Bruce McFarland Art Collections
Shop for artwork from Bruce McFarland based on themed collections. Each image may be purchased as a canvas print, framed print, metal print, and more! Every purchase comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Subjects
Shop for artwork based on subjects. Each image may be purchased as a canvas print, framed print, metal print, and more! Every purchase comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Artwork by Bruce McFarland
Each image may be purchased as a canvas print, framed print, metal print, and more! Every purchase comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Yosemite from Cook's Meadow by Bruce McFarland
Grand Canyon View #51 by Bruce McFarland
Cafe Le Conti Paris by Bruce McFarland
Dress for Success in Paris by Bruce McFarland
Little Lady Liberty Paris by Bruce McFarland
Sticks and Stones by Bruce McFarland
Celebrate the Night #491 by Bruce McFarland
Broad's Blue Dog by Bruce McFarland
Museum Through the Pink Tulup by Bruce McFarland
Creature of the Night by Bruce McFarland
Laguna Beach Rocks-O-Color by Bruce McFarland
Having fun at the Louvre Paris by Bruce McFarland
Duomo de Siena View from Magnia Watchtower by Bruce McFarland
Morro Rock Sunset by Bruce McFarland
African Art Man in a Paris Window by Bruce McFarland
Alien Plant Life by Bruce McFarland
Museum Through the Yellow Tulip by Bruce McFarland
Patrick Moran's Paint Brushes by Bruce McFarland
Patrick Moran's Paint Tubes by Bruce McFarland
Yosemite Tunnel View MULTIPLE-X by Bruce McFarland
Alhambra View MULTIPLE-X by Bruce McFarland
Angels Flight Los Angeles MULTIPLE-X by Bruce McFarland
Chelsea Market MULTIPLE-X by Bruce McFarland
Chinatown Family Portrait MULTIPLE-X by Bruce McFarland
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About Bruce McFarland
Biography
Artistic beginnings: Living my first eight years in tiny rural Acton, California, followed by another ten years in nearby Newhall, may seem like an inauspicious beginning for a digital artist-photographer; but my family was all about curiosity, learning, wonder, and meaning.
My mother made sure our family took frequent excursions to State and National Parks and other picturesque points of interest. Before every trip we stocked up on film so we could capture every glorious moment. Our good planning rarely kept up all the sights we discovered, and more often than not, we had to search for more film before we returned home. Memories of these trips with Mom, Dad and Sis are etched in my mind and fortunately recorded on film.
Career in the arts: It all started with woodworking; the chance to create something beautiful from a plank of wood. My first art position was at a small fine art printmaking studio in Playa del Rey. I was the manager of the framing department which eventually was sold and became the west coast picture framing facility for Circle Gallery, which at the time was one of the world’s largest publishers of limited edition prints. With more than 20 galleries around the world, Circle was famous for its vast collection of images created by 20th century artists such as Miró, Calder, Agam, Kandinsky, Picasso, Dalí, Leroy Neiman and Norman Rockwell. What an introduction to the visual arts.
After Circle Gallery, I was the personal assistant for the Chairman of the Board of Art Services, the premier picture framing, art installation and shipping company in Los Angeles. We provided services to L.A. museums, galleries and collectors. I still remember what it felt like to frame Rembrandt engravings for the Huntington Library, original prints for the Ansel Adams Studio, to hang a Morris Louis painting for a world renowned collector and to frame and hang in the office of a department-head doctor at Cedars-Sinai, Robert Rauschenberg’s “Booster,” a 6 ft tall lithograph-serigraph featuring life-size x-ray images. My 20 years in the fine art services business ended in 1986 when I closed my wholesale custom framing facility in downtown Los Angeles and began my love affair with computers.
Returning to my roots and beyond: I moved back to the Santa Clarita Valley in 1987 to be closer to my childhood home and its most important resident, my mother. Here I created a career helping individuals and small businesses cope with their computer problems. I also taught computer classes at our local adult school. Because my wife and I travelled more, my camera became a more important part of my life. In 2010, my lifelong love of photography, along with my computer skills, propelled my photographic aspirations to a new level. I decided to hang out my commercial photographer shingle and build a studio in Newhall.
Learning the art of photo-painting: As my family and friends became aware of, and requested prints of my personal images, I began producing fine-art prints and soon started creating digitally altered versions of my images. I then joined several regional artists associations and began showing my work in galleries and shows.
The photo-paintings took advantage of all the skills I had accumulated over the years; 45 years as a photographer, 20 years in the fine art business, and another 20 years working with computers. I now print most of my images, so I am able to control the image from photo capture to final framed picture. Because I know how important my images are to my family, I also create photo-paintings for clients who want to see their photos become paintings.
Awards: My fine art photography has been featured in several regional galleries. I have received awards from the Santa Clarita Valley Photographer’s Association, The Santa Clarita Artist’s Association, the Los Angeles County Professional Photographer’s Association and “Best of Show” at the annual McDowell-Sonoran Conservancy Photo Contest-2013.
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Artist’s Statement
As a photographer, my goal is to capture compelling images wherever I find them. I look for engaging perspectives, rich colors, intriguing textures, and strong geometry. I am inspired by stark contrasts and subtle differences. I find my images in nature, in the human experience, and in the world that people create.
As an artist, I work with each image to see where it will take me and what I can do with it. In some cases, the image is so strong, I don’t dare alter it. “Red Rock Valley Sunrise” tells the story of the sun warming a cold January morning in a beautiful desert setting. “Morro Bay – Summer Day” shows boats resting safely and serenely in an overcast coastal harbor.
In other cases, my images tell me to play with them; make them different, make them tell a different story. A thatched-roof cottage across from the Carmel Mission seemed a little like a Marty Bell painting, so I turned it into a digital painting. The tendrils of a date palm had an appealing complexity and provocative colors, so I created the abstract, “Date Night in Pink.”
With another image, “Honeymoon at Roy’s,” the classic 40’s and 50’s buildings moved me to turn that image into an “architectural rendering” style digital painting.
I find inspiration for my digital paintings from Monet, Renoir, Pissarro and Degas. For my abstracts, I like Abstract Expressionists Jackson Pollack and Sam Francis. Originally I wanted my traditional landscapes to be “colorized” versions of Ansel Adams. Now I mostly rely on my earlier images to learn what “works.”
I print my images on canvas to reinforce the painterly look they seem to embody. Some images I have printed on aluminum because of the unique impact that medium produces. As a producer of artworks for my fans and collectors, I use archival materials so my images will provide enjoyment for many years
The computer provides me the tools and freedom to create the scene from my imagination. Just like the traditional painter, my process takes many steps and days or weeks to complete. Just like the traditional printmaker, I print numerous test proofs before I finalize my vision on archival canvas or rag paper.
In all my work I look for the story that needs to be told and the image that begs to be captured or painted. Ultimately, I look for images that when finished, lighten the spirit and touch the heart.