If only half the world honored half of Jane Goodall’s hopes for our planet, we’d be OK. I’m still hoping.
If Only…
It’s Been A Minute
So much has happened and continues to happen in our world. But, we carry on.
I’d like to share a new discovery with you. It’s a linen panel. A beautiful surface-smooth, especially for portraits. It’s not terribly expensive compared to pre-stretched linen. A bonus is the Jennifer Gennari (@jen_art ) painting on the label.
Share this:
The Day After- 11/6/2024
da Vinci, Dad and Me
Just after my Father retired, there was a small window of time when he was well, before he became ill with Alzheimer’s Disease. During that reprise, my Father came to my studio to learn to draw and paint. In his prior lifetime, he never had the opportunity to even think about making art. As an immigrant, my Dad spent his entire life working, supporting our family.
Dad was then delighted to successfully reproduce a copy of the da Vinci “Lady With An Ermine”. This was the last oil painting he ever completed, though he painted in watercolor and illustrated a story from his childhood for my niece, while he was well enough to do so. Making art was a newfound joy for my Dad. Even in his last week of life, Dad contentedly and carefully drew exquisite colorful lines, which captivated him for hours.
But this is a portrait of me at the peak of my Dad’s illness. The light and shadow representing the time we spent together painting. The ferret, the pain of watching him diminish.
And here is Dad’s reproduction of “Lady and the Ferret.” It now hangs proudly in my studio.
Share this:
Psyche
Psyche Contented 24″x36″ Oil on Linen. Available on Artsy
This painting is really a feminist statement. When we think of Psyche, the lovely mortal woman who is the love interest of Eros, Psyche is the minor figure. She is made to jump through a variety of metaphorical hoops to finally find contentment as goddess of the soul. Here Psyche is her own powerful being. Still in love with Eros, she has found contentment not only in love, but within the truest sense of self.
Share this:
Still Breathing;)
It’s been a VERY long time since I last posted. Many of you have kept in touch via
Facebook, Instagram or in person. But, I’ve missed the rest of you. Hope this finds all of you quite well .
I’ll be posting periodically again. I hope to catch up.
Till next post,
Elena
Share this:
Surfacing
It’s been a long while, but I haven’t forgotten you! I’m frankly more active now on Instagram due to the ease of use and few or no works expected, so posting is a snap. Join me there if you like to view images. @elenacaravela, (paintings) @elena.pics (wildlife photos), and @caravelaelena (digital paintings).
WordPress is the platform for discussion. Here, I’d like to talk about materials and techniques, so please chime in! Useful tips and ideas are more than welcome. I love that we can all learn from each other’s experiences.
Since my time away, I’ve been continuing with lots of experimenting. New ideas and surfaces. The piece above was a bit of a struggle for me due to its surface. It’s painted on cradled gesso board with a very smooth finish. Each stroke is evident. That worked well with the hair but transitioning color on her face tested my patience. I finally worked with lots of mini glazes to provide the nuance. The vehicle for the glazes here is Solvent Free gel. I can honestly say that the board is not my favorite surface, but at least now I am able to wrap my head around how and for what I would like to use it.
Next up, aluminum. Dick Blick is discontinuing this surface. It was on sale and intriguing, so I tried it. Paradoxically, I very much like the way it defined each stroke because was perfect for this subject and this technique. This little alla prima painting was a lot of fun to paint! So much so that I wiped it and tried a new painting with more refined transitions between passages. I wanted to see how the smooth aluminum surface compared with the ultra smooth gesso board surface.
Ok, mixed reviews when painting refined passages, similar to the gesso board. And another problem. Apparently the aluminum is covered with a plasticy surface over the aluminum. The gentle rubbing out of the previous image created a little hole in that very thin surface, allowing for some disconcerting warping. I get why Blick has discontinued this product. I would however, like to try a sheet of aluminum sans the extra coating. Stay tuned. I’ll let you know how it goes when I track some down and play with it.
Share this:
For Your Birthday, Dear Friend
During her second bout with cancer, Terry banished her first-time chemo wig and sported a variety of adorable hats. Eventually she came to the conclusion that she didn’t care to hide her nearly bald head anymore. At the gentle urging of her friends in art class, Terry removed her cap and as a great favor to me, allowed me to take photos of her. Terry’s beautiful face never required the embellishment of hair. While we talked, she graciously posed for my camera. Her eyes shone, and her smile widened into her quintessential Terry glow, her features merging with the light around her.
Even in the throes of the devastating illness assaulting her body, Terry’s spirit still managed to radiate warmth and joy. This phenomenon I think, was an outpouring of her capacity for fathomless love. Love that she so generously shared with absolutely everyone and every living thing. And this was almost always evident. I am in awe of Terry, though until now, it was impossible for me to attempt to describe her extraordinary grace with my clumsy words.
Terry endowed us with a well full of incorporeal beauty. A smidge lives, as a cinematic-like image of Terry in my mind’s eye. She appears to be absolutely luminescent. But the greater portion of her largess is free to anyone who cares to look for it. You can feel it, in the light.
Share this:
Lightly Cloaked
12″ x 12″Oil on Linen
A new addition to the “Cloaked” series but with a lighter, cooler palette.
Share this:
Alla Prima Process
Alla prima paintings are completed in one sitting. When I paint a portrait this way, I draw with my brush, minding the spacial relationships between features. Next, I lay in the darks using full color, to support the forms of the face. The midtones, the lights and their transitions blend into the previous wet passages to complete a loosely painted portrait. This one layer painting allows me to break from the confines of too much detail and preserves the energy captured at the very start of a painting.
12″ x 12″ Oil on Linen
Share this:
Two Views Two
Oil on Linen 12″ x 12″
Two Views
Same model, two views.
10″ x 10″Oil on Linen
18″ x 18 ” Oil on Linen
Share this:
A Portrait of Artistic Multimodality
“Julian” Oil on Canvas 30″ x 40″
It’s been quite a while since I’ve dabbled in the world of WordPress. So, all week long I’ll be posting a backlog of paintings beginning with this one. It’s a near to life sized portrait of my son, Julian; composer, arranger, singer/songwriter, musician, writer, teacher, and visual artist. Below are links to a partial catalog of Julian’s work:
Julian’s twelve and counting, independently written, performed, produced albums: Band Camp Julian Cartwright (album artwork included).
A performance and interview Julian’s spoken word work on Sound Cloud.
And his visual art.
A shout out to all of my blogger friends. I look forward to visiting you this week to see what you’ve been up to.
Share this:
Pencil
Study
No artist I know ever stops observing, never stops studying. I’ve been away from this blog for a while, but I’ve been constantly working, studying. The dissatisfaction with at least one element in every finished piece always drives the next piece. Above are a few studies I’ve been working on, trying to “fix” something that didn’t gel in a previous effort.
Edges are a constant concern. Softening, firming or losing them in a back round. It’s something I’m always pondering. Transitioning of values from one passage to another, is another thing I’m constantly thinking about. Dramatic lighting changes up the way I think about edges and transitions. And color often runs away with my intentions.
I’ll be posting more soon. These will be finished works that will no doubt drive the next bunch of studies:)
One piece that I was pretty happy with (“Tommy”) when I finished it, was awarded sixth place in the Portrait Society of America’s Members show in the Non-Commissioned category. I’m thrilled, humbled and very excited! Click on the “Portrait Society” link and enjoy all of the excellent work!
Share this:
Portrait of T
Portrait of T. Oil on Linen 20″x 29″
My favorite post of the week. I’ll be back when I finish several WsIP. Till then, thanks for your “likes” and comments. They add fuel to my productive fire:)
Detail, Portrait of T
Share this:
Home
Home 12″x 12″ Oil on Canvas
Probably my first landscape post. I’m not a landscape painter, but the swamp is my home away from home. A portrait was in order.
Share this:
Expectations
Waiting Oil on Linen 11″x 14″
The Lane Oil on Linen 16″ x 20″
Share this:
Gingers
Oil on Linen 11″ x 14″
This week I will be posting work realized during my long blogging hiatus. This is the first of several portraits of red heads. I love colors found in the skin tones and hair highlights of red heads.
Share this:
D in Dots
Oil on Linen 24″x 34″
A new portrait.
Sorry, all. I’ve been spending more time painting, and less time blogging. I’ve been and will be, following you and enjoying your blogs in bursts. I’m slow, but I’ll get there:) I’m also posting my nature photography on Instagram, so click the sidebar photo if you’re interested. As always, I very much appreciate your “likes” and thoughtful comments. Thank you!
Share this:
Mercurial
Lots of paint, loose and moody. Both are oil and relatively small, 11″x 14″ and 8″x10″ respectively.
Elenacaravela's Blog 
