in handy for additional reference.

Back of Home, 36 x 60, oil on canvas

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:56:00 +0000

This group of houses is on Home Street - such a great name for a street. Actually this view is from the back. The alley ways and backyards have become a rich source of inspiration lately. I'm influenced by the Ashcan School of painting and especially the NY tenements that John Sloan painted in the early 1900s. I also find it interesting that a guy from Lock Haven, PA became the visual voice of New York City.

Illuminated Peaks, 36 x 60, oil on canvas

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:40:00 +0000

October has always been my favorite month. It seems like the skies are more interesting, especially towards the end of day. Recently I noticed how the evening light was illuminating house peaks in an area known as Friendship. The idea of using cast shadows from objects outside of the image is something I've used plenty of times. Here the opposite side of the street shows us a street light, trees and roof lines. It creates the illusion there is much more going on but is only implied.

10th Ward Yellow, 32 x 42, oil on canvas

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:10:00 +0000

Pittsburgh has a particular style of architecture. Some areas have skinny row houses that are packed together on steep hillsides. This is the case with the 10th Ward of the city. You can sense the claustrophobic environment in this alleyway painting I did last week. To think I once drove through these places only to get somewhere else, never really seeing just how interesting they were.

Constance Morning, 30 x 40, oil on canvas

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 16:07:00 +0000

Next Saturday from 10 - 6 is our 7th Annual Lawrenceville Artists' Tour. It features 16 artists from my neighborhood. To download a map, go to http://lvpgh.com/ It is mostly a walking tour so you'll get the added benefit of exercise, not to mention see a lot of interesting architecture and new shops. You'll also see why Lawrenceville is the new, hot hipster place to be. And if you get the urge for some new body art there are tattoo parlors here as well.

Group of Three, oil on canvas, 30 x 40

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 22:46:00 +0000

This is another from the 10th Ward area of Lawrenceville. I was intrigued how the light carved out these three houses from the shadowed hillside. Since I've moved about a mile from my studio I can walk and more closely observe possible subjects. Driving doesn't do the same thing.

On another note, I just returned from a plein air festival in Wheeling, West Virginia. It is called Paint Olgebay, which is an amazing park, resort and nature reserve. I'll return next year because it is an excellent event. This year, despite rain and cool temps, 65 artists painted for the three days. Here is the website for anyone who may be interested. http://www.oionline.com/paint/artists.htm

Backyards, oil on linen, 24 x 36

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 18:04:00 +0000

I just moved to a new place that has some interesting views of the city. The distant downtown buildings are framed by the various backyards textures. It is a classic view and visually describes why this is such an interesting place to live and paint.

Industrial Orange, Johnstown, 9 x 12, oil on panel

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 20:58:00 +0000

Next April I'm having an exhibition in Johnstown, PA. I'm going to call it Portrait of Johnstown because of the 12 months I'll have spent looking at the flood-famous town. The 60 paintings will NOT be postcard images. Johnstown isn't pretty, but it is interesting with one helluva lot of character. I get to know a place by walking the streets, eating at a local diner, listening to the people and then setting up my easel.

Also, a friend/collector just posted a Wikipedia entry for me. This was such a nice thing for her to do. Thank you Catherine!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Donoughe

River Kiss, 20x24, Ron Donoughe

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 02:04:00 +0000

Earlier this week I spent some time painting the Muskingham River in Ohio. It was interesting because an artist friend has a cottage that is right on the river's edge. That allowed for constant observation of how the sky changes affect the river color. This painting was about how the last golden rays kissed the water goodnight.

Blue Morning, 30 x 40, oil on linen

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 13:47:00 +0000

Sometimes one painting leads to another. This is what happened with the most recent painting, Last Light. After I did it, the idea of deeply shadowed alleyways prompted me to look at photos I took last winter. This new one depicts early morning light on Polish Hill. The tricky aspect of this painting was to keep the hillside in the distance, even though it is warm. Conversely, the foreground is in deep, bluish shadow and normally these cool colors tend to recede. I think of these scenes as urban canyons where light darts through openings, creating tension because of the imposing masses.

Last Light, 30 x 40, oil on linen

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:07:00 +0000

Painting the area close to my studio has become much more important to me over the last few years. I especially like the narrow alley ways. They allow me to describe how colors change over distance while also showing a sense of place. In this painting the late day light is just touching some row houses before they drop into shadow.

Twin Chairs, 9 x 12, oil on panel

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 22:31:00 +0000

I'm an identical twin. Sometimes I forget how lucky I was to be born along with another human who would be there as my best friend, for life. It's not quite like having a regular sibling. The bond goes deeper, like similar DNA. As a result, I see pairs of things that appear to be the same, but upon closer examination are different. These chairs caught my eye last week while I did an artist-in-residence program. Sometimes you need to get to know twins before the differences are apparent. These chairs were like that. What fun it was to get to know them over two hours as they were bathed in a sweet evening light.

Governor's Residence Exhibition

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 18:47:00 +0000

This exhibition, Across the Alleghenies, was just installed at the Pennsylvania Governor's Residence in Harrisburg. Patrick Ruane and I are the featured painters until December. We are both showing work of our region, Western PA. This is because the newly elected governor is a native of Pittsburgh. The curator thought it would be fitting to pair us for this show. All of my 11 paintings depict the city and Pat has 10 rural landscapes. It is an honor for us to exhibit together, especially since we have been friends and colleagues for 25 years. To see an image of the PA Governor's residence click on their website.

This announcement above is worth clicking on to see the larger version of Pat's painting, Silver Morning. It is both subtle and poetic.

Logan Circle 2, oil on linen, 16 x 20

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 17:53:00 +0000

Last weekend I delivered three paintings to Gallery Plan B in Washington D.C. for the exhibition, Local Color. The show opens July 28. This is another architectural study from my series on Logan Circle. It is really fun to walk the streets and see how many great buildings have been preserved.

Chimney Pots, 24 x 30, oil on canvas

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:39:00 +0000

When you look at all the hillsides around here one thing jumps out – repeated patterns. Most of it is the geometric shapes of houses. The idea behind this painting was the red chimney pots and how they created small areas of interest as the light caught them. It was a rather complicated scene that I did before as an 11 x 14 study. This piece was a combination of the study and a photo. www.donoughe.com

Logan Circle, 16 x 20, oil on linen

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 15:00:00 +0000

These are part of a small series I'm doing for an exhibition in Washington DC next month. The show is titled "Local Color" at Gallery Plan B. Because the Gallery is close to Logan Circle, I've decided to feature this historic area. The sculpture is John Logan, Commander of the Army of Tennessee during the Civil War. The area, which is also a traffic circle, is surrounded by amazing Victorian homes. If you get to DC, it is well worth a visit.

Shadyside Light, oil on panel, 6 x 14,

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 23:27:00 +0000

I'm often asked if I'll do a painting of someone's house. The answer is yes – if I can do it from my own plein air study and photos. Usually these commissions start with a small sketch and study. The one above was done after visiting the location at different times of the day to get the best lighting situation. Optimum time was late day, around 6:30 - 7:45. That was perfect. The morning was all back-light and afternoon wasn't working either. The key was to have a nice distribution of light and shadow with the entry way becoming the focal point. After this small study was approved I started the larger size, which is 24 x 45. The final painting was started in my studio and finished on location. The process was about 2-3 weeks. A lot of that time was spent conceptualizing how it to create a painting that was worthy of that handsome house.

Circ Du Soleil, 9 x 12, oil on panel

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Tue, 31 May 2011 15:56:00 +0000

These tents were an easy target for outdoor painting. Plus the music from the performance could be heard from where I stood. It only added to the experience!

Flooded Trunks, 9 x 12, oil on panel

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Wed, 18 May 2011 10:58:00 +0000

Rain, rain go away. The excess water in the rivers has caused a lot of this, flooded trunks. These reflections appeared to move with the viewer. Very strange. The same phenomenon seems to happen with eyes on some museum portraits. The general rule with reflection is that dark values reflect lighter, lights reflect darker and middle tones reflect about the same.

This is one of the 60 newly posted paintings on my web site.

J&L Works, 36 x 60, oil on canvas

noreply@blogger.com (Ron Donoughe) — Wed, 04 May 2011 17:04:00 +0000

This is the fifth painting of my vintage series. It shows the J&L Works beside the parkway east. This image is seared into my memory because it was my first impression of Pittsburgh. During the 1960s my oldest brother was living in Hazelwood while attending Pitt Dental School. For fun he would drive my twin, Don, and I the 95 miles from Cambria county to see the "big city." Our entrance was always greeted with the smell of rotten eggs, thick smoke, and strange sounds–all coming from this dark, hulking mill. It was an ominous feeling for a couple 10 year old hayseeds. This painting visually recalls that experience over 40 years ago.