Thursday, March 10, 2011

Mascarone 2 and plans

I posted a Venetian mascarone ( carved stone head on  a keystone) a few weeks ago. It was a very quick sketch and I wanted to paint another one. Below is a 8"X 10" watercolor of the same mascarone, but from a different reference photo.. I took this one from a different angle and on a sunnier day. This painting started much larger, but I got tired of all those perspective lines and decided to keep only the focus on the mascarone itself. As a result the mascarone is too much in the center of the page...but that will have to do:-)
I think what attracted me to this reference photo was the little pigeon that I discovered as I looked at the photo more carefully...

I now really want to return to my florals...I would like to paint some orchids: I don't especially like these flowers usually, but I would like to submit a painting to the artist section of a large Orchid Show in Ottawa in April. I have not painted regularly in the past few weeks and when this happens I always have a hard time  starting something new: insecurity? an equivalence of stage fright? painters' block? Do you sometime feel this way?

21 comments:

  1. Christiane, just discovered your blog...and so enjoyed looking over your work. Very lovely. look forward to following!

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  2. Welcome, Julie. I have visited your beautiful blog and see that we share a love of Venice and flowers among other things:-) Thank you very much for your comment and I hope that you will drop in often!

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  3. Lovely mascarone. I am a lover of Venice as well. And, yes, we all suffer from various forms of "painters' block" It, too, shall pass.

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  4. Kathryn, I see from you blog that you too love old buildings:-)Venice offers painting material everywhere you look! I have started sketching a few orchids...that should take care of my procrastination:-)

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  5. This painting looks great! Really like the color choices. You will do just fine with your orchids. You are right, getting started is sometimes the difficult part.

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  6. I think you did a wonderful job on this mascarone no matter where it is positioned- that did not bother me at all. I do love your flowers- I will be studying you from now on as I have taken a shine to painting them also:)

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  7. Vicki, thank you for your kind comment and support. Yes, once I start painting I am really energized.

    Kathy...oh dear...study me? You don't need me Kathy; you are doing so well. However, flowers are certainly addictive and so much fun to paint. I am looking forward to seeing your next flowers...and (rounded :-) vases that you paint so well.

    Have a great evening everyone!

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  8. Gorgeous.. I think you should paint one a week .. both are really lovely xx

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  9. Love this one, Christiane, especially that little pigeon. :)

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  10. this is super christine ..gorgeous reds and greens .. really like the composition too .

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  11. Very nice painting, I always like Venice scenes! Making a decision of what to paint can sometimes slow me down, but once I decide on my painting, then I usually don't have any problem getting started, although the first wash/stroke of paint can sometimes shock me! I'll watch your orchids, since I've got a reference photo of some that I've been thinking of painting.

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  12. Pat, with 300 mascaroni in Venice, one a week would indeed keep me busy for a while:-)

    Anne, thank you! That little pigeon stole my heart:-)

    Jane, I am so pleased that you like this.

    Deb, thank you. I am glad to see that I am not the only one slowed down by deciding what to paint next. I also dread that first brushstroke...after that, well...we just keep going.

    I am afraid that I chose a reference that is too complex...we'll soon see:-)

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  13. I like the pigeon, but also like how there's not too much green!

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  14. Hi, Pam. The entire door was green, but I painted only the top of it. I'm glad that you like it this way.

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  15. Love this, Christiane...you might know I'd be drawn to it with all this fabulous red going on. I also love the little pigeon.

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  16. Mollie, I am so pleased that you like this. I have to admit that I took quite a few liberties with the colors...I told myself that these were the colors under the grime of a few centuries:-)

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  17. Beautiful. Wonderful colour palette - that touch of green against the warm tones - marvelous. Got your perspective and elipses most brilliantly.

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  18. You are such a great painter I can't imagine you having any problem painting anything. As for the post, i love it, great colors,subject and composition.

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  19. Cathy, thank you, but you are much too kind. I really worry a lot over each painting until it is more than halfway through...then I start to relax a bit if it's looking ok:-)

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  20. Really great work! I love this one!

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