Additions to the Relais collections

These two stayed in Italy in the collection of Relais Borgo Santo Pietro. The painting is Casa Linda, one of the residence villas, the grand piano drawing is one place my art was displayed, note the tripod! 

Other art work went to new homes in various locations, from china to Azerbaijan to California. Meeting visitors from Saudi Arabia, Australia, Germany, England was a bonus during my residency, and English was a universal language. Good thing as my Italian is rudimentary and my French is too. 

My month was financed by Borgo Santa Pietro, including an apartment and meals, studio space and supplies. I brought my own prepared linen and brushes because I'm partial to the smooth surface I can create with an oil ground. But the estate also provides a driver to Siena to purchase any supplies the artist and Artist House requires.
Guests can choose to take a 'class' which was a nice distraction for me. I enjoy meeting people from all over the world and the classes were infrequent.
I left these two paintings in "payment" and thanks to my generous hosts.

England and Wales Experience

 The end of a beautiful July found me on a plane to Manchester England, where I transferred by trains and taxi to an AirBnB in York, England to adjust to the time change and merry old England. York is an ancient walled city and the history class Norman invasion of 1066 finally made an impression. Winding streets, tiny doorways, low ceilings, and quaint shops presented new attitudes and foods, and I took advantage of excellent public transportation. Two days later I left to experience a multi train adventure with art supplies and luggage transferring to Skipton. There I would take a 5 day paint workshop with Kathy Anderson in the lovely gardens of Rosemary of Rosemary Co. Brushes. What a week, it included dinner in an historic space, a field trip to an abandoned town to paint and meeting great artists from various countries. Yorkshire is beautiful and pastoral with gentle hills and green everywhere.

I was challenged to paint in new ways, to lay in a different sort of ground and wipe out the light areas, to suggest some things - like leaves - and omit their details. I loved it, even though I found it difficult to change habits. At the end of the week I knew I could go back and use some of the ideas that were shared and still paint my own pictures. I am thrilled that my drawing skills made it easy to paint more confidently.

1000 Year Old Bridge, Wycoller Park, UK 12x16 oil on linen

Fuchsia and Blue, 14x11 oil on linen 

Buffalo Psych center becomes the Henry Hotel

I made it to HH Richardson towers yesterday to paint with NFPAP, in the driveway saw 5 painters buried in their work. I drove all the way around to the new Henry Hotel side and painted a pastel of the new and old entrance.

I went around the building late for lunch and the painters were gone. It had become difficult to work in the cold wind and they had decided to go home. It seemed much more breezy there compared to the Buff State side.  I had seen patrons and workers entering the massive doors and knew the hotel was beginning to host guests. Bravely, I entered the building, walked around, tried out the elevators, admired the fresh clean spaces and artwork; what a change from the scrappy paint peeling filthy garbage strewn floors of my last visit.

I had taken a class of high school students in the 1990's, we were investigating the building for a potential adaptive reuse with an architect. At the time, it was being considered as a magnet school. We still called it the Psych center and it had been vacant for decades, a victim of time and neglect.

The memorable part of this earlier trip was gaining entry to the highest towers, a barn sized space, almost scary dark with high windows shining into the dust laden air. There was dated graffiti from the early part of the century and a huge Bible nailed to the floor. This massive medina limestone building is a jewel of Buffalo architecture, about to fill another century with history.

My painting needs a little more work to brighten the windows, correct some perspective and give more emphasis to the new glass entrance, but I am pleased with how I captured the late morning light on the curved facade. Just a few minutes in the studio and it will be grand.

Henry's New Hotel 12x9 pastel c. 2017

The March Exhibit announcement

The Dispatch posted this about the show. We just returned from Houston so I hadn't seen the paper on Friday, but on Saturday morning it was the subject of yoga class. I guess they recognized my photo even though we usually are upside down or have our eyes closed. Thanks to the paper for printing this announcement from the library.

Sights in Italy

A thousand travel photographs and each has its own story. Walking the ancient streets included ruins of Roman civilization as well as the glorious Renaissance. Marked with Latin, a language I suffered through for 6 years allowed me some translation skills I didn't know I retained. Triumphal arches celebrating battles and generals, church scripture and labels all brought me back to Latin class and the Gallic wars we endlessly translated.

Reflections on the Tibor, a regular view when walking, and between Trastevere and Capitoline HIll.

Absolutely ancient columns embedded in the early walls of Rome. We hopped off the tram here for an 'archeological spot' thanks to Charles, grabbing the next tram a few minutes later.

A side trip southeast, beyond the ancient walls included pizza from this pizza shop; just tell her how big a piece you want and it is priced by weight. And delicious.

Laundry still attracts me. In Cuba it is everywhere, but most city buildings in Rome have central courtyards and the lines are out of sight. This is in a bit more 'suburban' area.

Founded in 440AD, St. Peter in Chains (San Pietro in Vincoli) was expanded in 1475, 20 Doric columns of the nave are from the original church. Michaelangelo's tomb for Pope Julius II here was to have originally been a towering wall including a series of giant sculptures by him. Only his Moses was completed before funds were halted and Julius was buried inside St. Peter's Basilica. One of the artworks I didn't want to miss, I was disappointed that the wall of sculpted figures was obscured by scaffolding as it is being restored. Nevertheless, the church is absolutely spectacular.

Channeling Magritte?

Saturday isn't my favorite day to paint because it interferes with my morning yoga class. This Saturday paintout was in Niagara Falls, Ontario, with Jacq Baldini and Kathryn McMahon. We had been trying to get together to paint for a few years, and this was a perfect day. I had never been to this Canadian overlook as a tourist or a painter, it is the terminus of the Spanish aerocar which crosses over the Whirlpool rapids.

When I stood back to evaluate my painting the sun seemed to blind me but I realized that the setup of my easel and the view were in pretty good alignment. Looking into the iPhone view window to take a photograph the image it was nearly impossible to see in the sunlight.  I seemed to have done a pretty good job of matching the shapes. THis was a good reason and a good day to skip yoga class.

A recent series of end of year paintings have evolved into realism, this is an example. Close up, the painting has a lot of abstract areas but it sure matches the scenery in the photo on the easel.

Whirlpool from Ontario 12x16 oil on birch

A Lesson in Painting

The first of several deliveries here last week was a paper wrapped bunch of...mini orchids...just what I needed! My sister, Bobbie Peters had sent them, she knew I would arrange the flowers and probably use them for a painting. I had been to florists twice in the past looking for this particular flower so I was especially pleased.

I had already signed up for an artist workshop with Thomas Kegler a week after they arrived and one of the items on the supply list was objects for a still life. I grabbed some tomatoes, peppers, oranges, ribbons, small boxes to stack under the drapery and half the original bouquet to head to East Aurora and the Roycroft campus on a frigid Saturday. Three years earlier I had made a '5 year plan' of personal goals and attending an art workshop was on the list. Check! His Hudson River painters traditional style attracted me, particularly the way his surfaces are developed with glazing. Although using the Hudson River painters techniques are not on my short list, my experiences painting at historic locations in the Adirondacks these past two years have piqued my interest.

Tom's friendly attitude and open sharing of technique made the 8 hour class valuable to me, as a self taught oil painter I have read articles and books and painted next to many painters, but this was a challenge to actually follow someone else's instructions. Using odorless mineral spirits for an underpainting was the first big change, my mind kept going back to his demonstration and trying to follow his different approach to working on a canvas. Having already finished my 'first thousand paintings' it took effort to adjust what I already do, but I was able to experience painting in a new way for the day and had a lot of fun in the process. Overall, the biggest thing I learned is not in this picture yet. Final glazing with thin color adds warmth to the picture and brings out some texture in the brush strokes. When I do that I am going to try it first on another picture that was waiting for a finish, then come back to this one.

Although I have painted still life pictures and flowers in a vase before, this will always remain special to me, my sister sent the flowers and they are in memory of Martha.

Roycroft Still Life, 20x10 oil on wood panel 2013