I’m thrilled that restaurants and bars are open again.
For the industry in general and for the patrons!
Pre-covid, I’d started a series of paintings using
restaurant and bar scenes as a subject.
I’d put them aside once I ran out of reference material,
so it’s fun to be back at it.
Late Party
20 x 16 oil
Capital Grill is a favorite spot for so many Bostonians and fun to paint.
It’s very dark so the lit oil paintings, lamps, and lanterns
are a great contrast.
And are very recognizable.
I haven’t painted plein air in years, but last week, I packed up my gear
and joined an artist friend in her magical back yard.
I was a little daunted at first, and of course, I forgot a few things
(white paint and paper pallet)
so I just did this quick 7 x 9
of a patch of nasturtiums climbing around her container garden.
I’d forgotten about the pure joy that comes from painting outside.
The simple act of observing nature
with no concern for the result, gives me such solace.
(That said, I couldn’t resist putting it in to
Procreate when I got home to take it a little further.)
I hope to get out there at least a few more times
before the snow flies.
Eeeesh!
Want to have some fun painting figures this Fall?
My one-day Modern Figure Painting workshop
at North River Arts Society on Saturday September 18
we’ll be exploring some quick, fun, abstract approaches to the figure;
limiting shapes, flattening, exaggerating, color harmony etc.
“Once you can let go of reality when painting the figure,
you can let go of it everywhere.”
Mark Daniel Nelson
“Donna”
16 x 36 oil on paper
All levels and mediums are welcome.
Any questions email me at
nancycolella12@gmail.com
It’s that time again.
I’m hanging on to every minute of summer fun
while getting very excited about all that fall brings;
cooler weather, cleaning closets, organizing the studio, and teaching!
I’m really excited about the one-day
”Modern Figure” workshop I’m teaching at North River Arts
Saturday September 18
9:30 - 3:30
Hope you can join us.
“Making Coffee”
20 x 16 oil
Description:
Let’s explore some expressive, non-traditional approaches to painting the figure by experimenting with the abstract elements of shape, color, line, and composition. We’ll work from observation and our imagination, using images and/or a model. We’ll experiment with flattening / exaggerating shapes, using pattern and texture, and mark making. The exercises are geared to help us create more lively and expressive statements of the human form. An understanding of drawing the figure would be helpful, however basic proportions will be discussed. Open to all mediums. Additional model fee possible.
Limited to 12 students.
These classes will fill quickly.
Sign up HERE.
Let’s all enjoy these last few lazy days of summer,
then get back to work!
I’m coming to realize that most artists have a certain DNA
that comes through in most of their work.
We, the artists, don’t see it especially when
experimenting with new approaches and styles,
but somehow it exists.
I did this the other day; simplifying the scene,
exaggerating the values,
and using simple flat shapes.
“Ever Changing”
16 x 20 oil
The way light plays on architecture, especially near the ocean
has always been a favorite subject of mine.
Here’s a painting I did in 2012.
Glorious Fall
12 x 20
I think our artist DNA is much like our handwriting.
It’s ours alone and no one can really copy it.
NOTE:
If you want to see your artist’s DNA, google your name
and look at the images of all your paintings together.
It’s all right there.
I was recently asked to teach a two hour collage classs
to a small group of gals who were having a reunion.
They’d been high school friends and the woman hosting
had been doing a weekly zoom art class
with this group all during covid.
(None of them are “artists”. )
I did a quick presentation where we talked about
the choices offered with self-portraits;
full face? profile? expression?
Most importantly, what objects/ symbols
can you include to express YOU?
They all dove right in.
Each one of these tells a personal story,
and it was so fun to be a part of
such fun and creative self expression!
(They call themselves the “sassy girls”
and it’s very appropriate. )
This week I’ve finally begun to finish up
some of the many “starts” hanging around my studio.
Like so many artists during Covid,
I did a lot of exploring and experimenting;
never really completing anything worth showing.
I’d started these two in a Jennifer Pochinski workshop
when we were using a grid to deal with foreshortening.
Happy Camper
16 x 20 oil
“Beach Nap”
16 x 20 oil
Again, knowing when to STOP is such a fine line in painting.
I’d like to think that these say everything they need to say now,
so that’s a wrap!
Enjoy.
For the past week I’ve been busy
celebrating summer with friends and family,
so it felt good to get back in to the studio today!
I’d done this quick “mass in” of shapes (no drawing)
as a demo for my class…
and I wanted to take it further.
Jennifer Pochinski says
”never say you want to “fix” a painting,
say you are “making adjustments”.
Fixing almost always leads to over working.
It’s such a fine line.
“Air Dried”
12 x 12 oil
The summer subject matter is everywhere now
and i’m looing forward to taking advantage of it.
Happy Summer everyone!
Most of the exercises we do in my Modern Painting class
are geared toward letting go of the reference
(the sooner the better!)
in order to allow the painting to take over.
My favorite exercise is zooming in and cropping.
I set up a very busy still life with lots of odd, colorful objects.
We zoomed in on the objects, using view finders or phones
and did quick thumbnails focussing on design;
thinking about shapes of
varying sizes, values, colors, and textures.
We then did quick paintings of our favorite design.
Phil nailed it on this one.
Sharyn made up these colors
and it all works beautifully.
Robin used her new Himi gouache set
for this and the colors just sing!
I’ve always loved this exercise
because the reference becomes irrelevent
and the painting itself, becomes “the thing”.
I’m discovering that that is the first step to more
impactful and expressive paintings.
This week in our Modern Painting class
we explored ways of using SHAPE to
design compelling compositions.
We got out the colored papers and glue and
did some fun quick exercises focussing on limiting our shapes.
I gave them each an image of a well known classic painting
and they were to use 5 shapes to “describe” it.
This is just one of the awesome results…
Then we all did quick collages using images on our phones
or old paintings as a reference.
This gal chose her fringed poppies and came up with this.
As always, I was so excited about all of the results,
I forgot to take pictures!
To me, collage offers great opportunities
for some wonderful, spontaneous magic to happen.
And it’s fun!
Summer has arrived and I’m more than ready.
I say BRING IT ON!
“0pening Soon”
20 x 16 oil
I finally got inspired to finish this
after teaching my first LIVE class this week.
(It’s been in the works for weeks)
I was so happy to be working with fellow artists in person again!
The exchange of ideas and interaction wih each other
is priceless…and very inspiring!
Many of my artist pals and I experience what we call
“seasonal distraction”.
Every time the seasons change, we loose our focus in the studio.
The distractions are mostly wonderful and should be embraced.
I especially love the spring transition as it
brings some fun new subject matter.
“Sunday Drive”
14 x 12 oil
We took a ride in my husband's antique convertible yesterday
and it was a thrill to be flying through the world
in a car built just for that.
('71 280SL MB)
I managed to get into the studio today to play with a new approach.
I’ve been doing a quick, loose sketch in Procreate from an image
and then work from that (instead of the reference)
just massing in the shapes.
The results an be surprising for sure.
NOTE:
Just a few spots left in my 6 week Modern Painting class
beginning Tuesday next week (June 1)
I’m excited to announce that I’ll be teaching a
live class in June at North River Arts Society!
(outdoors or in the firestation with all the doors open!)
If interested, sign up soon
as spots are going quickly!
“Last to Leave”
12 x 12 oil (sold)
“Modern Painting”
5 week LIVE! outdoor class
Tuesday’s 9:30 – 12:30
June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
This class is designed for experienced artists working in any painting medium who are interested in exploring ways to create more modern, bold, and expressive paintings by taking a less representational approach. Each week we’ll explore ways to manipulate the abstract elements of line, shape, color, value, and texture to express an unexpected idea or statement. There will be a short presentation / slide show / demo followed by time to work independently. We will be working outdoors from a still life or photos. (Either in the courtyard or in the Fire Station with the doors open.) The last half hour we’ll share our discoveries with each other. Note: This is not a “how to paint” instructional class; it simply offers an opportunity for some intense personal exploration and discovery. There will be some homework and each week you’ll receive a list of any specific materials needed.
Limit 10
Also!
“Modern Approach to the Figure”
One Day Workshop
July 17 9-3 pm
Morning Coffee 20 x 16 oil
Let’s explore some expressive, non-traditional approaches to painting the figure, by experimenting with the abstract elements of shape, color, line, and composition. We’ll work from observation and our imagination, using images and/or a model. We’ll experiment with flattening / exaggerating shapes, using pattern and texture, and mark making. The exercises are geared to help us create more lively and expressive statements of the human form. An understanding of drawing the figure would be helpful, however basic proportions will be discussed. Open to all mediums. Additional model fee possible.
Limited to 12 students.
Come join us for a long overdue
opportunity to work in a safe enviroment
with other artists.
See you there!
For our last class in
Jennifer Pochinski’s workshop we did self-portraits.
She gave us lots of fun prompts to get us going.
Here’s my first quick one,
massed in shapes in 12 minutes.
“Red Jacket”
12 x 12 oil
Here, I did a self portrait of me in a “made up place”
(from a photo).
“In Heaven”
20 x 16 oil from a photo
Then I did this from life using red as the dominant color.
“Nanny Redshoes”
16 x 16 oil
And here’s one from life of me “with things I’ve made.”
“In the Works”
16 x 20 oil
NOTE:
I’d wiped out the nose and mouth so many times,
I finally gave up.
So while I’m waiting for it to dry,
I added the mask.
(One way to solve that problem!)
This was a very challenging and inspiring class and
I feel very fortunate to have been a part of it.
Jennifer is a generous and thoughful instructor and
the interaction with the rest of the class was priceless.
I’m really looking forward to playing with all of these new
approaches and ideas in the coming weeks.
Happy Spring!
The Jennifer Pochinski workshop I’m taking is aptly named
“Opening Doors”.
I’m certainly exploring some approaches and ideas
and it’s literally “opening me up”.
Last week we worked from random photos,
collaging them in an unexpected way.
The idea was to create a made-up narrative.
I cut up old images printed on copy paper
and re-arranged them.
I’ve painted all of these figures before, so doing this was like
inviting them all to a big party.
They were originally all on the beach,
so I’m not sure how they ended up in a back yard
but that's the fun of creating a narrtive!
Here is the “collage” I worked from:
I’m excited to take this approach further
and here is another “start” using figures from old images.
No idea where to take this, but we’ll see!
This week we are doing self-portraits and
I can’t wait to see what everyone does.
So much to explore!!
We completed our four week on-line Modern Painting Class
( via the Rockport Art Association) this week and
as always, I’m so grateful to have had
the opportunity to work with such talented and entusiastic artists!
For our lesson on shape, we experimented with using collage to simplify our paintings
and did self-portraits for our homework.
I just had to share some of the fun results.
Using the Zoom platform for teaching art classes has been
an eye-opener and I’m thrilled that it works so well.
That said, I’m looking forward to teaching a LIVE class
at the North River Arts in June!
(Details to follow)
Meanwhile, it’s time for me
to finish up a few of the many “starts” piling up in my studio!
This weekend I joined a crew of fellow
North River Arts Society members
for a spring clean up.
It was a real treat to finally re-connect and chat
with fellow artists while we worked.
Many of us reported having piles of unfinished and experimental
work in our studios after this year of lock down.
When I got home I decided to attack some of mine with a
”what difference does it make!” approach.
“Salty Dog Studio”
16 x 20 oil
I painted over this rather up tight, over-worked piece
I’d done this winter.
There was also a lot of talk about feeling lost, frustrated,
uninspired and unsure of where to take their work;
clearly a direct result of working alone for so long.
As artists, we thrive on interaction
and sharing our ideas with each other,
probably more than most careers.
Hang in there fellow artists!
We can do this.
This month I’m taking a workshop on-line with
Jennifer Pochinski arranged by Black Pond Sudio.
I’ve admired her honest, expressive and
“don’t think too much” approach for many years
and am thrilled to be working with her.
And of course, all the other amazingly talented
artists in the class!
One of exercises this week was to set up a still life,
set a timer for 15 minutes,
and stop!
What a great way to
let the “muse” do her work.
“Happy Easter”
16 x 20 oil
I’d forgotten how much fun it is to paint quickly
and with such abandon.
I’ll be doing more of this!
This is the reason I love taking workshops (and teaching them).
It keeps me engaged and excited about re-visiting
familiar challenges and exploring new ones.
The journey just never ends.
Have safe and wonderful
Holiday Weekend!
I’m continuing to explore the idea of
massing shapes to begin a painting,
as opposed to drawing or outlining the objects or subject.
It’s a total departure from my usual approach
so it’s a bit daunting,
yet I’m finding that it allows for more personal expression
and less copying the subject.
Here’s a quick “mass in” I did first
from the image below.
Here’s where it is after a few days of
looking and changing and tweaking.
I added the two figures with umbrellas from another image,
deleted the ocean, roughed it up a bit, and cropped it.
This is a great way to push yourself passed the impulse
to make everything “perfect”.
A little awkwardness and a few unexpected elements add
a more personal statement.
(IMHO)
NOTE:
The on-line Modern Painting class at Rockport Art Association is full.
However, I’m going to be teaching a LIVE plein air version of it
at North River Arts in June.
Stay tuned.
While teaching my Modern Painting class
I remembered the idea of “massing shapes”
to begin a painting,
as opposed to outlining objects and filling them in.
I realized immeditely that this would be a great lesson
so I’ve been experimenting with that approach this week.
The idea is to begin painting a shape in the middle
and work outward until you have a silhouette
of the object (or shape).
NO drawing. NO outlining.
This is a great way to alleviate the habit of
just copying the reference image.
This also reminded me that Charles Sovek,
one of the important mentors in my painting journey,
introduced this approach to me
at a workshop on Cape Cod 20 some odd years ago.
In fact, it’s the first exercise in this classic book publised in 1991.
NOTE:
Only 2 more spots left in my
Modern Painting class hosted by
Rockport Art Association
Tuesdays March 30 -April 20.
9:30 - 12:30.
Come join the fun!