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Tuesday, July 5, 2011

New Painting by Eugen Chisnicean

Very strong and confident brush strokes! Limited palette but perfect tonal contrast. Something really inspiring!

 Eugen Chisnicean. Low Tide, Arcashon, France, 75x35

I Love This Abstract Series!

The International Symposium in Turku in June 29th - July 3th 2011. This abstract series is absolutely my favorite!


Marja Koskiniemi. Shadow Waters. 56x76 cm


Marja Koskiniemi. Merelta Tulee. 56x76 cm


Marja Koskiniemi. Break Of Down. 56x76 cm

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Thomas Shaller`s Master-Class

Yesterday I saw it on Facebook. It`s so fascinating! I believe any watercolorist would enjoy to see the process, materials, colors, brusher, stages of work. So here is Thomas Shaller for you:



While hiking near assisi, italy, i came upon this beautiful view. the fading umbrian sun behind the towers of the hill town softly illuminated the valley with golden light in the distance below. i had only my sketchbook and cell-phone camera with me ....



My sketchbook is with me always and i do very quick value/composition sketches of anything i may wish to paint - either there on site, or later in the studio. these sketches are essential for me to identify what the real "story" of the painting my be - what should be light, what should dark, what to leave in, and what to leave out.




Often i will add a splash of informative color on my composition sketches and even add written notes to record my impressions if i cannot paint the scene right there on site. these are not intended to be "pretty" drawings - just quick graphic ideas. i will use these sketches later as my "map" for the final painting so that i can quickly recall what it is that first impressed me about the scene.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

VI International Biennale “ART-BRIDGE”


INFORMATION LETTER


Dear colleagues,
  Saint-Petersburg Public Organization “Society of Watercolor Artists”  welcomes you to the 6th International Biennale “Art – Bridge – Watercolor” which will be held from December 21st, 2011 to January 8th 2012 in the exhibition centre of Saint-Petersburg Union of Artists.
The Exhibition includes the following activities: master-classes, press-conferences for local and international mass media and round-tables.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

-         any watercolour artists’ society may submit 5 works – 1 to 2 works from an author (deadline: September 29, 2011);
-         any author may submit only one work separately (deadline: September 29, 2011);
-         for the catalogue authors should submit their works in TIFF on a CD (deadline: September 15, 2011). The CD should include three files:

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Carol Carter`s Rainbow

Here is an interview with an american artist Carol Carter. When I first saw her works I was shocked how different is her color perception from my ideas about the color. I live in the North, we generally have not so much sun light. Carol seems to transform the sun of Florida into the pure painting - all colors of the rainbow radiate from her watercolors and acrils.


Carol Carter. Google Me. 22`x30`. 2007

I am surprised to have a very dualistic impression of tension and peace at the same time. Water has a soothing, chilling effect, but your colors seem to explode all little parts and parcels of the rainbow.  In what state you find yourself while working? 
I am usually just focused on painting.  I don't really have a state-of-mind when I paint.  Painting generally takes me to a different place from my daily life -- by the end of time in the studio.  There is tension in my work -- but more a formalistic one.

Carol Carter. Rainbow I. 30`x22`. 2007
How did you start painting, what made you choose watercolor? 
I chose watercolor early in my career because it was the only painting medium offered at my college.  I didn't learn acrylic [opaque medium] until I entered graduate school.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Texture In Landscape

Here is a short video extract from my tutorial watercolor video "Autumn In The Mountains". Lets see what can we learn from it.

1. I used splashing. I did it in 2 ways - on wet and on dry. Certainly it created different textures. I used it for general texture of leaves.
2. Half-loaded brush on dry. Used for a big masses of colorfull brunches. The brush is quite snaggy.
3. Small squirrell or sable brush. Painting single leaves if necessary.
All tree ways of making texture are good for completing the painting work.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Indian Memories

Something 15 years ago I had a comission of a series of international children portraits. It was for a Children rights protection organization. There were a calender and postcards published. I am posting here an Indian highlights as my favourite.
 Konstantin Sterkhov. Indian Bride. 1996

Konstantin Sterkhov. Indian Boy. 1996

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Flash Back

I found one of my old watercolors. I used a different technique those days. It was many transparent layers. Now I tend to paint the whole thing all at once. But it was nice to remember...

Konstantin Sterkhov. Statue in the Park. 20x30 cm. 1996

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Thomas Shaller - New Work

New exelent work by Tom. Enjoy!

Thomas Shaller. Portico Assisi. 22`x16`. 19.05.2011 

Painting a Dog - Video

Returning to a dog painting. Now in video.


Check the lesson Step By Step in my previous post.
Available in DVD with other 5 video workshops.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Master-class Sea Splashes

Some of my art-friend arranged a graphic exhibition in their gallery in the historic part of Saint-Petersburg. The good thing about it was that they arranged also master-classes with artists who were exposed. Most of my works there were seascapes, so it was the theme of my master-class.

Master-class "Seascapes"

The audience was of all ages - from 12 to 70 y.o. Within 2 hours I had demonstration of 5-6 works about seascapes - just some techniques of watercolor. I had a little problem for I forgot my hairdryer to dry up the painting, but it was solved very fast. I got one when painting the second work, so it went even faster when I got it.
Here I would like to show some cloudy seascape - simply the stages how to do it.

Konstantin Sterkhov. Sea Splashes. 35x45 cm, 2008

1. I partly wash the sky and water with ochre with some red, I keep some white areas untouched.