Welcome to PursleyArt.com

Paintings by Craig Pursley

Welcome to the new version of my website! Hopefully it will be easier to navigate than the old one. Each month I will be adding the best of the new paintings which will appear in the "What's New" button above. They will also show up in their respective categories, such as California, New England, etc. where the rest of the work from the past can be seen.The newest work in each category will appear at the bottom of those respective pages. Thanks for visiting and I hope you'll come back regularly.

Heading into Spring

"Borrego Canyon Trail" is an example of one of the paintings which resulted from a recent trip to California. I've found February is an excellent time to be there as it coincides with their rainy season which means green landscapes. It is also often a good time to not be in New Hampshire! Please click the "California" button above for more.

Having said that, I do love winter landscapes in New England and it makes the long winter much more bearable. Though it was only 12 degrees and windy when I was out getting the shot for this painting  called "On Haverhill Common" the incredible light made it all worthwhile.

I'm mixing up landscapes with portraits all the time. This one, "Gia" is a recent example, utilizing a terrific new model. (You'll see more of her in the future, I'm sure) In it, I tried to loosen up and simplify which is why I've included a close-up view. I must admit, I go back and forth between a really tight look without brushstrokes and looser one where the strokes are more evident. I like the finsihed product of both, though I think the looser ones are more fun to do and maybe more exciting. I wonder if I should choose one direction and stick to it.

A New Gallery in Pennsylvania

Recently, I was honored to be given representation in a very fine gallery in Doylestown, PA; a city rich with artistic history. Please visit The Rich Timmons Gallery either in person if you can or through their website at
http://3795gallery.com/

They have a beautiful space there and the work is lighted extremely well. And the staff are very nice and genuinely interested in helping customers!


Time Lapse Video of a Portrait Sketch

If you would like to check out one of the time lapse movies, a portrait sketch, just click this link....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB9EJPT6E9o



In Other News

If you are interested in having a portrait done or commissioning a landscape, please don't hesitate to call or email me. It may surprise you how affordable it is. And with all commissions I send email updates with photos describing the entire process and usually include a CD with a time lapse movie of your painting. Past clients have been very happy with these and they will greatly increase your understanding and appreciation of the process. And they are free!

Here's what one client had to say about it.

"......and every time you correspond I learn something new.....Julie and I have talked quite a bit about the processes you used in painting our "Carney Barn" and we have come to the conclusion that there is so much more to painting that we had ever imagined......thanks for sharing what amounts to only a very small part of your knowledge... even though it is not much to you it is enormous to us....very very interesting and always send me anything about the process you want because I know it will be interesting and informative..." - Mike Carney



The Good Life in Bath, New Hampshire

For anyone who has not visited our little village of Bath, New Hampshire, I sure recommend it. It is quintessentially New England and yet very unique at the same time. Though it is so small it has a lot to offer someone looking to relax a while in a place that is a slice out of another time. In just the space of 100 yards you will find America's oldest general store, chock full of goodies (wonderful smoked meats and cheeses and the best home-made fudge you've ever tasted), a nearly 400-foot-long covered bridge built in 1832 and waterfall right beneath it, a church (1873) that was the location of the nation's first Sunday School, an ice cream shop (1844) that is also a virtual rock and roll museum, and our art gallery (1833) with more than 125 paintings displaying the beauty of our area. The painting above shows Bath from just upstream. I hope to see you here someday. If you like rural America, you will love it here. My wife and I found it on a fall foliage bus tour in 1993 and she said that day "I want to live here!" We are so fortunate to have made a home here since 2002. If you are able to visit, please keep in mind the gallery (and the ice cream shop) are only open from May to October each year.



And I feel so blessed to be able to sit in the gallery and paint for a living. I work in a very comfortable old buggy without wheels into which I built an easel. I recall my dad having to get up at 5:30 a.m. and go to a job he hated in order to provide for his family and it just doesn't seem fair. Then to put the icing on the cake, I have the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people who come through the shop and chat about art or Bath or New England or life in general.



Painting Update List

I have a list of people to whom I send out regular updates on new paintings. These are generally a couple of times a month and include descriptions and/or inspiration for doing it. These are not to pressure anyone into a sale but at the same time they are offered here before going to any other galleries so anyone interested may have first crack at them. If you would like to be included on this list, please let me know at craigpursley@roadrunner.com and I will add you right away. Your email address will not be given or sold to anyone else.

Thanks for visiting!