My Agenda - April and May

Kid's art classes with Doranne Alden Caruana

Exhibitions & Outdoor Activities & Art Courses

with Doranne Alden Caruana in April and May

Ghajnsielem Sunset

This month I thought it would be a good idea to share my activities with you - here is  a small list of what I have participated in and where my art will be taking me over the coming weeks.

 Ramla l-Hamra

The Turquoise Mug with pears

The following 4 paintings are currently for sale in aid of Ta' Pinu Sanctuary in Victoria Gozo. The exhibition entitled - 
The Gozo Arts & Antiques Exhibition
opened on 31st March and will remain open until 15th April 2012 - You can visit the exhibition at 18 Republic Street - Victoria - Gozo.

The Turquoise Mug with apples

Two other paintings (on left) are up for sale and part of the proceeds are going to the Magnificat Prayer Group in aid of a fund raiser which the group will be holding on 20th April at Villa Arrigo during a prayer seminar to be held on the same day in the morning. For more information you can find the group on Facebook.com.

 HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OPEN DAY 

@ San Anton Gardens.

This year I have also been asked to participate in the open day at San Anton - hosted by the Horticultural Society of Malta - The 3 paintings on left will be on display and also for sale on the weekend of the 5th and 6th May 2012. 
Hope to see you there as I will also be painting somewhere in the gardens on the day.

I will also be painting outdoors at the annual
Din l-Art Helwa's Spring Fete 2012 
on 29th April after midday at the Historic Bastion Garden of Rest in lower Floriana. Again hope to see you there while I paint - this time there will be no paintings for sale but you are free to enquire about any paintings you see and are interested in.

Announcing my 6th Solo Exhibition  - 27th September 2012 
Another item worth mentioning is that my next solo exhibition will be held at the Cavalieri Hotel in St. Julian's on 27th September and it will remain open to the public until 15th November. Hope to see you all there.

My submitted self portrait for inclusion in
'the National Portrait Gallery of Malta' 

 'The National Portrait Gallery of Malta'
Another interesting and exciting item on my agenda is the invitation to be included in such a prestigious book - I am really honoured and of course looking forward to seeing this published so as to obtain my own copy. My father also a watercolourist and also now known veteran Maltese artist Albert J. Caruana has also been invited - therefore this should be an especially wonderful keepsake for us both. I am sure that my children will be more than proud to have this on their shelves in the years to come.

Part of the letter of invitation which I received from Nicholas de Piro

So for the time being this is what I will be up too until beginning of May. Meanwhile for something a little more sensational - 

My work is now guaranteed to be shown on a 21 ft by 12 ft sign in Times Square! Cool!!! ♥

http://dorannealden.artistswanted.org/atts2012

LESSONS AND ART COURSES

Working in the out doors with the group

At the moment I am teaching Adult classes in Still life - drawing and painting in watercolour. That is on Monday afternoon at 4.30pm until 6.30pm and on Tuesday mornings from 9.30am to 11.30am. These lessons are being held at the premises of VGB art shop in San Gwann and also plein air at previously arranged locations. 
The whole course is 8 lessons, but students are welcome for one off lessons and also for a one off with the out door painting groups. The current course ends on 23rd April 2012.
I am also giving a course on Tuesday from 4.30pm to 6.30pm in portraiture and the clothed figure. This course is just 4 lessons spread over a 4 week period.  As we are currently still in the first week of lessons, there is still a chance to join in for the next 3 lessons. This course will end in May.


The next course in Still life drawing and painting in watercolour, will begin in May and end in June.
To book you can either contact me on dorart@hotmail.com or call VGB San Gwann on 21385584.

Me at work at VGB

Another demo in watercolour at VGB

And last but not least - The ever popular kid's art classes commence tomorrow at VGB San Gwann.
The lessons will start from 4.30pm and end 6.00pm. The course is 8 lessons and includes sessions of drawing and creative painting with a little of art history thrown in.
For more info - Call  Trudy in VGB San Gwann on 21385584.

VGB will soon be taking bookings for the Summer Courses in KIDS ART for the month of July - the lessons will be held 2 times a week and the course is 8 lessons.

Ecoline Liquid Watercolours - Project one

So how does one go about using Ecolines you ask. To begin with you have to know that this medium is a high quality concentrated liquid watercolour ink originally made for designers, graphic artists and illustrators. However many use it as an ink, as it behaves just like watercolour, as it is literally a liquid watercolour!

It is fast and versatile and can even be combined with other water based media, such as watercolours from tubes or pans, also acrylics, other inks, water-soluble pencils, and crayons, waxes and so many other media you may choose to paint with. 


My favourite paper to use with Ecoline watercolours is the whitest possible found on the market. Of course it has to be acid free as is with most watercolour paper available these days. I found that Daler Rowney have an excellent one ideal just for this reason; besides this it is 300grms a good weight and also with a slight grain as I prefer an almost flat surface to work on with these colours.

To start with I usually set up a quite a bold and vibrant still life to work from. If working indoors I will use a side spot light to create strong shadows and highlights that are easily distinguishable.
As for the drawing process I stick to the basic shapes and try not to put in too much detail after all the colours are the subject in this case.
I like to use a wax based pencil to map in any highlights that could get lost such as the edges of vases, plates even the fruit. I also put in the reflections on the fruit and  sometimes exaggerate some of these lighted areas.

On left you can observe that when I start painting I start from the background. In this case it is because I feel that the darker colours will help put the 'jigsaw' of colour together as I work round the subject that being the flowers in the jug and the fruit in the bowl. 
The colours in the jars of ecoline are vibrant and strong enough to be able to work almost directly from the bottles. I usually dip my brush into these jars picking up the colours I see in the subject and then let the water and brush do the rest as I start painting steadily round the subjects.

Ecolines do tend to dry very fast and sometimes working in the outdoors can be very frustrating to actually achieve the desired effect. Therefore in this case, I prefer take photographs of the subject and then work from them in the comfort of my study. Another factor that affects these delicate colours is temperature. If the weather is too hot again it not conducive to the medium - so I find myself opting to paint with Ecolines in Spring and Autumn when the local temperatures range between 17 to 21 degs. Again the winter light being dull and monochromatic also effects my mood so I tend to use traditional watercolour and darker colours during this season of prolonged bad weather. 

Coming back to technique I like to work fast and try to 'feel' the colours rather than over study them while working.


I also dab the paint on the paper when working on the flowers to create the petal effect. This I do without much precision. After all the end result is not meant to be photo realistic. The paint while still slightly wet is quite manageable where in it is easily over painted and can give a lovely wet in wet effect too. I also use both the tip and the 'body' of the brush while working to make use of the different colours that accumulate in the brush itself.




The technique I use is semi dry to a certain degree therefore I do not stretch the paper because of this. I find the colours react differently when the paper has been stretched and do not work the way I would like them to. Also the fact that the paper is quite thick helps to avoid having to do this.


Another point worthwhile mentioning is that the colours tend to run into each other rather easily and create their own part in the painting itself. I think these spontaneous reactions add another dimension to the finished work.
 On left the colours in the fruit and flowers were allowed to 'pour' into each other for just this result.


Leaving large areas of the paper exposed is also a very intrinsic part of painting in ecoline. The cool white light from the paper gives off a beautiful contrast with the bold and vibrant colours of the ecoline watercolours. This adds to the overall graphic structure of the finished painting.

Working in quick progression the picture begins to take shape and towards the end I find that I only need to add a few washes to blend in shadows and colours. The final finished painting is visible below and you can be a judge of whether the painting was completed successfully or not.  Always use a fixative spray to seal your work and preserve the picture in either a portfolio in a protective pocket or between acid free paper sheets. Or better still frame your picture and hang it up to enjoy it... of course not in a sun filled room as watercolours are very sensitive to light and will fade quickly. Oh and if possible use a UV protective glass with your frame.


Next blog on painting in Ecoline Liquid Watercolours will follow next month. Meantime check in from time to time as I will be posting my painting activities here online as I participate in open days out on location.
HAPPY EASTER TO ALL 

Doranne Alden Caruana - dorart@hotmail.com