New Blog? I am crazy!

CLICK HERE for My Page - plein air artists

I just signed onto a new blog-for plein air artists. It was relatively easy, & uploading images was simple. It was especially nice to see my own pictures flash by as all the current images on the site roll by the welcome page. Obviously, I have absolutely no time to keep up with this ......so we'll see if I am up to the challenge. Several national artists that I correspond with occasionally are there as well.

Some days are really special!

Forever Young Magazine

Click the link to read the May issue article by Anthony Chabala about my plein air. It started from a press release sent to Buffalo Spree about the upcoming show. It was referred to Forever Young Magazine & between interview questions & my website he developed this article.

Just one correction---the exhibit will be up all month! Join me at the artist's reception on Friday May 8, 5-7 pm. Quaker Bonnet is on Allen Street between Elmwood & Delaware.

What is more amazing is that they chose my picture for the cover! This is from their website, as I have not seen it on paper yet.

Albright Knox Area Artist Exhibit

Today this studio painting was selected for 2009 Area Artist Exhibit at the Albright Knox. It seemed like a long time from the application process announcement until the final decision. Previously, this show was juried by invitation. Artists brought their work-maximum two-to the Museum for jurying, and received a phone call about works selected or declined. This year required a green online entry; less gas & time, but by applying a bit earlier, it seemed a long wait. There will be a reception May 15th with the exhibiting artists. It's an honor to be selected & the work at the show is an area artist who's who  to me. I'm pleased to be included!

5 Apples & the Light,  oil 22x28  2008

Happy Birthday Monica

It doesn't snow much in central New Jersey, but this house portrait documents the 2009 snow forever.  Not dry enough to travel this week, but here it is, finished.

Shirley said 'White house' oil 11x14 2009

Not quite Mutt & Jeff

The dogs have landed. Now whose tongue hangs out on which side, & what kind of ears belong on the left?  My photo has a glare-from the white van reflection on the glass. Do I need to go back there & check or what? (I know they will still be in this position) I think shorty is done. Picture is almost finished but still very wet.

I'm fishing for comments!

Spring Days

Plein Air season is officially ON! Too cold to stand in the wind blowing over still frozen Lake Erie, I set my French Easel in the windbreak created by the car & gained extra space. Hats with earflaps, cozy scarf & SIX layers plus an apron made it possible to paint in 'Elevator Alley', South Buffalo. Sharon Fundalinski had settled into a chair behind a breakwall to paint the same scene from a different vantage point, but it was time for lunch in this picture. It was so cold that the oils were like glue on the palette, only 40 degrees, but the wind was, well, just plain cold.

Spring Studio nights

Late & quiet nights find me listening to music & working on this house portrait-some of the earlier parts are starting to dry, so I can layer details-window sashes, shading, brickwork. Robin went over & took two more photos for me, one of the soffit, another of the peaks. Most everything will be covered by the majestic pine & leaves, but, as in life, the building will stand strong behind & between the branches. Mostly I want the door to dry a little so I can put in the dogs!!

New Texas portrait in progress

Although I have my own daily progress records [such an ed. term!] for many studio paintings, I rarely post them. You can click on the subject 'artist process' or 'rose' on the right side to see one. There is a round painting of a rose, published last year here, but since this is such a 'long distance' portrait I have decided to publish it as it evolves. These represent two sittings, the light seems different because  there is daylight on the second photo. No matter how true spectrum my bulbs are, the camera is not fooled & warms the images. Yes, it is a peachy sort of background. Love that Texas sunlight.

Still working the title-Return to Green Castle?, Robin's view? Two Patient Buddies?[no!] The Smith castle/residence/home? Titles write themselves, this one is to be determined.

Facebook reflection

I had been asked why I was not on Facebook many times, so I finally broke down & made a page. My friends list is expanding quickly, as Facebook intends, & each new contact or old friend is precious to me. The world seems to be huddled around keyboards, twittering & commenting, which actually keeps us in touch. It's a thrill to see photos of old friends on other pages, & even better when someone finds me.

Made me realize that some of you get this blog as single posts when I put them up. So I am asking a favor. 

On a real computer, not blackberrys & ipods, go to my [this] complete blog & check it out. Click on a post & make a comment if you want. I just posted a visitor map here, & am interested in seeing a few red dots! Actually, I also want you to see all my images together--is this an art blog, or an on line journal? This blog has no automatic ties to others, so it is anonymous unless I make an effort to share it. 

So, part 2, send someone else to see my blog as well! It's free & will make me happy to see a few red dots happen in some new places!

What's the address? www.kschifano.blogspot.com

Return to Texas

Fascinated by the Bottlebrush tree, I had to go back to Texas to see it in full bloom this year.

Well, no, actually we went to visit Robin, Jeremy & the Houston Museum of Art [great Afghanistan treasures show], and I used their front door sidelights as a frame & tried the annual Bottlebrush painting from a chair indoors. I was only a few feet away, but it was seen through the glass.

Next, I sat out on the back deck bench & caught shadows of light on the path & fence. I was in full shade myself & just relished the heat as the day warmed up. Little lizards watched from the ferns nearby. Unfortunately, I had to place my palette on the left side & reach over myself. Every time I do that I say 'never again!'-it is a workout for my right shoulder so I tend to paint the bristles dry.

Spring Geranium 11x14 oil 2009

Bottlebrush 2009 7x5

Mini painting

At the end of a vacation trailer park in Sanford, FL there is an area to be developed which has a paved road, picnic benches & a bridge which I was painting. 'The Red Bridge' took two days to complete & on the second morning I arrived too early for the correct lighting, so I turned to the south & captured the sun coming over the trees in the breeze. This is really tiny-almost as small as an index card. The canvas has a rough texture which emphasized each stroke & made it hard to photograph until it was drier & no longer shiny.

Turnaround oil 4x6 2009

New paintings

2 little paintings & a bigger landscape, all completed, just waiting for their photo-ops. Now I am preparing more canvases for the plein air season & two planned studio house portraits. Will post soon!

Studio challenge in January

In the warm weather I always paint outside, but I also take A LOT of photographs. This past year I collected images of waves and water in a variety of weather & places. This is a great tumble of water before going over the American Falls, painted from a photo taken from the Niagara Falls State Park pedestrian bridge. This is entirely studio work, carefully rendered as opposed to the speedy plein aires which are painted on location under various uncontrollable conditions of wind, weather & tourists.

Rapids Up Close 16x20 oil 2009

Painting around Sanford

Two plein air images have finally dried enough to take pictures. Oil on wet paintings tends to reflect available light & create reflections. The bridge & creek was a morning piece, near a campground turnaround, while the second was a speed painting at sunset. Both are from the Florida painting trip to visit Sharon Muldoon in February.

The Red Bridge 11x14 oil 2009

Depot Sunset 11x14 oil 2009

Niagara Frontier Plein Air Painters

For now, I am the moderator of another blog---for my plein  air group. Hopefully, there will be a lot of contributions!

www.nfpap.blogspot.com

Just the first post is on it so far!

NiagaraFrontierPAP is the website for the umbrella organization.

Florida Spring

Planning on spending the day painting at Merritt Island, we were waylaid by strong winds off the ocean. Sharon Muldoon & I had previously driven through the park, looking for good sites to come back to. Obviously, I was not interested in anything involving the proximity of alligators. Disappointed that the gusts would have sent our supplies flying, we drove around & explored some more, seeing a total of 20 new birds for me, and one new Wood Duck for Sharon, a serious birder. She can identify various birds by sound, beaks, feeding habits and knows where to look for different species.  I appreciated the knowledge she shared, besides birds she pointed out armadillos & gators.  Now I have seen that a flock of roseate spoonbills can fill the sky with pink.

On the way back, she drove into a town park with a small lake for me to paint. Just past the central building, we pulled over & I captured the late day sun as it sparkled on a tiny pond with a few water lilies. While I painted, Sharon happily futzed with her fresh new ACER netbook, a portable computer that has potential to become a constant reference companion. It was still breezy inland, but the side of the car provided some protection & I sat in the sun to stay warm. A true plein air painting, I think this captures the brilliance of the light in Florida during the week that winter turned to Spring.

Interlude WS oil, 8x10 2009

I did not stop to paint here

I heard about the alligators in Florida & expected to see one-or two, but Sharon took me on a cruise through the Merritt Island National Seashore & this is where they live-and thrive. Of all the alligators we saw, the first was the only one moving towards me, but I like the second photo because of his/her reflection in the water. Needless to say, this was taken from the car window. I was not leaving the safety of my chariot for any alligator photos! These are "only" 8 or 9 feet long-just average size.

Study, rework & repaint

I am quite adamant that I finish a painting before starting new. That doesn't mean that every canvas is 'good'. The surface can be scraped out, repainted or stuck on a back shelf.

Last winter, I painted our front yard rhododendrum by sitting on the porch chair in the sun. The snow melted as I painted. Somehow, the picture did not seem finished to me, & this year, I studied the same branches pushed out of the snow. I realized the original greens were too light [or perhaps had darkened by the extra plant food last summer].  Challenged, I took the year old painting & glazed the leaves with rich greens & reworked the stems-this original 2008  plein air turned into a 2009 studio panel, but I like it a lot more!

Rhody in Snow oil 11x14 2008-9

Jerry & Larry Bell

Larry Bell may have been the best friend I ever had, but I didn't know it at the time. He was just always there for a laugh or some empathy. He had lots of friends wherever he went, one of those people that everyone just likes. 8 years ago he passed away as we prepared to close Niagara Falls High School where our friendship blossomed. I will miss him forever as well as our frequent phone calls catching up with every detail & event long after he retired. He helped me to have fun at work & to relax about what I could not change.

It hit me when his twin, Jerry, passed away this Fall that the two brothers had made indelible marks on so many of us, from the people-clients & students- they worked for to their coworkers & friends. As I left the funeral home, Ron Concilla gave me this rose, more than a bud, but not fully open. It was on my counter for a few days when I realized that the rose would never fully open-it was frozen in time forever young, just like the Bells. I painted it then but it took a long time to go back to the canvas & complete my requiem for them.

Shadows of  Two Lights-Remember the Bells oil 2009 24x12

Party at 555 Pine

During John Polechetti's birthday party, the sun was setting even with the cupola on his home 'The Pink House' in Lockport, while the party guests celebrated on the lawn.

Carl pointed out the yellow glow on the white surface & the camera froze a moment of evening  light. This back corner of the house captures the spectacular architecture of original dentils & brackets; although it is not a 'portrait' it is tribute to the character of the architecture, its solid construction & its current caretakers.

  Party at 555 Pine, 20x30 oil 2009

Barack & Carl

[Edited with the correct images, this is a 'repost' rather than deja vu.]

FYI- You can easily post a note by clicking on the 'comment' word below. I see them before they are posted, & they will remain 'out of sight' unless you click to see them. 

Three paintings are drying now & will be posted soon. I have been working on several canvases at once. I finally went back to Buffalo Botanical Garden Thursday & enjoyed relaxed charcoal sketching of tropical leaves & flowers while the wind & snow howled around the dome. I'll probably use pastels there next week to capture more Amaryllis for my 13 x 16 series. It was just nice to be back.

Carl has been showing some of his spectacular digital collages in Buffalo lately. He has two art openings next Friday-one at CEPA, the other at Big Orbit. We each have a piece at Art Dialogue this month - our January is hot! I noticed that he had several Barack Obama images created over the past year, so I borrowed this one to share. The spirit of positive energy Obama exudes is infectious, I hope that we can all move forward through the rough times we face in the next few years as our country is repaired. 

Yes We Can Not Fade Away, digital collage 2009 by Carl Schifano

Barack Obama digital collage 2008 Carl Schifano

Press Releases

There is another K Schifano on the web, a teeny-bopper who films herself jumping on the couch & posts the 'film' on her own blog. Occasionally interested in whether her nubile pursuits come up when I am googled, I found recently published press releases about myself! Click on these for the latest.

Open House article

Family Justice Center Announcement

Family Justice Center Event on Buffalo Rising

It's snowing-a lot-& more snow is expected with record breaking cold. I am doing my best to stay out of trouble while my newest painting dries a bit so I can get back to waves, water, rapids and mist. Very abstract, yet realistic. We had a lot of house guests & fun for the holidays & painting was put aside. It's nice to be painting again.

Snow Angel by Sandi Peters  New Year's 2009

Requiem for a cat

Harley is gone. A week has gone by & the lack of a companion in the morning, the absent plop of descent from a nap as well as adjusting from the habits of living with a pet are difficult. 16 years old, she never lost her feral cat nature, barely tolerated humans & let them know when she was ready for their attention. She learned their language, clearly speaking a minimum of terms-out, door, milk, Carl & thanks; every visitor was greeted with a hello but don't touch me-yet.  Originally named for her constant loud purring, she communicated well even though her meow was more human than cat. She couldn't say 'brush me', but was recently able to convince me to keep her groomed by bringing me to the closet & looking ragged. Harley considered herself our caretaker, reminding us of bedtime by a game of unblinking staring until we finally turned out the lights or responded 'go to sleep'. If I painted late in the studio she would continue to visit me & scratch herself on the easel, shaking it until I responded with a pat. She may have been part border collie the way she herded us to bed.

 This summer was rough on Harley-sleeping 23.5 hours a day can wear one out. Stray cats were clamoring for ownership of territory which finally diminished to the area of the porch chair cushion. Her health failed until it was difficult to navigate the stairs & she stopped eating. We knew she was fulfilling her own 'bucket list' when she tried sleeping on the air bed with Jeremy & Robin & then Chris had her company in his bed. This was truly unusual from a cat who never slept with anyone or stayed on a lap more than 2 minutes. With ten in the house for Christmas week, Harley had a private goodbye with each of us. 

Harley preferred sunshine, sleeping outdoors & drinking puddle water, she was a serious hunter & kept a collection of  mice, voles & bird remains on the porch for us to enjoy.  Sunning herself, she always managed to keep her hot black fur in the shade for serious naps. 

Harley's hummer is silenced & it is awful quiet around here.

Half Shade Harley, photo 2008

Think Green at Art Dialogue Gallery

Imagine this in an 8 ply mat with wide margins, mounted in a carved old gold color wood frame. It's at Art Dialogue Gallery this month, for the "Think Green" theme exhibit. On view from January 7  there will be a closing reception on January 30th 4-6 pm. Although so many of my paintings deal with green-nature, landscapes, plants, I chose this for the Buffalo show because of its rural location, and the natural life that can be found at the Wellsville, NY  home of Monica & Mike White. Eliminating the plastic & artificiality of suburban society, it is the ultimate in green-entertainment is in nature, & a green lifestyle is entirely possible. 'Home Grown' was added to the title as it hung on my studio wall.

'Home Grown, Wellsville Window', 14x14 pastel, 2007

Holidaze

After a December Open Studio, two extra events at which my work was featured & a house full of cookies, sweets & family, I find that my recent artistic output has been limited - mostly food & decorations. A large painting of the Polechetti's pink house at 555 Pine Ave in Lockport is still in progress & has benefited from the extra time for evaluation & reflection.

I think this is the 25th year creating our Christmas cards. At first it was difficult, as we had to convince our little kids to do line drawings of Santa or trees that could be reduced & copied on the technology that was available-copy machines, one step up from a mimeograph. Color copies were next, but we could only choose ONE color! Collages, paint, glitter, photos of artwork, screen prints, individual collages, we did it all as a family each year. 25 years ago boxed envelopes came in two sizes-legal & letter, all in white. Using digital cameras with Photoshop & Adobe InDesign our cards became totally professional, we have several friends who still don't know we send them 'homemade' Christmas cards.

One thing we try to do is make card sending fun, so they often come late. Fine with me. This year is particularly busy, so although all the components are ready, the art is printed & the draft is prepared, cards are still here-for at least a few more days.

Tangled in celebration 8x6, oil 2008 - Schifano Christmas card

Dave's Painting-Niagara Falls Carnegie

This is the original Niagara Falls Carnegie library, commissioned by Dave Young as a gift for his sister, a 'Carnegie Library fan'. Carl worked here for many years & the location of my first Niagara Falls art exhibit when it was the Niagara Arts Council. 

Ever since this was commissioned, I sought other Carnegie libraries in my travels, including a trip to Pittsburgh, home of the Carnegie University & library system. One of the best examples around here is the Art center in North Tonawanda, on Goundry Street. The center entrance has a long walk & it is in a park setting with large green space on the west side.

This was a challenge because the trees & the nearby buildings made it difficult to see the entire Carnegie. Waiting for Fall, leaves fell & the structure appeared. True to my new 'tradition' one of the big trees growing there is not painted, it covered too much architecture. I tried new paints & mediums on this painting, they took forever to dry, but I was able to develop the shadows with layers of glazes in a traditional Renaissance style of application.

Niagara Falls Carnegie, oil 8x10, 2008

Open Studio Show Report

They were absolutely the coldest days of the season so far, every time the door opened the candles quivered in the wind, but it was warm around the fire & in the studio. Friends, neighbors & coworkers came to see the results of three years of painting, & proved that my customers & friends have very good taste in art. Several of the most loved Niagara Falls paintings as well other plein air from the local area went to new homes. Diane Brady found the little  jewel 'Biggest Tree in Buckhorn' on the studio shelf. I learned that a favorite subject, the Falls area, is the first choice of most everyone. At the end of the weekend there are few large Niagara Falls painting prints available. I keep my editions of prints to 10 or less copies so I will have to go & paint some new original pictures, or choose different paintings to put into a print edition.

Thank you to everyone who braved the cold, it was wonderful to hear your comments & answer questions about the art of artmaking. The wet paintings showed artistic process involved, working on large works takes two to three months while the small plein air paintings are much faster to complete. I enjoy having my studio in my home because I can pick up a brush at anytime, & also have the opportunity to bring works in progress into my living area to evaluate & fine tune the elements of art before it is finished.

Call to make arrangements to visit the studio if you were busy, all the work is available onwalls for viewing, there just won't be so many cookies!

Buckhorn's Biggest Tree, oil, 8x10, collection of Diane Brady

Niagara's Morning Mists, pastel 12x18, collection of Barbara & Dick Brzyski

Sunday AM Falls, oil, 16x20, collection of Mary Marcinkowski

Niagara Falls Teachers-Show & Sell event

We had a 'show & sell' at the Como restaurant on Thursday, and the food was spectacular, the guests were friendly & the displays were terrific. This is Dick Brzyski checking out prints with Sharon Fundalinski to his left. I shared a table with her so we could confuse everyone about our work, but they figured us out, our work is different enough & they were paying attention!

You can see the Twist O the Mist, Carnegie Library, Frontier House & 'Niagara Morning Mist' paintings.

New paintings in Niagara Falls

Niagara Arts & Cultural Center's Winter Show opens next Friday Night with a big red door & red balloon celebration, a Hell's Kitchen cook preparing food, violinist playing to the crowd, open studios and prizes. Carl and I are each represented by two artworks.
and Kate Koperski.
The forsythia painting had won the pastel award at Market Street Art Gallery in Lockport in the Spring.

Spring Gold 2007  12x18, pastel  2007

Winter-EastWest Road in Buckhorn 22x30 oil, 2008 [formerly titled 'The Road to Work']

Family Justice Center, Buffalo NY

One's pastel, the other is oil, both were painted on location with the Fairweather Paletteers at Thursday paint outs. They were donated to the first juried art show & auction to benefit the Family Justice Center of Erie County. The benefit was held at Asbury Hall [Ani DeFranco's The Church] last Tuesday & I am pleased to say that my two paintings were among the sold ones at the end of the night. It was a lovely affair, wine & food, live music & a lot of excellent artwork on display. Burchfield's Future Trees, although purchased, will remain at the FJC offices until May 2009.

Burchfield's Future Trees,  pastel 8x10 2006

[Buffalo] Botanic Garden Orchids, oil 20x16 2007