Archival Prints on Paper or Canvas for Peanuts!

Anthony Holdsworth July 28, 2011

If you, like most of us, have tightened your belt in this ailing economy you've probably decided to forgo purchasing luxuries like original art.

I am offering limited edition, archival prints on paper or canvas of some of my best paintings at unusually low prices. Prices that are one half to one quarter the going rate for archival reproductions!

To view the full inventory click on 'Shop' at the top of this page.

Created under my supervision at Magnolia Editions in Oakland, the prints on paper are pigmented ink-jet on archival paper. The prints on canvas, which to the casual eye are indistinguishable from original paintings, are stretched and ready to hang. They are protected with two layers of UV resistant matt varnish.

These are not the original works, but they are as close as you can get for a fraction of the price.

Because they are signed, limited editions they will appreciate modestly over time. Properly cared for they should remain vibrant for four to five generations.

Painted on location in San Francisco, Italy, Istria, Oakland, Mexico and Cuba the more than forty images start at $ 125 for a square foot print on paper (edition limited to 200). The large prints on canvas (five square feet – edition limited to forty) signed and ready to hang are $ 700.

Consider purchasing these archival prints not only for your home or office but as special gifts for close friends and family.

For rebates on shipping and handling fees::

If you are within driving distance of my studio, phone me when you make your order. We can arrange for you to pick up your purchase and I will refund the shipping and handling fees at that time.(It may take me two or three days to return your call. Production of prints may take up to ten days.)

Purchasing the original works:

Some of the original oil paintings are available for sale at my Studio or at SFMOMA Artists Gallery at Fort Mason in San Francisco

Revisit my site every few months to view new additions to my inventory.

Paint outdoors in Italy 2012

Anthony Holdsworth January 19, 2011

I am leading painting groups to Tuscany and Liguria, Italy in June 2012. Early registration is necessary for Italy.

Tuscany:

We paint Florence in the rain. Linda and Niccolo serve dinner. A view from our windows.

Liguria:

View from our farmhouse Portovenere

For information about this painting expedition and to view a short video go to the Classes section of my website and scroll down to 'Outdoor painting in Tuscany and Liguria, Italy'

Beginners and one or two non-painters are welcome on these trips.

Holiday Exhibition: New Paintings of Italy, Oakland & San Francisco

Anthony Holdsworth December 6, 2010

Join me in my studio the weekends of

Dec 11-12 & 18-19 from Noon to 5 PM

View my recent work and enjoy

wine, cheese and cappuccinos.

351 Lewis St. Oak. 94607

510.836.1681

My ongoing Global Warming Series led me to an interest in the depiction of water. I took full advantage of the breathtaking, blue-green waters of the Ligurian Sea during the five days I stayed in Portovenere, Italy. This port faces the Bay of La Spezia which was a playground for the Romantic poets. Italy is a touchstone for me. Here I can reflect on most of western history and also paint reflections of that history in its landscape and its buildings.

Scroll down to the previous blog or click here if you wish to view the eight paintings I created in Italy.

The waters of the Pacific enter an ultramodern port along Oakland's shores:

"I started painting at Berth 10 in the port of Oakland this afternoon. Across a trapezoidal space of green-brown water, maybe a third of a mile away, lie freighters more than 900 feet long. “If you stood one on end” a tugboat captain remarked “ it would be taller than any building in San Francisco.” I tried to visualize a freighter balanced on its stern. It looked big across the water, but not that big. The problem is that the scale of these ships, and cranes, is almost impossible for us, who are ants by comparison, to grasp." Diary 11.14.2010

I decided to return and re-paint the Chronicle from a slightly different angle than just over a year ago. Last year I spent March and April painting the building as more than a hundred employees left the struggling newspaper. My stimulating exchanges with reporters, editors and other employees (as well as that painting) may be viewed at News in the News Pt 2: The Once and Future Chronicle in the archives of this blog.

View many more paintings like these in my exhibition.

I look forward to seeing you!

My Painting and Cultural Tour in Tuscany and Liguria: 2010

Anthony Holdsworth October 1, 2010

This September I led a painting group on an 'agriturismo' twenty minutes south of Florence. As well as painting around this farm, which produces exceptional, organic olive oil, wine, grappa and vino santo, we took two day-long visits to Florence and one to Siena. The trip is documented in an eight minute video on youtube "A Painting and Cultural Tour in Tuscany and Liguria 2010" which you may access here.

This blog focuses on the eight oil paintings I completed during my month in Italy. They will be exhibited for two weekends in my studio Noon to 5 PM, Dec 11-12 & 18-19. For directions to my studio just go to Visit Studio on this website.

I arrived in Florence five days before the painting group. I stayed at a pensione in Piazza Santo Spirito which is one of the few areas of old Florence that maintains a vestige of its original character.

Early mornings I worked on my first painting standing in front of the homeless who slumbered in their sleeping bags alongside the church under the disapproving gaze of its priest. 'Tutti in piedi! E tempo di lavorare!" (Up on your feet! It's time to work!) he shouted one day - an exhortation which had no discernible effect.

The open air market in the square offered fresh fruit and vegetables. Evenings tourists and Italians patronized several restaurants while the homeless, adding a commedia dell'arte flavor, squabbled around the fountain . Young students across from the expensive restaurants crowded the charming little 'aperitivo' ' Pop Cafe' .

There are views of Florence which transport me back to 1967-68 when I lived in a little attico behind the Palazzo Vecchio. I would pass over Ponte alle Grazie and look back at the city center from across the Arno. Because it is associated with so many memories this view continues to resonate strongly with me.

In those days I would continue out of the city and climb the steps past Piazzale Michelangelo on my way to paint in the fields. I would often pause to savor this view (below).

On this visit, my student Daniel Altman and I spent two afternoons painting here. The first afternoon rain accompanied by thunder and lightening added drama to the scene, and to our experience of painting it!

On the 'agriturismo', where we all stayed for two weeks, the courtyard in front of our accommodations (of which a corner is discernible in the bottom of this painting) served as our outdoor studio. It offers a number of fine views of vineyards, olive groves and hilltop towns.

We also ate breakfast, lunch and some dinners out here.

I have often hiked this road past our farmhouse to other subjects like abandoned farmhouses, chapels among the cypress and breathtaking vistas.

But we found beguiling subjects without even leaving our rooms!

From Tuscany I accompanied two of my students to Portovenere in Liguria which is a two and a half hour drive north-west of Florence on the Mediterranean. The name Portovenere derives from the fact that there was originally a temple to Venus where this 12th century church of St Peter (below) now stands. The church appears to have succumbed to it's pagan antecedent: it serves, almost exclusively, as a site for lavish weddings.

There is a decidedly Venusian flavor to this port. The colorful fishing boats, charming alleyways that climb its steep slopes, alluring artisan, fashion boutiques and fine restaurants like Da Antonio seduce the senses. After busy, warm days, an evening dip in the calm, blue-green water that is set aside for swimmers along the quay was a welcome balm.

These waters also conveyed me on a spellbinding journey to the Cinque Terre. Seas permitting, there is regular ferry service from Portovenere. The five lands live up to their reputation. But they struck me as incredibly fragile clinging precariously to the steep, unstable cliffs. And I wondered if the current avalanche of tourism might eventually bear their delicate terraces and precipitous towns down into the oblivion of the blue-green waters...

I am planning further painting trips both to Tuscany and to Liguria. Contact me if you are interested in participating. I will soon post dates and details in my ' Classes ' section of this website.

Ceago Panorama, oil/canvas, 18" X 48", 2008

The Ceago Series: Exhibition and Events

Anthony Holdsworth August 31, 2009

My two-year painting project at Ceago Vinegarden in Nice on the shores of Clearlake, California is bearing fruit.

I have published a book entitled 'Ceago Series: paintings by Anthony Holdsworth in dialogue with Jim Fetzer'. It is available through Blurb:

Click here to purchase the Ceago Series book on Blurb.

MAIN EXHIBITION

Sunday, October 11 at Ceago Vinegarden

The main exhibitionof the entire series, at Ceago Vinegarden on Sunday, October 11, offers the unique opportunity of enjoying the paintings on location where they were created. Several events are planned for this day.

Reception and book signing 11 am - 5 pm: with Anthony Holdsworth and Jim Fetzer.

Lunch 12:30 - 3:30: Ceago will serve wine from their vineyards, and food by Ciao Thyme to the accompaniment of musician Sheila Fetzer for $20.

Wine Tasting & Dinner 6 pm: with Jim Fetzer and Anthony Holdsworth. The dinner will be prepared by Arminda Flores of Rancho Santiago, Michoacan, Mexico. Arminda hosts my painting groups in Mexico. She is well known in the San Francisco Bay Area for her exceptional knowledge of Mexican cuisine.

Ceago will collaborate with Arminda for this special treat, creating a memorable evening of wine, food, music and art for only $75 . By Reservation. Phone 707.274.1462 for Dinner reservations

Preview the exhibition in this video:

For directions and further information about Ceago Vinegarden go to www.ceago.com

Ceago Still Life, oil/canvas, 18" X 24", 2007

Robert Frosts' observation that "The land was ours before we were the land's." resonated with me as a young immigrant transplanted from Europe to New England. I felt a dissonance between the suburbs and the surrounding landscape. Many of my urban landscapes deal with this dissonance.

I chose to paint Ceago Vinegarden because of the connection to place that Jim Fetzer has achieved on Clearlake. It derives both from his commitment to sustainable agriculture and his deep understanding of the land.

Completed six years ago the vineyards, gardens and winery were designed, planted and built by Jim. The buildings are his interpretation of Mission architecture. Substantial and beautiful, they give the impression of having stood here for generations. The Mission flavor of the buildings and gardens is tempered by an imaginative but natural eclecticism that evokes memories of Provence and Italy.

Join us on the land for a memorable experience at Ceago Vinegarden, 5115 East Highway 20, Nice, California.

Phone 707.274.1462 for Dinner reservations

About the artist

Anthony Holdsworth was born in England in 1945. He was introduced to oil painting in high school by the New England painter, Loring Coleman. Holdsworth embarked on a painting career while working as Head of Outdoor Restoration for the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy after the flood of 1966. He continued his studies at the Bournemouth College of Art in England where he studied with master draftsman Samuel Rabin and color theorist Jon Fish and at the San Francisco Art Institute where he studied with Julius Hatofsky, Bruce McGaw and Fred Martin. He has shown with major galleries in Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento and Los Angeles. He has participated in two exhibitions at the Oakland Museum. He was included in the California Cityscapes exhibition at the San Diego Museum. He was a recipient of WESTAF-NEA fellowship in 1990. His work is in corporate and private collections worldwide.