Demo at Indian River Estates, Vero Beach

"Pastre Scene" 11"x14" Oil by Judy Burgarella

"Pasture Scene" began as an oil wipe-out demo At Indian River Estates in Vero Beach, wherein I squirt on the canvas with alizarine crimson and sap green, mix it all right into the canvas, then proceed to wipe the elements of the scene off the canvas, leaving ghostly images.  Refining it is really fun, using a rag wrapped around my finger, with additional series of wiping out with Q-tips and other instruments which may or may not be wrapped in a rag.  Intense contrasts can be achieved using turpentine.  Painting can be worked on with other colors while wet or when dry, however if worked on when wet it gets that soft "antique" look as it mixes with the brownish residue left after wiping.  Such fun, and makes a good demo, especially if it is a face emerging out of the canvas!  This is a nice little peaceful scene as is, but I may put a few cows grazing in the sunlit pasture, and maybe some birds flying overhead.  Pretty but dead without life in it.

Will post more later, time to go to the beach.  (In Florida ya' know!)

Judy Burgarella
Blogger

"Misty Morning" in Acrylics ... and more!

As promised, brief directions for painting 

"Misty Morning" in acrylics.

(I used an 11"x14" canvas)

To get interesting colors blending and residing side-by-side--and also to add some excitement to a usually boring part of starting a painting--just squeeze the paint on.  I used titanium white, phthalo green, dioxizine purple and ultramarine blue.  Using a big brush blend colors together, but not so much that the canvas ends up all one color.

Notice how you can see the variations in color, and that it is lighter on the top.  In order to get this effect, you must work fast and blend just enough so that you can see individual colors here and there.

Paint soft waves using a large brush towards the bottom, gradually making the ripples smaller as you get towards the middle.  Dark shadows on the underside of the waves, lighter highlights on the tops.
When dry, trace a sailboat with graphite paper (see next photo), wherever on the canvas you choose.  I plan on painting in a couple more far-away boats, more misty,  on the left side.

 The following is as far as I got during the 1-1/2 hour demonstration, and I was painting fast.  For the sails I used yellow ochre with lots of white, then added for shadows sap green, phthalo green, and purple.  Very sparingly but it was beautiful close up and pulled in the background somewhat. 

This piece probably needs another 4-5 hours to be worthy of framing, especially if I add 2 more boats in the distance.  But it was a fun piece to paint and demo, and everybody liked it and learned from it.

"Misty Morning" 11"x14" acrylic by Judy Burgarella (unfinished)

Spent a good part of my day yesterday (Saturday) demonstrating oil portraiture at the Vero Beach Museum of art, where I am on the faculty.  Other faculty members were demonstrating too, and it was a very successful event, one that fills our classes up.  I demonstrated a portrait of my brother, Timmy, who worked for NASA in Cape Canaveral most of his life - and so I put a rocket going up in the background.  When I am finished I will post it, but it's pretty rough right now.  He was a great guy, good brother, whom I miss very much.  Unfortunately he passed on 2 months before me and my husband moved to Florida 15 years ago. 

Anyway, the whole Museum was open and admittance was free, including their fabulous "Victorian Radicals" show, subjects which I will be using in my next set of classes there.  If you are in the Treasure Coast area and love to see really fine art, please stop in and see the show.  Worth a trip.

Hope you enjoyed this posting.

Judy Burgarella
Art Blogger

An Invitation for You!

You are invited to the reception posted below at the Emerson Center in Vero Beach.  I will be there to greet you, along with the other artists.  Three of my paintings are on display, and many other wonderful works by renowned local artists.  Wine and hors d'euovres will be served.  Hope to see you there!  I will have several paintings there on display, including my new oil painting of Waldo Sexton.

Judy Burgarella
Blogger