Mid-Summer 2019 Newsletter from the Osborn & Rugh Gallery
Hillary Osborn & Doug Rugh in the Studio
This fall it will be 11 years since Hillary and I moved to a shared studio under the cupola at Queen’s Buyway, the Osborn & Rugh Gallery. A month later the recession hit but we’ve never regretted it. We have been full-time artists and have been landscape painting together since 1995. After 25 years of painting the Cape and revisiting favorite spots there’s always a new viewpoint or detail that captures our eye. I’ve done so many portraits over the years, including covert coffee shop and beach sketches that sometimes I see an old painting and don’t remember doing it. Looking at our body of paintings of the Cape Cod landscape and local people it's clear that we are Cape Cod artists.
When we first moved into our current studio it took a few years to make it look somewhat like a gallery. Most are surprised when they come in because it’s not what they expect. We focus on the work first and hope visitors don’t mind walking around stacked paintings and canvases drying on the floor. We’ve been lucky that we’ve been able to continue on all these years.
We do a lot of commissions now and in that way, we’re more like a studio than a gallery. When I got my first commissions in my early twenties it was stressful to create artwork for clients: trying to guess what they were looking for and not being sure exactly how to pull it off. After so many years of slinging paint we’ve learned a lot and we don’t think about the technical part of creating a painting anymore. If we can visualize it, we can do it and when it comes to commissions we try to make clear ahead of time what the final painting will look like. I have to say, now, that it’s always a pleasant experience creating a custom piece and it’s satisfying to give people exactly the painting they want (often for a specific spot in their home). We’ve done paintings of properties, family members (once getting reference photos by surreptitiously posing as a photographer) and memorial portraits, pets, boats, beaches, weddings, master copies, favorite landscapes….everything you can imagine.
After the Christmas season we usually have time to go off on our artistic tangents, and as creative people we get recharged by it. I like to create paintings wholly out of my imagination. Some of the landscapes on display were done that way and it’s a good way to capture observed fleeting effects that can only be done from memory. This last winter Hillary focused in on seeing the color in different light situations and did multiple still lifes of the same subject using the different colors of light that bounced around and onto objects. She has some beautiful little paintings with nuanced color if you look close. I worked on imaginative paintings after being at a gathering in Pennsylvania for fantasy illustrators. In the last few years I did a couple book covers and the cover of California magazine (a classical painting of local foods from the Berkeley area). I also have a sculpture studio at home and am working on some busts, figurative pieces and equine and animal sculptures.
We thank you for your support over the years!
We thank you for your support over the years!
- Doug Rugh
Sampling From the Easel
Rocky Shore, Quissett - 30" x 48" - oil/canvas - Doug Rugh
"When you get up close the brushwork reveals not a tight rendering but a loose and free handling of paint."
- Hillary Osborn
"When you get up close the brushwork reveals not a tight rendering but a loose and free handling of paint."
- Hillary Osborn
Peonies with Green Apples - 20" x 16" - oil/canvas - Hillary Osborn
"In full sun, simple objects become interesting light filled forms full of bright colors to study."
- Hillary Osborn
"A playful and harmonious arrangement."
- Doug Rugh
"In full sun, simple objects become interesting light filled forms full of bright colors to study."
- Hillary Osborn
"A playful and harmonious arrangement."
- Doug Rugh
Commissioned Portrait - 40" x 30" - oil/canvas - Doug Rugh
"The client provided an heirloom painting of an ancestor and I used the composition and some of the elements from it, along with my current portrait of the client to collage together an updated contemporary version."
- Doug Rugh
"This was an exciting painting to see unfold in the gallery. It was a great collaboration between Doug and his client."
- Hillary Osborn
"The client provided an heirloom painting of an ancestor and I used the composition and some of the elements from it, along with my current portrait of the client to collage together an updated contemporary version."
- Doug Rugh
"This was an exciting painting to see unfold in the gallery. It was a great collaboration between Doug and his client."
- Hillary Osborn
Rolling Dune - 30" x 40" - oil/canvas (and 6" x 8", oil/panel) - Hillary Osborn
"This is how we often work. the small study at the bottom of the easel was done on location at Sandy Neck. The larger painting was worked up in the studio where you can play around with the image adjusting as needed for the larger scale."
- Hillary Osborn
"This is how we often work. the small study at the bottom of the easel was done on location at Sandy Neck. The larger painting was worked up in the studio where you can play around with the image adjusting as needed for the larger scale."
- Hillary Osborn
Nobska Fog - 10" x 20" - oil/canvas - Doug Rugh
"I did this sketch while the fog came and went. I was done when I looked up and the lighthouse had disappeared."
- Doug Rugh
"When Doug brought this one back to the studio I told him right away that it should be made into a larger studio painting. There is a wonderful sense of space combined with the delicate light of fog rolling in that sets a mood of reverence."
- Hillary Osborn
"I'm working on a large 24" x 48" version in the studio."
- Doug Rugh
"I did this sketch while the fog came and went. I was done when I looked up and the lighthouse had disappeared."
- Doug Rugh
"When Doug brought this one back to the studio I told him right away that it should be made into a larger studio painting. There is a wonderful sense of space combined with the delicate light of fog rolling in that sets a mood of reverence."
- Hillary Osborn
"I'm working on a large 24" x 48" version in the studio."
- Doug Rugh
Tomatoes - 8" x 10" both - oil/panel - Hillary Osborn
"Over the winter I worked on small still lifes with a palette knife. My idea was to take simple subjects and concentrate on color and different types of light. The mantle shelf provided a perfect compositional element for dividing up the space."
- Hillary Osborn
"At first the two paintings look the same but then you see them as artists do, enjoying the subtle nuances of light and shadow."
- Doug Rugh
"Over the winter I worked on small still lifes with a palette knife. My idea was to take simple subjects and concentrate on color and different types of light. The mantle shelf provided a perfect compositional element for dividing up the space."
- Hillary Osborn
"At first the two paintings look the same but then you see them as artists do, enjoying the subtle nuances of light and shadow."
- Doug Rugh
Portrait of Francis Ouimet after Eisenhower - 40" x 30" - oil/canvas - copy by Doug Rugh
"A collector was granted permission for me to do a life size copy based on a painting of the golfer Francis Ouimet. One of the three other versions hangs at the Royal and Ancient Clubhouse in Scotland and one of the notable artists was Dwight Eisenhower."
- Doug Rugh
"Another really fun commission to see happen in the gallery. It takes research to paint a historical figure in this way, but gives the client a very personal painting to enjoy for many years."
- Hillary Osborn
"A collector was granted permission for me to do a life size copy based on a painting of the golfer Francis Ouimet. One of the three other versions hangs at the Royal and Ancient Clubhouse in Scotland and one of the notable artists was Dwight Eisenhower."
- Doug Rugh
"Another really fun commission to see happen in the gallery. It takes research to paint a historical figure in this way, but gives the client a very personal painting to enjoy for many years."
- Hillary Osborn
Mid-Summer Megansett - 16" x 20" - oil/canvas - Hillary Osborn
"This was done in North Falmouth on a cloudy day. The dock was chock full of kids yelling and jumping into the water that I was hoping to paint. After I blocked in my composition and refined some color everyone had left. Barbecue smoke filled the air. I stayed to finish up, happy with the memory of it."
- Hillary Osborn
"This was done in North Falmouth on a cloudy day. The dock was chock full of kids yelling and jumping into the water that I was hoping to paint. After I blocked in my composition and refined some color everyone had left. Barbecue smoke filled the air. I stayed to finish up, happy with the memory of it."
- Hillary Osborn
Cherry Tomatoes - 7" x 5" - oil/panel - Doug Rugh
"These are heirloom tomatoes from our garden. As an artist the fun is in looking carefully at how light falls on different surfaces. I think it's better than photographic because an artist can create more dimension than a photograph."
- Doug Rugh
"My mouth waters looking at these home grown tomatoes. They taste as good as they look. The shifting of colors on the form is not easy to do."
- Hillary Osborn
"These are heirloom tomatoes from our garden. As an artist the fun is in looking carefully at how light falls on different surfaces. I think it's better than photographic because an artist can create more dimension than a photograph."
- Doug Rugh
"My mouth waters looking at these home grown tomatoes. They taste as good as they look. The shifting of colors on the form is not easy to do."
- Hillary Osborn
Still Life with Orange and Green - 30" x 30" - oil/canvas - Hillary Osborn
"Composing the space is an exciting part of the process in a large still life like this one."
- Hillary Osborn
"Once you see something it's hard to un-see it. I see rectangles trying to contain the small round elements that move around the square."
- Doug Rugh
"Composing the space is an exciting part of the process in a large still life like this one."
- Hillary Osborn
"Once you see something it's hard to un-see it. I see rectangles trying to contain the small round elements that move around the square."
- Doug Rugh
West Falmouth Harbor - 10" x 20" - oil/canvas - Doug Rugh
"It's always quiet here in the cove near the bridge at West Falmouth Harbor."
- Doug Rugh
"A peaceful setting and the perfect place to set up an easel."
- Hillary Osborn
"It's always quiet here in the cove near the bridge at West Falmouth Harbor."
- Doug Rugh
"A peaceful setting and the perfect place to set up an easel."
- Hillary Osborn
Heading to Shore - 30" x 36" - oil/canvas - Hillary Osborn
"This path takes you out past Squeteague Harbor in Cataumet. It overlooks the harbor of Megansett. The sand was brilliant pale white and I like how the outline changed shape and channeled my eyes back to the water."
- Hillary Osborn
"A nice representation of the openness of the Cape landscape."
- Doug Rugh
"This path takes you out past Squeteague Harbor in Cataumet. It overlooks the harbor of Megansett. The sand was brilliant pale white and I like how the outline changed shape and channeled my eyes back to the water."
- Hillary Osborn
"A nice representation of the openness of the Cape landscape."
- Doug Rugh
Portrait Session - 14" x 11" - oil/canvas - Doug Rugh
"At the Falmouth Arts Festival I did a one and a half hour demo of my daughter. When I do a commission I like to portray people in a pleasing way, like they're having a good day. If I do it just for myself I'm happy if I capture them as they are or in this case, as she watches people walk by."
- Doug Rugh
"There is a fluid use of the paint overall which adds to the tenderness of the subject."
- Hillary Osborn
"At the Falmouth Arts Festival I did a one and a half hour demo of my daughter. When I do a commission I like to portray people in a pleasing way, like they're having a good day. If I do it just for myself I'm happy if I capture them as they are or in this case, as she watches people walk by."
- Doug Rugh
"There is a fluid use of the paint overall which adds to the tenderness of the subject."
- Hillary Osborn
Nobska - 10" x 8" - oil/panel - Hillary Osborn
"It was fun to paint Nobska from this perspective. The colorful foliage sets off the more austere architecture of the lighthouse."
- Hillary Osborn
"We can say it's a painting of a lighthouse but is it?"
- Doug Rugh
"It was fun to paint Nobska from this perspective. The colorful foliage sets off the more austere architecture of the lighthouse."
- Hillary Osborn
"We can say it's a painting of a lighthouse but is it?"
- Doug Rugh
Garlic - 6" x 8" - oil/panel - Hillary Osborn
"When you look at white objects for a long time you see more nuanced color."
- Hillary Osborn
"Art appreciation is very personal. To me this is perfect: lost and found edges; opposite but harmonious color harmony and pleasing variation. It has the character of a couple portrait."
- Doug Rugh
"When you look at white objects for a long time you see more nuanced color."
- Hillary Osborn
"Art appreciation is very personal. To me this is perfect: lost and found edges; opposite but harmonious color harmony and pleasing variation. It has the character of a couple portrait."
- Doug Rugh
West Falmouth Harbor at Night - 24" x 30" - oil/canvas - Doug Rugh
"This is a night scene of the marsh across from Chappoqouit Beach. I used daytime studies and memory. I like to use the imagination to get that mysterious quality that comes at night."
- Doug Rugh
"Night paintings convey their own unique attributes of stillness and rest. I think of Whistler, Frank Tenney Johnson, Willard Metcalf, artists whose paintings have those qualities."
- Hillary Osborn
"This is a night scene of the marsh across from Chappoqouit Beach. I used daytime studies and memory. I like to use the imagination to get that mysterious quality that comes at night."
- Doug Rugh
"Night paintings convey their own unique attributes of stillness and rest. I think of Whistler, Frank Tenney Johnson, Willard Metcalf, artists whose paintings have those qualities."
- Hillary Osborn
A Pitcher of Flowers - 14" x 11" - oil/canvas - Hillary Osborn
"Set up a still life and there are unlimited moods that it can become."
- Doug Rugh
"Set up a still life and there are unlimited moods that it can become."
- Doug Rugh
Blind Justice - 20" x 16" - oil/canvas - Doug Rugh
"In the middle of the winter I like to hunker down in the studio and see what comes out of the imagination."
- Doug Rugh
"I like Doug's take on a modern day Lady Justice."
- Hillary Osborn
"In the middle of the winter I like to hunker down in the studio and see what comes out of the imagination."
- Doug Rugh
"I like Doug's take on a modern day Lady Justice."
- Hillary Osborn
Ambiance - 16" x 24" - oil/canvas - Hillary Osborn
Moored - 24" x 16" - oil/canvas - Doug Rugh
"I enjoy letting my brush go as I watch what come out. It starts with a memory of something seen but it takes on a life of its' own.
- Doug Rugh
"I enjoy letting my brush go as I watch what come out. It starts with a memory of something seen but it takes on a life of its' own.
- Doug Rugh
Big Bouquet - 24" x 30" - oil/canvas - Hillary Osborn
"People always ask: Do I have a favorite painting? I like them all for different qualities but this one I'm strongly partial to at the moment."
- Hillary Osborn
"People always ask: Do I have a favorite painting? I like them all for different qualities but this one I'm strongly partial to at the moment."
- Hillary Osborn
Waves at Chappy - 10" x 20" - oil/canvas - Doug Rugh
"Sometimes I'll sit in my car and paint on a special palette I made to fit over my driver's wheel. I could paint these rolling waves endlessly - they're always different. People will surprise me as they put their head in the car to see what I'm working on."
- Doug Rugh
"Sometimes I'll sit in my car and paint on a special palette I made to fit over my driver's wheel. I could paint these rolling waves endlessly - they're always different. People will surprise me as they put their head in the car to see what I'm working on."
- Doug Rugh
Menauhant Clubhouse - 10" x 20" - oil/canvas - Hillary Osborn
"I came around the corner to this unexpected view."
- Hillary Osborn
"I came around the corner to this unexpected view."
- Hillary Osborn
Waterfront Park, Woods Hole - 9" x 12" - oil/canvas - Doug Rugh
"It almost always happens that when I go out looking for a spot a scene will catch my attention. It's usually because it's already composed perfectly and the light is interesting. Then it will change as I work but I try to keep the original idea in mind. Seats are always interesting because they imply the people that will sit on them."
- Doug Rugh
"It almost always happens that when I go out looking for a spot a scene will catch my attention. It's usually because it's already composed perfectly and the light is interesting. Then it will change as I work but I try to keep the original idea in mind. Seats are always interesting because they imply the people that will sit on them."
- Doug Rugh
Onshore Breeze - 8" x 10" - oil/panel - Hillary Osborn
"I started this with horizontal bands of color. The palette knife kept the colors strong and saturated."
- Hillary Osborn
"I started this with horizontal bands of color. The palette knife kept the colors strong and saturated."
- Hillary Osborn
Chair - 12" x 9" - oil/panel - Doug Rugh
"When I was a young artist I always wanted to paint something interesting. Usually it was a dramatic light effect or an interesting arrangement of elements. Now I find it intriguing to paint a scene that doesn't have much in it, with hardly any shadows, and try to capture a simple aspect of the beach."
- Doug Rugh
"When I was a young artist I always wanted to paint something interesting. Usually it was a dramatic light effect or an interesting arrangement of elements. Now I find it intriguing to paint a scene that doesn't have much in it, with hardly any shadows, and try to capture a simple aspect of the beach."
- Doug Rugh
We offer a wide range of oil paintings of various subjects and sizes.
If you don't find the right painting at the right size we will be happy to create it for you.
If you don't find the right painting at the right size we will be happy to create it for you.
We offer 10% discount to our collectors and always offer free shipping.
C O M M I S S I O N S
PORTRAITS
Portraits can be done from your photographs or Doug can take photographs in the studio under controlled lighting: Portrait Commissions
LANDSCAPES
We can visit your favorite scene and do a painting or create one from your photographs: Landscape Commissions
W E D D I N G R E G I S T R Y
Contact the artists to set up a wedding registry page like this. Members of the wedding party can gift by purchasing partial or whole shares towards paintings/commissions chosen by the bride and groom.
W E B S I T E
www.OsbornAndRughGallery.com
V I S I T T H E G A L L E R Y
The gallery is open 10 - 5 every day June, July and August.
The gallery is closed Tuesdays during the off-season and 10 - 4 from January to March.
VISIT
The gallery is open 10 - 5 every day June, July and August.
The gallery is closed Tuesdays during the off-season and 10 - 4 from January to March.
VISIT
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