Umbria

In Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon reminds us

that the world is full of ideas just waiting to be

remade (stolen) in another form.  

My summer play dates have given me permission to

do just that.

Remember when I wrote about the marvelous clay technique of Patti Conner-Greene and her dreamscapes?  Click here for a reminder.  Abandoning her pottery wheel briefly, she started playing with layers of design and texture, building a scene without regard to a realistic perspective.  They are beautiful pieces of art.  So, I have become a thief...herewith my confession:

My visits to Italy always result in a ton of photos featuring the beautiful patchworked countryside of olive trees, vineyards and other produce.  The rolling hills, the colors from striped plantings, the mountainous background....such classic views of Italy.  (sigh) Painting that perspective however continued to throw me a curve ball.  One day I decided to just enjoy the effort and paint as if I were in Patti's sandbox rolling out clay and stamping it with crazy texture.

Umbria, detail

I laid down texture, I played with color, I mixed up patterns and I threw caution to the wind where realistic perspective was concerned.  I wanted to capture that feeling I always had gotten of seeing the countryside as a beautiful, freeform quilt of flowing pattern.

detail 2

Of course it had to have the classic Italian cypress in the foreground.  And a low hanging sky.

Umbria, oil, 36 x 24, framed

available, Crossnore Gallery of Fine Art

Done!  Thank you Austin Kleon for permission to be a klepto and to Patti Conner-Greene, of Linville River Pottery for the inspiration.  Oh, and grazie to artist Kelly Medford whom I was traveling with when we stopped to paint at Arte Umbria for an entire week! Much inspiration came from all these folks....my gratitude is endless.

Shameless,

Cindy

Meet Kelly Medford

Meet Kelly Medford (www.kellymedford.com) my friend, Italian hostess, teacher, critic, co-adventure-lover....oh, did I say:  ARTIST.  Before you get to know her through my eyes, go to this site and watch this professionally made,  very short video about her:  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8LrX-9C8wWU. 

 

Sounds like a dedicated artist, eh? Here's Kelly (above) painting on the rooftop of our apartment in Procida.  Yep, she's just the kind that looks out the window during wine time, sees the soft yellow light of sunset, grabs her paints and runs to catch the glow.  I followed but gingerly carried my wine and camera up to catch her catching it!  Kelly came to Florence, Italy to study art about 10 years ago.  She soon realized she could learn more painting daily on the streets than copying the classical busts that were protocol at the academy.  The rest is history....

After several years she moved to Rome to live and work.  In addition to her daily plein air discipline she conducts "Sketch Rome" tours, teaches and collaborates on myriad other art projects.

We didn't paint 24/7 however, because breakfast coffee was a must no matter where we found ourselves....above is our favorite coffee setting overlooking the fisherman's harbour from a hotel we stayed at in Procida.  Of course we discussed the light.....but look at those rooftops and colors and lines and arial perspective......oh my!

Kelly loves her work and is happiest when painting but she is a fine teacher as well.  I have great appreciation that she recognizes we all have our own style and approach, "I'm not trying to teach you to paint exactly like I do," she begins, "I am here to help you apply some basic formulas to your own work." Nothing "basic" however about the depth of knowledge she shares.  Everything from mixing all the colors you"ll ever need from 3 tubes of paint to the principals of perspective. 

Kelly engaged us in a number of exercises which I greatly enjoyed.  Many of us lack the discipline to do the daily work that really advances us, so this rang my chimes. Here she is moderating a critique of our work....mine on the hot seat here!  I'm not thin skinned but I will always be grateful that she commented on how most of my work, even the timed exercises, seemed to offer a story in them....something I have tried to do since the day I picked up a brush.  Of course her noting this, unprompted, makes her brilliant in my mind!!

We later crawled around Rome sketching in the various parks and looking for new angles to paint.

Kelly has made me want to work on my watercolor sketching more, it is a different ballgame than oil but has such portability that I will enjoy honing my skills.  If I need inspiration I only need look at the photo above done in a park before we indulged in a birthday lunch and bottle of wine.  Further nudges will come from the jewel below.  A tiny little sketch I loved and then found in my card as a precious gift from a sweet friend, a valued teacher and a fine plein air painter.  Lots of grand memories!

P.S.  I would be remiss to let you think this piece is as blue as it appears....blame my camera and my lack of technology on an iPad.  You can see more of her work and sign up to get notices of new work at her website, www.kellymedford.com.  I know Kelly would love to hear from you.  If you are in love with Italy keep in mind that she does commissions and visits the U.S. in the winter.  

Ciao Italy and ciao Kelly!

Believable Scenes or Hokey Poses

When is REAL LIFE Trite??

Many times I have gasped at a sunset only to remark to a cohort "if we painted it as it is no one would believe it."  Sad but true.  Sometimes the amazing color that nature presents us is so fleeting that to put it down on paper would feel unreal or unnatural.  Sigh.

The same thing happens in figurative work.  Sometimes the scene on the street is so touching that it feels hokey when painted.  How many more silhouetted handholders can I take with an ocean sunset backdrop?  How many more child hands painted in large calloused ones? I know, I know, people love this stuff....but in the pursuit for new some of these scenes have been painted just one too many times.

So it is with trepidation that I even show you a painting I am working on currently.  Probably trite, probably hokey, and most likely poorly executed.  But....there I was in Rome painting (for real) and my companion, Kelly Medford, and I ducked into a little church, mostly for the shade it offered but there was something she wanted me to see.  As we were walking down the aisle I turned around and caught a glance of a mother and a young boy.  They were perfectly framed by the light coming from the main window above the front altar.  My instincts were to turn back around, I felt I was invading their "moment."  

But the artist got the better part of me and as I glanced back to see the scene I knew it was a composition I would want to remember.  I quietly got out my phone and turned once again to get a photo trying all the while NOT to appear I was taking a photo.  No time to even see if I got a good one.  Kelly and I resumed our tour and left the nave by a side door.  I don't even remember if I shared the photo with Kelly. 

 It felt like a very private moment.

Several years later I was going through my photo files and came upon the scene again.  This time I wanted to try to paint it and lo and behold I noticed a third figure in the background where she was standing in a posture of adulation.

This piece is nearly impossible for an amateur to photograph as it is done on a very smooth and very shiny clayboard.  It would usually frustrate me because it has no tooth to grab the paint but I wanted to glaze in layers for the depth keeping the surface relatively smooth.  In the painting the background is much darker but my camera wants to justify everything and I cant seem to adjust for that.

It is almost finished and if I can ever manage to get a decent photo I will post it.  But in the category of eating my words I wanted you to know that THIS is, was, a real scene, not a posed one, and for me was a powerful one with a lot of meat to it.  It is never as fab as the one in my mind....but maybe with a tad more work I can do it justice.

So the next time you see a hot pink sunset with orange stripes don't assume the painter is color-crazy - he may have really been there.  Just feel free to ask!

Always Amazed,

Cindy

Day #17 - Fun in the Sun

Day # 17 was so special that I almost did not notice that I was having to paint with my left hand.  My friend Kelly Medford from Rome, was coming over to spend the day with me (while visiting Orlando for holidays).  I could hardly wait.  Kelly makes her living painting plein air in Italy so guess what we would be doing?  Like a kid before school I got my supplies ready early ---the plein air nerves I took to Italy four months ago were gone.

We chatted, brainstormed, caught up, traded stories, and brainstormed some more.  Kelly is so fun to bounce ideas off of, she is positive, thoughtful and energetic.  I can feel the sparks fly when we start down
a path to developing a new idea.  So after a lovely lunch on the river we headed to the harbor to paint. We settled on a sunny spot along the river and assumed the easy pace of plein air painters everywhere: paint, enjoy the surroundings, chat sparingly and paint....it was a picture perfect day.

Kelly offers painting workshops and retreats in Italy

for a great video about her go here

I decided to paint the mangroves at the edge of the river where we were perched.  I took a blue ink pen with me today instead of the usual black and decided to use it to define some of the water.  I smile when I see this page of the sketch book because it was such a perfect (painting) day.  It might be hard to part with this piece.

Mangrove at Front Street

5" x 5", watercolor on paper

during the 30 in 30 off-hand challenge only $30.00

The fact that I can look at this small painting and recall the entire day is just one of the valuable powers that art holds...for someone else this piece may tell an entirely different story, maybe about a day on the river kayaking or a spot once visited....regardless, the ability of a painting to hold many truths is just another reason I am so passionate about the role of art in our lives.

Enjoy your day...whatever # it is!

Plenty of Plein Air

Kelly Medford on Plein Air painting…..                          email recipients can: (comment here)

Today’s guest is Kelly Medford, a new friend and a “plein air” painter who currently bikes around Rome capturing the landscape and nuance of Italy.  Seven years ago she spent a year at the Florence Academy of Art while a student at the University of TN, Chattanooga.  (See her work at: http://www.kellymedford.com). Realizing that all her time had been in the studio Kelly vowed to get outside and paint the countryside….

Just what is “plein air painting?”

Kelly:  It’s taking your easel and all other painting “gear” outside, setting up and painting the scene.  I spend hours walking or riding my bike around looking for the right composition or the right light and then, bam! there’s a painting just waiting to be captured. It’s about being inspired by real life in the blink of an eye.  I have my easel in a backpack and saddlebags on my bike.  It’s a real challenge.

This sounds a little….hazardous?

Well, it’s not dangerous (if you have your gear system down pat) but you need to be mentally agile.  For example, I usually wear sandals and once in FL I noticed way too late that I was standing in a fire ant bed; my feet swelled to the size of melons.  You have to put up with the elements: wind, sun, cold, the annoying person who tells me I’ve painted it all wrong or the one who parks their car in front of my perfect composition.

But?

But I like it.  I was attracted by the level of spontaneity, unpredictability.  I like being outdoors (farming didn’t work for me).  I like the strong light and I love how people are surprised by someone out on the street painting.

Do they interrupt you?

Constantly, it’s part of the adventure.  If you don’t like being friendly I suggest you wear oversized earphones and act like you are listening to music.  But I enjoy sharing my work; sometimes they ask to buy the piece or want to see more on-line.  Italians are a lot nosier than Americans.  In the US people spoke to tell me I was trespassing…in Italy they tell me stories, they want to know why I picked a scene, they tell me they paint better, I’ve even been serenaded while painting on a bridge.

People are amazing, wonderful creatures and always have something fascinating to tell me.  I can’t imagine painting in the studio every day; it would be so boring and lifeless without these odd interactions.  People ultimately make me appreciate what I do.

So, you do not paint from photographs?

I’ve only used them if I need to finish up something and usually I toss them as memory and imagination better serve me.  Without judging those who do, let me share my philosophy: I could take a photograph (which is also an art form) but copying it somehow lacks imagination.  If I do a little sketch with a pencil, the lines will say everything about the place, the moment and how I feel about it right then.  I’m an artist, I create something from nothing.  I want to paint life in that moment…not make an accurate record of a static situation.  You can enjoy my recent series of scenes in Rome "When in Rome" by clicking on the title.

Kelly, you have a challenging but exciting job; it’s obvious that you totally love what you do.

I do love it.  I enjoy that every day is so unexpected: I have no idea what I will paint or who I will meet.  It’s a lot like the weather: you can try to predict it but ultimately you have to experience it as it happens…and always dress accordingly!

For more of Kelly’s adventures visit her blog “Adventures in Painting” at http://www.kellymedford.blogspot.com, or contact Kelly at paintings@kellymedford.com).