I know I haven't been around lately - after I got back from France things have been rather hectic and then I left again, this time for the US.
I spent one week attending a business workshop and now I'm on vacation - one week in Montana and another on the road back to New York, painting on the way.
So I'll update again once I'm back...
Technorati tags: US - travel
Just a short note to say I'm leaving on a short vacation this morning.
I'm soooo excited to go to France and all the way to the Loire Valley:Loire Valley (French: Vallée de la Loire) is known as the Garden of France and the Cradle of the French Language. It is also noteworthy for the quality of its architectural heritage, in its historic towns such as Amboise, Angers, Blois, Chinon, Orléans, Saumur, and Tours, but in particular for its world-famous castles, such as the Châteaux d'Amboise, Château de Villandry and Chenonceau.
So there's everything: beautiful landscape, an impressive river running through it, historic towns (with nice coffee shops and good restaurants!) - and of course the famous Châteaux of the Loire Valley!
Just to give you an idea, this is Château de Chenonceau...
I'll take my painting gear along and hope to do at least some studies... and take a lot of pictures like this ...
So I'll be back end of next week....
Technorati tags: France - travel - Castle
Experimenting is just so much fun!
I've thought about trying a collage piece for some time now, but never got motivated to really give it a go. Some weeks ago I took some great photos of my little niece, catching her personality, but unfortunately a little out of focus - she's definitely quicker then my digital camera!
So I used a 'reclaimed' canvas, acrylic paint, photocopies, Neocolor II (water-soluble wax pastels) and coloured pencils... et voilà!
I really enjoyed working with the different media, and composing a collage piece as compared to a plein air painting is very liberating and... inspiring.
Ein Metterschling mit flauen Bügeln
log durch die Fluft.
Er war einem Computer entnommen,
dem war das durcheinandergekommen,
irgendein Drähtchen, irgendein Rädchen.
Und als man es merkte, da war´s schon zu spätchen,
da war der Metterschling schon feit wort, wanz geit.
Mir lut er teid.
The painting I showed you in my last post was rather green... and while part of the intensity on screen is due to the difficulty of getting a decent photo on-line I must admit that it is still rather vibrant in real life.
I don't mind 'vibrant' and 'intense', but wanted to try to achieve a more subtle look. And since I was too lazy to go paint outside last Sunday I painted a second version of last week's piece!
This was also the perfect occasion to try out what I read on Larry Seilers blog post on Pigment Soup which is (in his words): "to mix up a hue (color) and then mix a bit of that color into every color mix used on the palette for the painting."
So I got out a tub of Davy's Grey, warmed it with a little Naples Yellow and used that as my pigment soup. This may not have been the best choice since the Davy's Grey that I used is absolutely transparent (more of a glaze) and rather sticky...
Apart form the Davy's Grey I used a limited palette of Cobalt Blue, Cad Red, Naples Yellow, Cad Yellow, Quin Violet and White.
Here's the result - I must say I like this version better than the first and I'm interested to here your thoughts on that! (and at the risk of repeating myself: it does look better in real life...)
In my last post I decided to concentrate on building two bodies of work - Everyday Still Lifes and Plein Air.
This Plein Air painting is the result of a rather hurried and too-short-for-me painting session last Sunday. I meant to paint part of a little pond but realised the evening light was just not right for that view. So I turned and searched the area... and settled on this view. Nothing spectacular really - what caught my interest was the long shadow on the grass contrasting with the sunlit area. Needless to say the shadow moved way to fast for my liking...
I'm not sure what to think of the end result... it's definitly green! I read another great post on Larry Seiler's Blog about his use of "Pigment Soup" - one common colour (often greyish/neutral) that's mixed into every other colour used in a painting. This pulls everything together and assures a harmonious look. I guess that's a way to master those greens - I'll keep it in mind for the next piece!
In the last few days I was thinking and wondering a lot about a/my personal painting style. I enjoy painting a wide choice of subjects, trying out new techniques, just going where my whim leads me. And still I feel the 'need' for finding (and following) MY way, my style.
And as so often when I'm interested in something I know I can rely on the internet in general and more specifically on my fellow artist bloggers. Seems I'm not the only one to contemplate that question – just look at the links at the end of this post.
Seems everybody is in search of style.
Why am I searching as well, what is my aim? - I would like to get to a point where my paintings are recognizable as being MY paintings. I want people to look at them and say: "that must be a Regula Scheifele's painting".
ty
So how do I get there? – Probably by developing a very distinctive style.
This leads up to the next question: what is (a) style? - Wikipedia says:
"In art and painting, style can refer either to the aesthetic values followed in choosing what to paint (and how) or to the physical techniques employed. […] Some of these [styles] are closely associated with certain techniques, such as Pointillism, while others are more flexible, but each has a characteristic "look" that becomes more and more distinctive as it develops. […]By changing the way they paint, apply colour, texture, perspective, or the way they see shapes and ideas, the artist establishes a certain set of "rules". If other artists see the rules as valid for themselves they might also apply these characteristics. The works of art then take on that specific "style"."Another definition:
"A characteristic handling of media and elements of form that gives a work its identity as the product of a particular person, group, art movement, period, or culture."
"Decide on a style, subject matter, palette, and value range that you love, and are comfortable doing. Narrow it down. Dogs? Too broad. One breed only. Too broad. One specific dog only. That would definitely help narrow down your palette. Do that one dog over and over, in the same narrow range of colors."
• "Art - creating a body of work and your own show" by Katherine Tyrrell
• "Cookie Monster Has Style" by Maggie Stiefvater
• "How to Create a Body of Work and a Distinctive Style as an Artist" by Martha Marshall
• "Painting Style Problem Solver -- How to Create a Unique..." by Marion Boddy-Evans
• Carole Marine is one of my role models, her daily still lifes are vibrant, fun, exciting – go take a look!
• Jelaine Faunce - again beautiful still lifes, esp. 'Chamomille II' and other glass / china pieces.
• Mick McGinty posts and excels at both landscapes and still lifes – I like to see this mix on his blog and just love his food themed still lifes.
• Michael Chesley Johnson - great Plein Air painter
• René's Plein Air Blog - lives and works in the Netherlands
• Karin Jurick - her paintings are a feast for the eyes!
I painted this one last Saturday when it was hot and summer at last... so there's nothing better than a piece of cold watermelon. Mmmm......
The next day I saw that Ronell from Africantapestry had painted a watermelon as well. I love how she wrote about "the time and place to eat a watermelon". Go and check it out!
Oh, and as you might have noticed I changed the background colour of the blog. Not sure though wether that's the right one - what do you think about it?
This Sunday was the hottest day of this summer (which is not really such an achievement, the last two months have been cold and rainy..). What's more important: I grabbed my EasyL and supplies, went down to the river and painted!
I started of with a first layer of burnt sienna and cad red light to give the scene a warm glow. This base colour can still be seen in places like the foreground trees - I really like the effect I get from this.
This painting took some two hours to finish, and probably another 30 minutes to get photographed..
One of these days I have to find a way to get a decent photo in less than 10 minutes.... and spend the rest of the time painting!
I still miss Tuscany... so I used one of the reference photos I took to paint a 'almost-but-not-really-plein-air' painting.
First, it felt really awkward to paint from a photo instead of being there - this came as a surprise since I used to paint from reference pictures quite often. And I would have thought that having been there (Tuscany), having taken the picture myself and remembering so well what it was like would help... it did eventually, but I still don't really know what to make of the painting. Do I like it or not? I can't really say just now... But it does bring back memories...
Maggie Stiefvater is not only a great artist and blog author, she's also a great motivator for all aspiring artist.
Every month she's looking at a (dead) artist, analyzing his/her work and technique, sharing her findings on her blog Greywaren Art - and encouraging her readers to study along. Or read along.
This month she's looking at Maxfield Parrish, an early 20th century illustrator and artist. Two days ago Maggie posted that she had come accross the term Dynamic Symmetry - "Apparently it's a compositional concept that Jay Hambidge rediscovered in 1920, used by the ancient Greeks. Parrish was fascinated by it and used it extensively in his own work. I know it has something to do with ratios but even after crawling the web like a legless lizard looking for water, I am no closer to finding out how exactly one applies it to their artwork."
I love logical/mathematical riddles, and just had to look it up and find out what it's about. This is what I wrote to Maggie:
While the mathematical formula is all about square roots the visual formula is not that complicated.
Take a square – measure the length of its diagonal – prolong the base side of the square to the measured length (maybe use a compass) and draw the resulting rectangular shape. You end up with a rectangular shape with a square in it – or rather a vertical line. The ration of where the line cuts the base line of the new rectangular shape now shows dynamic symmetry.
Or technically speaking: the ration between the base line of the original square to the base line of the resulting rectangular is 1 to the square root of 2.
And then you can do the same with the new rectangular shape: measure the length of its diagonal – prolong the base side of the shape….
Go and read the follow-up on Maggie's blog - I'll just post some overlay pictures here to show how one can find Dynamic Symmetry in Parrish's work.
And because I was playing around with that concept (and my computer) I've put this short clip on YouTube to show how to construct a grid according to the Dynamic Symmetry. Just hope it'll work...
Nächstes Mal gibt's wieder ein Bild - I'll post another of my paintings soon!
Technorati tags: parrish dynamic symmetry
Last Sunday I wanted to paint but somehow didn't really get to it until the evening. And than.... magic! Ok, maybe not really magic, but this painting just went so well and easy (and fast), it almost painted itself. Oh, and the melon was delicious as well!
This isn't really a post. It's more of a test post / complaint / 'sorry' post.
Feedblitz (the service used for subscribing to my blog) seems to have some issues with my last post. I hope it's just envious of the great time I had in Tuscany and will behave again once it gets over it.
So - no new painting today, but still... a glimps of Tuscany... A 'Work-in-Progress' shot of Tuscan Field of Gold from my last post. Let's see what feedblitz makes of this...
btw: Ronell - another shot of my EasyL. I really think it's one of the best solutions for plein air painting!
Eigentlich ist dies gar kein echter Beitrag, ich möchte testen, ob Feedblitz wieder funktioniert. Feedblitz ist der Webservice, der eigentlich ein Mail verschicken sollte, wenn es auf dieser Seite etwas Neues gibt. Meinen letzten Beitrag hat Feedblitz allerdings ignoriert, desshalb versuch ich's nochmals. Und weil ich noch immer ein bisschen in der Toskana bin (in Gedanken) hier noch ein Foto - auf der Staffelei seht ihr das Bild vom letzten Beitrag, Tuscan Field of Gold, das heisst besser gesagt die Untermalung.
So, mal schauen, was Feedblitz jetzt vor hat!
I'm back from Tuscany! I actually came back a week ago, but had to adjust to not being there anymore: it was a fantastic week, wonderful and better than I could hope for. I'd so love to be there right now... I learned a lot, got to meet wonderful people and really enjoyed Tuscany - even thought the weather was not really good.
AND I'm even more in love with my new EasyL now that I actually used it. Worked wonderfully, just as I thought it would. Here's a 'work-in-progress' picture showing the set up (scroll down for more to come...).
Seit einer Woche bin ich zurück aus der Toskana, und wäre doch am liebsten noch dort. Die Woche war genial, sehr lehrreich, die Leute toll, die Organisation nur zu empfehlen! - ich wünschte, ich könnte gleich wieder gehen...
UND meine neue Staffelei - EasyL - hat sich absolut bewährt, ich bin total begeistert, daher auch oben ein Schnappschuss 'bei der Arbeit'!
As I said I did learn a lot, both from Shauna, our wonderful teacher, and from all other participants. Watching others paint is always a treat.
We were not too lucky with the weather, but on Friday we had a great day of painting around the house, and I'm actually quite happy with my paiting. (and yes, I DO love Sting's songs....)
I'm going on holiday tomorrow - one week of plein air painting in Tuscany - and just had to show you my new EasyL!
I got it a few days ago and have been admiring it since then. Now it's packed up and ready to go, and before it'll get first signs of prolific artistic use I'll show you what it looks like. Oh - and there's actually a sneak preview of a work in progress as well....
Eigentlich bin ich schon auf dem Sprung in meine Malferien - eine Woche Toskana, Malen, Sonne, Wein... hmmm....
Aber erst noch ein Bild von meiner neuen Staffelei. Ich habe sie eben erst gekauft und bin schon ganz verliebt. Ach ja, und im Hintergrund gibt's noch eine Vorschau auf ein Bild, das ich hoffentlich bald nach den Ferien fertig male.
You've probably noticed that I like to paint in groups (groups of paintings that is...). For one thing I think they do look good together and I also feel I can learn a lot by getting to know a subject better. Resulting in better paintings (hopefully)...
We've had the most gorgeous spring weather so far (apart from some rain these last three days) and even though it feels 'not normal' (global warming?) I've been enjoying it.
One of the pleasures of spring is the cherry trees starting to bloom. I just love the delicate flowers ranging from pure white to deep magenta. Transforming any normal downtown street into a sea of pink petals... hmm...
I realise this painting is rather colourful. I started out with an underpainting using magenta (!) and continued from there, so it was a lot more ... vibrant before ;-)
My Mum has been abroad for three weeks and missed the cherry bloom, so this one's for her (and Happy Birthday!).
Well... yes... ok, it's been a while since I posted last. I spent a week in Marocco just before Easter, and then spring and the nice weather kept me from painting. But now I'm back at the easel and finished my Italian still life.
While the last paintings I posted where done in a rather quick and loose way, today's painting is done in layers / glazes and took quite some time. But I really like the effect and depth achieved with glazing. 
We had a beautiful week with warm spring weather, the daffodils and tulips are about to bloom and I did not paint a lot. Or rather: I did paint a lot, but didn't finish anything.
At the moment I have two paintings on my easel: one is a rather big floral where I'm using my new "Atelier Interactive Acrylics" I ordered from the US (they did arrive after some five weeks - surface mail!). Working with the Interactives is fun, but takes some getting used to.
The other is a smaller still life where I'm taking a rather classical approach using an underpainting. Both are not finished yet, but I hope to post one of them next week.
In the meantime I'd like to show you my new webpage - it's actually a kind of online portfolio showing some of my previous pieces. And since it's in German it might also serve as a language-learning-tool (hi Stacy!)...
Wir hatten eine wunderbare Frühlingswoche mit Sonnenschein, warmen Temperaturen und Osterglocken. Trotz dem schönen Wetter war ich fleissig am Malen, sogar gleich an zwei Bildern. Da beide aber etwas grösser sind, habe ich heute noch nichts zu zeigen - hoffentlich aber nächste Woche.
In der Zwischenzeit könnt Ihr euch ja auf meiner neuen Homepage umsehen - sie ist eigentlich eine Art Online-Portfolio mit einigen meiner bisherigen Bilder.
Viel Vergnügen!
I absolutely agree, the title of todays post is neither ingenious nor funny. It's very plain and simple.
But then todays painting is just that: a painting of bananas. Two of them. Plain and simple.
And still a banana is acutally quite impressive. It tastes good, it's healthy and it comes all packed up ready to go. It's got a very unique form, appealing colour and is easy to peal. Nature's version of take-away fast food.
I do think bananas are worth a painting of two.....
Ok, I didn't post last week. Sorry. But it might have been a test to see if people do realise it - and they did!
So here's the reason I didn't post: this painting was actually rather stubborn. I started it one evening when I was rather annoyed (not a good thing to do!) and that's where the dark background came from. I didn't finish in one go, so next time I was already getting bored with it but didn't finish either. On the third go I finally got to the point where it says "ok, that's it, finished". And - I'm glad I did finish it. Though I look at it now and long for more colour.
Maybe I need another coffee (both the drink and a painting)...
Again two pictures today. Well, only one painting, but an additional 'group photo' to go with it. (does that count?)
To continue my Coffee Series here's Coffee #2 - Espresso. Again there's parts I like a lot, I'm especially happy with the spoon. And with the look of the four pieces I have so far as a group - that's why I want to show you all of them together. Would look nice in the kitchen I guess, but my kitchen is rather small, I'm not sure they would find a place there.
Next one might be another Espresso. My Mum suggested to do one with a very small coffee cup. More of a Ristretto probably?
What would be your order? Any favorites?
What's even better than a nice cup of coffee? - something to go with it!
Don't you just love it when you order a coffee and get something sweet to go with it? In my case you get some Amaretti. These Italian Biscotti are a real treat, each wrapped up in their own delicat thin paper. And the Amaretti are really great: sweet, light, crisp. Yummie! (And no, it's NOT a donut!).
Of course the Amaretti would be perfect with a nice little espresso, so that's what I have to paint next.
This one was really fun to paint! Loose, no pressure, warm colours and a great subject!
Everybody who knows me knows I like coffee. Not only the actual coffee but everything that goes with it: coffee cups, mugs, pots. Coffee machines, Cafetieres, stove-top espresso cookers. Cappuccino, Latte Macchiato, Turkish coffee... whatever!
So here's Nr. 1, black coffee. No fuss, no steamed milk, just pure coffee. And no fancy colours in this one, very minimal. Enjoy!
(...oh, by the way: I love tea just as much!)
January is almost over, and I managed to finish this one. In time.
Why the hurry? - a group of great artists has started a joint January project on the American artist John Singer Sargent. I didn't really know him before but now I am a big fan of his work. Make sure to read up on him and the project on the following blogs:
- Making a Mark by Katherine Tyrrell
- Greywaren Art by Maggie Stiefvater
- Daily Painter by Nicole Caulfield
One of Sargent's masterpieces is Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose. In order to get to know Sargent's way of painting I decided to copy part of it - hence the title ;-)
My piece is not painted but done with coloured pencil on drafting film. It's the first time I used this support and I must say it was quite a challenge getting used to it. And while working on drafting film IS quicker than working on paper, the lush flowers and leaves did take some time to do. But then again, John Singer Sargent was working on his piece for two years. Five minutes each day during the summer, in order to catch those few minutes each day when the light was just as he wanted it to be.
Talk about dedication!
What a brave little tomato (and yes, it's a tomato, NOT an apple!). To be sitting there, dead in the center. No 'rule of thirds' will make it waver, even in the spotlight it stands unmoved!
I got the inspiration for this little painting from one of the many wonderful paintings on the Daily Painters Art Gallery.
Painting food appeals to me, so once I get a grip on painting veggies and fruits (I know, the tomato is a fruit) I might move on to sweets (only for painting, of course)!
So, what would you like to see next? - I'm open for suggestions!
Dashing through the snow.....
Ok, the holidays are over, so the song doesn't fit anymore. But what's more important: the weather doesn't fit! Today we had 15 degrees, sunshine, the birds are singing, the trees are almost blooming. So definitely no snow.
If you're missing it as much as I do: here you go!
So it's already Wednesday again and I haven't posted something new.
I am painting. A landscape to go with last week's post. And it was almost finished on Monday evening. But as you probably know it can be a long way from 'almost finished' to 'finished'! And that's where I am right now.
So in order to take off the pressure of a due post - and of course to show you another piece - I'll post this one I did last year (cheating, I know). That's what my table looks like right now.
Da hat man sich kaum an 2006 gewöhnt und schon sind wir wieder in einem neuen Jahr!
Und ich mache mich daran, meinen Vorsatz zu verwirklichen: jede Woche ein neues Bild, eine Skizze, gemalt oder gezeichnet.
In den nächsten Tagen werde ich das erste Bild hier einstellen, bleibt also dran!
I want to wish everybody a very Happy New Year!
And since we're already in 2007 I'm about to stick to my resolution of posting one painting or drawing a week, either acrylics, (coloured) pencil, charcoal.... whatever I fancy. The first painting will be posted in the next days, so stay tuned!
