Silver Study

Silver Study
9 x 12 Oil Painting
by Pat Fiorello

After the last painting which included the silver pitcher, I decided to do another study to reinforce what I had learned about silver.  I set up the pitcher at a different angle in a different light for this smaller study.

Painting Silver and Roses

Silver & Roses
12 x 16 Oil Painting
by Pat Fiorello

Working on depicting silver last week. It's easy to get too hard edged and literal on the reflections which I did at first, then had to scrape off the paint and start again. Basically I learned that the approach is similar to a ceramic vessel, get the big light and shadows first to capture the form and dimensionality, then add the reflections on much as you would add decoration or pattern on a ceramic vase. Form first, surface decoration  ( in this case reflections) later. I'll try to remember that.

Carnations and Blue Willow

Carnations and Blue Willow
 12 x 16 Oil Painting
by Pat Fiorello
$600

I spent last week studying with Robert Johnson, so back to still life for a few days.

Lake Orta, Italy

Lake Orta
20 x 10 Oil Painting
by Pat Fiorello
$600

This was a scene looking down on Lake Orta in Northern Italy. I had done a similar scene in watercolor several years ago and decided to give it a try in oils with an aim of getting a sense of depth. I decided to go with a long rectangular canvas for a more panoramic effect to emphasize the breadth of the lake and mountains.

Lake Orta is one of 5 lakes in the lake region of northern Italy.  September 21-28, 2013, I'll be taking a group of painters to be inspired and paint on location at another of the lakes, Lake Garda. If you are interested and would like more information, see Lake Garda for a flyer with the details. There are still a few spots left and the program is open to artists of all experience levels and all mediums.

Here are a few scenes from my last trip there to give you an idea of the beautiful views and subjects to paint.

If you would like to join us, click on Register Now- I'm going to Italy!

Landscape Study 2

Landscape Study 2
6 x 8 Oil Painting
by Pat Fiorello

This was a second study we did in class. After the 1/2 hour study, we now had a challenge of 20 minutes to get the essence of the next scene down on canvas.

Landscape Study 1

Landscape Study 1
8 x 10 Oil Painting
by Pat Fiorello

This was a study I did in class yesterday. The challenge was that we had a timer set to go off  after only 30 minutes.  Given the time constraint, you really had to go for what's important, the big shapes and values first. Good exercise in prioritizing and not fussing over details, but I'm glad I don't paint with a deadline every day.  it was a bit nerve wracking, especially hearing the ticking! My instructor's suggestion was that this was a good way to approach paintings to do a small study first to see if it even had potential to go larger before investing a lot of time and supplies in something that didn't have a lot of potential.