A study of buildings above stairs in Lisboa After having settled in, I began work last week in earnest. The good news is that some of the watercolor postcards I'm making for some of my supporters have turned out nicely. I'll post pictures of these later on in February so that they get the chance to see them "live" for the first time when they get them in the mail, but overall I'm satisfied.
The charcoal drawings are coming along, too. Watercolor studies are always a little problematic for me. They tend to be more abstract in nature - more line and color studies than form or shape - and watercolor isn't really a technique that I find easy to work with in abstract. But that's what I'm doing here, to explore.
I've also been playing little bit with dry pastels for the first time. In the past, and at times, I work with oil pastel, and really enjoy this technique, especially on glass and paper. But dry pastel is a new thing for me because I'm not very focused on drawing and these tools lend themselves more in that direction (oil pastel is technically a painting tool). I still have a lot of work to do to improve in this area, but it's a start.
The charcoal drawings are coming along, too. Watercolor studies are always a little problematic for me. They tend to be more abstract in nature - more line and color studies than form or shape - and watercolor isn't really a technique that I find easy to work with in abstract. But that's what I'm doing here, to explore.
I've also been playing little bit with dry pastels for the first time. In the past, and at times, I work with oil pastel, and really enjoy this technique, especially on glass and paper. But dry pastel is a new thing for me because I'm not very focused on drawing and these tools lend themselves more in that direction (oil pastel is technically a painting tool). I still have a lot of work to do to improve in this area, but it's a start.
A Study of a Windy Day The big change here, though, is a disappointment for me and probably a bonus for you. Oil painting has ground to a halt. This has nothing to do with inspiration or ability, but instead because nothing dries here. I did laundry my first day here and my clothes took until yesterday - a full six days - to dry (and they still feel a little damp when I put them on). The humidity in the building where I'm working is just too high. The walls are made of concrete with no insulation, so there's no room for breathing. Because I paint rather thick, my oil paintings tend to need 1-2 weeks to be dry to the touch and 6-10 months to be dry completely underneath. One week in and I can tell that I'm going to need the full month for the two paintings that I started to dry just to be able to transport them home when I leave. So, oil painting is on vacation until I get back in Feb.
More tools of the trade for the secret project. Can you guess what it is? So why is this good news for you? Because it means I'll be starting that secret project here this week, a full week sooner. Maybe I'll get a lot of it done by the time I leave. I certainly hope so.
Yesterday, I visited a small town about an hour outside of Lisboa called Sintro. It's a nice town in the mountains with an old Moorish castle and several old palaces from a bygone era. I've updated the photo page with some photos of my day there, as well as added to the Lisbon photo section, too (the bottom of that gallery). I'll be returning to Sintro this week or next to do some more drawing and painting, but for now, enjoy the pics.
But before I go, a bit about this gallery where I'm staying - Zaratan. As I said before, they're an artist-run gallery that is a collective of nine artists across the art spectrum (painting, drawing, music, video, sound, etc.). One of their main goals is join artists from the various media and techniques to work together. Last night they had some expiremental ambient music combined with an installation artist. I've posted a video here for you to check it out. It's art, not really music, so you need to understand that these performances are less about attracting an audience and more about creating new ideas for the future of music.
Yesterday, I visited a small town about an hour outside of Lisboa called Sintro. It's a nice town in the mountains with an old Moorish castle and several old palaces from a bygone era. I've updated the photo page with some photos of my day there, as well as added to the Lisbon photo section, too (the bottom of that gallery). I'll be returning to Sintro this week or next to do some more drawing and painting, but for now, enjoy the pics.
But before I go, a bit about this gallery where I'm staying - Zaratan. As I said before, they're an artist-run gallery that is a collective of nine artists across the art spectrum (painting, drawing, music, video, sound, etc.). One of their main goals is join artists from the various media and techniques to work together. Last night they had some expiremental ambient music combined with an installation artist. I've posted a video here for you to check it out. It's art, not really music, so you need to understand that these performances are less about attracting an audience and more about creating new ideas for the future of music.
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