Painting 'Kocie Gory' (Cats Mountains)

painting 'Kocie Gory' (Cats Mountains) - acrylics on prepared mdf board

size 61 x 91 cm

finished: sat 14 December 2013

 

                                                                 original poster                                                       me at work

finished painting

This painting is a copy, liberally reproduced, of a polish poster by Ryszard Kaja, discovered by chance as a postcard in an old bookshop in Wroclaw, Poland, last October.

From the postcard led by inquiring to the bookseller if I could find a poster of the same image. 

 I have always been attracted by Polish, Eastern European and Russian graphic and poster design and what prompt me to go as further as reproducing in painting format one of them was perhaps the random chance of the event which prompt me to discover this particular poster, together with my partner, a shop, right in town,specializing in the sale of reproduction of Polish Posters, either of movies, plays or music related purposes.

What is more is that I made the image more personal by painting the cat on the left in black and white by closely resembling my own pet Charlie. 

Since I decided to use acrylic as my main medium I took another opportunity to explore and test some brands I have never used before.

music sketches

These four sketches were drawn during a performance of The Amphion Consort at the National Portrait Gallery, performing music from the British Renaissance Era. I had a bit of a problem: the music was so overwhelming and touching that I could scarcely set these emotions into paper! 

However, I managed to capt their captivating body and facial expressions in just four drawing. I wish I was less involved with the music. How could ? 

Painting 'Folkestone Bay'

painting 'Folkestone Bay', Kent, UK  - acrylics on canvas

size 40 x 40 cm

year 2013

     

 

  

Last summer in UK was splendid, well at least in Kent and in the south east coast of England. 

The painting above was the result of spending a day in Folkestone with a fellow friend artist, snapping photos for possible painting. Particularly I was seduced by the sight of fishing boats and seagulls as if they were constantly and gently dancing to the rhythm of the sea breeze. Finally the colors and the scent of the sea and the layers of other discernible marine scents bestowed in me the urge to draw and paint all those impression and the immediate contact with the scene: Folkestone bay.

The painting is now in Poland in Lasocice! It was a birthday gift to a friend Arek and the last photo, bottom right is me at his place; the last time I was holding my finished painting. 

Painting 'White Cliffs'

painting 'White Cliffs'  landscape between Folkestone and Dover in Kent, UK  - acrylics on canvas

size 40 x 40 cm

year 2013

 

"White Cliffs" somewhere between Folkestone to Dover on a trekking day with my partner. Often is very hard and positively unpractical to just stop, set up your easel and paint what is in front of you, just because how can't help himself not to freeze a beautiful and exhilarating landscape. The camera come in, and pocket side sketchbook too, your imagination, how one translate first hand impression on a scene to a vast inward landscape; perhaps the scope is endless and  vision within is the only limitation.
In "White Cliffs" I tried to fulfill all those premises I wanted to convey, in a narrative context, in order to synthesize in one single picture a day in the life of a couple in contact with nature.
I set myself right in the middle of the dividing line between the left bending path and engulfing blue- violet sea waves around my self portrait. My partner is the all too willing trip planner, the organizer and the ideal companion for field nature nature exclusions. In "White Cliffs" she invite the viewer to share our experience and excitement of trekking, exploring and discovery along a  rolling path between Folkestone and Dover.
"White Cliffs" was a gift for Marzena's parents. They now own already three of my painting and a couple of drawings.

Meetup drawing London on locations - at West Norwood Cemetery

Two detail studies of funerary monuments from West Norwood Cemetery, done last Saturday as part of a meetup group focusing on Drawing on Locations with like minded artists.
The weather was pretty bad and raining didn't help much drawing outdoor. Still, I managed to pen-draw these two images. I could have done a lot more as it was an amazing, moving, interesting and stepped in the local history. I managed also to take some photos with my mobile hoping that in the near future I will produce further studies of, well, decaying funeral monuments.

Color drawing - study from bronze bust

I made this drawing last Friday, out of one of the dark bronze sculptures on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

I wanted to extract somehow the liveliness of the bust by using watercolour pencils. Well, that is the medium I used but I was intrigued by who may was this person. I couldn't find the name and the author of this bronze and what I was left with was his intense gaze as if  frozen in time for posterity; gazing not at me or any member of the public but somewhere that only him could have seen, inside  his thought and projected in space and time. My study was his gaze again and nothing else, even his attire.

I was only certain of the familiarity of his facial expression.

23 years ago....

Amazing what you can find when redecorating your living room and going trough a huge pile of old junk you managed to collect. I've just found today one of my small sketch books,  dated "Monday 12th November 1990"! No tears were running on my cheeks mind you; nothing like that guy from Amelie who weep when he found his childhood mementos in a phone box. Rather, rather, it felt like a time travelogue if I can say that of what I was doing back then, subjects I was interested for on-the-fly sketches by then; the artists I was studying, reading about and copying, like Seurat,Turner; before mobiles, tablets, and some others gadgets we all have now. Somehow, somewhere we lost something because of too much gadgetry or perhaps we have gained an extra faculty? hard question.

Portrait of Lee - life pencil drawing on paper

National Portrait Gallery in London, Friday drop-in session on 23-08-2013. 

This a portrait of Lee. She was also drawing me, so somehow we're holding a silent eyes contact conversation by portraying one another at the sometime. I wanted the upper and lower part of the drawing to reinforce this Chinese lady, her gazing, her concentration, her age and wisdom perhaps and the lightness of her blouse. I created a contrasting but balanced composition through a band of black on the top and white background, the blouse at the bottom of the image. In the end I achieved a very bold composition.

Life ink drawing of my friend Peter

Casual portrait of my friend Peter. I used liberal approach to cross-hatching and parallel-hatching technique.

painting Countryside landscape of Brook Farm in Kent, UK

painting Countryside landscape of Brook Farm, in Kent, UK  - acrylics on canvas

size 30 x 40 cm

year 2013

After hours driving and exploring Kent countryside, yes Kent-shire! is a wonderful region in south east England, my friend Dennis and I settled near by this view of a farm called Brook Farm, down a gentle and windy slope. We painted no more than four hours as the sun and the light was naturally altering the colours of the landscape. Since I couldn't complete the painting that very day,  I took reference photos.

The painting was completed in my home studio.

Life drawing - Study of a Nude with floating fig leaves

A nude study executed when attending free Life Drawing for London Art Students (drop-in) at the Prince Drawing School in Shoreditch http://www.princesdrawingschool.org/ on the first Thursday of the month, last June or July. I just can't remember. The composition was enhanced with a bit of imagination by adding large figs leaves, which were part of the model props setup, by making them floating around the well endowed model like in a Chagall painting. Oh the ballerina light pink shoes on the side :)

from Sicilian garden

 

These two drawings were made this year while I was on my visit to my parent's in Catania, Sicily.
The drawing on the left was made over 3 days session with a simply a gel pen. In both drawings I wanted to comment the short and transient moment of being in a familiar setting while not living there. The Mediterranean light, the atmosphere, the joy and calmness inspired me to record but also draw the subject as if drawn by memory instead of on the spot.
The drawing on the right is of course the typical red geranium which in turn is one very early memory as a child of becoming aware of the beauty in nature, in its details, colors, shapes.

Landscape painting for Pintar Rapido competition - a view of Sloane Square in London

 

 

The first annual art competition organized by http://www.pintarrapido.com/  As I mentioned in the previous post, the subject was outdoor air painting in the Royal Borough Chelsea and Kensington. 

At first I wanted to continue painting along the river even though is at one of the edge of the borough. I was not much interested in adding people in my painting but rather the natural organic aspect of the borough, namely nature. I was somewhat confused about what particular spot I wanted to paint as the final piece for the competition. I heard that the whole point of this new competition was that people could see and be amazed at watching artists painting on the spot and completing the masterpiece on the same very day.
At the end I decided to paint a view of Sloane Square  as it is a one the main busy arteries of the borough.
My partner Marzena was not behind my shoulder police-cing my very brush strokes but in front of me. In fact, as you can see she was sitting on a bench reading and posing for me gracefully (it's very useful to take your partner with you and use as an 'element' of your painting - she was still like a stone :)

At the end of the long painting marathon, I managed I believe, to convey the monotony, the lazy hot day, but also questioning in my mind's eyes: what is so special about Sloane Square? you tell me.
Anyhow, the painting was jealously handed in the Pintar Rapido headquarter fairly in time.
I really enjoyed painting on plein air,of course. Still, my heart was along the river Thames...

Landscape painting - Chelsea Bridge view from Battersea Park in London

Landscape painting - Chelsea Bridge view from Battersea Park in London UK

acrylics on canvas size 30 x 40cm

year 2013

                                             

As a first post I wish to publish a painting I made on the 10th July 2013 because it was my first outdoor experience after veeeery looong  hiatus.

It was a warm-up for the first annual art competition organized by http://www.pintarrapido.com/  The subject was outdoor air painting in the Royal Borough Chelsea and Kensington. The river banks of Thames, the Chelsea and Battersea respectively, are one of my favorites spots in London and ideal for relaxing, contemplating and worth of a subject for a painting. So I decided this particular angle was right and inspired me to start a painting. I wanted to achieve a very airy feel, neo- impressionist? I don't know, still I was unconsciously driven by the atmosphere around me, the passage of time, the absence of time, time outside our 9 to 5 perception of time, time from the past or from the present or a glimpse to the future.

The very beginning

In this blog I wish to display some of my current artwork and to interact - communicate with other people related to art world. Expect to see either my own drawings, sketches, painting of any kind or a photo taken by myself. I hope my contribution will make others contemplate or will provoke to respond.


"The purpose of art is the same as the purpose of life. Both are one, and both are a celebration of our connection to the cosmos. It is as impossible to create without life as it is to live without creating".