My leaves were withering and my wine was evaporating.. so today was the day to finish my still life. The entire concept of "finish" is a tricky one because it's very subjective. For me, I usually produce less "finished" work because I enjoy levels of finish within a painting. I also like work that has a certain liveliness to the brushwork. Regardless, I'm proud to say that my still life is complete and I signed it today.
I'm still working on my figure painting, but it's going well and I'm enjoying the process. I love figurative work and to work from a live model is always great. I couldn't resist painting in portions of the drapery and surroundings to create more of a scene. My classmates enjoyed the inclusion of the fan in the lower left haha. Time is going by so quickly and I'm trying to enjoy every moment of my experience here. Tomorrow we're going to the Accademia Gallery (where the Statue of David is!) and I'm very excited. Ciao for now!
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A quick update to show some progress of my still life painting and to share some methodology from the Florence Academy of Art (FAA). The process so far has been a traditional academic approach going preparatory sketches to finished work. This painting started out with some thumbnail sketches that only focus on value relationships (not detail). Squinting can be helpful throughout the process to keep values simplified--I personally don't squint very much, but it's good to test it out and see what works. The next step was to paint small scale studies. We're not using transfer drawings for the still life, but we are for a larger figurative painting.
We're using a limited palette of: Titanium white, cad. yellow light, yellow ochre, cad red light, ultramarine blue, burnt umber and ivory black. I added a touch of burnt sienna also because the burnt umber that I got from Zecchi is very cool and almost like a Van Dyck brown. Earth pigments can have a variety differences based on where they are mined from. I've always enjoyed limited palettes because it allows me to focus more on arranging values. I like experimenting with colors, but my regular working palette has only a few extra colors beyond this limited palette. FAA also works in sight-size, which is a method where you stand in a specific spot so that your canvas lines up with the subject matter. It's a method that allows the artist to transfer over measurements from a certain vantage point. I find the method to be very structured and works within a framework of specific circumstances. Either way, it's taught me the importance of stepping back from my work and seeing the painting as a whole. *You'll see the photo of my still life below was taken at a different angle from my sight size viewing location. The process is very rigorous and has pushed my skill level further. It can be a difficult process mentally and physically and reminds me of training for athletics. I'm very thankful for this MA program because I've always wanted to learn these time-honored methods. We had class today and my still life is still in progress so I'll share more as it develops! No class tomorrow so I'll be getting chores done and taking it easy :) It's been a busy semester thus far in my final year as an MA student at the Florence Academy of Art. After all the travel, my first week was pretty crazy and I was also battling a cold so I was exhausted! With this second week starting, I wanted to share some of my studies that I've been working on. One of my projects is a thesis still life that I'm developing from thumbnails to charcoal studies to a small oil study. The focus is on values, which is one of the main principles of art. My other project is a figure painting that I'm developing in the same manner. The classes are very structured, which has helped me learn the principles more efficiently. The faculty has also been excellent and it's invaluable to be able to ask questions directly and to have my work professionally critiqued. This process of art making is a very old one and it's extremely versatile. It resonates with me because of its directness and simplicity. And when I say simplicity, I also mean an economy that is very challenging to achieve. As a teacher myself, I see the benefit of also passing these methods to my own students. And it's great to teach (and learn) a process that emphasizes direct observation without tricks or "secrets". On Thursday, we're going to the Uffizi gallery so I'm excited about that. I'm also going to get out and do some plein air work soon. This whole experience has been very fulfilling! What a day! I woke up early and walked over to the Florence Academy to begin my final semester in the MA program. We had introductions, met our teachers, toured the school and began work on our thesis projects. The school is amazing; they have a lot of original works hanging in the halls and an amazing cast collection. The school also has a fantastic cafe where I had lunch. The school is very lively now because a lot of students are here for other programs and workshops. I met a lot of awesome people from all over the world and I can't wait to connect more. After class, I went with some students over to Zecchi to pick up some supplies that I needed. Of course, I ended up grabbing some extra goodies (I wanted to buy half of the store!) It's a smaller shop, but packed full of very high quality art supplies (I was drooling). It actually reminded a lot of the Sennelier store in Paris. I could tell that these stores take a lot of pride in their work and products. The gentleman helping me at Zecchi tallied the order up using paper and pen and wrapped my linseed oil in beautiful "Zecchi" wrapping paper. The employees were also very friendly and helpful. On the way to Zecchi, I also got my first look at the Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore). It was almost like we bumped into it when it came into view. I didn't walk around the entire building, but I was still very impressed with it. Afterwards, I walked back to my apartment, had dinner and now I'm just relaxing. I still need to organize my supplies for tomorrow, but that will be fun. More to come soon! The Florence Academy of ArtZecchiCathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo di Firenze) |
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