DRAW, DRAWING, DRAWN

As I begin my Italy series, I of course went through all my photos from my trip to Rome and Tuscany last year.  We came across this young man while walking through the Forum.  Tourist everywhere but he never even picked up his head, so in the moment was he.  

I am now ready to put myself in that zone for the next few months.  But if you are expecting to see paintings of the Vatican or the Colosseum I'm afraid you may be dissapointed.  I am much more interested in the small side scenes.  I plan to focus the series on the activities in the streets, the people, wether local or tourists and the many contrasts of the modern world on this acient place.

I haven't drawn people or architecture in a very long time.  Which is one of the reasons I am so excited about this next batch of paintings.  I love the contrasts and meshing of todays world here in a place so filled with ancient history.  Here the mix of the British teenagers gathered around the balloon stand all the while a hundreds year old religious painting looks down on the scene from the corner of the building.
Drawing architecture brings me back to linear perspective drawing.  An old favorite of mine.  You can see the vanishing point and converging lines I used here on my street drawing. While in college in Philadelphia, I spend a lot of time drawing around the city, including one long day in the Cathedral drawing the inside of the cavernous space.  I wish I had kept those drawings but I remember it so clearly.

This is my name in 3 point perspective.  I had this posted on the door of my classroom for many years.
I loved teaching one and two perspective to my middle school students but, honestly, the kids hated it.  They complained that it was too much thinking for art class.  (sigh)

‎"Drawing is not a natural act. You've got this flatness and you have to learn to lie about it." 
Wayne Thiebaud 1920--

Well, time to paint!

Autumn's Last

I began putting this scene together last Fall.  I had this fun vase in my dining room and deceided to put it to work.  I had just visited our local dairy farm and picked up these little pumpkins for decoration, so they went in too.  And I had this fabric just waiting for a spot to use it in.  I was cleaning up the gardens  and these flowers were the last left standing.  

They served me well all summer and deserved a proper farewell.

First, a very detailed drawing.  I use both sketches made on site and the many photos I took at the scene.  I love to draw.  It's that simple.  And this kept me busy for a couple of days.  The flowers were easy but getting the roundness of the vase and all those flowing stripes to read as 3D on a 2D surface was challenging but awesome fun!

Color begins.  It's the reason I put all this together.  Lots of mixology here.  

Loved painting all those stripes!

Ok, that was fun but now it's time to slow down and access what I've done so far.  

I have this sitting in bright sunlight which means there are lots of deep shadows to come.

With this many colors you have to be sure not to loose your focus.  Here I mean the focus to be on the vase and three pumpkins.

Did I mention that the whole scene is sitting on my grass lawn?  

You may look at the grassy background and think I painstakingly laid in every blade.  But I actually cheated a little.  I first laid in a green wash, let it completely dry, and used my trusty Fineline Masquepen simulating blades of grass over the green wash.  I rubbed off the Masquepen the next morning and washed in more values of green in key areas to appear like grass in the sunshine.

"Autumn's Last", Watercolor, 18" x 24"

©Carmella Tuliszewski 2013

Shadows.  Always love this part.  I usually use the subject's complement to create an interesting dark.

But here with so many subjects, which complement to use?  I went with a bluish black with varying degrees of Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna.  The danger of working from a photo is that you may end up putting too much in.  My reference had many more and darker shadows than appear here.  

I left them out and toned down some areas to keep the focus on the vase and pumpkins.

I have given myself a few deadlines to meet over the next few months of winter. 

I really would like to be juried into my local art league and a watercolor society show this spring.

There are also a few art festivals this sumer I'm hoping to be juried into where I can sell originals and prints.  Don't know if this one will make submission but, I'll see how some of my other ideas go the next few weeks.

Thank you so much for taking the time to view my work.

Personal Christmas Joys

First of all, Santa did stop by the Tuliszewski house and left a few things which make my geeky artist's heart very happy.

Now my prize possessions, three Kolinsky Sable brushes.
These are the Porche of brushes, a fine point, amazing spring...
I haven't actually used them yet but can't wait!

I have been curious about the Photoshop program to use with my research phtotos as a way to enhance and manipulate the image.  A way to play around with the not so perfect photo or to experiment with the tantilizing possibilities.  And if you are thinking this is nothing really new, you are correct that I am late to the whole digitial show.  But I am trying to catch up!

And my ten years of Watercolor Magazine on CD.  I have only gone thru the first year and bookmarked some articles to go back to.  I find these helpful when I feel stuck, just can't get started or back to a piece or for plain inspiration.

My sister-in-law asked me to design and paint these bulletin boards for her grand daughters.

Which I was happy to do.  They were fun and so different from the way I usually paint that I found it a freeing experience.  Fun, colorful doodles!

And in the most creative gift category, my future daught-in-law, Jenni, made this very unique ornament for me.  Our shore town took a direct hit from hurricane Sandy this year.  We were very lucky in that our damage was minimal compared to our neighbors.  While Jenni was part of the Sandy clean up crew she found this fishing lore in the debris around our house.  She had it made into an ornament complete with engraving.

I hope you enjoyed your holiday and that 2013 will be happy, healthy and peaceful for all.

Stripes Galore

I began this painting with a set up and drawing in October.  While searching through my research, fully intending to begin an Italian street scene, I found it.  So, yes, side tracked yet again.  But the colors in this are so captivating to me that that I thought it's a good way to end the year.

I expect this to take me right to the end of the year.  And I am enjoying a lot of Christmas music as I go.

  Happy New Year,  friends!

Christmas Card 2012

I wanted to do a design with this year's Christmas card that celebrated our trip to Italy.  

After Rome we stayed in the Chianti region of Tuscany.  These Chianti bottles were hanging around a doorway of a little shop where we had lunch.  It was a beautiful spring day with the locals passing by on their daily routines.  It still feels surreal that we were there at all but seeing these bottles reminds me of days like that not to mention all the wonderful food and wine we enjoyed.

"Salute!"

Watercolor, 14" x 20"

Carmella Tuliszewski © 2012

I don't know if you can tell but this painting is a little different for me.  

It brought me back to my greeting card design days in that it's executed more loosely and,

 for me, less detail.  And it's really meant to be an illustration and not a fine art piece.

The ribbon, star and most of the leaves are invented rather than working from a reference.

Actually, after the bottles were complete I never looked at the reference again and worked spontaeously.  I am resisting putting viens in all the leaves and trying to be more looose and let the value be the defining force.  

     

Memories of one of many days in Italy.

Buon Natale!

Flower Feast Finally Finished!

This was an amazing project for me and I hope you enjoyed watching my progress over the summer and fall.  

"Snickers"

Watercolor, 12" x 18"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

"Snickers" was the first in this series.  And yes I have since changed the name to something more fun.  As I was painting these lovely little orchids they always seemed to be smiling at me.

"Promenade"

Watercolor,  12" x 18"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

I've kept this up on my board all this time because i just love looking at it.  The colors found in natural things are endlessly fancinating.

"Entwined"

Watercolor, 12" x 18"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

Another name change that I like much better.  I made this glow even more by darkening the blue background a bit and touching a little orange in the shadows.

"Sparkle"

Watercolor,  12" x 18"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

I reworked this some also to give the flowers more star quality.

"Tuscan Suns"

Watercolor,  12" x 18"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

The first work from my trip to Italy this year.  Really looking forward to devling more into the "Italy" paintings as it will be a challenge for me.  Less flowers and more people, architecture and street scenes. 

"Torches"

Watercolor, 12" x 18"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

This is the one with which I really had my best moments.

I really hate to part with any of these!  But the paintings are piling up and it's time to share.

So, my ESTY shop is up and running if you care to take a look.  The link is at the top left of this site.
Am I crazy to open a shop for selling art in this economy? Maybe.
I am taking a very conservative business approach to this by keeping the prices on originals as fair as possible and offering  affordable Giclee reproductions.  I found a printing shop close to home that does just beautiful work and whom I can rely on.

I will move onto my christmas card for this year next and then to Italy!
So please stop by again.

Tuscan Suns Complete

I love the color in this and it is a good piece to end my series on.  Next I will go over all six pieces, make corrections and enhancements and finish setting up my ESTY shop.  

I have found a great little shop to print Giclee prints and will offer a few prints of my work in my shop.

I will take a very conservative business approach to this as we all know the market is very tight these days.  I will be back with all six together and I would love to know which top two you think I should have printed.  Till next time, thanks for viewing!

"Tuscan Suns"

Watercolor,  12" x 18"

©Carmella Tuliszewski