Finished WIP "Old Canoe' Fall painting

 'Old Canoe'  14 x 11" on Ampersand Gessobord

 

Photo of the finished piece.  It is at the scanners so I will have a better pic for making prints.  I am not a very good photographer so I get them scanned so customers can order large prints that will be crisp and clear.  The colors in the original piece are brighter - especially the canoe. 

 

I love fall and painting fall scenes.  This reference photo was courtesy of Wet Canvas, a great tool for artists with no strings attached.  People have told me that I like bright colors.  I guess I do if that is what the piece calls for.  I can just as easily use more subdued colors for the right painting.  Check out 'Pont Vecchio Landscape' below.  This painting is from a photo taken on a dark day in the morning.  Visit  http://lynne-reichhart.artistwebsites.com/ to purchase prints of this piece.  Prints of 'Old Canoe' will be available shortly once I get the scanned image back.

 

 Thanks for visiting and come back next week for a new installment~



Featured art - Caffe Gilli Acrylic painting award winner!

I will be featuring a piece of my artwork from time to time and giving some background on it.  This week I am featuring my painting titled 'Gillis'. Caffe Gilli is a wonderful Patisserie in Florence, Italy.  I just added the original for sale on Daily Paintworks  and Etsy so I wanted to showcase it.

This painting is near and dear to my heart since it won me a Best in Show ribbon at a juried show I entered.  I was floored and so grateful.  This is what the judge had to say about the painting:  "Composition strong with elements of storytelling.  Color transition carries your eye through the piece.  This painting successfully tells a story complete with a get-a-way car :)"  I thank her for the kind words and the recognition. 

My husband travelled to Florence for work and I eagerly tagged along.  It was a wonderful trip and I came away with many reference photos for future paintings.  This one really had me eager to paint it.  Reflections and food - what's not to like??  I have to admit that I had a real craving for biscotti the whole time I was working on it.

Thanks for reading!  Please leave a comment if you get a chance.

Le Peacock est FINI!!! painting work in progress done!

I have finished the bird!  I really enjoyed this one though stone work is not on my top list of subjects.  The peacock himself was surprisingly easier than expected.  I have a tip for you if you are painting something intimidating.  Rotate your canvas so it just looks like shapes!  It is amazing how it will look like your subject when you turn it right side up.  I use this technique all the time.

I have to try to photograph it again - once the sun is out.  I really hate photographing my paintings, but between a tripod and Paint shop pro, I usually manage to get a decent likeness. 

I also really enjoyed the 24x12 canvas size.  It helps modernize the piece even though the subject is tried and true.  Feel free to comment and let me know what you think.

Don't forget that my business card giveaway ends tomorrow so be sure to enter.

Florence we hardly knew ye! THE ART

I had the opportunity to tag along with my hubby to Florence, Italy in January so YOU BET I took it!  He went for work so would be occupado for 3 days, but the great thing about Florence is that you can walk the city center easily - much of it is a no traffic zone as well.  Being an artist, Florence is da bomb!  I plan to post a couple of installments on this trip starting with the art.

You can see work by the Great Masters like Botticelli, Da Vinci and Michangelo.  It takes your breath away.  You can't take photos in the museums, but I got one of this Michelangelo sculpture in the Medici Chapels. 

It seems that many of Michelangelos sculptures were never completely finished.  Maybe he had the first case of ADD :)

This is a copy of Michelangelo's David that stands in the Palazzo della Signoria.    Unlike previous depictions of David which portray the hero after his victory over Goliath, Michelangelo chose to represent David before the fight contemplating the battle yet to come.  The apprehension on his face is palpable.  I did see the original David as well where it was moved inside to preserve it at the Gallerie dell’Accademia in 1873.

The thing that really strikes you about cities like Florence is the depth of history there.  We are such a young country in comparison.  To think that this sculpture was done between 1501-1504.

The Uffizi Gallery is the premiere museum of Florence and is also known as the National Gallery.  One thing about going to Florence in January is the typically substantial crowds are not a problem.  You usually need to get tickets for this museum to avoid the 3-4 hour wait to get in, but we were able to just walk right in and enjoy the artwork without being herded through.  This was my favorite piece.

The Birth of Venus by Botticelli. This is a very large painting  (67.9 in × 109.6 in).  Those Renaissance painters spared no paint!

The grand old churches are another great attraction.  They are filled with artwork by great artists of the time.

We stayed in a lovely hotel that looked out on to a view of the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella.  I took this photo out of the hotel window.

 

 
The second photo is just a sample of the artwork that can be found in The Santa Maria Novella.  This is The Holy Trinity by Masaccio.  The scale, age and importance of these pieces is just overwhelming and humbling.  Many of them took years to complete.  We take things for granted like premixed paint in tubes, pre-stretched canvas, ready made synthetic brushed.  Many of the masters worked in egg tempura before the 15th century and beyond.  This is a permanent fast drying painting medium consisting of colored pigment mixed with a water-soluble binder medium (usually a glutinous material such as egg yolk or some other size)  They mixed their own paint and worked on wood they prepared.  These are the ingredients of a masterpiece!
 
Well I've 'rambled' on enough for now.  Next installment I'll cover some other highlights.