B-r-r-r-r-r Get Inside and Paint!

Let's welcome winter with more studio time. This is a great time to work indoors; find some forgotten work-in-progress (we all have those), try something new, or even clean up the studio. So if you are not into extreme plein-air painting, then its ok to hibernate for a while and let it snow! Winter for me is a time for reinvention. The post-holiday calmness brings opportunity to evolve as an artist, and I must say I do most of my evolving during winter.

I kicked it off this season with a winter landscape.

First off, I drew with fluid acrylic paint, blocking in the horizon with the focal point being just right of centre, where the creek meets the horizon. Then I washed the background with a very pale Alizarine Crimson and Hansa yellow, later covering most of it with an atmospheric haze of light blue/grey. Then I lightly suggested trees in the distance, lots of them, bringing the trees closer to the forefront with stronger contrast. The creek and rocks were mainly done with a pallet knife as was the settling snow. I brought more texture in the forefront with titanium white and light molding paste, yet I kept the background thin and grey. For the interesting texture of the bark and snow, I have GOLDEN Artist Colours to thank. I used the GOLDEN acrylic line of colours, mediums and grounds and found their molding and shaping mediums ideal for this. I loved getting the bulkiness of the snow using light molding paste and pouring mediums and conversly using the thin fluid acrylics for water and backgrounds.

I will be adding some of these techniques to my mixed media and landscape classes, and most definitely to my workshop in Italy this summer. Visit my workshop page and I hope you join me as we evolve in the studio this winter!

Discovery Trail in Winter - 30"x48" acrylic on canvas by Sandra Iafrate

Autumn and Art

The studio is busy as autumn art season approaches. I've been busy adding to my Abundance series; bold and busy flower painting series which I began painting in 2012. Now I've added 2 more to the series, making it six in total. The two recent works, plus the first of the series are currently on display at PI Fine Art in Toronto from Sept. 12 - Dec. 1, 2016.

This fun, busy floral series has been one of my favorite themes as it challenges me as a painter. I have had few references and had to resort to much ad-libing along the way. The two new oil paintings are 4ft x 6 ft canvases and is exhibited along side a 7ft x 9ft oversized work. The color palette of these paintings are very chromatic, with roses, lilies, tulips, leaves, branches and berries.

(Left: Abundance IV as a work in progress.)

Adding to this, I have been preparing for the upcoming McLean Project for the Arts (MPA) Artfest 2016 which will be held Oct. 2, 2016 at McLean Central Park, in McLean, VA. In its 10th year now, Artfest celebrates visual arts in the DMV area (D.C., Maryland, VA). During MPAartfest, the Park is transformed into a lively landscape of mini art galleries showcasing and offering for sale the work of 52 juried acclaimed artists from the Mid-Atlantic region. This free event also features local live musicians, food and an open air art studio for adults and kids to enjoy. Check out my Exhibits page for details.

Following Artfest on Oct. 7th and 8th, I will be offering two workshops at McLean Project for the Arts. Friday, Oct. 7th, we will be having a very fun and very different paint night entitled Arts and Crafts: Painting Art and Craft Beer. This workshop will run from 7 - 9:30pm at MPA and each participant will complete a rustic work on barn-board. Beer tasting will take place during drying time. And yes, our barn-boards are authentically from barns: cleaned and kiln dried. Ready for our project!

Below are samples of completed work for the Arts and Craft: painting art and craft beer. For more information visit my workshop page.

Also at MPA, I will be running a two-day fall foliage and landscape workshop: Changing of the Season with a Twist! This workshop runs Oct. 7th and 8th: 9:30am - 12:30pm. The focus is painting a fall scene and extending our selves as artists and exploring with color and composition. For registration, visit the MPA link.

Also last but most certainly not least! Registration is now open for June 2017 Chianti Hills! Our hosts, Il Chiostro are offering a discount of $100. per person for early bird booking prior to January 1st. This 7-day workshop/holiday runs June 3 - 10th, 2017. We stay in a beautifully restored 12th-century monastery right in the heart of Tuscany. I will be instructing daily classes and we will have visits to nearby Tuscan towns during the week, returning each evening to a meal prepared by our Italian chef. Its going to be delicious!

(Left: Il Chriostro's Tuscan Renaissance Centre where workshop and stay is held in Chianti.)

To learn more about The Tuscan Palette workshop head to il Chiostro or visit my workshop page.

Hope to see you this autumn!

Peacocks, Pigs and Painting in Portugal

What a wonderful week we had in Portugal on our painting holiday this month! Our small group of eight enjoyed an incredible week of cultural travel and art in the Portuguese countryside, while towing along our paints and drawing mediums to capture the beauty. From the views of bright green hills and valleys filled with wild flowers to the beaches, town and castle visits, the experience was authentic and heartfelt.

Window and clay pots

Casa Do Vinho (Winery House)

All of it was new to most of the guests, who had never been to Portugal, but ‘new’ is not the best way to describe where we were. Aldeia da Mata Pequena, a wonderfully restored 400-year-old village reminiscent of a fairy tale, is located in the wholesome countryside just a 30 minute drive from Lisbon.

Upon arrival, we were met with the quiet of a tiny street laid with limestone bricks and lined with stone and white-washed cottages. The sounds and sites were exciting yet comforting. They made us want to explore the small street of quaint guest homes adorned with clay pottery, wild flowers and fruit trees. They made us want to approach the many animals around us, including chickens, roosters, bunnies, a pig, a donkey and two stunning peacocks or snap a photo of one of the numerous sunlit vignettes of serendipitous still life, from a rustic bicycle to a sunlit bowl of lemons. They made us want to paint.

Peacock

bicycle photo

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Our outdoor sessions took place on my back ‘porch’, a makeshift studio set up by Diogo, the villa owner. It had a working table, benches and a permanent stone table that had likely been there for hundreds of years. Our stone sink nearby was ideal. The view provided our reference. We did monochromatic still-life studies and colour studies before venturing off to great places.

Pena Palace, Sintra

View of Obidos Rooftops

One of the week’s highlights was a visit to Sintra, specifically the Pena Palace and the mystical gardens of Quinta da Regaliera. Colour and drama best describe these two places since the Palace had been restored recently, transformed into a vibrant massive yellow and pink castle with an interesting facade of ball-and-spike impressions and a spectacular entrance. Quinta da Regeliera was a challenging spot for exploring and painting. With bridges and walkways built with unrefined rocks, cascading foliage everywhere and mystical, unusual tunnels and wells, it was a haven for painting and photography. A visit to the fortified town of Obidos with its shops and houses surrounded by a castle wall proved to be more material for inspiration. We also sampled Portuguese tapas and meals that were literally steeped in tradition! One of our best memories is our visit from a local cook, who made fresh bread stuffed with cod (Bacalhau a Bras) right in our very own wood-burning stove in our guest house kitchen. These are just a few highlights of our very special week exploring the Portuguese country and culture. I look forward to another painting holiday again in the summer of 2017 since I know we had so many great ideas that were left unpainted. So many subjects, so little time! Keep in touch for the upcoming 2017 dates.