http://www.transilvaniagallery.eu/ “Viata pe Pamant este o batalie continua cu ceilalti si cu propriile noastre ego-uri. Avem, deci, nevoie de cele mai bune arme pentru a supravietui: realism si putere de a visa, luciditate si putinta de a crede in basme, ochi capabili sa priveasca prin intuneric si inima deschisa spre lumina. Iar uneori, cand realitatea devine grava, avem nevoie sa ne putem crea o alta lume, un alt univers adevarat. Despre asta este pictura mea.” Stefania Nistoreanu Galeria de Arta TRANSILVANIA gazduieste, in perioada …- … , o expozitie extraordinara a artistei care traieste si creeaza la marginea Tampei. Iubitorii de arta vor avea ocazia unei intalniri in premiera cu o suita de zece lucrari – ulei si foita de aur, bronz sau argint pe panza - realizate recent, intr-un stil elaborat, absolut spectaculos, care le confera unicitatea ravnita de orice artist. Stefania Nistoreanu abordeaza panza intr-o maniera extrem de intima, dar compozitiile sale inglobeaza deseori teme universale, ancestrale si actuale, in egala masura. De altfel, lucrarile ei reprezinta o suma de contraste, exprimand realismul si fantasticul omogenizate armonios, ca intr-un panaceu de mult asteptat. Amprenta sa personala este caracterizata de o imaginatie fecunda si de o tehnica originala, dublata de o exceptionala finete artistica. http://www.brasov.net/expozitie-stefania-nistoreanu-la-galeria-de-arta-transilvania http://www.stiribrasov.ro/2012/12/03/expozitie-stefania-nistoreanu-galeria-de-arta-transilvania/ http://www.1235.ro/expozitie-stefania-nistoreanu-la-galeria-de-arta-transilvania-28143.html http://www.brasovultau.ro/articol/stiri/expozitie-stefania-nistoreanu-la-galeria-de-arta-transilvania.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bvtaufeed+%28Ultimele+%C5%9Etiri++-+Bra%C5%9Fovul+T%C4%83u%29 http://www.ziare.com/brasov/cultura/expozitie-stefania-nistoreanu-la-galeria-de-arta-transilvania-3442771 http://www.radiobrasov.ro/stire/expozitie-stefania-nistoreanu-la-galeria-de-arta-transilvania.html http://www.calendarevenimente.ro/detalii.php?ev=102619 http://www.modernism.ro/2012/12/05/expozitie-stefania-nistoreanu-la-galeria-de-arta-transilvania-brasov/ http://www.ilovebrasov.ro/index.php/evenimente/details/3171-expozitie-stefania-nistoreanu http://www.paginaintai.net

30x40; oil and copper leaf; for sale!

The panel finally assembled. I'll try to post some details later.

One of those amazing clouds (with a silver lining), the sun just behind it. on a very still evening in the summer, I just had time to paint it before it changed too much.
(9" x7" oil on gesso panel)

Above Wayne Attwood, Tom Hughes and Valerie Pirlot at work. It was  a stunning view working against the light.
Several of us met 'under the PAS Umbrella', in Bristol for the day on Saturday 29th Sept. (Thanks for reminding me Valerie)
I'd been very busy but decided to make the day out. It was a bright sunny day and perfect for the occasion. I arrived about  noon, a little late, just as people were putting finishing touches on their paintings of the Supension Bridge.
I did a rushed piece of the bridge view, but that needs a little more attention before I decide to post it. Sometimes rushed pieces are great, but this one perhaps not. In the afternoon we worked facing the North view.

It was  a great day, good company and cameraderie,  exchanging valuable painting and equipment tips  .......
i.e. Valerie's versatile adjustable painting transporter, and Tom's credit card paint scraper - ingenious. We ended up in a nearby pub in Clifton Village (having missed the last coffee shop) to discuss the day and agreed we should it again before too long.
Will try to add more photos later ....................

The White Horse Opera set painting project has come to an end and the show, La Traviata  (set in Paris 1910) started last night.   In addition to the 12 post impressionist paintings used to set the atmosphere of the scenes in the opera, I copied a Titain, "The Entombment, to hang in the lasts act as Violetta dies from consumption (happy stuff some operas, but fab music!).  In this final scene all the paintings are turned to the wall as her apartment is being closed due to her declining health and fortune. But this one painting can still be seen hanging.
The director had asked for a religious painting and I chose this, partly because I'd made a tiny copy of it years ago (about 6"x 8") and because it sets a suitable solemn and compassionate mood.
 I've always looked long and hard at Titian's work (and others) and  now realize I have been actually absorbing something and could begin to usefully use some of his methods from memory.  Being restricted by time, and not wanting  slavish copy but more capture a feeling of his style, perfect accuracy wasn't the goal.
To sum up .....One rarely gets a chance to copy an old master painting. After starting working from a book reproduction, I went to the National Gallery to look closely at the Titians and realized that it was essential to see how he built up the drawing and laid the paint on in various ways, scumbled layers and glazes etc. So when I returned I could see where I'd been going wrong, drawing rather dark hard lines instead of building up the drawing with softer siennas, particularly noticeable with his depiction of hands. The Madonna below is one of my most favourite paintings. Everything is so softly even blurrily painted, and the glazing like nothing else I've seen, so many thin colours blending and picking up the  canvas texture, particularly over the blue gown. Most of the shadow in the gown was added later in multiple glazes.

 Some of Titian's later work can be  incredibly loose. ie "The Death of Actaeon" (National Gallery)

Hooray!!
I entered 2 paintings for the Bath Prize and this one below  won the 'Purchase Prize'. In this case the owners of the cafe in the Market had offered to buy the painting they liked best. Several people took on the challenge, and it was actually my stipulated place to paint so I had no option (in the competition, they assign each artist to a particular place, selected from about 35 locations around The City of Bath).

At the start I felt  a bit out of my element as I like painting in the open, but persevered, trying to capture something of the diffused but sometimes strong light in the  space, as the intensity of the sun waxed and waned through the day. This was done over two sessions, with the help of two double cappucion's kindly donated by Mike and Wendy.  (the injection of caffeine may have given me an unfair advantage - thankfully, there was  no caffeine test!:)
A view of the market below ....

 and many people enjoyed being photographed with the Queen :-)
Someone said  that if one patted the pig's nose, it brought luck. So I did later, quickly, feeling silly - but I won the prize so there you  go! Should have more faith



My other painting was done from Parade Gardens, below Poultney Bridge. Here is the first study under way, after starting I realized I needed  a wider format

 Close-up detail at lower part of the panel  with wheat, flora, water.
There's the remains of a Viking helmet under the water, reference to King Alfred beating the Viking Danes at Edington.
Some silver stain will add touches of gold and enhance the richness of the glass. i.e. fruit, helmet, wheat, primrose (might have all 4 seasons in this one) - Stain still to be fired on.

There might be  a few insects in the undergrowth if you look carefully :-) or are they in the other bit?

m

Just updating this image.
Another view looking back at the house in May .....


..... and catching the last of the Apple Blossom. Also showing Climbing Roses and Wisteria on the left.

Those who want to understand who they are should seek for the right answer back in their childhood. The joyful games and careless days, the beauty of each moment, the love, the stories, the music and the sun in our hearts are still in us and we can reach them again just by taking some time to remember them. When life becomes unbearable and we wish we could be somewhere or somebody else, there is one way that never fails: the way back to ourselves and our happiest memories. For a better future, keep your history alive.

There is probably nothing that should be more important for us than our freedom. Only through freedom we can discover our own way and our own truth. But only when we unplug our ears, when we break the chains, when we turn over the universal machinery that leads our lives, only then we will hear the voice of freedom singing loudly in us. And we will become those we dream to be.

I'll be exhibiting with the MARLBOROUGH OPEN STUDIOS  soon, sharing a studio with portrait artist Yvonne Cunnane. The  event runs over four weekends from Sat 23rd June to Sun 24th July.


I'll be there for three weekends but on the 29th June - 2nd July I'm exhibiting in Bradford on Avon  -   with two friends Valérie Pirlot and Bob Childs, we're calling our exhibition  THREE WESSEX SKETCHERS.
All welcome to drop by these events if you can.

I was asked to paint an apple tree at Great Chalfield Manor  


There was quite a delay before I could get there but I think I made it just in time and found the trees with flowering blossom. This little tree caught my eye and appropriately it is seen against a backdrop of the Apple Store, building on the left, and some of the cottages on the Estate. Amazingly it was a beautiful fresh day after the dire wet cold month we've been  having ( yes I know the rain is much needed) so I really enjoyed the sun on my back, getting quite hot at times.

 Bach's Chaconne for solo Violin played Hilary Hahn.1/2
(good music to paint to) 

Joshua Bell playing the Chaconne in Washington Metro subway

It's odd how subjects select you. I was going to paint an adjacent row of trees, see in the video,  but this field in bloom insisted I painted it; so,  how to use a half a tube of yellow without really trying.(I got a dose of nasty spring hayfever too!:(

Hooray! I just sold three of these late evening sky paintings, they'll be framed together and hung one above the other.
Just looking at this batch of 8 I did almost a year ago. I'm trying to devise  a catalog system, an inventory to  keep track of my paintings so each is numbered and  named. i.e. these are "Lavington skies with Jet Trails" (no's 1- 8) but 81-88 in the  main list. Does anyone recommend a good system of cataloging?

And it was whilst doing this series , some differ slightly in size, that I realized I had to make a better effort at standardizing sizes so bought  a big batch of ready cut board, all primed now and ready to go.

I'm doing a Plein Air teaching day on Saturday 14th April  at Urchfont Manor, in Wiltshire.


  Limited places left (last time I checked) so  book soon so not to be disappointed. If they are fully booked you can contact me via my website as I'll be organizing more painting days in the summer .

I need to go back once more to do minor finishing touches to this. It has been a struggle getting the right light. Despite favorable weather reports, I got rained, sleeted and hailed off at least twice (almost like a rogue weather system was waiting for me to arrive). There were some nice fat sheep, steadily  munching their way into the scene from the right on the last visit, Probably too late to add them, maybe they'll be there for the final sitting.

This one looks  a little staged in it's composition. The lake was half frozen on the left side that day, but  a brilliant sunny day and I became fascinated by the light catching every branch and twig of the tree on the island.

Exploring the subject by making a pale water colour image, then scribble over it with a  water soluble  drawing stick. An enjoyable technique somewhat aided by bad weather and enhanced by the accidental effects.