Still Life

The summer workshops have begun!! So I guess it's officially SUMMER!! And this time around, I'm assisting Martinho for Still Life.

These are really addictive to do.  Once you know the technique, it's paint, paint, paint all the way. While working on a large 40cm x 50cm piece, here are some small studies for your viewing pleasure that I did during this past week. In the meantime, you can try to guess what the final piece is.  Hint: These images posted here will give you an idea of what I might be working on ;)

 

(My first ever still-life!!) 

Pomodoro e Aglio
10cm x 15cm, oil on canvas board

The Dragonfruit
20cm x 30cm, oil on canvas

Mooncakes
20cm x 30cm, oil on canvas

 Sticky Rice Dumplings/ Zongzi
20cm x 30cm, oil on canvas

Salmon Sushi
10cm x 15cm, oil on canvas board

Dawn Progression

It's the last day of school before the summer begins.

Here's a step by step on Michelangelo's Dawn (Aurora) colour cast that I have been working on.  These images span approximately 11 weeks.  Yes, it may seem long to be working on this cast, but the slowness allows the technique to seep into the very fibre of my being.  I'll be continuing with this when the Fall term begins, so you'll be updated with the final art work then.

Looking forward to the summer workshops starting next week! :)

Michelangelo's Dawn

( Work in Progress )

Oil on Canvas live

Here are 2 studies I've been working on at the studio with models.  Both of these oil pieces took 3 hours to complete.  When I do these studies, I focus a lot on the drawing stage and then trying to get the right values of colour in.  

Seated male nude, 30cm

Seated female nude, 40cm

Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

I've been sketching the Duomo lately.  Also known as The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, it's the grandest building in Florence. If you're within a 500 metres away from it, you can already sense its grandeur.  Standing at about 115m, it dwarves the nearby buildings which then reminds you how small you are. :)  Completed in 1436, this basilica is one of Italy's biggest, and is the dome is the largest ever constructed on this planet. 

20cm x 16cm, gouache study

16cm x 20cm, gouache study

Spinning with DJ Rony

Here's another collective work from the figure drawing sessions.

I put all the final art work taken on the last day of class and created this animated gif. It took each talented artist 36 hours (3 weeks) to create one image. I did the math, if we were to work 24 hours a day for the next 9 years, we would be able to create a 90min full length animated feature.  How 'bout NOoooo, Scott!!! Just a note, the flashes of black you see are works done in charcoal.

Enjoy!

Artists (standing with easels and whose works are used):
Sam Haskell, Dianna Talib, Mischa Tranquilli, Saara Kauhanen, Benjamin Gouttard, Heather Vance, Jeff Wood, Alice Antoniacomi, Jeff Kamangara, Thomas Langeveld, Jessica Wee, Steven Citynskyj, Ricardo Junqueira, Annette Kaplan, Julie Bolinger and Alvin Tan.

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If you are interested in getting my sketchbook of short poses, Figuring Out - the long and short of it, the link is right here:
https://www.booksactuallyshop.com/products/figuring-out-the-long-and-short-of-it

Figuring it out in graphite

Here are my anatomy studies from the Spring '14 term. I'm definitely going to miss the 36 hour long poses in pencil!! I had fantastic instructors and comments from fellow students while getting these done and have learnt so much on the nuances on getting the right amount of values in to suggest a halftone or shadows in light. In short, creating a believable space. Looking forward to diving deeper in the charcoal figure drawing sessions coming up next! It's gonna be messy... 

Rony seated (front)

A2, graphite

Rony seated (back)

A2, graphite

Kimber standing (back and front)

A2, graphite

Andrea (3 hour pose)

 A2, graphite

Andrea 2 (3 hour pose)

 A2, graphite

Andrea 3 (3 hour pose)

A2, graphite

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If you are interested in getting my sketchbook of short poses, Figuring Out - the long and short of it, the link is right here:
https://www.booksactuallyshop.com/products/figuring-out-the-long-and-short-of-it

Spring Break 2014

School's out and I'm in an outdoor landscape painting course. 

A big thanks to Tim McGuire and Joe Altwer who instructed this 5.5 day intensive course. It taught me big concepts in the art of outdoor painting with oils. Eye opening and refreshing. It was good to be painting out of the studio! :)  It was also an opportunity to be able to mingle with artists from the other schools in Florence too. We spent 2 days in the city and 3 days at Settignano to give us variation. Settignano is a small town east of Florence where Michelangelo grew up learning sculpting. Only a 15min bus ride away on the #10 from Campo di Marte, this place is worth a visit if you are not the painting type. :) There were rainy days and sunlit days. As a bonus, we were taught how to prep our wooden panels + an 'international' potluck! Yea, we had food from the Americas, Europe and Asia. 

It's really a great feeling when concepts and skills are slowly beginning to click. 

Yes, it rains a lot in Florence!

Ponte Vecchio

Oil on Canvas, 18 x 24cm

View of Firenze

Oil on Canvas, 18 x 24cm

San Martino, Ponte a Mensola

Oil on Canvas, 18 x 24cm

 Painting the Duomo from my favorite street. 

 For more photos, click here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.685666371491416.1073741853.312232912168099&type=3