I've Missed you!

My last post on this site was in February! 

I've recently discovered that many of my previous followers

 have not been getting my new blog. 

If interested, you can subscribe to it

 at the bottom of the homepage of my new website:

nancycolella.com

Here is a quick glimpse of what I've been up to. 

Hope to see you over in Squarespace....

New Blog!

There have been a few clitches

 getting all of my follower's email addresses

 over to Mailchimp,

and I apologize for that. 

If you have received this post,

please go to 

www.nancycolella.com

and sign on to receive the new blog. 

HINT! 

This is the painting 

posted about today!

  

Red Towel

20 x 16 oil 

IMPORTANT: Moving Day

IMPORTANT:

I have officially moved this blog 

over to my website:

www.nancy colella.com

The e-mail with the first post went out 

late Monday.

If you did not receive it,

please sign up again on the new site.

(Sorry! Still working out the kinks) 

February Favorites 

12 x 9 oil 

Happy Valentines Day! 

Awards and Honors

I don't usually post about awards or honors,
but I'm excited that I've recently been awarded the 

status of Copley Master at the
Copley Society in Boston. 

This small work recently won an "Award of Merit"

which completed the number of awards required for the new status.

Twilight 

12 x 9 oil 

Once an Artist Member has work accepted into five juried shows,

they become a Copley Artist.

Once a Copley Artist wins three major awards 

in subsequent juried shows they become a Copley Master. 

(3 Merit Awards = 1 Major Award) 

It took me ten years to reach this goal,

and it's been an honor to be part of 

this prestigious and supportive establishment. 

NOTE:

New website and blog will be 

going "LIVE" very soon.

I'm just learning how to navigate them.

Stay tuned. 

Works in Progress

 I have at least ten 

"works in progress"

in my studio right now,
which is a totally new way of working. 

That said, I've been away from the studio for a while  

so I couldn't wait to start something fresh today.  

 Today's WIP 

24 x 24 oil on canvas 

Here is the image I used for inspiration, 

turned pside down. 

The initial "lay-in";

Once I turned it right side up,

I made a few adjustments 

and will now re-visit it when it's dry.

And after I've looked at it 

for a few days. 

This new approach is teaching me to 

 let things happen and "accept chaos" along the way. 

The biggest challenge is to prevent 

myself from over working it by 

"fixing it".
Will keep you posted. 

  

Kitchens

I''e been thinking about kitchens as a subject lately,

(Probably because I spend so much time in them this time of year.)

I've had an image of my friend's kitchen 

in my files for some time

and finally got a chance to play with it.  

Donna's Kitchen 

12 x 12 oil 

Once again, I did a quick study of the subject,
directly from the photo as a warm up.


Study for Donna's kitchen
8 x 8 oil

I'm doing this to show as examples for my workshop
"Breaking the Literal Habit" in April;
Expressive ways to interpret subject,
 without merely copying images.

NOTE:
I'm finally almost ready too launch new website and blog.
Please email (if you haven't already) so I can add you to the subscription.
Will keep you posted!

Girl Power

I loved watching two flower girls
dancing at a wedding recently; 

totally uninhibited and free.

Girl Power 

20 x 16  oil 

This was done quickly 

without using a specific reference;

mostly from memory.

However, first I did this "quick" study
done from a specific photo.


12 x 9 oil on board

After I over fussed the arms, legs and faces
 I got so frustrated, I did the first one. 

NOTE:

I'm teaching a workshop on 

"breaking the literal habit" in April,

 so I'm working on potential exercises 

we can do. 

Second Guessing

Sometimes you work on a subject so long, 

you loose your focus on the initial intention, 

and you start second guessing your every move. 

Here's a perfect example;

RAA Kitchen

20 x 16 oil 

Here's the image that inspired me,

(I flipped it) 

I was initially attracted to the purple/ yellow palette 

and the linear shapes of dark and light. 

This is the intitial block in,

that I thought had great potential! 

Fresh brush strokes, high contrast....

Then I took out the clock, warmed it up,

 and softened the dark garbage bags 

making it feel awkward at this point. 

 

So on the I Pad, 

I re-added the clock and removed the trash cans,

which then created too many "blocks" to get to the stove.

So I kept them in, adjusted 

the values of the walls and the door, 

and removed the indent above the stove. 

At this point, it just feels too overworked and stiff.

I'll put it aside, let it dry 

and most likely paint over it.

Lessons learned;

Try to stay focussed on your initial intention. 

Don't listen to the "judge" in the room. 

Works in Progress

Yesterday I did this small study from an image

 I took at the beach recently. 

It felt so tight and too close to the image 

so I turned it upside down and used it as a reference 

for this 20 x 20 over an old painting. 

Beginning stage 

24 x 24 

When I turned it right side up,

I wiped away areas 

and re-drew some of the shapes. 

Now, I like where this is going! 

I'll force myself to let this dry for a few days

 and then figure out where to take it. 

The tough part will be working on it,

without loosing the spontaneity or freshness 

it has right now. 

New Year Studio Clean Out

Over the weekend, I did my annual 

New Year Studio Clean Out.

I threw away all stiff brushes, dried up paint,

pens that don't write.....you name it.

It's fun to finally have everything where I can find it.

When I started, I had a list of supplies to order on line. 

After I finished cleaning out closets, cupboards and drawers;

 I realized

 I didn't need a thing! 

Next Up:;
Totaling the year's income and expenses.
Launching the new website/blog.

NOTE:
I'm working on a group of paintings at the same time.
None are ready for posting.
Stay tuned.