A Painting a Week

New Blog

2011-11-16T00:04:00.000+01:00

I've started my blog anew on

http://regulascheifele.blogspot.com/ .

Please come and visit me there!

Coffee Shop paintings

2010-02-21T19:20:00.009+01:00

Two paintings this week - they were obviously done as a series, and I just sold one of them two weeks ago.

They were inspired by photos I've taken in autumn on a not-too-sunny afternoon, almost early evening. Just that time of the year where it's not yet winter but definitely getting there. The coffee shop still had the little tables on the boardwalk, but folks were sitting inside, warming their hands on a cup of coffee, cappuccino, mocha. Watching the people go by, letting their thoughts drift. Reading the paper or catching up with a good friend.

There's something cosy and soothing about such scenes - I hope I somehow captured it.

"Coffee Shop, 4pm"
acrylic on canvas
50 x 40 cm

"Coffee Shop, 7pm"
acrylic on canvas
40 x 50 cm

As I said before, I've just sold "Coffee Shop, 4pm" - and since I have an exhibition coming up and don't want to hang "7pm" all on it's own, I just started on another Coffee Shop painting to go with it.
At the moment it's only at the very first stage, but I might post a sneak preview soon.

Karin Jurick - A Thank You

2010-02-13T11:39:00.010+01:00

In December posted about the portrait I did of a fellow artist for a portrait challenge over at Karin Jurick wonderful blog "Different Strokes From Different Folks". It was such a great experience and a treat to watch 180 artist rising up to the challenge.
A few days after the portraits were posted I received an email from Jill Polsby. She also took part in the portrait exchange and had a great idea: let's put together a special Thank You to Karin for starting DSFDF in general and for the December project in particular. Of course I was exited to contribute to this Thank You.

Since this was Jill's idea and hard work, I'll let her describe the project:

"In December 2009, Karin Jurick through her wonderful website "Different Strokes From Different Folks", mounted a portrait challenge. 180 people from around the world were to submit a head and shoulders photo of themselves to Karin so that some other person of the 180 would paint it. Painters painted each other anonymously and then Karin posted all of the wonderful paintings and drawings on the Blog.

She also created fantastic YouTube videos of the photo morphing into the painting. Be sure and take a look at these as well. It's a fabulous viewing experience!!
Video 1 - Video 2 - Video 3 - Video 4

As a Thank You to Karin Jurick Tribute, 118 of the above 180 artists (those who could be located) painted a portrait of Karin from a photograph supplied to them by Jill Polsby. I've created a link to the Picasa Album for everyone to enjoy and created a Snapfish book that was mailed to Karin as a huge thank you from her fans.

I can't thank everyone enough for their enthusiastic response to this Thank You Project for Karin. Thank you!!"

So here is my version of Karin - hope she likes it!

"Karin Jurick - a driving force!"
oil on canvas
20 x 20 cm

The Colour of the Year 2010....

2010-01-26T12:09:00.022+01:00

I just came across a post on ‘Bliss Following’ (isn’t that a great title for a blog?) announcing Pantone’s choice for Colour of the year 2010.

Now for those of you who are wondering now, it’s not ‘Panettone’ (which is 'a typical sweet yeast bread of Milan, usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year around Italy, and one of the symbols of the city’ and really delicious).

Pantone is – according to Wikipedia - “a company best known for its Pantone Matching System (PMS), a proprietary color space used in a variety of industries, primarily printing, though sometimes in the manufacture of colored paint, fabric, and plastics.” Or according to Mitzi Easley from ‘Bliss Following’ they simply are the color gurus of the world. I like her description better!

For some years now, Pantone has announced a Color of the Year. And the Color of the Year for 2010 is ….. Turquoise!

And since it’s Pantone we’re talking about, the color is actually ‘PANTONE 15-5519’. You can find their press release here.

My first reaction was: Great, I love turquoise! Funny enough I’m even wearing a turquoise scarf today!

And next I tried to think of paintings I’ve done with a strong turquoise accent…. hmm…. i know I use turquoise quite often… hmmm….
The only paintings I could think of were done some time ago and use turquoise as a (muted) background color or simply mixed into other colors. The best example would be my coffee series (Link 1 and Link 2).

So…. the idea for a new series is born! I’d like to do some paintings featuring Turqoise, but also the colors of the previous years: Violet Tulip (2005), Chili Pepper (2007), Blue Iris (2008) and Mimosa (2009) – and of course Cerulean Blue, the color of the Millennium.

What about you? – It would be great to see how other artists incorporate Turqoise in their artwork! Show us what you’re doing!

Technorati tags: pantone color painting

Lean on Me

2010-01-21T17:17:00.008+01:00

When I started this blog in 2007 I had made a New Year's Resolution to complete a painting a week. Looking back on that year I actually did quite well, I got into the swing of taking the time (mostly on weekends) to paint a small piece in one to two hours.
This was great practice, I learned a lot and really think I improved through this exercise.

But as so often (and I hope I'm not the only one like that) my focus changed from one thing to the next - that's the problem with being interested in many things - and I concentrated on painting bigger canvases, more abstract, and taking more time. Definitely more than two hours once a week.

For this year I hope to be able to combine both interests (and more). So I plan to:
- keep working on bigger canvases in my studio
- coming back to doing smaller, quick paintings
- sketching! (that's a scary idea for me, but I'm sure it'll pay out...)
- and subject wise concentrating on portraits and the human figure.

Sounds good, doesn't it?

This is a piece I finished end of last year. It's a commission by a very dear friend and it's going to her brother and sister-in-law as a wedding gift.

"Lean on Me"

Acrylic on Canvas

80 x 80 cm

I'll deliver it this evening - hope they like it!

Mamina

2010-01-05T16:36:00.017+01:00

Trying to get back into 'blogging mode' I'd like to post a portrait I did some while ago. Since I was not actively blogging at that time it might still considered 'new'...

This is a portrait of my grandmother I did from an old b/w photograph, taken some 40 years ago. It means a lot to me.

"Mamina"
acrylics on canvas panel

I've just started another portrait, probably using oil colours again. While acrylics is 'my first love', I want to get more proficient with oils as well. I do have to agree that the finish and soft sheen of oil is beautiful....

Portrait of an Artist

2009-12-31T16:44:00.008+01:00

Well, it's only been a few hours since my last post. But I wanted to show you the portrait I did of a fellow artist as part of the Portrait Exchange Challenge over at "Different Strokes from Different Folks".

As I said in my last post, I was struggling to find the time to paint this. I actually planned to do only the underpainting in acrylics and then switch to oils, but decided to stay with acrylics. So while this portrait does not have the lush oil finish, it feels fresh and almost like a sketch.
One thing I did not really master in the last two years is taking a photograph of my artwork.

So here's my portrait of Vern.

"Vern"
Acrylic on canvas bord,
28x30 cm

And since likeness is always 'good to have' when painting a portrait, I'll post the reference I got from Vern - and thank you for the great photo to work from!

Happy New Year!

Two Years Later....

2009-12-31T14:51:00.014+01:00

Well... the last sentence in this blog was "I'll update again once I'm back...".

I did not spend two years away, but somehow did not get to update this blog for such a long time. But many things kept me from blogging. Work life has been busy, I bought a flat and moved this summer. And at the beginning of this year I finally found my own studio - together with my good friend and painting buddy Sonja. So now I finally have the place to work on bigger pieces!

And in the summer - just before moving - we had our first exhibition and it was a great success.
Just to show you some of the newer paintings - click here!

Hopefully things will settle down a bit in the new year and I'll get around to posting again. Probably not a painting a week though...

One thing I meant to do for a long time now was taking part in the great experience that is "Different Strokes from Different Folks", a blog by Karin Jurick. Karin posts a photograph about every two weeks, and everybody who wants to can paint from this photo in his / her own style. Digital pictures of the artwork can then be sent to Karin and she posts it on the blog. A great way to show how different folks see and interpret the same photo and how different the results can be.
This year end challenge was sending a self-portrait photograph to Karin who sends you a photograph of someone else to paint! Definitely a challenge!

I got a great picture to paint, and was getting desperate to find enough time to paint it. I'm glad to say I finished in time, all that's left is to get a picture of it and send it to Karin. I'll post it here as well of course.

The photo of myself that I sent to Karin was very similar to one that I had used before for painting a self-portrait. I'll post this one here now, you'll see what my 'portrait challenge partner' did from his photo once I post the link to it.

Here's my self-portrait (first try, there will be more I'm sure...)

I'll post again soon - but first: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

On the road again....

2007-09-24T20:44:00.000+01:00

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...

2007-08-31T07:25:00.000+01:00

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 - My First Collage Work

2007-08-21T23:05:00.000+01:00

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.

"Flutterby"
Mixed media and collage on canvas,
30x30 cm
Ich wollte schon seit längerem eine Collage machen, und vor ein paar Wochen habe ich die richtige Inspiration gefunden: einige Photos von meiner kleinen Nichte, die leider unscharf wurden.
Also habe meinen Akrylfarben genommen, dazu Neocolor II (wasserlösliche Wachspastelle), Farbstifte sowie einige Fotokopien - et voilà, meine erste Collage!

Ich habe das Bild "Flutterby" genannt, auf deutsch wäre das wohl ein "Metterschling" - frei nach dem Gedicht "Der verdrehte Schmetterling" von Mira Lobe:

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.

Technorati tags: acrylic collage mixed media portrait

Pass me the Soup, please....

2007-08-14T23:04:00.000+01:00

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...)

"Weiningen, 6:01pm"
acrylics on canvas panel,
30x24 cm
Das heutige Bild ist eine neue Version von "Weinigen, 6pm" von letzter Woche. Mein Ziel war, das intensive Grün der Wiese und der Bäume etwas zurück zu nehmen und eine harmonische Farbgebung zu finden. Dazu benutze die Idee der "Pigment Soup" - eine Grundfarbe, die in klein(st)en Mengen jeder anderen benutzen Farbe beigemischt wird. In meinem Fall war das "Davy's Grey", einer neutralen/gräulichen Farbe, die ich mit Nepalgelb etwas 'angewärmt' habe.
Mir gefällt diese zweite Version besser - und Euch?

Technorati tags: acrylic acrylic painting plein air landscape Switzerland Color Colour

Sunday, 6pm

2007-08-10T16:34:00.001+01:00

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!

"Weiningen, 6pm"
acrylics on canvas panel,
30x24 cm
Letzten Sonntag wollte ich den Blick auf einen kleinen Teich in der Nähe malen, aber das Licht am Abend war nicht wirklich geeignet. Also habe ich mich kurzerhand mit dem Rücken zum Teich aufgestellt und dafür diese Wiese gemalt. Der lange Schatten, der sich (viel zu schnell!) über die Wiese legte, war mein Fokus bei diesem Bild, aber ich hatte dann doch etwas zu wenig Zeit nach meinem Geschmack. Das Resultat ist... nun ja, sicher mal ziemlich grün!

Technorati tags: acrylic acrylic painting plein air landscape Switzerland

My Style ... Musings and a Decision (August 7, 2007)

2007-08-07T18:02:00.000+01:00

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."

Ok. So style can refer to one or many of those points:
-> Choice (and handling) of media
-> Choice of subject
-> Technique (including choice of colour pallet)
-> Composition
-> Aesthetic values
-> Individual perception of the world
-> Message, statement of a painting

What is my style (so far)? - I'm not sure I have one. Meaning I do not have a distinct and consistent style.
I paint mainly in acrylics, but I also use coloured pencil, do sometimes dabble in oils (figuratively speaking!) and have just been working on a mixed media piece.
Subject-wise I love doing portraits, I've done quite a few still lifes (mainly fruits and cups) and started painting Plein Air.
My colour pallet is not restricted at all, though I have my favourite colours like burnt sienna, naples yellow, cad reds and cerulean blue or king's blue.
Composition is something I find very interesting and intriguing - down to applying mathematical rules (see my post on mmmmm) – but I'm not consciously concentrating on composing my paintings.

Hmm…. so is there a common denominator in my list? A style evolving?
It might actually be easier to say what I'm NOT doing (pet portraits, wildlife, fantasy…).

Then I read some blog posts (including Maggie's and Katherine's) and articles and though I did not find THE answer to my questions I found a way to proceed. It's actually something I've always felt was important, but didn't really act upon: building a body of work.

Definition:
1) "A body of work is the term used to describe the collection of paintings an artist has done that are typical of their style, approach, or techniques."
2) "A collection of developed and assembled works (usually by one artist) that represents an investigation or study."

OK, now we're talking. In order to build a body of work I need to decide on a well-defined and focused way of working. One media, one subject matter, maybe one size, one colour pallet,… you get the meaning!
Imagine I'm doing an exhibition and want my paintings to have a coherent and harmonious look. I don't think I'd mix and match all my paintings and drawings on one wall, coloured pencil portrait next to acrylic kitchen still life, Tuscan landscape next to abstract piece. Instead I'd want to focus on one theme like "Under the Tuscan Sun" or "Coffee Time". If I can't come up with a (distinct) name for the exhibition then I probably haven't built a distinct body of work either.
About.com puts it that way:

"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."

Soooo…. at the end of this long and winding post, what does this all mean for me?

-> I decide (for the time being) not to worry too much about my personal and distinctive style but trust that It'll develop more and more with each painting I do.
-> I decide to (further) concentrate on building a body of work.
-> In addition I'm "allowed" to experiment.

Ok – doesn't that sound good?
So much for theory. Here's the 'but': Going back on what I just said I probably will be building two bodies of work. I just don't feel like narrowing down my choice of subject matter to just one but want to keep exploring two directions I'm really interested in right now: Plein Air Painting and Everyday Still Lifes.

Plein Air "translates from French to English as in the open air, and describes painting outdoors rather than in a studio. In Italian the term alfresco is used." (wikipedia.org). I started painting Plein Air in Tuscany this June and really enjoy the experience and challenge. Painting Plein Air teaches me to observe and translate what I see in a totally different way to painting from a reference photo. It also forces me to loosen up and focus on the essentials. By "Everyday Still Lifes" I mean smaller paintings done at home (or 'in the studio' if I had one) whose subject matter may be anything at hand. In my case either fruit or (coffee) cups, again done from life and mostly in one session - and ideally several similar paintings (same subject) in a row.

So (assuming I haven't lost all my readers somewhere in this long post) - what do you think?

I've promised you some links, here they are:

Interesting reads with reference to 'Style' / 'Body of Work':

• "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

Artists whose work I admire:

• 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!

Technorati tags: style painting style

Watermelon

2007-07-27T07:17:00.000+01:00

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?

"Watermelon"
acrylics on canvas panel,
30x24 cm
Letzten Samstag war endlich ein heisser Sommertag - was gibt es da besseres als ein Stück kühler, saftiger Wassermelone!
Ach ja, und ich habe die Hintergrundfarbe meines Blogs geändert - was denkt ihr?

Edited to say: Feedblitz again ignores my posting, so I'll just repost... hope it works...

Technorati tags: acrylic acrylic painting still life

Along the River / Fischerstube

2007-07-16T00:15:00.001+01:00

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!

"Along the River / Fischerstube"
acrylics on canvas panel,
30x24 cm
Letzten Sonntag hatten wir den heissesten Tag in diesem Sommer (bis jetzt) - also habe ich meine Staffelei und meine Malsachen gepackt, mir am Fluss einen guten Ort gesucht und gemalt...
Das fotographieren danach war fast schwieriger.... wer das Bild also im Original sehen will, kann am besten bei mir vorbei kommen!

Technorati tags: acrylic acrylic painting plein air River Landschaft

Memories of Tuscany

2007-07-09T23:52:00.000+01:00

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...

"Memories of Tuscany"
acrylics on canvas, 30x40 cm
Als ich letzten Monat in der Toskana war habe ich -natürlich- auch viele Fotos gemacht. Eines davon habe ich als Vorlage für dieses Bild genommen.
Eigentlich hatte ich gedacht, dass es mir leicht fallen würde, diese Bild zu malen... aber zu meiner Überraschung musst ich mich erst wieder daran gewöhnen, NICHT vor Ort in der Natur zu sein, sondern im Atelier mit einem Foto als Vorlage.
Ich bin mir auch noch nicht sicher, ob mir das Bild gefällt... aber es bringt auf alle Fälle wunderbare Erinnerungen zurück!

Technorati tags: acrylic acrylic painting plein air Tuscany Landschaft

Art and Mathematics

2007-07-05T07:41:00.001+01:00

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

Charentais

2007-06-29T00:00:00.000+01:00

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!

"Charentais"
acrylics on canvas, 24x18 cm
Manchmal läuft beim Malen alles rund, ein anderes mal braucht es etwas mehr 'Kampfgeist'... Diese Bild hat sich fast von selber gemalt - eine wahre Freude! Ich hoffe nur, dass sich die nächsten Bilder ein Beispiel daran nehmen...

Technorati tags: acrylic acrylic painting fruit still life

Feedblitz problems - and a glimps of Tuscany...

2007-06-22T18:35:00.000+01:00

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!

Tuscan Field of Gold

2007-06-17T17:37:00.000+01:00

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....)

"Tuscan Fields of Gold"
acrylics on canvas, 40x30 cm
Obwohl wir vom Wetter nicht sooo verwöhnt wurden (und dafür das Cheminée um so mehr genossen) war der Freitag ein wunderbarer Mal-Tag. Diese Bild habe ich gleich hinter unserem Haus gemalt, und ich muss sagen, dass ich ganz zufrieden bin damit!

A few Links - zum träumen:
- Shauna Shane - a great teacher and a lovely person
- Il Chiostro, 'an inspirational place to work on art while getting to know the magic of Italian culture'

Technorati tags: acrylic acrylic painting plein air Tuscany Workshop Landschaft

My new EasyL

2007-06-01T23:59:00.000+01:00

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.

Once again....

2007-05-25T17:43:00.000+01:00

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)...

"Spring Blossom - take two"
acrylics on canvas, 40x30 cm
Wie ihr wahrscheinlich schon gemerkt habt, male ich gerne Serien, also mehrere Bilder zum gleichen Thema oder mit einem ähnlichen Sujet. In der Absicht, dass ich das Sujet besser kennen lerne und dadurch -hoffentlich - auch die Bilder gewinnen.

Technorati tags: acrylic acrylic painting flowers

Spring Blossom

2007-05-08T11:14:00.001+01:00

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!).

"Spring Blossom"
acrylics on canvas, 40x30 cm
Wir hatten ja das wunderbarste Frühlingswetter schon im April, und auch wenn das nicht 'normal' ist (im Sinne von Globaler Erwärmung) habe ich es genossen. Auch die Kirschbäume haben sich dem Wetter angepasst und bereits im April in voller Pracht geblüht - mit strahlend weissen bis tiefroten Blüten verwandeln sie jede graue Strasse in eine Vorzeige-Allee.
Ich gebe zu, dass mein Bild etwas sehr farbenfroh ist, aber nachdem ich mit einer Untermalung in magenta (sehr intensiv!) begonnen hatte, ist die Endversion geradezu gemässigt ,-)
Meine Mutter war im April im Ausland und hat die Kirschblüte verpasst, daher die Idee zu diesem Bild. Happy Birthday Mum!

Technorati tags: acrylic acrylic painting flowers

"Cucina Italiana"

2007-04-27T22:20:00.000+01:00

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.

"Cucina Italiana"
acrylics on canvas, 13x28 cm
Ehmmmm... ja.... also....
Nun, es gibt keine Ausrede, es ist schon viel zu lange her seit meinem letzten Eintrag. In der Zwischenzeit war ich eine Woche in Marocco, dann war Ostern, und bei dem schönen Frühlingswetter kam ich kaum zum Malen.
Aber ich habe doch eines meiner zwei Bilder fertig. Im Vergleich zu den letzten Bilder habe ich diese in Schichten gemalt, um mehr Tiefe und lebendigere Farben zu erhalten.

Technorati tags: acrylic still life

Neue Webpage

2007-03-19T10:22:00.000+01:00

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!

Bananas

2007-03-08T01:29:00.000+01:00

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.....

"Bananas"
acrylics on canvas, 24x30 cm

Na ja, der Titel des heutigen Bilds ist nicht gerade gestreich und witzig. Eher etwas langweilig...
Trotzdem: für heute hab ich nun mal Bananen gemalt. Zwei Bananen. Einfach und vielleicht auch etwas langweilig.
Das will aber nicht heissen, dass eine Banane langweilig ist, im Gegenteil. Sie ist nicht nur gesund und schmeckt toll, sie ist bereits 'vor-eingepackt', lässt sich gut mitnehmen und ist somit die ideale 'take-away' Verpflegung. Und sie hat eine einmalige Form. Was will man da eigentlich noch mehr?

Technorati tags: acrylic painting from life still life

Shy...

2007-02-28T11:35:00.000+01:00

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)...

"Shy..."
acrylics on canvas, 24x30 cm

Ja, ich weiss, ich habe letzte Woche kein Bild eingestellt. Das kam daher, dass dieses Bild sich etwas gesträubt hat und nur langsam entstehen wollte. Diese Ballerina war erst verägert, dann gelangweilt, und schlussendlich sieht sie etwas schüchtern aus. Vielleicht hat sie in ein paar Minuten ein Vortanzen und versucht, ruhig zu bleiben?

Technorati tags: acrylic dancing figure

Coffee #2 - Espresso

2007-02-14T14:58:00.000+01:00

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?

"Coffee #2 - Espresso"
acrylics on canvas, 13x28 cm

Heute stelle ich auch wieder zwei Bilder ein, wobei nur das erste neu ist. Coffee #2 - Espresso, das vierte Bild in meiner Kaffee-Serie. Und weil die vier zusammen am besten ausschauen habe ich als zweites gleich noch ein Gruppen-Foto eingestellt.
Hmm.... als nächstes hat meine Mutter eine Bestellung aufgegeben: noch eine Espressotasse, aber richtig klein. Fast schon ein Ristretto.
Und was wäre Eure Bestellung?

Technorati tags: acrylic coffee still life

Amaretti (... to go with your coffee!)

2007-02-07T11:39:00.000+01:00

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.

"Amaretti #1"
acrylics on canvas, 13x28 cm
"Amaretti #2"
acrylics on canvas, 13x28 cm

Ich liebe es, wenn ich in einem Restaurant zum bestellten Kaffee noch eine Kleinigkeit dazu serviert wird. Deshalb hier zwei Amaretti zum Kaffee von letzter Woche! Süss, knusprig, leicht... hmmmm. Und weil sie eigentlich perfekt zu einem kleinen Espresso passen, werde ich den als nächstes Malen.

Technorati tags: acrylic sweets still life

Coffee #1 - Black

2007-02-02T17:11:00.001+01:00

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!)

"Coffee #1"
acrylics on canvas, 13x28 cm
Diese Bild hat richtig Spass gemacht und sich fast von selber gemalt - und ich bin sogar ziemlich zufrieden damit!
Kein Wunder, wer mich kennt weiss, dass ich Kaffee liebe. Und Kaffeetassen. Und natürlich Kaffeemaschinen, eigentlich alles an Kaffeezubehör. Cappuccino oder Latte Macchiato, oder einen kleinen türkischen Kaffee (inkl. den dazu passenden Geschichten). Oder lieber einen italienischen Espresso?
Und sonst hätte ich auch etwa 20 verschiedene Teesorten anzubieten - den liebe ich nämlich genauso!

Technorati tags: acrylic coffee still life

... Lily, Rose

2007-01-28T20:56:00.000+01:00

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!

"... Lily, Rose"
after John Singer Sargent
coloured pencil on drafting film,
13x28 cm
Gerade noch rechtzeitig habe ich mein neuestes Bild beendet. Rechtzeitig heisst hier im Januar. Ich beteilige mich damit nämlich am Januar-Projekt einiger meiner Künstler-Freunde, die sich diesen Monat den amerikanischen Maler John Singer Sargent als Thema gewählt haben. Die Links auf einige interessante Blog stehen oben im englischen Teil - es lohnt sich, diesen Maler besser kennen zu lernen!
Und mein 'Kennenlernen' bestand erst mal darin, das ich einen Teil seines Meisterwerkes Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose nachgezeichnet habe, mit Küstlerfarbstiften auf Acetatfolie.
Ich habe viel dabei gelernt und bin mittlerweilen ein grosser Sargent Fan geworden!

Technorati tags: coloured pencil jss john singer sargent

Center Stage

2007-01-23T23:41:00.000+01:00

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!

"Center Stage"
acrylic on board, 18x24 cm
Gut, ICH kenne ja die Grundregeln der Bildkomposition - diese tapfere kleine Tomate anscheinend nicht: stolz sitzt sie mitten im Zentrum des Bildes. Center Stage. Nicht einmal das Scheinwerferlicht kann sie aus der Ruhe bringen. Kein Wanken, kein Zögern. Heldenhaft! ;-)
Auf der Webpage Daily Painters Art Gallery werden täglich eine Auswahl von Bildern verschiedenster Künstler gezeigt, und mir gefallen Bilder von Gemüse oder Früchten besonders gut. Daher die Tomate in der Hauptrolle. Und wenn ich beim Gemüse- und Früchtekorb durch bin, wage ich mich an Süssigkeiten. Nur als Malobjekt, natürlich. What else...

Technorati tags: acrylic painting from life still life

Winter Path

2007-01-13T17:39:00.000+01:00

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!

"Snow Path"
acrylic on board, 30x30 cm
15 Grad, Sonnenschein, Vogelgezwitscher. Die ersten Pollen fliegen (schönen Gruss an alle Allergiker!) und die Cafés haben sicher auch schon Tisch und Stühle nach draussen gestellt.
Frühling? - Toll, aber wäre es nicht eigentlich Winter?
Ich vermisse den Schnee, darum hier diese Winterlandschaft... vielleicht sieht's ja bald auch hier ähnlich aus!

Technorati tags: acrylic painting landscape winter

Yes, I'm painting....

2007-01-10T15:05:00.000+01:00

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.

"Paint Tubes"
oil on board, 18x24 cm
Schon ist wieder Mittwoch und ich habe noch kein neues Bild eingestellt - aber ich arbeite daran!
Das Bild für diese Woche ist ein Pendant zu Landschaft "Country Road" von letzter Woche. Und es war schon am Montag fast fertig. Aber eben, 'fast fertig' ist noch lange nicht 'ganz fertig'!
Bis ich soweit bin hier ein anderes Bild, gemalt im letzten Jahr. Passend, denn es zeigt so in etwa, wie es auf meinem Tisch gerade ausschaut!

So, zurück an die Staffelei - back to painting!

Technorati tags: oil painting from life

Country Road

2007-01-03T01:35:00.000+01:00

"Country Road"
acrylic on board, 30x30 cm

Here's my first painting on this blog. And one of very few landscapes so far.
I bought a very good book some while ago, "The Acrylic Painter's Book of Styles & Techniques" and got inspired by one of William Hook's paintings. I like how little information is needed to make the painting work - and I love the warm glow of the golden fields. I plan to use this style for some more landscapes to come!

Hier also mein erstes Bild in diesem Blog - und eine der ersten Landschaften seit langem!
Inspiriert hat mich ein Bild von William Hook. Hier zeigt sich, dass es kaum Details braucht, um ein Bild wirken zu lassen. Und das warme goldenen Ocker der Felder gehört zu meinen Liebligsfarben.
Für das nächste Bild werde ich wahrscheinlich im selben Stil arbeiten.

Technorati tags: acrylic painting landscape

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T15:33:00.000+01:00

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!

Not really there yet - Noch nicht ganz wach...

2006-11-19T21:43:00.000+01:00

Ja, viel gibt's hier noch nicht, aber ich arbeite daran! Schaut bald wieder rein, es lohnt sich!

No, you didn't type in the wrong URL, I'm just nor really there yet - but I'm soon posting some content, please check back in!