So I've been avoiding posting and I'll tell you why. I got over to Germany, possibly the most beautiful place on Earth, with such high expectations, and did mostly crappy paintings. Argh! I didn't want to admit it. But there you go, and here's what I've learned:
1. Don't have any expectations!
2. Appreciating a beautiful place and picking out a good view for a painting are 2 totally diferent and separate things.
3. Never travel to a new place without your regular stuff. I knew I couldn't take turp and I didn't want to bother with getting some there so I took walnut oil. Which is totally different than turp. And frustrating if you've never used it before. My new Open Box M is really fantastic, but since I wasn't used to the shallow palette, I managed to spill half my walnut oil the first day, leaving a very embarassing stain on the perfect German sidewalk. Argh.
I painted this scene on the last day, in a little town not far from where we were staying, called St. Blasien. It's a GORGEOUS place with a river running through it and a giant cathedral with a beautiful dome. But it was the little yellow shop that caught my eye.
We really had a fabulous time in Germany. My husband's birth parents were really the sweetest people. They have a beatiful house and land and horses and garden, etc. The food ... the food was amazing! The exchange rate - not so great. We are glad to be back and are still recovering from jet lag. I will be back to posting regularly tomorrow.
18 comments:
Welcome home - I was wondering how the trip was, so glad you enjoyed the people, scenery and the Food (I still miss it!).
Both of these paintings are wonderful, fresh and filled with light!
Lovely painting! I've used walnut oil and my little painting took three weeks to dry. How do you manage to get your work dry enough to ship days after completing it? Alkyd?
Hi Carol: I think you should post your not-so-great paintings also. I am sure that they are more wonderful than you care to admit, but beauty is in the eye ...as they say. Besides, the rest of us 'common' artists could use the boost to know you do duds like the rest of us!
Carol,
you absolutely distill the essence.
I think you rocked it for managing the time zone change, which really kicks your sleep patterns out of kilter and coming back with at least two slammin' plein air works, posted here.
Oh, but these two are just beauties.
I love your brushwork.
I applaud you for hauling your painting materials all the way across the pond, as I haven't made it as far as my mail box to paint plein air! And what beautiful remembrances of such a meaningful trip! Brava!
Fabulous light and depth. I too, admire your courage to haul overseas - and I dumped my walnut oil first day of a week long class in Jackson Hole last summer, and was glad to be rid of it!
Carol, these paintings you DID post are SUCH A DELIGHT-- As a relatively new daily painter, I'm still realizing how much is shared in this process. I feel like I saw Germany through your eyes and that is a TREAT!!! I wish you traveled more often! (: (but only if you still kept posting peppers, carnations etc... at the same time.)
Walnut oil is non toxic and good to clean your brushes but as a medium it really extends the drying time, if that's what you want. I'm guessing that you didn't want that. Glad you had a wonderful trip, I'd love to see Germany sometime. The two paintings you posted are really wonderful.
Those are such good lessons - thank you for sharing them. What matters most is that you kept at it, learned those lessons AND got two great paintings. Yay for you, Meine Freundin!
This is such a nice painting and it is clearly Europe! I have learned that your point number 2 can be so true, but I believe there is still value in taking the paints along. It's just important to remember point number one! These two paintings were definitely worth the effort. Thanks for sharing your observations and creative process before, during, and after your trip.
I have never seen Germany before in such a fresh light as through your paintings, wonderful. Next time you are in Germany let me know and I sent you your turp.
You're back already! My how time flies. Walnut oil? HUH???? And your paintings...well....they are MAGNIFICENT! You rock! You determination is so inspiring.
Donkey shen!
I visited Germany this summer as well and was awed by the beauty of the landscape. We stayed in south western Germany (Bavaria). I was traveling with my husband, our kids and his family. I also took my sketching supplies and great hopes for doing some plein aire sketching. The lesson I learned - it is near impossible to find time to sketch when traveling with a group of ten. Especially when you are one of the primary speakers. Oh well...at least I had my camera and took over 300 photos. :D
Great paintings. You capture much in these works. Thanks for sharing.
Carol, I love these two paintings! You really do marvelous landscapes, even though most of the paintings you do are still life! Please do post the others. I bet there are just are just as wonderful. I suspect that you are being very, very hard on yourself!
I see only beauty on these canvases, as usual. glad you dragged your stuff along, and glad you had a good time and arrived back safely. love your still lifes, but now that I've glimpsed the landscapes/streetlife, I'm hoping for more of that too! maybe two paintings a day? (just teasing! I know that takes time--and I have a little boy too, so I understand that time is not abundant! ; )
thanks as always for sharing your work and lessons.
Thank you for sharing your experiences and lessons from Germany. These paintings are full of depth and life created with what looks like minimal effort which by the sounds of it was not necessarily the case. I can see why these spots attracted you. The quaint feeling of the scenes come through. Thank you for honesty and persistence.
Thanks for sharing
I totally, totally sympathise with you on the 'appreciating a place and picking out a good view are two different things'.
I've always felt that the more impressive the place the less likely I am to feel comfortable working straight off. I've always felt my 'eye' needs time to accustom itself to new places - particularly those which have jaw-dropping sights every which way you look.
First time I went to Venice I didn't do much, the second time I went I knew exactly where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do! I bet you find that the next time you visit with your relations you'll know what you're doing before you even land!
BTW - have you ever tried Zest-it?
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