ShapeShifter

Argo

2009-06-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas , 65 in. x 54 in. Will be on view at

Van Brunt Gallery, Beacon, NY starting June 27.

It's part of a group show called Quad 2.

The title refers to the ship that carried Jason

and the Argonauts to Colchis, on the Black Sea.

(click on the image to see it larger)

The Erotic and the Non-Erotic in Painting

2009-05-31T11:12:00.000-07:00

Although the image below is probably not a good example, there are examples of erotica in the exhibition of Indian painting from Jodhpur currently at the British Museum. The exhibition is called

Garden and Cosmos:The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur. This collection will be on view until August 23, 2009.

On quite the other hand, a distinctly non-erotic painting of pop star Madonna Ciccone and her ex-husband Guy Ritchie (above right), painted by Scottish artist Peter Howson failed to meet its reserve price at auction recently. Or perhaps it is an example of erotica for those with "differently-oriented" tastes. None of that sort showed up for the auction, I guess. Click on the images for enlargements.

Van Gogh's Night Cafe at Yale in Dispute

2009-05-28T04:19:00.000-07:00

Vincent Van Gogh's 1888 painting of the interior of a cafe in Arles, France is the subject of a dispute between the current owner, Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut, and the heir of a Russian art collector. Ownership is being challenged by Pierre Konowaloff, the grandson of Ivan Morozov, who is said to have owned the painting before the Bolshevik revolution in Russia. The painting was reportedly among many of Morozov's possessions which were confiscated by V. I. Lenin and the Bolsheviks in 1918.

Eye Candy

2009-05-28T03:46:00.001-07:00

A work in progress. I'm finishing up a few paintings for a group show at Carl Van Brunt's Gallery in Beacon, which will open on the 27th of June 2009. This one's oil on canvas, about 14 inches tall.

This Week: New Yorker Cover, Made With an iPhone

2009-05-24T19:28:00.000-07:00

An artist named Jorge Colombo created this week's New Yorker cover art with his iPhone. An application called Brushes is installed on his device, which he used to make the image of a 42nd Street hot dog stand. The image can be seen much larger at the New Yorker web site today, May 25. More images by Colombo can be seen HERE and HERE.

Kimbell Art Museum Owns a Michelangelo Painting

2009-05-24T10:28:00.000-07:00

A 15th century oil and tempera painting on panel by Michelangelo now belongs to the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. This is the only painting by Michelangelo that is in any American museum's permanent collection. It is said to be the earliest known example of work by this artist, and will be on view starting in the fall of 2009 at the Kimbell. Meanwhile (summer 2009), it is being exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York.

At right: The Torment of Saint Anthony

(click on the image to see it enlarged)

Winslow Homer Painting Found in Irish Dump

2009-05-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

Hey check this out; A painting by Winslow Homer (the one you see here) was found in a trash bin... turns out it's worth about $300,000. It was on the auction block at Sotheby's the other day, but was removed from the sale at the last minute, because someone is claiming it was stolen from them. More info HERE and HERE.

More Sense Data in Kingston

2009-02-23T17:32:00.000-08:00

On February 7, I had a solo show opening at R&F Encaustics in Kingston, NY. They have an elegant gallery in the building where they make their fine products. It's one of the nicest galleries in town. During the last several months, I have been working on a fairly large group of paintings that have some common themes. There were at least 40 paintings in progress in my studio at one point. This number was narrowed down to 24 pieces (I think) that were installed at the gallery. Above, Richard Frummess and I are discussing some of the paintings in front of a good-sized crowd at the opening.
Above, a shot of some the folks that came to the opening, as they were listening to Richard and me. Several people who I like and respect came, some of them over a considerable distance [I thank them for that]. Artist Wayne Montecalvo is making a video record of the proceedings.

At right, one of the larger paintings in the show, titled Mocambo. It's 40 x 33 inches, oil on canvas. Outracer, a larger painting from 2008 [shown in the previous post] was also on view. You can see photos of the whole show at this LINK.

Outracer 2008

2008-10-17T12:28:00.001-07:00

Outracer is the title of this piece. It's 61 inches tall. It was on view at the

Steel Plant Gallery at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY in November of 2008. There were some good comments about it.

Late 2007

2007-12-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

Here are paintings completed by November of 2007. Many of them were shown in a group exhibition at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY this year. At left: Cantablate (65" x 54")

At right: Bobalob (14" x 12")

At left: Papalote (50" x 37")

At right: Otic (24" x 20")

At left: Tympana Rising (23" x 20")

At right: Untitled (24" x 20")

At left: Lop-Snick (20" x 16")

At right: Atonal (16" x 18")

At left: Pioneer Nebula (14" x 12")

At right: Van Horn (24" x 20")

As always, click on the image to see an enlargement.

Many of these were shown at the exhibition called

"Five Painters Painting", Nov.15-Dec.15 2007 at the

Steel Plant Gallery, Marist College. This group show

was curated by Ed Smith. Thanks to Ed for doing a great job!

Nice words about the Exhibition...

2007-06-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

...a review about the exhibition at Carl Van Brunt's Gallery in 2007:
....Niccolls’s large, vibrant abstract canvases hark back to a time when Arthur Dove and Suzy Frelinghuysen were helping to define American Art with their own brand of Fauvism. For me, though, Niccolls's gouache work on paper is what stands out most powerfully, even though each piece is a modest 11 x 8 inches. These little charms pack a punch, inciting in viewers the feeling that they have unearthed something treasured. – Elizabeth A. Stevens
(More at: CultureCatch)

Sometimes Metaphysical

2007-03-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

The name is from (part of) the title of a Theodore Roethke book of poems. It's an oil painting, about 60 inches tall.

Il Colombaio

2007-01-09T19:13:00.000-08:00

Here's a little watercolor sketch I made-of the ultra-charming farmhouse where we stayed this past winter in the Tuscan hills of Italy.

(click image to see enlargement)

June

2006-09-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

I painted this in grad school. At the time, I felt that June was the sweetest month. Remembering the light in the south of France (in that month), and the decorative ironwork I saw there--I think this painting is about that.

Mediterranean Boats

2006-09-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

While in grad school, I travelled to southern France, to do some teaching and travelling. I also spent a lot of time painting what I could see out in the Mediterranean, from the roof of an old chateau. It was possible to look almost straight down into the water from that vantage point. Boats were tied up near the quay which was a hundred meters or so out from the chateau walls.

The Rose-Colored Past

2006-09-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

A painting I made while in school, working on my BFA. Oil on masonite.

Abstract Painting

2006-09-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

Here's the result after going to a website my friend Francine told me about. If ya wanna see an enlargement, click on the picture. You can try it too! Click HERE and go do some paintin'.

Into something...

2006-09-30T19:26:00.000-07:00

I am into something. (photo by Megan McNaught)