Pot of Gold

Pot of Gold
12 x 12 Oil Painting
by Pat Fiorello
$550

While in Florida on vacation last week I found this pitcher in a little shop on St. Armand's Circle. I have lots of pottery that is blue and white which I have used in many still life paintings over the years, but didn't have one with gold  so of course needed to get this ( of course I could just paint one of my blue and white vases in blue and yellow- but that would take all the fun out of shopping). Added a couple of sunflowers to tie in with the gold.

Speaking of flowers, if you would like to learn to paint flowers in watercolor I am offering a workshop at a new venue in Athens Georgia in March. Details are below.  We'll be painting from fresh flowers. Feel free to contact me at patfiorello@aol.com if interested or if you have any questions. Thanks!

Watercolor Workshop with Pat Fiorello

Lyndon House Arts Center

In this special 3-day Watercolor Workshop, "Painting Flowers Loose, Fresh and Easy,"  artist and instructor Pat Fiorello will share techniques for painting beautiful flowers from life in watercolor. Topics included will be capturing the essence of flowers with emphasis on shapes, color and form, mixing natural greens and handling backgrounds. Thursday- Saturday Mar. 20–22, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. $525( Clarke county residents) & $575 (out of county). Workshop includes breakfast and lunch each day.  To see Pat's work visit www.patfiorello.com.  Call to reserve your spot. 706-613-3623, ext. 225 

Here is the web-site link:

www.athensclarkecounty.com/artistworkshops    

For more information contact:

Caroline Self

Art Education Program Specialist

Lyndon House Arts Center 

293 Hoyt St.

Athens, GA 30601

706-613-3623 x225 

caroline.self@athensclarkecounty.com

Tuscan Flower Pot

Tuscan Flower Pot
8 x 6 Oil Painting
by Pat Fiorello
$100

Been away on vacation in Florida this week and did not bring my paints, so sharing a little study I did awhile back.

Even though I wasn't painting while on vacation, I find I never  totally disconnect from being an artist. While traveling I'm visiting local museums and galleries (and even art supply stores!), soaking in inspiration and taking photo's of future subjects to paint. I was in Sarasota and Naples, two towns that have a lot to offer in terms of the Arts. And it was great to be someplace sunny and filled with lots of flowering plants and green trees as a bit of a change of scenery from the long,cold, icy winter we've had (even here in Atlanta).

Here are a few photo's from the trip to share a bit of sunshine with you today.

Happy to see some colorful, sun-drenched flowers!

Courtyard at the Ringling Museum, Sarasota

"Unconditional Surrender" sculpture at Sarasota Bayfront

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota

Lido Beach, near Sarasota

Sunset, Lido Beach

Sunset, Naples, Florida

Hydrangea Impressions

Hydrangea Impressions
20 x 20 Oil Painting
by Pat Fiorello

Painted this bouquet with the idea of showing warm light and cool shadows and kept it more impressionistic in style. Here's how it developed:

This was how I started, laying in transparent colors in the general shape.

Once I liked the overall shape of the bouquet, I added some color as an underpainting for the background, keeping everything pretty soft & loose.

After the transparent color block in, I continued suggesting hydrangeas by using warm and cool colors for lit and shadow areas, respectively. Gave some form to the vase. Added leaves with brush and palette knife. As I went along, I was adding to the background and reflections on the suggested tabletop. Stopped here, then came back the next day, adjusted a few shapes, highlight and finished Hydrangea Impressions in it's final form in the first image above.

Rhapsody in White

Rhapsody in White
24 x 24 Oil Painting
by Pat Fiorello

If you have been following my blog, you might remember the studies I did over the last couple of weeks on lilies comparing what these white flowers look like under warm vs. cool lighting conditions. You also might remember my first post of the year which was a small 8x8 study called New Year's Lilies, inspired by a beautiful arrangement in a Charleston hotel where I stayed on New Year's day.

With that preparation under my belt, I was ready to create a much larger version of that arrangement, which I'm calling Rhapsody in White. I love the combination of different types of white flowers with greenery. It has a fresh, elegant feel to it.

When I started the painting, I intended just to take my study and scale it up to a larger version. But painting can be interactive. You are in a dance with where the painting wants to go and sometimes it pays to listen to your partner!  Sometimes you just have to respond to where the painting is going and it may take you in another direction. That was the case here. Instead of the blue and white pot I went with this red-violet container and a softer pale green background rather than the neutral grey of the study, which is pictured again below along with the photo of the original inspiration.

New Year's Lilies
 8 x 8 Oil Painting
 by Pat Fiorello

My reference photo for both paintings.

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Lily Study- Warm Light , Cool Shadows

Lily Study, Warm Light
8 x 8 Oil Painting
by Pat Fiorello

The other day I posted a study of a white lily where I focused on maintaining a consistent cool light.  The areas being struck by light were cool white- titanium white with a hint of blue. Areas in the shadows were not only a darker value but also a warmer temperature.

This principle of warm light, cool shadows and cool light, warm shadows is one that is often challenging for artists. I have had several instructors, authors, artists that I trust and are highly experienced give conflicting messages on the topic. Some swear by this principle and say that it is a law of nature and must be observed and followed and others have debunked it. So I decided to do some experimenting for myself.

On a practical basis, the question comes up for me, less when painting outdoors because there I just go with what I see, but more when I'm setting up a still life and have to figure out am I/should I be using a light of one temperature or another? I've had instructors who only use cool light because it simulates natural "north light" which is apparently more consistent and another instructor who was equally as masterful who works only with warm light for her still life set-ups.

Today I did a version of a lily similar to my last post, but maintaining a warm light with cool shadows. It is pictured above. I slightly revised the background of the Cool Light study from the other day so that is now pictured below.

Lily Study, Cool Light
8 x 8 Oil Painting
by Pat Fiorello

So what are my conclusions so far?

Whether or not this is a law of nature (and I'm tending to come out on the side that it is), I think picking a temperature for lighting your subject and maintaining that is a good practice as the uniformity of the light temperature can give your painting overall harmony. (Imagine a more complex still life where you had inconsistent temperatures, my guess is it would be harder to discern the forms, light and shadow).

Either lighting seems to work for producing convincing form.

 I personally enjoyed doing the warm light, cool shadows version more, but I think that is because I'm used to the notion that objects in sunlight would have a warm cast and shadows would be cooler and bluer, reflecting the sky. Think of a white house in sunlight with  blue/lavender cast shadows under the roof line/eaves (and a bit of contrasting warm bounce light reflecting up from the sunlit ground plane below). In the version with the warm shadows I had to keep thinking about how to get warm dark shadows without automatically reaching for ultramarine blue to darken things (which would of course cool them too).

As far as which I like better, it's hard to say. The white in the cool light actually looks whiter, more vibrant, when I compare them side by side in person, but I am kind of partial to the warmer more sunlit look of the warm light version.

I'll continue to explore and be mindful of these temperature differences moving forward.

What are your views on this warm light vs cool light debate?

any perspective you'd like to share. Feel free to click on comments.

Lily Study- Cool Light, Warm Shadows

Lily Study-Cool Light, Warm Sahdows
8 x 8 Oil Painting
by Pat Fiorello

I'm planning on doing a large painting which includes lilies so decided to do a small study of  just one lily to familiarize myself with the shape, form and colors. In this one I choose to use cool light and warm shadows. For a comparison I  thought it might be interesting to try the same thing over with warm light and cools shadows. Once I do that study I'll post the 2 of them together so we can learn abut the differences.