Out The Window and Fresh Snow

Winter plein air paintings are exciting. And FAST! However, I have become progressively lazier when it comes to painting outdoors in the winter. It was a weird winter season in 2017-18, sometimes cool, sometimes cold, but almost always the days were mostly gray. No shadows and no heat equal no incentive to paint outdoors. It was an easy winter to do errands or take a ride, but without the contrasts created by my friend The Sun, painting a landscape like this took a backseat to studio work this year.

This is my 'go to' subject which is the woods behind the house. A brilliant sun after a light snowfall inspired me to set up inside at the dining room window. I've been watching these cut tree logs since the neighbor cut several trees (which are permanently preserved in many earlier paintings). They seem to change each day, each week, sometimes like they have moved themselves. Naked trees quietly surround them, like mourners for a friend. I worked with color to distinguish the slices, to give them dignity in their sad state. The brilliant shadows of hibernating wetland giants slowly passed across the field as I painted.

I can still see what was there a year or two ago, and wonder about the title. It's a lovely calm winter painting but to me it is a requiem for the fallen trunks.

Standing Tall For Me, oil 12x16 on linen c.2018

2017 Christmas card, finally

Bright Dreams, 5x7 c. K.Schifano

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

For some unknown reason, we did not send our annual homemade cards for the past two years. After 40 years of designing, writing and mailing them it should have been natural. In fact, it felt unnatural to NOT send Christmas cards. I was not inspired to paint a Christmas appropriate or red flower scene when the weather was warm and snow hadn't arrived. In fact, I often don't paint seriously from mid November through New Year's so I can concentrate on family, gifts and baking buckets of cookies. Baking is certainly an alternate art form. Though I have considered working on the card in August that has never happened, part of my tradition is the December rush.

Some of the most entertaining cards were drawings years ago by Charles or Robin, printed in green or blue or red (or black at first, before colored inks were possible) on white typing paper. Santas, Rudolph or funky decorated trees in my file still make me smile.

Maybe the problem of no little kids was solved this year. As I sat in my allergist's office, waiting 30 minutes for my shot reaction to not happen, there was this sweet artificial tree tucked in a corner and a little boy reading aloud, a girl squirming on granny's lap and two preteens. And this tree in the corner. I sketched it in my ever-present moleskin drawing book and took a photo.

 It didn't take long to turn it into a painting. With help from Carl my painting was laid out and printed as our 2017 Schifano card. They may have been mailed a bit late, but the deed is done! Merry Christmas, and here is a toast to good traditions.

Using Pastels on Autumn Days

As the days grow short and evening comes earlier, the shadows seem darker and are definitely longer. It's the best season to paint, because shadow creates form and landscape painting is the process of making a 3-D form look real on a flat surface. The shadows and reflections are the depth makers in a picture, besides using perspective, overlapping and diminishing sizes. Oh my, sometimes my brain hurts trying to keep it all together, but it is a good kind of hurt, like rewarding and satisfying work. 

Therefore, my fall paintings have a distinct set of values and colors different from summer. These two recent pastels illustrate this, the sunlight in the trees is at a lower angle....because the earth is curved and my northern latitude is tipping away from the direct rays. Working on them, I also considered the depth of shadows in the background and between and under trees. The sparkle of summer flowers and green grass is gone when shade takes over.

Red and Blue by Bonds Lake 9x12 pastel

Willow by Little Beaver Island 9x12 pastel

Finally, I resolved this problem

In October 2016, I posted this painting in progress, incomplete and still on my easel at Three Sisters Islands. There was something about it that kept my interest but also bothered me. I finally figured it out this summer when I stood closer to the rock and studied it. I needed to paint the transparency of the underwater part of the rock. In one minute in the studio I added a few drops of paint and it was done. And I like it much better.

The 4th Isle at Three Sisters, 16x20 oil on canvas panel c.2016

Working with a dark background

Clematis buds, about to open, are the second flowering of this climbing plant.  The fluffy light parts are from the previous blooming, the petals fall and the center turns into a pompom. It always flowered with the first brave buds the first week of June, but lately has been covered with open blossoms by then, the Clematis is starting to open in mid-May

This is a 'test' pastel of newly acquired skills using color to create strong contrast and interest. I think it turned out just fine.The paper was 16x20 but it had to be trimmed to remove all my color tests on the edges. I didn't expect it to work this well or I would have done my color tests on another page.

Crossing Seasons 16x10 pastel c.2017

Broderick Park in Buffalo

I"ve been frequently drawing in a 6x8 sketchbook lately. Using a permanent black pen with archival ink the drawing is created, followed by watercolor to develop the picture.

This view shows my location on Unity Island, across from the 190 headed to downtown Buffalo. This park is recently updated and actually quite large even though it looks skimpy from the highway.

Two interruptions to the scene included bells ringing, traffic stopping and painters delayed while th Miss Buffalo glides under the bridge. This is really fun to watch.

Sunflowers!

 Wow. I saw pictures on FB, a lovely color spread in the Buffalo News, how could I resist? 

A few weeks ago my favorite painting of sunflowers was purchased for a presentation at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center. When I saw photos of this field I knew it was time to paint more sunflowers. A chance to see another field involved several hours of driving so I didn't go. Now I could find one 15 minutes from home in Sanborn.

This field was just an idea last year, farmland owner Louise thought planting sunflowers would be novel but had no idea it would turn into a media event. I met her kids and friends as well as dozens of people stopping on the road to take selfies and family photos, a pro photographer was shooting a model with reflection umbrellas and Channel 4 news appeared. (I was interviewed) Cars lined both sides of the street and the mood was jubilant, how could one not be overjoyed to engage with acres of yellow?

Yellow isn't a common color to use  a lot on my palette when Plein Air painting, yellow items often look more tan unless it is fall leaves. This was an opportunity to collect all my out cool and warm yellow sticks, some hot golden orange with some purple for shadows, light blue to capture the leaf lights. Why ever I selected terra cotta red for my background is unknown but I love the contrast. 

This pastel painting is still taped to the board, waiting for the decision, stop now or keep working. It's looking pretty fine in my house right now.

Louise, responsible for this lovely event.

 A panorama that doesn't do justice to the size of this field of flowers. 

Urban Sketching

 On River Road, across from Smith Boys Marina.

 Urban sketching is actually internationally recognized as a form of art. Working in a small sketchbook, with the time that I have, I capture whatever is in front of me. These are permanent and archival pen drawings, embellished with a bit of watercolor. Neat, clean, easy to store.

A friend's hollyhocks against the house.

Across from Bidwell Market.

Summer Tourist trapped!

Friday on the Overlook

I stole an afternoon and paid the dollar entry fee to paint on the overlook bridge by Prospect Park at Niagara Falls with Rachelle. Apparently a zillion tourists had the same idea.

We nestled against the tower elevator wall, out of sight to many and out of everyone's way as well but they found us. As usual, kids had the most interest and were often pulled away by parents eager to see the waterfalls but not interested in leaving their children behind. 

Rachelle Duzynski at work with pastels

One particular family spent time watching, asking questions and sincerely admiring Rachelle's pastel of the American falls. She hadn't painted in a very busy public area before and wasn't hearing the conversation, I wasn't aware how intense the crowded bridge was for her. The Granddad said his 42nd anniversary was coming and wanted to buy her (very unfinished) painting as a gift. Suddenly aware, she thought he wanted mine. It wasn't until the child was sent to get money from Grandma that the reality set in. What fun, first time in a crowd and her first sale off the easel! 

Afterwards, I added a bit of warm color to the river and the mist, not shown in the first photo. And yes, the Maid of the Mist is that small by the tremendous Niagara Falls.

Our view of both waterfalls from our spot

Rachelle Duzynski"s painting, sold to a Texan tourist.

House Portrait with TOO MANY LEAVES!

This post starts with a review. In the Spring, I was painting outdoors in Houston and was commissioned to paint a home a few blocks from where I was working. Here is an earlier post about that day in March  and the painting I worked on then , helped by both Ian and Amelia, plein air artists in training.

Step by step, this is the house portrait in progress as I worked on it this Spring in my studio. The owners had asked me to include some particular details and some fall decor from a photo they showed me.

Partway through I needed more information on the structure of the house, my photos were taken in early March when the leaves were starting to fill in, she photographed in April and this is one of her photos, taken as I instructed. Oh my.

Obviously I didn't get much info about the roof or dormer as the trees had fully filled in, so I worked with the various photos I had taken in March. Notice there is stained glass upstairs, a cat in the window as well as USA and Texas flags. 

Spring Into Fall, 12x12 oil on wood, c. 2107

It's a long story

This is "America Rocks in Sunrise". It's a view of the American Falls in oil, 24"x24 and had been purchased by Ilse Franklin for her husband Tom. She selected this one from a group of my larger Falls pictures. They placed it on the fireplace mantle, with a lovely spotlight on it and I was floored the first time I saw it displayed there, I was at their home with my book club. The large windows in this room face the gorge of the lower Niagara River but the picture is the new centerpiece, as far as I'm concerned.

The title refers to 'America Rocks' in a good way, including the music that I paint to, and the Falls' light and shadow as the sun rises in the morning. 

Now this story continues.

A few weeks ago an artist friend held a 'paint night' in their Lewiston neighborhood and both Tom and Ise went. He loved it, his painting had been hung on their wall and I was pretty impressed that it was a paint night that used the river for its subject. It was a true plein air experience as well as a paint experience for the group. His painting was actually quite well expressed, various colors were in the sky as well as reflected on the water, the green trees and lawn were varied and the trees and stone wall looked pretty spiffy as well. I told him I was impressed and he was emphatic that he wanted to paint again, he really enjoyed it. I have to thank Gabe Porto for being such a great paint teacher, especially when I learned they had just the 3 primary colors to work with. Tom must be a good listener because he had learned so much about process and color mixing.

He didn't have to work hard to convince me to come back the next week. I had been wanting to paint their spectacular view of the Niagara river and Canada for a while.  I packed a portable easel, some acrylics and various panels for him as well as my oil pochade but Tom was a little upset when I arrived. He hesitated to tell me he wanted to make a copy of my painting instead of the view, "I've been studying how you did it, I get up close, keep looking and think I can do it, I hope you don't mind, I really love the Falls" 

I thought we would work together to paint the same landscape and I would pass along some hints and techniques to add to his earlier experience in the neighbor's yard. Well, I'll still paint the scene outside and he can copy my painting, no problem there! 

After a fun career teaching art and solving other people's color and composition problems I considered giving workshops or having students but quickly decided I just wanted to paint. For me. To push paint around, start and stop on my own schedule. Everyone knows I'll answer paint questions, give advice and critique but choose not to take students, give classes or accept most workshop offers. Suddenly, I had a student copying a picture, but I still wanted to paint my own plein air. [To my artist friends, I had 3 trees, a cliff and forests in Canada across the river to paint in oil and was trying to guide him with acrylic paints and completely different colors and scene. I almost had a brain fog trying to keep the two separate in my mind and my oil brush out of the acrylic palette. No surprise that I had a margarita for lunch.]

The day was a success, I had to finish mine later in my studio, but Tom's second painting ever, of the American Falls came out quite well. I think we have one more candidate for our Niagara Frontier Plein Air Painters, he just needs to do a little shopping for paints and a brush. 

Tom with his copy of my work, and the original painting on the mantle

My plein air of our view

Calm on the River, 12x16 oil on birch panel, c. K. Schifano, 2017

Waiting for Warm, Late Winter Plein Air

Perhaps life gets hectic when the weather warms. At least, I think it does, but winter has its own slower pace. Right now I am ready for the busy painting schedule that NFPAP has put together, so I have been playing with a variety of different materials.

The first painting is from an upstairs window view. A little bit of snow and a lot of sunshine inspired me to capture the blue shadows of the biggest cottonwood tree I have ever seen. It is at least three times the height of a two story peaked roof. About 100-150 feet away and across the street, if it ever came down we would have a huge mess and a bit of damage. I see this tree out of every window in the front, and it fills my view from bed as well. This was a pastel experiment, the paper had too much texture for me, perhaps I should have used the back. I think the same painting in oil would be more successful.

The second is a front seat in the car painting. I parked along the Robert Moses, recently renamed the Niagara River Parkway. A fairly gray and quiet day, the Niagara plume hovered in the gorge making the buildings of Niagara Falls Ontario appear to float or sit on the mist.  A famous chimney has been moved to the river side of the road and was given its own parking lot as well. It is a good place to just look and think.

Shadows of My Dreams, pastel 9x12 c.K Schifano

A Chimney's View watercolor 6x9, c.K Schifano

Back to My Roots?

Flowers. First it was apples, and I learned to draw by using apples as my subject, over and over, as instructed by Walter Prochownik at UB in the 80's. It was flowers, not apples, that intrigued me and I later spent many years looking deeply into the lines, curves and details of all sorts of plants and flowers, working large and small in my tiny Niagara Falls studio as my practice improved.

Since I became a plein air artist I have spent many Thursdays in winter painting the flora and architecture of the Botanical Gardens, usually small and often with pastels.

For this painting, I was invited to show a wall full of work related to gardens at the Twentieth Century Club in Buffalo and chose to paint outside in their gardens while my work was up. I have painted there several times, choosing bits of architecture as my focus. I made several sketches, the garden statuary is quite attractive, there are fountains and sculpture, groomed trees and brilliant colors against an interesting Romanesque architecture.

At each column in the back, large pots of Canna Lilies and Begonias glowed in the light. These urns became my subject and I wound up surrounded by a large garden party while I painted. It was interesting to be in that space with so many people yet nearly invisible as my work transported me right out of the crowd and few were interested in what I was doing there.

Cannas and Begonias oil on board, 20x10 c.2016

A different art, Eco-dyes

 A large collection of Christmas Cactus flowers and some branches with a small bunch of impatiens blooms were arranged on a pre-soaked well loved white sweater. I don't remember the name of the solution for pre soaking which was two days.

Then, it was all rolled tightly, with strings and rubberbands, for compression and double bagged...for three full days.

 

The second bag said 'fancy rolls' just for irony.

Unbagged, I steamed it for quite a while and let it cool slowly in the pot. I might have waited longer for the dyes to set more but I was getting impatient.

Rinsed and washed on delicate, I am thrilled with the results. But, it took a week and the weather warmed so it will be new for Fall.

Painting the Niagara River below the Falls

The sun started out bright so I headed to the Niagara Reservation to paint the last of the snow. With the messy Terrapin Point construction and reconfigured roads there was little access to the Falls, so I drove around the park and decided to travel north along the churning Niagara river, hoping for a good view in a protected place. THe day was cooler by the river and I remembered that the 'private' cliff road was now open to the public, 6 parking spaces would be available. The 7th car would have to leave.

I took the seriously steep Power Authority road down to the fishing docks. It was pretty quiet, only one other car and there seemed to be a single person in the guardhouse. Parking crooked, I pushed my seat all the way back and painted this from the car. Warm, dry and a few podcasts later my painting was done and I was determined to come back in the summer to walk the paths that lead down to the water's edge. It seemed incredibly peaceful.

There are no giant islands of ice floating down the river and some fishing was going on, in fact, some boaters motored into my view. Spring is in the gorge. 

'Lower River Spring', 9x12 oil on birch c. 2016

Studio painting from a plein air reference.

Using my own plein air painting as a reference for a large painting is pretty unusual. I have 'tried' it twice before and although I like to work on large paintings I do not like to work from flat references. I have become used to working from life, in real places, with real items, real people, not photographs or paintings.

This is an original plein air painting, 'Slack' which is 9"x12". I did it at my favorite jetty, the end of Ohio Street in Long Beach NY in 2013.

I reproduced it in the winter of 2015-16 for a gallery that wanted large images of my ocean scenes. This was a challenge but also fun, and a bit frustrating. It was hard to capture the sparkle of a summer morning on the shore while I was standing in the studio with a snowy winter window view next to me. The larger rocks on the easel picture are the size of the original plein air painting. The painting is 30" by 40" and is curing in the studio now. It takes a long time for oil paint to thoroughly dry after the surface seems dry.

Plaza VieJa, Cuba, making connections

Plaza Vieja lunch

Starting the painting

I set my easel on a side street off Plaza Vieja in Havana to paint the brilliant yellow government restaurant (as opposed to Paladar restaurants, which are in private homes). While I was working, a hefty breeze tossed the building's green arch shade askew, although it isn't crooked in the photo I liked how it framed the umbrellas. Music constantly played from two different places, adding to the cacophony of construction behind me and neighborhood chatter.

While I was painting, a young lady, Lilian was watching. This wasn't unusual in Cuba, we were often watched and engaged with many people despite the language barrier. We talked for quite a while, she is a student at the Academy, equivalent to our high school. She had a pile of small white papers and a drawing pen, capturing tourist caricatures for tips was her job. Lilian preferred staying near me than working, saying I was nice. When I mentioned that all the plein air artists were nice, she could talk to anyone, I was branded as 'but you are really nice'. Apparently some tourists may reject the caricature artists rudely.

She is staying with a matron in Havana while she earns money, I'm not sure where that leaves her continued education or if the school is here. Her English is excellent and we talked about oil painting and my materials, our families, old Havana, the cars, people who passed by and all the things people discuss when they meet. She has two little sisters so I gave her some of my kiddie toothbrushes (a story for another post), some painting supplies and my bottle of Gamsol brush cleaner. Artists here use gasoline for brush cleaner, so our non-toxic Gamsol was welcome. 

I asked Lilian to do my caricature, the walk around artists here do a quick face picture in a minute or less but she crossed the alley, got comfortable and spent a bit of time drawing while I painted. And of course I also rocked and danced to the music. Her picture captured so much of Cuba for me, my new Cuba Invitational painter hat with the palette pin, the music, my joy and of course my easel set up. Jacqueline Allen (a member of my group) took my photo at this same site, compare see how this talented lovely young lady drew me.

All the people in Cuba were charming, but I feel I made a new artist  friend in Cuba and wish the best for Lilian. She refused to take any tips from me, because I was 'nice'. We met again later and I introduced her to some of the other painters in the square.

Drawing by Lilian

photo by Jacqueline Allen

the artist, Lilian at work

December Solstice

The change of seasons is always a good excuse to paint. This December was ridiculously warm and I brought my smallest paintbox to the Falls to celebrate the sun's solstice. Being the shortest day of light wasn't a problem, it was overcast and the light stayed the same until it suddenly darkened and the rain started.

I had not actually planned to paint, it was a last minute choice to grab the paintbox, I had on my good 'going out to dinner' clothes and jacket. Normally a neat painter, I had no apron, no chair and not much to lean on so I stood and balanced the open box on the overlook bridge railing which happened to be diagonally sloped and very round and slippery. The next issue was this tiny box has no lid hinge, I usually use it on my lap in the car, the steering wheel is a great support for the lid.

Picture this. Dressed nicely, I am holding a cigar box open, the lid at 90' resting crooked on the rail, two wet brushes and a palette knife in my hands and I need to open the tube of white paint. Foolishly, I tried that trick. A favorite brush loaded with color did a cartoon like swirl up in the air when my sleeve knocked it out of the other hand. Of course it striped down my my coat as it frisbeed in the air, but my concern was to keep the brush from rolling off the bridge and into the Niagara River, headed for Ontario and the north Atlantic. Got it.

And then it started to pour. There was fresh wet oil paint on my sleeves and coat, 2 brushes wet with paint, palette knife, wet painting, open box and mixed paints, open tubes. I skedaddled the 1/4 mile into the visitors center with everything askew. The lovely ending was a vacant table near a window where I cleaned up the messes, touched up the picture and dried my gear out. It really was a lovely day, I love this little painting and celebration of the Winter solstice. I'm ready for longer days. And sunshine.

Despite the Rain, oil, 5x7 c.2015

YYC, Summer's ending

 

How do you get 30 foot sailboats out of the water? 

With real big straps,  a hoist and this hook. The Youngstown Yacht Club is one of my favorite spots to paint, the people are all happy, they are glad to see us and there is something to capture in every direction. 

With a bit of whimsy, I turned away from the water to see this HUGE ball and hook gently swinging from a crane. I knew it would be in use soon and painted quickly. The weight of it pulled the cable roll tighter; as I worked my model slipped from an overhead view to almost eye level. In the background is the building Babs Damesimo lived in years ago, back when when we were both other people.

Ball and Hook 12x6 oil on gessoboard

Painting what I want to paint

Niagara Frontier Plein Air Painters choose beautiful locations as a rule. I go to paint the water, the majestic trees or lovely homes and get inspiration from another direction. Several of my paintings have 'Turn Around' in the title, the result of going somewhere special and painting something entirely different by turning around. Lately I've turned away more often from lovely scenes to capture day to day views. Something about my Painting for Preservation interests and maybe a bit of interest in rusting infrastructure?
In this painting, before I did my turnaround, my goal was to paint the Niagara River from a lovely park.

Mississippi Mudds oil on board 9x12

I posted this earlier, in progress before it was complete. I went in early evening to capture 'Wine on Third' but the trees had grown too large and the building was nearly covered. Across the street there are views of several early 20th c. buildings of local iconic status. Normally I would not have noticed the signs, but there have been years of discussion about the lack of directional signs in Niagara Falls. Nope, not anymore.

Route 62, oil on board 12x16