Color studies

Continuing the idea from my previous post, this time with colors :)

Top two are Grimshaw paintings (I definitely have a thing for this guy's landscapes), bottom two are by T. F. Simon and Kramskoi.

Atelier Narasca

Earlier in August I came back from a four week apprenticeship under Patrick Devonas and Dorian Iten at Atelier Narasca (in beautiful Surava, Switzerland)... it was an amazing experience. Not only did I gain a bunch of art wisdom - I also had the best time just being there with those guys (and Esther Gnädinger, yet another artist in the house)! They are incredible artists, great teachers and simply awesome people, so spending time there was certainly a treat.

During my stay there I mostly focused on The Big Painting. It took vast majority of my time and attention. However I still did some drawing/painting sketches (and even a quick clay maquette at the end of my stay)... so here are some of my works!

Not all who wander are lost (mostly known as The Big Painting), oil on canvas, 80x40cm

View from the shore of almost unrealistically beautiful Lai Palpuogna. 

Painting sketch, oil on panel, around 25x30cm
On one a bit lazier (and rainier) day I just sat in the garden and painted a wooden fence surrounding Atelier Narasca. That is, I did until rain forced me out (or should I say, in).

Painting sketch, oil on panel, ~20x20cm
First sketch I painted when I got to Surava was from Lai Palpuogna, just like The Big Painting.
I am still dazzled by that place's beauty!

Surava, painting sketch, oil on panel, ~20x35cm
Mountain view juuust outside Surava.
I didn't plan on it, but I think I'll still touch it up a little.

I have one more painting sketch I was just retouching today, so I'll upload it some other time. :)
See ya!

Landscapes and other sketches

Just yesterday I went back from a week long winter art camp with kids from my atelier. It was a lot of fun, full of work and filled with heaps of inspiration. :)

Tempera on paper, around A3 in size.
This was sadly the only landscape from life I was able to paint there. I only  managed to paint for some 40 minutes and even then, I was in our work room with the kids who decided to stay with me after their classes - so I was giving critiques to everyone around me at the same time.

Oil sketch from today.
First time ever painting the outside view from my apartment.  

Oil color study of Monet's study of a Rouen cathedral.
I wish I had something more than a  postcard-sized copy of this while I painted it, would be much easier to  work on it!

Color study in oil.
Heavily inspired by this picture of the Neuschwanstein castle in Bavaria.

Pencil sketch

Watercolor sketch loosely based off the previous one

Pencil sketch, a little bit of an experiment between careful shape design vs. loose organic lines.

Only other drawing from life I made (and kept) during last week. A beautiful art nouveau lamp from the palace we were staying at. I wish I worked on the glow effect of it more.

A portrait of a model at the atelier I did some 2 weeks ago. The model was lovely but she certainly didn't care about not moving while posing. Which I guess made it even more intense to draw.

A very quick watercolor study of a small part of a Zorn painting.  Again, I wish I had more than a museum postcard to study it from -- the lady on my version was smaller than one inch in size... Though obviously it didn't stop me! ;)
It's lighter in color in real life.

I am really hoping that soon enough I will be able to work from my studio space and show you all works that I will have spent more than two hours on!
Take care!

Some unfinished projects

Some of the projects that I've begun last month, I suppose they'll have to wait till 2013 till I work on them some more :)

 Charcoal portrait of an acquaintance, Anna - the drawing still needs polishing up, there was only one sitting session - approx. 30x60cm in size

2hr oil sketch of a baby head cast

When in doubt, paint a princess

Today I've been having a hard time with a painting I've been recently working at. At some point I decided to screw it for now and use the leftover paint for a Snow White speedpaint (~15 mins).
Lately I've been in love with paintings that are build up with very soft brushstrokes and toned palette, like Auguste Renoir's or Olga Boznańska's (whose works I'm always so happy to see at Warsaw's National Gallery).

oil on canvas, 24x24cm

Hopefully later today it will be easier for me to work on the bigger project, but for now - lunch break. :)