Provence, 3 Days left for Early Bird Registration Discount

Photo of a charming scene in Provence

At Thanksgiving, we are especially aware of all the things in life we are thankful for. In addition to family, friends, health and some many other things, I am very thankful to have developed a passion for art and have had the opportunity to travel to many beautiful places to paint over the years.

If you are ready to create something truly special to look forward to in 2014, you may want to join me for a  week long painting adventure in Provence, France May 17-24.

We’ll focus on learning to simplify the landscape, building compositional, value and color skills and capturing the essence of the places we see. Whether you are new to painting or experienced, you will be inspired and enriched by taking

 part in this very special growth experience. All skill levels and any mediums are welcome.

Immerse yourself in painting, beauty and fun during this week long escape to France!

If interested, please contact me ASAP as there is still time left to take advantage of the "Early Bird registration" discount which ends November 30.

For more information see my flyer or the French Escapades website

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

After Schmid

After Schmid
6 x 8  Oil Painting Study
NFS

I'm reading the absolutely wonderful book, Alla Prima II by painting legend Richard Schmid. I originally was not going to get the book since I have the original Alla Prima  book which was first published in the last 90's. That book is excellent and has long been held as the bible of painting. However I took a closer look and saw that a lot had been added and updated so I got the new version and am glad that I did.  The book is like eating a rich gourmet meal for artists. It is filled with gems of wisdom and perspective as well as more practical information and includes quite a bit more than the original book. One interesting thing to see in comparing the 2 books is how far printing has come in that time. The level of richness of color, detail and brushstrokes visible compared the the first is simply amazing. I compared several painting in the first version to the current and there is no comparison. While the paintings were beautiful in the first book, they are so much closer to what I imagine the actual paintings look like in the second.

In the spirit of "painting the masters",  I took one painting, greatly simplified it to try to get the feeling and approach. That is the study above.

Richard's version is below. I learned a lot by doing even this quick study which was fun and felt pretty natural even though the process is different than my usual approach.  I like the feeling of it and will continue to experiment with it to have another option in my painting tool kit.

North Garden Peonies
Oil Painting by Richard Schmid

Camellia Love

Camellia Love
 8 x 10 Oil Painting
by Pat Fiorello
$300

Just finished this last night. I call it  "Camellia Love" since it was inspired by Camellias from my garden which I arranged into a table top still life.

The Camellia part is obvious, but the Love may not be.

I titled it Camellia Love because the flowers are from my garden.
I don't have much of a green thumb, but my husband Peter has been working for many years to continually upgrade our garden with new and different plants and flowers. He aways reminds me he is doing all this work for me- because he knows how happy the flowers make me- it's one of his expressions of love.

 So I just wanted to paint some of the lovely flowers that he tended to with love
(and lots of sweat equity), to let him know how much I love and appreciate him and all that he does for me (I hope you're reading honey!).

Carnations in Red

Carnations in Red
8 x 10 Oil Painting
by Pat Fiorello
$300

Haven't been posting as much lately because I'm working on several holiday commissions that are going to be gifts so don't want to spoil the surprise so I will wait to share them till after the recipients have gotten them.

In the meantime I did have a chance to buy some carnations and work on this painting "Carnations in Red".

Also wanted to send a big THANK YOU! to Cornelia Powell for featuring my bridal bouquet commissions in her blog "Letters to a Bride" on November 11.
Cornelia is a long time friend and wedding expert, working with brides in many capacities over 30 years to ensure that their special day is filled with beauty, tradition and meaning.

In her new Amazon best seller book, The Bride's Ritual Guide: Look Inside to Find Yourself, Cornelia takes the old bridal rhyme, “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence for her shoe,” and turns it into a magical reverie for the modern bride. Called a “wedding folklorist,” she shares ways to bring more ease, pleasure and reassurance into a woman's life not only as a bride, but through all her rites-of-passage.

Holiday Welcome

Holiday Welcome
6 x 8 Oil Painting
by Pat Fiorello
$100

It's hard to believe another year is winding down. Just 3 weeks till Thanksgiving.

For the past 12 years, I've held an annual Holiday Party and Studio Sale the first Friday in December. This year's party is Friday December 6, from 6-10pm. If you are in the Atlanta area, you are welcome to join us for some food and wine and fun with old friends and new.  You can also visit my art studio and see what I've been up to this year. The address is 341 West Wieuca Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30342. Hope you will be able to join us. Feel free to bring a spouse or friend.  Please RSVP to Pat at patfiorello@aol.com  if you plan to attend.    Enjoy this holiday season! P.S. If you are looking for a holiday gift idea for someone who loves art &/or travel, consider a copy of my book "Bella Italia, Italy Through the Eyes of an Artist". The book is $35 plus $5 shipping and can be purchased here.  If you want a sneak peek of the 120 page, hard cover book, click here for an excerpt of a few selected pages.

Carolina on My Mind

Carolina on My Mind
16 x 20 Oil Painting
by Pat Fiorello

I was recently at a conference in Charlotte North Carolina. This elegant bouquet of hydrangeas, roses and snapdragons in a crystal container was on the stage all weekend as part of the decor. I couldn't help noticing it and sneaking in some photo's during a break. Of course the lighting was not ideal and there were other things on the table like coffee cups, a water bottle and extraneous objects, but  I improvised and removed those items and added a few roses on the tabletop for interest. Intensified the colors too for a more exuberant feeling.

With the benefit of cameras in our phones now, we can capture bits of inspiration wherever we are.