Patels somehow have taken my attention lately, love the vibrant colors and this magic in different appearance under different light. On the other side, gosh they are fragile! I finished and was framing this coastline bushes, and with one wrong move of my hand I've smudged the good chunk of painting! Had to redo that, luckily all the color were still on the plate so I managed doing that clean! I don't like the fixatives as they altering the colors, so just trying to put the works away accurately as fast as possible when they're done. And now all framed and ready to October Ku Ring Gai Art Society Exhibition.
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That was a bit of a rough journey since the 2019 started - on a personal level. A lot to remember and to learn again, turned out I really suck in all that separating/single living business. Trying to remember now how it feels to be an independent and if not happy but at elast not too unhappy everyday. To become suddenly unloved is quite a challenge for someone who used to be loved for many years unconditionally. And I must say art is a great healer for a broken heart. Regualr drawing in Royal Art Society, organising art events and planning a lot for our Multicultural Art Society (MARS) (btw marsart.com.au - check it up!) - so much to concentrate on and to think about. Also the parcel from Jackson's art (there was a sale for Schminkes!) - my nesessities restocked, with all those cobalt and french ultra blues, lapis lasuli - just need to sit myself onto the chair, put on Tom Waits on Spotify and do more sails! And more. And some. And then the spring eventually comes and everything will be better than now. Happy New Year 2019! I"ve spent almost entire month of January travelling across Australia, from cloudy banks of Huon river, Tasmania to the tropical Queensland parks near Rockhampton, from sophisticated labyrinths of MOMA museum in Hobart to the very top of Sandy Point, Fraser Island. Was painting and drawing and sketching all the way, some of my travel sketches are now in the Sketches link here on my site. This time it was not a dedicated painting trip, and I rarely had enough time to properly set up and to spend a few hours of plein-airing (also the sandflies, marshflies and moscitoes have no respect at all to focused artist!). But what an inspiration, all the fresh ideas and colors and air and expressions to digest and think of and translate into art for the upcoming weeks!) Starting my year all inspired and recharged!Analytics@benchplatform.com Also for those who interested in my travel settings, I use the advantage of my Russian heritage and some of my art materials and things are from Moscow. Some of the brands there are of the high professional quality and cost a fraction of the world known European, UK and US ones (Like White Nights watercolor and oils, Podolsk easel, Rubleff Colinsky brushes etc) - with the language and context knowledge its easy to orientate and choose the best fom everywhere:)) Speaking of that, Podolsk easel is one of my favourite Russian things here, despite of ugly look of Soviet conversion product, with all the bolts and scrudges, its actually unbreakable thing with very light aluminium legs that will never shift, rust or rot because of the soil/grass dampness, bolts are there keeping any angle and the manual skrews there mean it's impossible to break it and anything lost can be replaced anytime. Light wooden box set up so the wet painting can be kept inside without touching the wall, and it's made with the walking, not driving, painter in mind, so it hangs conviniently on the shoulder. And all this for the cost of less than $100! Of course, the modern extra light Strada easels are much much better - but for the fraction of price, Podolsk easel is a gem! My mum brought it to me few years ago, and it's my favourite thing since then BTW if you need any advice or help on what to buy and what not in Russian art market, student/artist grades of brands etc - I'm happy to do that, just comment below or contact me Now back to the weekly Royal Art Society drawing evenings, and I'm looking forward to a great inspiring year ahead!
The Mission to Seafarers 2018 exgibition is almost over, no prizes this time - but I sure will participate in the future! In the meanwhile, the live pastel drawing classes in RAS got to Term 4 - and that's the best night of the week for me now, The Drawing Tuesday - not only to practice live drawing, but more importantly, talk to people, discuss recent art events, chat about art and artists and everything. Just love it! Also I made a birthday present for myself and ordered the new big set of pastels from Jackson's. Senellier 80 half-sticks, very soft and vibrant, working together with Schminke beautifully, what more to wish! OMG OMG Oh My God!
So excited, my watercolor Whaling Morgan (just a post below) been selected by a panel to the Final of ANL Seafarers Art Prize in Melbourne! So happy for that ship, my weak attempt to celebrate the magnificence of her sails and shape and overall perfect beauty will be shown to people! The exhibition will be in Melbourne, 717 Flinders Street, from 6 to 17 of October, there are many many great maritime artworks, I'm really thrilled to be amongst them! Just so happens, I was off work for a week, had some time to relax, reflect and paint/draw without time restriction. Oh what a life! I wish I could live like that! Had a few attempts to plein air with pastels, quite unhappy with the result to be honest - but I think I will continue, pastel is easier thing for outside - or I just love the novelty feeling)) After the second completely frustrating try to do outdoor I just let myself to relax and made a postcard-style landscape, I am usually not a big fan of this things, but it was just nesessary to have some relative success to overcome the frustration of a few recent attempts:) And finally, I've put some of my works on BlueThumb online gallery, just in case - not like I have high hopes to live off my art)) And another useful thing I've done duringthis lazy week - finished off Josef Zbukvic's book on watercolor. Enourmous amount of great advice, it all is sinking in now, but sure I'll apply lots of ideas from there. Nothing serious, weekend as it should be:) I was so lucky last week, got a whole heap of Lucas soft pastels cheap as chips - the line is disconnected and the shop was selling out the leftovers. Now have a box of colors just to play with not thinking how I throw away the expensive materials) Is that another side of being an artist - being a art materials hoarder, and constantly on hunt? Getting back to Lucas pastels, I love them totally, its soft similar to Schminke, and blends perfectly, I just need to learn and learn and learn actual graphic skills to get out the best of it. Another weekend deed was another tall ship, I've seen the photo of that whailing ship Charles Morgan on Pinterest, and it inspired me. Sails always do that to me - I really think that's the most beautiful thing created by humans, though rather slow and demanding work and skill , but still. It usually the choice between beauty and common convenience. Pastels - my new favourite toy;) I don't have all the colors I need and realise it when I'm already in process, so have to deal with what avail. This time it was a dramatic lack of orange, the only one I have was from the basic kids set and too hard to mix with other supersoft schminkes and lucas. So it was a challenge of mixing reds and yellows, and boy that was fun!
the new term just startded - this time I went to Royal Art Socielty School, in Lavender Bay - for the classical drawing class. I feel lately that the lack of drawing skills is seriously holding me back, so taking the evening class to refresh it was a really good idea. Besides that, I really like the environment and athmosphere there, the real studio setting, this is something I always miss. So...will see where it takes me, at the moment I'm quite happy I picked that class. |