A Passion for Small Paintings

Back to Tuscany Again and Again to Teach Painting Workshops!

2011-10-10T21:00:00.001-04:00

Great news! I am heading back to Italy twice in 2012 to teach two plein air painting workshops. Though more information will be coming, here are the dates, locations and times:
Spannocchia - Plein Air Painting in Oils - June 28 - July 6 - in Tuscany near Siena, Italy. $2500 per person single. $2300 per person double.
La Mandorelle - Plein Air Painting in Watercolors - Oct. 19 - 26 O- in Umbria, near Todi. $2500 per person.

Blue Door

2010-08-16T10:58:00.004-04:00

Blue Door - 10 in. by 11.5 in. - Oil on linen. $400 Framed.

The opening to my show was a lot of fun and I saw a friends old and new and all the food got eaten. You never know how much you need when your show is open to the general public. I tried to go with an Italian theme with the food. I was rolling proscuitto around the asparagus right up to the last minute!

This painting above is in the exhibit. I loved the way the light was hitting the door with the grapevines and their cast shadows. This door leads to a covered outdoor eating area where dinner is served most nights during the summer. There is always lots of talk about the day and whatever people are interested in. You can have a bad day painting but it is hard to hang on to a sour mood once dinner begins at Spannocchia.

I am heading down to the local television station WHHI this afternoon to talk about my Chasing the Light exhibit. I think it will air on The Low Country Report on at 8 am, 6 pm and 8 pm each evening this week.

Chasing the Light Exhibit

2010-08-08T10:24:00.004-04:00

My show of new work entitled Chasing the Light opens tomorrow, August 9th at the Art League Gallery on Hilton Head. The opening reception is on Tuesday, August 10th from 5-7 pm. I invite you to stop by if you are in the area.

The paintings on exhibit are in oils and watercolors. Some were done en plein air and some in the studio. I work small in general with the largest painting being 11 in. by 14 in. My inspiration comes from my recent month long painting trip to Italy that was made possible by a presidential fellowship from Savannah College of Art and Design where I teach.

The painting above is a little doorway that always looks the same but is beautiful in its simplicity with the grapevine creating a natural awning. The sink is used to clean out the slop buckets for the pigs. So there are always some colorful buckets around it. I also loved the simple little pot of geraniums catching the light. This sun only hits it this way in the mid-afternoon and was painted en plein air.

Colle Val d'Elsa

2010-08-06T19:04:00.004-04:00

I had just finished a larger painting and I was still wanting to paint. So I decided to paint whatever was in front of me. I do this once in a while as a challenge - to try and make something ordinary interesting. I was taken by the light and shade. It was a little outdoor cafe in a town about a half an hour north of Spannocchia. I think I got the feeling of light and shade. Some details are a bit wonky because I went back into it after I was done. For me watercolors are a constant reminder of the imperfections of life. There is a certain beauty to how the watercolor tends to wander around the page and do its own thing. I keep trying to remember to let it be. Don't over mother it, should be my mantra. :)

On another note - I went to see the botanical exhibit of the works of PA Kessler at the Art Center here on Hilton Head. The paintings are mostly of orchids and they are simply unbelievable! She is a true botanical artist whose dedication to detail is beyond impressive. Her work reveals knowlege, sensitivity, creativity and craft at the highest level. You will be impressed if you go see it.

Lavender in Tuscsny

2010-07-28T18:22:00.003-04:00

Above is my first attempt at lavender that grows among the vegetables at the terraced gardens at Spannocchia. The color is so elusive - it is not really blue and not really purple. I did have to add some white goauche to paint the lavender over the stems. I find lavender to be not only aromatic but dreamy and relaxing. Every time you see it, the color is just so perfect and it kind of takes your breath away.

I have few more sketches to post and then I will start posting the work for my show. I would like to take a moment to express my deep gratitude to Paula Wallace, president of Savannah College of Art and Design for believing in my project and allowing me the opportunity to immerse myself in my painting for almost a month in Italy by granting me a fellowship. I won't deny that the school year is busy with a very divided focus and never have I had such time to myself to create. I cherish it. It was not only being in Italy but it was about being alone and having the time to work without any other demands on my time. It was also about being in the moment and gently directing but also going with the flow of what was happening around me. This is very necessary for an artist. I will never forget this experience. I am so charged and elated about painting. I know my enthusiasm will inspire my students.

One other thing. I have never been much for boredom but I think it is really banished from my vocabulary. There is so much that I want to do and express creatively. Not enough hours in the day.

Sketchbook - Even More Italy

2010-07-26T22:37:00.004-04:00

This view is of a farm in Scorigano, a small village in Tuscany. My friend Liz and I spent our last afternoon in Tuscany riding around taking pictures and we found a small restaurant with a great view so we could eat and paint. It was very hot out but we were outside in the shade. It was delightful to have a great view and a great meal. The roads in the area are narrow and it is very rural but rolling hills and vineyards are everywhere. So peaceful.

Below is a quick (because they were really moving) cloudy study done at Spannocchia.

Spannocchia Cloud Study - 4 by 5 in. - Watercolor on Khadi paper - @ 2010 Linda Warner Constantino

2010-07-24T19:52:00.004-04:00

The larger sketch is of a building known as the Pig Barn but it no longer houses the pigs. It is currently used for for pottery classes. A pottery workshop class was there a week before my group. They constructed an authentic Etruscan kiln and it worked! Everyone was so excited.

I liked painting this building because it is so rustic and unusual looking and has tall cypress trees behind it. The little wheelbarrow that is a familiar site to the interns who work there and use it frequently.

Sketchbook - Carmen's House

2010-07-23T17:01:00.005-04:00

Seems only natural that Carmen the gardener would have such a nice array of plants blooming around her house. I have painted this scene in oils and watercolors and it is always hard to do justice to it. People who love things that grow seem to encourage it all around them. My mother, my sister Patti and my sister Dona are all blessed with that kind of nurturing talent. They are the kind of people who can just seem to stick something in the ground and it will grow like crazy.

I love this little garden gate that someone took the trouble to paint such a lovely shade of almost turquoise. This is another one of Carmen's many gardens. She has asparagus growing on the right. I loved the way the morning sun was basically backlighting the gate.

Sketchbook - Gardens at Spannocchia

2010-07-22T18:52:00.004-04:00

Carmen's Gardens - 4 by 5 in.- Watercolor Sketchbook

I cannot say enough about the vegetable gardens at Spannocchia. Carmen is the gardener and you just know she loves what she does. She knows the terraced beds like they were her own children. She can tell you what has been planted there in the past and what will go in next. She really has a roll going because the vegetables are used in cooking the meals at Spannocchia and they utilize as much as they can from the gardens.

When you take a cooking class at Spannocchia they start with a garden tour conducted by Carmen and you can tell she is so knowledgeable just by the way she talks about the plants. I find myself gravitating to the garden at least once a day while I am there. This view is from the bottom of the hill looking up the terraced gardens. The two little dark doorways lead to Carmen's office. I painted this as a demo for my students on how to simplify because there is a lot to see from this view. By they way, if you want to know if it is going to rain, just ask Carmen.

More Sketchbook - Spannocchia

2010-07-21T22:46:00.005-04:00

Spannocchia Doorway - 4 by 5 in. - Watercolor Sketchbook.

This doorway is always the same when I pull up to Spannocchia. I love the way the grape vines shade the doorway and the geraniums sit on the window sill over the sink. I did this sketch before my workshop students arrived to warm up.

Road from Casseta al Leccia - 2 by 5 in.- Watercolor Sketchbook.

I am a sucker for greens. I liked the way this little road was surrounded by different shades of green. It is really almost nearly abstract. Sometimes I just like to take an ordinary view and paint it with a little inspiration. I think it was John Singer Sargent who claimed you should be able to walk out the door and paint whatever you see. However, I must say it is hard to find a view in Tuscany that is not already stunning. One day, while walking back to Spannocchia on this road, I picked wildflowers and did not pick the same kind twice. I wish I had had the time to paint them. Next year...

More Sketchbook - Rome

2010-07-21T09:10:00.004-04:00

Pulcino della Minevera in the Piazza della Minerva - Rome - Watercolor - 4 by 5 In. - Sketchbook

If I did not have my umbrella my decision on what to paint was determined to some extent by where I could find shade. I sat in front of the Basilica of Saint Mary which is considered the only Gothic church in Rome. I could see this unusual obelisk statue designed by Bernini. I used a water-soluable sepia pen to draw it and then hit it with a little water and finally adding some color.

The other inescapable view across the piazza was the bulging Pantheon. It is just so massive. It looked sandwiched between the two younger buildings on either side of it. I was trying to capture its breadth in my little 4 by 5 in format.

View of the Back of the Pantheon - 4 by 5 in. - Watercolor - Sketchbook.

More Sketchbook

2010-07-19T19:50:00.006-04:00

Rooftop view from the Albergo Cesari in Rome - Watercolor - 4 by 5 in. - Sketchbook

This little sketch is just one of the many little architectural ornaments that adorn the rooftops of Rome. Like I said in an earlier post I loved having breakfast on the rooftop of my hotel the Albergo Cesari in Rome - a different perspective. The old, the new, the casual, the formal all co-exist up there. Below are some rooftops viewed from the Pantheon Piazza which was always swarming with people.

Rooftops Near the Pantheon - Watercolor - 4 by 5in. Sketchbook

Small Sketchbook from Italy Trip

2010-07-18T16:52:00.008-04:00

View of Vineyards at Spannocchia in Tuscany

Now that I am home from my month of painting in Italy, I am madly painting and getting organized for my upcoming show at the Art League of Hilton Head from August 9 - September 10. The opening reception is on Tuesday August 10 from 5-7 pm.

Since I was not able to really document my trip via the blog as I had hoped due to the slow internet in Tuscany, I am back-tracking a bit now. I want to start with my small sketchbook that I bought at my favorite art supply store Ditta G. Poggi in Rome. The sketchbook is made of Khadi paper and is 5 by 6 in. I wrote Italy on the cover in a font I thought was appropriate and this little sketchbook turned out to be one of the most satisfying forms of painting and sketching that I did the entire trip. I also bought this small Winsor Newton travel watercolor set there that came in a black enamel box and was no bigger than my camera. The lid on the left holds the water that is kept in a flask like compartment that runs the body of the the set. I changed out a few of the colors and was good to go. I just love it! I am just obsessed with small things like this. It is so portable but functional and I used it constantly while there. I guess it is in keeping with my passion for small paintings.

I also found some skinny tape to tape off the borders. I kind of like the tah-dah moment when you peel off the tape to see what your painting really looks like with a nice clean edge. I developed this habit from Joseph Zbukvic after taking a workshop with him last year. I like the way it looks in the sketchbook.

I have some other thoughts about working small. I do not consider my work to be miniatures. I just do not think that that is what they are. Not a value judgement. I think it is because my work is not detailed. I am think of them more as a visual response to a compelling view - more like a poem than a paragraph so to speak. I try to be essential without a lot of detail. I could and I can work that way. I do botanical illustration too but my landscapes are about something different. Being on location is being in the moment and very present in my life. Painting is a way of capturing and savoring that experience.

I will be posting more sketches from this sketchbook over the next two weeks.When I have documented all the paintings for my show I will post them as well. I just got a new Espon scanner and I am loving it.

Finally, the painting above was done during one of the last days at Spannocchia. It was a view that I had not noticed before. I took a new found friend Liz Cellucci out to paint with me. We had a stellar day painting around Tuscany.

Lots of Paintings

2010-06-29T05:47:00.002-04:00

I am at Spannocchia in Tuscany painting like crazy. The watercolor class was great fun.The internet is very slow so I have not been able to post. I will be having a show entitled "Chasing the Light - New Work by Linda Warner Constantino" opening August 10, 2010. It will include oils and watercolors. Stay tuned!

2010-06-17T16:48:00.003-04:00

This is Jean Cauthern who is also a college art professor located in Charlotte and teaching a plein air painting workshop in oils at the same time I will be there. She found me online and we discovered we would both be in Rome at the same time so we got together to paint.(I think I mentioned this earlier). We painted in Trastevere again. She did a nice little painting. We kept having to move our stuff when and car came through even though we were on the side of the street it is very snug.

Here I am with my painting. I love how the apron makes me look like a kangaroo:)

Rome: Tuesday June 15

2010-06-17T15:57:00.007-04:00

The first rain day in Rome!! I decided to take this opportunity to shop for presents for my family. I would have no problem if they wanted art supplies. I walked all over Trastevere in the rain and then up the via del Corso(totally impacted with tourists) trying to find stuff. Very little luck. I try to buy things MADE IN ITALY but so much is made in India. The aesthetic is lost. Maybe I will have better luck in Florence later in the month.

In order to get my painting in for the day I did little sketches in my room while listening to Itunes. The image above is a basket of bread. I loved the colors. The dark one looked like it was made with india ink. Down right blue black.

Here is a watercolor of the place I painted the day before with scooter.

I just could not walk past this bouganvilia.The color is like lipstick. I liked the simplicity of the shapes around it.

I have been thinking that I should have done a food blog too because I did not have a bad meal here. My favorite places are the Paris Ristorante in Trastevere and the Armando de Pantheon (slow food)right by the Pantheonon. My favorite dessert was fried riccotta cheese from the Paris Ristorante.

Rome: Monday June 14

2010-06-17T01:32:00.006-04:00

My newly found painting friend Jean Cauthern who is also teaching a workshop in Tuscany and I went to the Trastevere area to paint in oils. So I shifted mediums for while we are painting. It is nice to have someone to paint with and talk "tech" with because everyone has their on unique ways of painting and she is a seasoned plein air painter.

I started off very small 6 by 8 inches. I liked the way this little corner was lit. There was a moped parked under the fresco but it soon left and i knew it would be paint it so small.

Here is a picture of me painting. My eyes kind of look closed. Of course we received lots of comments from the locals. They seem proud they we came all the way from America to paint their streets. Below is a view of the Pantheon Piazza. It is usually swarming with people and is near my hotel.

Rome: Sunday - June 12

2010-06-15T18:44:00.005-04:00

Another hot day in Rome! Yesterday I was back at the art supply store Ditto G. Poggi. I love this little shop. I bought a great little squirrel mop brush which is ideal for doing a kind of calligraphic brushwork with watercolors. I also got another little travel watercolor paintbox. It is tiny and so compact. I like the idea of small gear for small paintings. It is like camping gear but for painting.

I decided I had enough of painting restaurants and headed for the Palatine. On the way there I discovered and exhibit of Corot, Sislely, Monet and some other Impressionist painters. How timely because they were plein air painters. It is always a treat to see the original art. In fact the first time I came to Italy was a year after graduating from college with my degree in Art History. I spent 8 weeks going to Paris, Rome, Florence, Siena, Venice, Pisa, and Munich studying art history. To see the original art after studying it mostly from books was a real treat.

Anyway, after that delightful detour I set off to paint in the Palatine area near the Coloseum. I had my small little Khadi(Nepalise watercolor paper that is more of an eggshell color with a lot of texture to it.) sketchbook and my small paintbox and just walked around and painted.It was nice not to be dragging so much gear around for a change. I will take a picture of the paint box and post in a forthcoming blog entry.

On the way back to the hotel I passed another museum with an Edward Hopper show. I passed it numerous times but there was always a line. Today was the last day and as I passed it there was no line so I decided to go in. The quote as you walked into the exhibit was this "All I ever wanted to do was paint light on the side of a building." by Edward Hopper. I love the quote and the show was fabulous because it showed the range of his career of work from art student to printmaker and illustrator and finally a painter. Very inspiring.

Rome: Saturday - June 12

2010-06-15T18:11:00.003-04:00

I got up and headed down to the Trastevere area across the Tiber river. It is about a 30 minute walk. Believe me I am walking all over the place. Not only do you see more but it helps keep the pasta weight off. I just love the sense of discovery of walking around and seeing a scene that nearly knocks you over and you have to paint it. It was a bit hazy so the light was not real strong so I tried to go more for shapes and values. There was a corner bar with a big sign that said BAR. It looked so graphic, I decided to paint it. Once again, an Italian lady came up to me a told me I was painting the window of her apartment. She seemed very proud.

Here is a photo of my painting setup in the Botancial Gardens.This is what I have been schlepping around.

Rome: Friday - June 11

2010-06-13T16:56:00.007-04:00

I went back to near where the market was located from the day before an planted myself across from a restaurant called Maccheronis.I ate there the night before - a very busy place with lots of energy in the air. As I was painting a man came over and showed me the window a few floors above was where he lived. He was so excited that I was painting his building.

I have to say I feel a little like a bag lady with all my gear in my wheeled backpack with my folding chair and easel and sometimes an umbrella. I paint standing up with oils but for some reason I prefer to sit down when painting in watercolors. Oh well either way it always feelslike I am shlepping too much stuff.

Afterwards I headed over by the Pantheon to paint. I got all set up and the police told me I had to move. That was it, it was so hot that I just headed back to the room to re-group and wound up painting some little studies there. Later I moved up to the roof top of the hotel which i may have mentioned is my favorite spot, and did some little vegetables studies. I will post one of the squash blossom later because I forgot to photograph it.Meanwhile,here is another little restaurant study.

Rome: Thursday, June 10

2010-06-11T17:18:00.005-04:00

Today I got up and went to a nearby open market in Piazza della Coppella. It was a small neighborly space unlike the Campo dei Fiori. I got all set up to paint and then I was asked to move because the nearby restaurant was starting to set up their outdoor tables. I hate packing up once I get situated but it turns out my new spot was really a better composition. Italians are endlessly curious about art. They will come up and stand behind you and just watch. A little old lady came up and wanted to buy my painting. Perhaps I could make a living here! It is always flattering by you never know what price they have in mind. I told her needed it for a show but directed her to my website and got her email. So I guess we could be "pen pals" now.

After I finished my painting I bought some fruit and veggies and brought them back to the hotel. The fruit I painted below is some fruit I never heard of before but a lady vendor insisted I try it. You peel the thin skin and there are one or two slippery beans(seeds) inside it. They tasted delicious. I ate the whole bunch. I will have to go back and check out the name.

By this time of day it was so hot out. I coul not take it anymore and I went up on the roof of the hotel and painted some of the produce in my botanical sketchbook but it was still so hot. I finally quit and went a got some gelato while trying to get into the Academy di San Luca to see if I could see the work of Italian still life painter Giovanna Garzoni(from 1670s) but unfortunately the gallery is closed right now. Perhaps I can see some in Florence.

Rome: Wednesday, June 9

2010-06-10T16:00:00.006-04:00

I was forced to spend the morning writing my quarterly report for school. With all the hoopla before I left it totally slipped my mind.

In the afternoon I headed to the area known as Trastevere across the river. It has lots of little winding streets and shops.Shoes for sale everywhere! Hard to resist. I was trying to find the Rome Botanical Gardens and the walk should have only taken 30 minutes but for me it got to be an hour before I finally asked someone. Since I was standing in front of the Spanish Embassy it is only natural that I picked someone who was Spanish speaking to ask directions. Fortunately, she had a friend who spoke English and redirected me and I was at the garden in no time. Since it was now early afternoon it was brutally hot. I left the gardens to eat and get something to drink. I sat in a little outdoor cafe and an painted this little painting while eating my mushroom pizza. Afterwords I headed back to the gardens. I took lots of pictures and did another small study. Below is the view of the greenhouse that wish I had had time to paint.

Rome: Day 4 - Tuesday - June 8

2010-06-09T16:25:00.007-04:00

I am trying some different approaches to watercolors to get back in the groove of how I like to work. I guess I am a bit rustier than I thought and there is so much to paint that it is overwhelming.

Tuesday was my day to paint at the garden at the American Academy in Rome.The grounds are simply stunning! I painted in the sustainable garden. I was totally taken with the artichokes that were going to seed. Just gorgeous! Director Martin Broday invited me to lunch with the fellows and other attendees. I sat with some young aspiring archaeologists who were there for a summer program. They had just arrived and were excited for a summer of digging.

This is a large artichoke going to seed. I love the color of the inside of it.

In the afternoon I painted the gardens cottage with a fruit trees in the foreground.(I would post more paintings and photos but the internet is so slow that that is what I would be spending all my time doing.)By the time I got back to the hotel I was roasted from a day in the sun. I had a delightful dinner of lamb and spinach at Armando al Pantheon which is a slow food restaurant recommended by David Downie's "Food, Wine, Rome" book and chef Alice Waters.

I thought this shot of the scooters was funny because they look like piglets feeding off of the restaurant.

2010-06-07T16:35:00.005-04:00

I got up and went to the fresh market at Campo dei Fiori. Lots of luscious vegetables and fruit. I decided to buy some and head up to the roof of my hotel and paint. I just love it up there. It must be 5-10 degrees cooler and there is always a breeze. I was in more of a still life mode for this.I could not resist the artichokes with the long stalks on them. You never see them like this at home.The purple in them was incredible.

Since I am working on botanical illustrations for a course I am taking through the Society of Botanical Artists in London, I thought I would do a tighter study than I might normally do of these artichokes.I worked on cold press Fabriano paper and I have to say it is a lot easier for me to handle than the hot press required for my course.

Work in progress on the roof.

Finished Artichokes

A Day of Painting in Rome - Sunday June 6

2010-06-06T17:03:00.006-04:00

For some reason deciding what to paint has always been tougher than doing the actual painting. I decided to just go with my instincts since almost everything is worth painting in Rome. I think I look for the light, color and shapes. I am trying to focus more on food related themes since that is what my fellowship is about. The painting above is in the Piazza de Maddelena and the restaurant in Clemente's.

I am a little rusty so today has been getting back into the feel of painting. I have found if I leave watercolors for long it takes a few tries to get back up to speed with such things as getting first washes dark enough and thinking about what I want to emphasize. I love the luminosity of watercolors and the calligraphic quality that can be achieved with brushwork. Watercolors always has seemed more connected to drawing because of this. I am just destined to always be a student of this medium.

In the afternoon I headed up to the Piazza del Popolo and stopped at Gusto for lunch. It is a restaurant and kitchen store. I so wanted to sit and paint in the kitchen store filled with tea pots and all kinds of kitchen gadgetry. I may go back. Lunch was the most delicious green spaghetti with black truffle oil, spinach and tomoatoes.I did some little studies while eating lunch. I will try to post later.

I went to the Piazza Navonna and had a pizza. It seems very commercial there and very tourist oriented.

Roma = Amor

2010-06-05T17:19:00.012-04:00

Adrian's Temple

I just arrived in Rome for my fellowship month of painting in Italy. I have to say sleeping on the plane just never gets any better. Ugh!

I was reading in one of my guides on Rome and discovered that Roma spelled backwards is amor which means love. Most appropriate, I would say.

Once I got to my hotel an took a shower, I headed out to get my bearings and have some lunch. My hotel is midway between the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain.

I painted a little watercolor study at my outdoor table in a great sketchbook my daughter Summer put together for me. It lays open very flat due to the Coptic stitching she used to bind it.

Believe it or not I forgot my watercolor palette!!!! Fortunately, I have my pan watercolors with me and I found my favorite little art store Ditta G. Poggi located right near the Pantheon.I am like a kid in a candy store when it comes to art supply stores.

I went back to my hotel after lunch and quickly fell asleep for 4 hours. I guess my body was compensating for the 4 extra hours I never got last night. I woke up to a Skype call ringing on my computer! I did not know where it was coming from at first. It was my sister Dona, checking in. Love that we can see each other and talk. It makes it so much better!

I think I will dedicate this week to watercolors and see how it goes. I am going to work 8" by 10" and under. I just love painting in a small format. I do not know why.

I included a photo from this evening of Adrian's Temple lit up. I am loving my new Nikon Cool Pix Camera S1000pj. The colors are significantly better than my old camera.

I hope to be able to post a painting tomorrow. I have this little guerilla tripod that I am wanting to use.

That's all for now. Buona Notte.

Going to Rome!

2010-02-21T08:10:00.003-05:00

I just found out I have received a Presidential Fellowship from SCAD to paint in Rome this June. I am thrilled! It is a dream come true. My proposal is to paint the Italian Culinary Experience from Garden to Table. I definitely want to paint the garden at the Academia of Rome but also study the works of Giovanna Garzoni and still life painter from the 1650s and one of the first women painter in Italy. I will be painting in watercolors and oils and the subject matter will be varied but have something to do with the uniquely Italian culture of food. After Rome I will head up to teach my painting workshops. Maybe I will finally be able to speak some Italian aft this summer. I cannot seem to get enough of Italy.

Autumn Marsh

2009-11-30T15:34:00.004-05:00

I was able to run out and paint this painting as a demo lesson for my nephew who is an aspiring artist. It was 3 pm when we started painting and the sky and the light started to change every 5 minutes. Our total painting time was an hour and half. I painted this scene over the summer and it was a range of cool greens and now it was practically on fire. I think this is one of those scenes that I probably will continue to paint just for the practice of looking at it with a fresh eye.

Sawyer's Marsh by Sawyer Lash.

This is Sawyer my nephew's first plein air painting! I told him to focus on shapes and values and to mix his colors up first before painting to help him identify warm and cool changes and value variations. He put in the lightest light shape and then the darkest dark shape and worked from there. I love the shapes and colors. I may be biased by I think he did a great job!

Back to Tuscany June 2010

2009-10-10T20:37:00.005-04:00

I am thrilled to be going back to Tuscany in June of 2010 to teach two painting workshops! I will be teaching Watercolor Sketching and a Plein Air Painting Class in Oils. Both workshops will be based out ofSpannocchia a working organic farm and "green hotel". I will be posting more information in the coming weeks but I wanted to put the word out. If you are interested in taking one or both of the workshops, please contact me at linda@lwarnerconstantino.com.

I am attracted to painting in Italy for many reasons: I was an art history major in my undergraduate studies and Italy is so alive with a history richly steeped in the arts। The food is a cultural experience in itself. Dinner at Spannocchia is a wonderful way to relax and share the day's experience. Finally, there are so many views to paint. Great memories to take home.

Lovely Lemons

2009-09-25T21:12:00.004-04:00

In the midst of working on some commissioned paintings from photos and small studies, it was fun to take a break and paint from life and paint this small study of lemons. Yellow is always a challenge for me to paint.

Two Tuscan Cedar Trees

2009-09-05T22:22:00.004-04:00

I am busy painting scenes of Tuscany for a potential client and couple of shows coming up. I am working from photos as I am no longer in Italy but many of the places I have either sketched or painted or at least spent time in the location. In other words there is a real connection with the subject matter. I find this makes painting from photos so much more viable for me. Also, they are my images not someone else's. As an illustrator I have often worked from what I refer to as "alien" reference. While I learned to make it work for me I was never really comfortable unless I shot my own reference. I have been interspersing the work from photographs with still lifes done from life(which I will post eventually). I do this to keep the connection of working from life viable for me. I am not sure this makes sense to others but for me the direct experience of painting from life is the most fulfilling, and yet there was a time when working from life was utterly terrrifying.Hmm.

2009-08-31T16:38:00.004-04:00

I do not know where my summer! I returned from Italy and just got busy. I taught an intensive 5 week schedule at SCAD and was doing some design work. I am back into my painting now and have had the time to photograph some of the paintings from my trip to Tuscany this past June where I taught a plein air painting workshop.

This is a quick little painting I created. The view looks at some farmhouses surrounded by vineyards. It was late afternoon and things were just starting to go golden. No matter what the day was like painting it was always nice to come back for the wonderful dinners at Spannocchia. Everyone chats about there day and casually enjoys dining. I loved it!

San Galgano

2009-07-08T10:10:00.003-04:00

This little building at San Galgano, Italy was irresistible. It had rained earlier in the day and in the early evening all the greens were so saturated. I find painting greens always a challenge.

plein air painting in Tuscany, small painting

Painting with Portland Grays

2009-07-07T07:22:00.005-04:00

Here is a demo painting I did one day of the Plein Air Painting in Tuscany workshop using the Gamblin Portland grays. I think it was a good exercise to help students see value. I used portland gray light, medium, deep, chromatic black and titanium white.I layed in the grayscale painting first painting thinly and then added the local colors in afterward. The day was a bit hazy and lent itself to focusing on a range of values rather than strong plays of light and shade.

You can see the grayscale stage of the painting in this photo.

Sunny Doorway

2009-07-05T15:43:00.003-04:00

This is a doorway that I love at Spannocchia with the grapevine growing around it. I was struck with its casual kind of beauty.

At Spannocchia!

2009-06-20T11:44:00.001-04:00

I am Italy preparing for my Plein Air Painting workshop this coming week. Please check out my Plein Air Painting in Tuscany blog where I will be posting photos and paintings.

Between the Showers

2009-06-08T13:03:00.003-04:00

When I woke up this morning it looked ominous. We have been having a lot of rain lately, but it cleared and got very hot around 8:30 am and out I went. This location is actually behind the local mall! I tried to work quickly but without reworking my strokes. I have found with gessoboard it helps to use a medium (classic - mineral spirits, stand oil, linseed oil) otherwise the porous nature of the board sucks the oil out of the paint and looks chalky the next day. I also like the consistency of the medium on this surface. When painting on oil primed linen I usually do not feel the need for a medium.

Sunny Trellis

2009-06-06T14:13:00.004-04:00

I certainly have been out of the loop with my blog but I am back. It was a very crazily busy winter and spring quarter at school. I did take a watercolor workshop in Fallbrook California with Joseph Zbukvic who was a wonderful teacher and very professional. I will be posting more paintings on by watercolor blog when I return from my workshop in Italy.

Yes!! In just two weeks I will be teaching a plein air painting workshop at a small working organic farm in Tuscany called Spannocchia. If all goes well I will make it an annual event.

The painting above is a small study I did in my friend Lynn Parrot's back yard. I liked the way the sun was hitting the trellis.

Girl in a Straw Hat

2009-03-08T13:24:00.002-04:00

Copyrighted © by Linda Warner Constantino. 8" by 10" oil on canvas board.

Girl in a Straw Hat

I like to put up a portrait study every once in a while. I was never brave enough to be a full time portrait painter but I do love painting portraits.

My quarter is nearly over the winter session at school which was totally hectic. I need a break even if it is only a week.I am excited that I have enough participants for my Plein Air Painting in Tuscany workshop. We are going the last part of June.(There is still some room if you are interested.) I think it will be beautiful and most memorable. I love to travel and for me plein air painting is such a great way to savor the memories of a particular place. There is a remote chance I will be painting in France too, this summer. If it works out I will of course funnel the experience through this blog so stay tuned.

Hilton Head Art League 2009 National Juried Show

2009-03-01T13:27:00.005-05:00

Citymarket

I am trying to enter more juried shows this year as time allows. This painting made it into the Hilton Head 2009 National Juried Show that was juried by Craig Srebnik.

Also, I am honored to be the featured artist for the month of March International Plein Air Painters webiste.

Olives

2009-02-28T14:41:00.019-05:00

"Olives"

6"by 6" oil on gesso board.

$100 plus $5 shipping. Email me if interested.

It's hard to believe I have not posted in almost a month. I am teaching an overload at school and designing and illustrating a wine label. It has been just crazy!

So getting back to the easel has been approach/avoidance. I wanted to paint but was afraid I forgot everything. Why is that? I also did not know how I would paint it. There is part of me that can be as tight as a botanical illustrator (in watercolors at least) and another part of me that so enjoys a loose painterly approach to realistic subject matter.

I decided to photograph the stages of this painting on the left. Of course this put the pressure on it to be a great painting but I decided to do it anyway. I am still mourning the loss of my good camera that I dropped in the tub a few months ago(do not ask). The camera I am using is alright but does not take as good photos. Anyway, here are the stages.

Small Boats

2009-01-31T22:20:00.005-05:00

I painted this about two weeks ago but never got a chance to post it until now. I like it better now that it has "aged" a bit. I love painting boats in the harbor but compositions are always tough, lots to simplify.

I recently painted some larger paintings but I still prefer small ones because you are forced to keep things simple.

Measuring Up

2009-01-25T16:43:00.004-05:00

It has been a hectic start to the school year and I am teaching an overload, so painting time is at a premium. I have committed to attending life drawing classes for two hours on Monday nights. I feel it is important since I do teach portrait illustration and I enjoy it. I am a bit rusty but I am hanging in there.

I am also teaching an illustrating the edible class which is fun because it is all about food and since I a paint still lives, I love it. I painted these measuring spoons, well just because. I use them often but they all of a sudden seemed like something interesting to paint. It's funny how you can look at something over and over again and then one day you see it in a totally new way.

I a currently showing my work at Shop SCAD and the Hilton Head Art League Gallery and recently sold paintings. I guess I was kind of surprised with the economy and all. I have chosen to be optimistic and it always amazes me how it actually contributes to things getting better.

Andrew Wyeth

2009-01-17T11:43:00.004-05:00

The passing of Andrew Wyeth hit me with a pang. What a prolific span of creative work! I especially am attracted the way his paintings have a narrative element(often strange and mysterious) as well such strong,dynamic compositions.

I read his biography "A Secret Life" and loved it. I spent some time at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine (I missed him when I was there yet I had walk passed him earlier thinking, he is somebody, not sure) and I traveled in the surrounding areas where he painted. The time spent there was transformational for me.

His work was dismissed when I was in undergraduate school studying art history. However, I have always admired his paintings and to see an original is a real experience. He so boldly followed his creative passion.

Plein Air Painting in Tuscany

2009-01-11T15:25:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to inject a little reminder about the Plein Air Painting in Tuscany workshop I will be teaching this summer from June 22 -29 at Spannocchia located near Siena Italy. It is wonderful place to paint and experience. It is steeped in Italian culture and is a working organic farm. So needless to say the food is great! The views are stunning and it is a truly memorable way to spend a week of your life. If you would like more information please contact me at linda@lwarnerconstantino.com or check out my website.

Coastal Discovery Museum

2009-01-10T19:45:00.004-05:00

I am not sure but I think this is one of the original homes at the Coastal Discovery Museum on Hilton Head. It is located by the marsh and is part of a homestead donated to the museum.

I painted quickly this day and it is fine line one walks when painting any kind of architecture. In a moment too much detail and too much adhering to perfection seems to suck the life out of the building or makes it look very amateurish rather than simple and painterly. I tried to stay simple and loose. I like the way the sunlight looks on it but I am still chasing the quality of my brushstrokes.

Sunny Boatyard

2009-01-03T20:04:00.002-05:00

I actually have been painting over the past few weeks but I just got around to posting. I decided to drop everything between Christmas and New Year's and focus on spending time with family. So much to be thankful for this year.

I have had some nice times painting with friends and enjoying being outside over this holiday break from teaching. Some days I just putted around my studio. I go through periods when I need to incubate – read books, look at art, sketch. I love oils but watercolors always tug at me too. So I did some sketches which I will post on my watercolor blog.

The day I painted in the boatyard the temperature went up to 75 degrees! The boats out of water have such interesting shapes to paint. I mostly wanted to capture the feeling of the sun.

Marina Marsh

2008-12-16T14:55:00.004-05:00

I went out to paint today with a few friends. It was initially very foggy and then lifted rather quickly though it remained partly cloudy. I started one painting and wiped it off. I was trying to paint too much. Finding the lowest "visual denominator" is always a challenge. Then tide started moving in rapidly, too. So between the weather and the tides I was painting "to beat the clock."

I painted a bit larger for this one to help me prepare for a 16" by 20" painting that I will be working on in the studio. As ever it was great to be outside painting!

2008-12-10T16:53:00.004-05:00

I painted this last week when we had some sun. There was a lot to simplify in this view and the surface of this board was very rough. I kept putting painting on and it kept sucking it in. I like the colors of it though, I am just getting back into painting on site. Hopefully. I will get out tomorrow.

Cloud Study

2008-12-04T17:35:00.003-05:00

I did this little cloud study yesterday from a photo. I find clouds so compelling and challenging, especially here in the South. These were summer thunderheads.

Famous landscape painter John Constable said that the "sky is the chief organ of sentiment in any picture." I could spend a long time just trying to paint clouds. I used to live on the tundra in a small town in western Alaska where there were literally no trees to speak of and the land so flat. The sky took up so much of my view - quite dynamic. I think it made an impression.

Some Good News by the way. Shop SCAD will be carrying some of my small paintings.Not sure if the will be online though.

The Last Meyer Lemon of the Year

2008-12-03T14:48:00.003-05:00

I am now on my winter break and have more time to get back to painting. I admit to being a bit rusty and having lost a little contact with my brushwork. I had to wipe this one off and start again.

This is the last Meyer lemon off of one of my trees in the front yard. They are just the most beautiful lemon color and smell and taste so good.

Three Eggpalnts

2008-11-01T13:28:00.002-04:00

Color and shape are what attract me. Eggplants are such crazy shapes! They are so dark in value that it is challenging to see the nuances of value and color. I am also try in to stay loose and be more economic with my brushstrokes. Before I place a brushstroke, I try to make this my painting mantra (I think Kevin Macpherson said it on one of his books):"Is it warm or is it cool; is it light or is it dark?"

Cup of Tea

2008-11-01T13:18:00.004-04:00

I felt like I was getting into a bit of a rut with color and such.I went and bought more fabric and tea towels. I love tableware but painting elipses is always tough. I just wanted to stay loose with in general and not get committed to a level of geometrical detail that is not my style.

Wildflower Garden

2008-10-26T14:12:00.005-04:00

Here is a little study I did from a photo taken this past summer up in St. Andrews-by-the-Sea in Canada. I was attracted to the geometry of the roof tops against the wildflowers in the garden. I love doing these quick little sketches because they suit my attention span. I am interested in so many things. Recently I bought some pastels and will try some studies in them. I think I am just an art supply "junkie." Each medium has its own set of characteristics that attract me for different reasons.

Portrait Study of Summer

2008-10-26T12:10:00.004-04:00

I have painted many portraits in watercolor and some in oils. I painted this study for my portrait class at school who are just starting to work from oils using live models. It is so challenging.

Cheese Shaker

2008-10-26T11:48:00.005-04:00

I love this copper cheese shaker but it is always hard to do justice to it in a painting. I wish I could paint more often but teaching college is consuming so once or twice a week has to do it for now.I bought some new fabric for my still lifes that I am looking forward to using. I think I have been in a backround rut for a while. I am using gessoboard and adding some Galkyd Lite to my paints. I am liking it for a change. I think I will always be in search of the perfect brush, though. I would love to hear about other painter's perfect brushes.

Broccoli Rabe and Tomatillos

2008-10-19T13:58:00.007-04:00

Rainy days are great for still lifes and I was wanting to paint one anyway. My husband shopped and for some reason bought 4 bunches of broccoli rabe! So I decided to use them for my still life.

I painted this on gesso board which I have come to really like. I know they are archival and I just like the surface.I guess it is still safe to say I love green.

I am offering this for sale on eBay as I have done in the past. I hope you enjoy.

Plein Air Painting in Savannah

2008-10-05T21:51:00.007-04:00

I conducted an Introduction to Plein Air Painting workshop on Saturday in conjunction with SCAD's Art Materials and Trade Show. I also taught a collage class on friday. The weather was spectacular on Saturday. We began the day painting on the grounds of Savannah's Roundhouse Railroad Museum. There are some great old buildings and trains there.Lots of simple shapes. We painted the scene above of two old railroad cars by a big old tree. We painted in a pochade size format (7"by 5") in order to focus on shapes and value instead of detail.

In the afternoon we painted at Polk's Market on Liberty Street. This fresh produce market has a great local ambiance with lots of people in and out.Bins of pumpkins were sitting in front of it to kick off the fall season. We worked in a larger format (8" by 10") for this scene. The light was fleeting and the bright colors were challenging, but it was lots of fun.

What a Difference a Month Can Make!

2008-09-28T14:23:00.006-04:00

After finishing my new website it was time to get ready for the Fall Quarter at SCAD. I teach four different illustration courses:watercolors, portrait, collage and Photoshop. My brain feels stretched in every direction. It took some time to get back in the "teaching groove." The luxury of painting all summer took me so far away in my mind. When colleagues asked "my how is itgoing?" I could only respond that I felt like I had either been on Jupiter or in the Witness Protection program. Trying to paint during this time has been rough. I am "painting through it" so to speak. My mantra is "Your good paintings are the sum of your not so good paintings."

There are a few more things that have conspired against my creative flow. With the recent hurricane threat, my husband made boxes to cover the sky lights in my studio. He decided to leave them on in case the another storm comes along. I have to tell you it made me feel like I was in a coffin!!!. I felt like I could not see or breath in my own studio.Finally he took them off. What a relief!!!

Before he took them off I could not photograph my work like I usually do. The only place I could find light was by the window in the bath tub in my studio bathroom. As I was setting up the tripod my camera fell into the tub (no water) but I still managed to destroy it.(I am still fuming at myself about it.) So I have to use this older camera and I just do not like the quality of the photos.

I have put up two little quick studies I did at this old railroad roundhouse in Savannah. It is a very intriguing place with old train cars inside a roundhouse and all kinds of interesting out buildings and old train cars. It was a gray day and I felt a little lost without stronger light so I focused on shapes. Everything looked so abstract to me. I also tried to stress the chromatic grays that I saw in all the shapes.They are only 7"by 5." They look a bit overly simple as I see them now in their flatness but I see them more as studies for larger paintings. Writing this down just helped me to understand source of conflict I have about these small works sometimes - and that is that some small paintings are very complete works in themselves and other times they are more suggestive of a study.Either way at least I am painting.

Website Re-design & New Watercolor Blog

2008-09-08T13:35:00.004-04:00

I have been spending two weeks in my pajamas updating my website www.lwarnerconstantino.com. I seem to work best that way when it comes to computer stuff. I am not a website wizard. I designed it in Photoshop and then brought it into Dreamweaver. I know just enough code to be dangerous but I have never had qualms about diving in and trying things. I need to get it to load faster. I am working on that. May main goal was to put my watercolors, illustrations and oil paintings in once place under one name because my ancient illustration site is under Linda Warner.

I started my Wet Watercolors Blog (like my others) to keep me painting and accountable to someone other than myself. I will mostly talk about watercolors(so much technical stuff) and put up studies and watercolor sketches that I paint. I will also write about influences and books and materials that are helpful to me and possibly others.

More on En Plein Air Masters Workshop in St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, NB, Canada.

2008-09-05T18:59:00.014-04:00

Things have been kind of crazy here in the South watching these hurricanes pile up and trying to decide what level of preparedness is appropriate. As I write this tropical storm Hanna is passing through. Everyone in my family gets a little stressed and short-tempered until all is secured. Welcome to September in South Carolina. I am also preparing to head back to teaching at SCAD this fall after a summer of painting. I am looking forward to it as teaching keeps me learning and looking at things in new ways.

I must reiterate how incredibly beautiful the town of St. Andrews-by-the-Sea is as well as the surrounding area. It was the perfect place for a plein air workshop.

After years of pouring over Kevin Macpherson's books and enjoying his work I am delighted to have finally had the opportunity to take a workshop from him.

I liked that he had us all paint a scene first in the morning without demonstrating in order to see where everyone was at. He then gave a critique which he does well, spending appropriate time with each person's work. In the afternoon he painted a demonstration and I have included some of the photos in this post.

The scene for the demonstration painting by Kevin.

He emphasized seeing the lights and darks initially. He carefully placed them in his painting. He is very thoughtful at this stage and really looking to see, simplify and place the most important darks. The scene was somewhat backlit in the mid-afternoon. He tries to paint "what the air feels like" and not just what he sees in order to capture a true sense of both time and place.

Laying the the darks. Note he is wearing gloves.

I am a convert.

He made use of the three values of portland grays(light medium and dark) along with a limited palette of alizarin crimson, cad red light, cad yellow light, ultramarine blue, and pthaylo green.(It was my first time working with the grays and I liked how it expanded the the colors in subtle ways.) As he painted his demonstration in continued to place strokes and color notes. He does this in a very knowing manner it seemed to me.

He laid in the sky with a solid value of portland gray light. As he painted the painting I wondered how he would resolve the sky. I thought just the color he had it looked pretty good. Then almost at the end he brushed in some very pale subtle yellow from the horizon line up into the sky and slightly blued the upper sky. It changed everything in a stunning way! The feeling of the light was there. Then he slightly warmed the value of the roof on the building in the distance and the whole painting came together.

The finished painting.

My quick camera shot does not begin to do justice to it.

I think everyone got a lot more out of the demo having done their own paintings first and been frustrated in some cases. So the timing of his demo was well placed.

I have concluded that art books are helpful but there is nothing like learning by watching an accomplished painter paint and having him or her watch you paint and give you feedback.

As I said in an earlier post, I found Kevin to be an excellent teacher. He has an incredible eye. He is sharing and funny. I highly recommend him. By the way, En Plein Air Masters are heading to Greece next fall.

Sunny Window Box

2008-08-29T16:25:00.004-04:00

The flowers and gardens in St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, Canada were just stunning every where I went. There were lots of wildflower gardens with such variety. I had just finished painting the garden above and had a small canvas and took on this window box. I loved that everything was kind of high key in the sunlight and the effect on color in and out of the shade. This painting was done from that small study.

Cottage Garden in St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, Canada

2008-08-29T09:32:00.001-04:00

This is a larger painting that I did from a smaller plein air study. Many plein air painters work this way. They get a feel for light and color on site and then take photos. Working from both the photos and the small study help to create the larger painting. Quite frankly working small for so long made this a bit of a leap for me.

I was walking down the street in St. Andrews-by-the-Sea, Canada and this garden view just appeared after passing a large hedge.I loved the way the light and shade were hitting it and the quaint little cottage or potting shed in the background.

Plein Air Painting on Minister's Island

2008-08-26T19:25:00.004-04:00

The day before my week-long plein air painting workshop, I spent the day painting with Michael Chesley Johnson on Minister's Islands near St. Andrews-by-the-Sea in New Brunswick,Canada. He offered a one day plein air workshop and it was well worth it. He is an excellent teacher demonstrating in oils in the morning and pastels in the afternoon. He has a wonderful sense of shape and value in his compositions. If you would like to know more about him and see his work you can visit his Plein Air Painter's Blog

The painting above was done on Minister's Island. I love the way the bright son was filtering through the trees. There are some uniquely beautiful buildings on the island. I probably could have painted there for at least a week.

Plein Air Painting in Canada - Aqua Boat

2008-08-25T14:44:00.003-04:00

Well I made it home from Canada at 2:30 am. I am trying to re-enter the real world after a week of painting in an idyllic place – St. Andrews-by-the Sea, New Brunswick, Canada. The En Plein Air Masters workshop I took with Kevin Macpherson was delightful and he is a great teacher. His wife Wanda was also a very nice person and helpful, too. Many of my fellow painters are quite accomplished and that added to the challenge. The weather cooperated for the most part too. I wanted to write to my blog during the workshop but we painted from 9-5 or longer each day. So I will add more my about the workshop in my following posts.

This boat was moored off the dock in the center of town. I loved the color and shape of it so I did this little study one morning. It seems I always like my smaller works better because they are looser.

Off to Paint!

2008-08-15T17:16:00.002-04:00

I am heading off to St.Andrews-by-the-Sea in New Brunswick, Canada to paint for the week with the En Plein Air Masters workshop. I am excited and a bit disorganized and definitely taking too much stuff!!! I am taking my computer and camera and will post photos and pass on and epiphanies I might have. :)

Tangled Banana Palms - Landscape

2008-08-09T16:44:00.006-04:00

Click here to purchase.

I was actually painting another scene when this view caught my eye. I decided to paint it. I had to work quickly as rain was imminent. I liked the way the greens were kind of tangled together against the pink stucco. This is on a cute little side street in Savannah where there are endless views to paint.

Eggplant Sailboat - Seascape

2008-08-07T16:35:00.006-04:00

I got up early to paint this at 7am due to the heat. I have been wanting to paint this boat for a while. Maybe I liked it because it is the color of an eggplant.(Sounds a bit crazy) but it sort of looked like one sitting there in the water.

Any way, boats beat me up. I took this painting back to the studio and finally ended up repainting it. As usual I was attracted to the colors and shapes and the way the light was hitting it. I really wanted to stay loose with this one.(Re-occuring theme) because there would have been way too much to paint if I got committed to detail. I think technical things scare me so I tried to just regard it as shapes and color in a very interpretive manner.I have a feeling boats are going to a big theme when I go up to my workshop in Canada.

Artist's Bungalow Garden - Landscape

2008-08-06T12:32:00.007-04:00

It is unbearably hot here on Hilton Head and since I got a late start this morning, I decided to paint the backyard of our Arts and Crafts bungalow-style home. There is a lot going on with the foliage. My husband loves to plant and it is very lush! There are a couple of giant oaks that move the shade across the yard. So for this painting I was trying to capture the feeling of the dappled light and shade in a very small painting format. A single brushstroke had to define a whole plant.

In a little over a week I am heading up to Canada. I am taking a workshop with Kevin Macpherson for a week with the En Plein Air Masters Series. I am also painting with Michael Chelsey Johnson for a day. I am getting quite excited. I was so clueless at the first workshop I took about 10 years ago. I think I am very open to learning at this point. Actually, I hope I always stay that way.

Cinta Senese Pigs - Landscape

2008-08-01T15:03:00.008-04:00

These are not just any pigs. These are Cinta Senese pigs that are an endangered species domesticated at Spannocchia the Italian organic farm I was at this past spring. It was a grayish day today so I went for my photos to do this painting. I tried to place the paint on this one and try not to fuss with it too much.

Speaking of Spannocchia I have gotten the dates firmed up for next summer's Plein Air Painting in Tuscany workshop that I will be teaching there. It will be from June 21 through June 28, 2009. I should have the prices firmed up in the next week or two. Email me me if interested.

Clouds II - Landscape

2008-07-31T11:30:00.008-04:00

Copyrighted © by Linda Warner Constantino. Oil on canvas panel - 6"h by 8"w. Click on image to view larger. Click here to purchase.

Thunderhead clouds are like the "mountains of the South." You sense their massive size just by looking. These clouds were like out of a Cecil B. DeMille movie. I kind of felt like some kind of miracle was going to happen at any moment! :)

I painted is on a different surface than I usually use.I usually use a #13 Classens double primed linen. This is a medium surface canvas panel. Photoshop picks up the texture more. If I try to hard to downplay it it looks blurry. This is pretty true to how it looks.

Purple Clouds - Landscape

2008-07-30T16:32:00.005-04:00

The clouds were so dynamic yesterday. Sunny one minute stormy the next. The marsh at the Wildlife Refuge is so flat.It reminds me of the tundra in Alaska where I once lived. Here I was just trying to catch a sense of these clouds.

I came across some newsworthy items for daily painters. There is an excellent write up about Duane Keiser and his new collectors' blog by Katherine Tyrrell of Making a Mark.She includes a kind of historical synopsis of his development.

Karen Jurick is planning a workshop possibly in nearby Savannah. Check out her site for more information.

Lily Pads - Landscape

2008-07-29T18:21:00.009-04:00

I painted at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge this morning. Acres and acres of marsh and lily pads! I did not know where to start. I did this little close up just to get acquainted. You cannot paint lily pads without thinking of Monet. Of course his paintings are gigantic and in some ways I think it would have been easeier to paint them on a larger canvas. What I was trying to do was a quick reponse to what I was seeing. Actually the bugs were bad. There are often challenges beyond the canvas in plein air painting! So here is my own little homage to Monet. I have even more respect for him now.

Eggplants

2008-07-26T16:34:00.006-04:00

I could not resist these baby eggplants! I played around with the composition a bit because they are so strong in value. Also I finally figured out the light so that you can see more of the value and temperature changes in the eggplants. I do not know what it is about the shape of them, though. I just like them.

Dophin Head on Hilton Head

2008-07-23T21:25:00.003-04:00

I got a late start in the morning for this painting and it had to be the hottest day of summer so far, so I painted quickly because I could feel the sun burning the back of my legs. I was standing by the water and the tide was coming in too. Sometimes having to paint fast keeps me from fussing too much and helps keep the painting painterly.

Pitchers - Still Life

2008-07-21T14:10:00.008-04:00

I am getting pretty obsessed with the blue-green thing. I think it is safe to say. Even in painting landscapes it is the blues and greens that challenge me. I am still trying to stay looser, and a bit more interpretive with my still lifes. With my illustrator background I have a latent tendency to get hung up in rendering. When I start to render too tightly I am committed to a level of detail that I am not really interested in. I like mark making and the vitality it can bring to a painting. I find it easier to keep the brushtrokes lively in landscapes than still lifes but I am working on it.

Blue Pitcher

2008-07-15T18:46:00.005-04:00

I am still going with the blue green thing. Actually I can't help it. All the Arts and Crafts pottery in our house is some version of blue and green. Suffice it to say - another passion. I am still trying to stay looser with my still lifes. I also decided to sprawl a bit with the arrangement of objects since I tend to crowd my compositions a bit. I am trying to keep in the spirit of experimentation this summer and push myself out of my comfort zone.

Stages of a Still Life

2008-07-14T18:31:00.003-04:00

I took a few stills of this still life in progress and put it together in a quickie animation just to see if I could do it really:) It is a little stretched as you can see from the still image of the painting below.

Lemons & Pots - Still Life

2008-07-14T16:04:00.006-04:00

I awoke to a nail and a stick in my tire so I knew I was not going out on site. I set up this little still life yesterday but did not get around to painting it because I had 15 family members over for dinner and decided I had to scrub the kitchen floor. Sounds ho-hum but sometimes cleaning can be very satisfying.I think I read somewhere once that Ingrid Bergman's hobby was cleaning! I guess that makes me feel justified.

Anyway, I have this thing with greens a blues. In this painting I was playing around with saturation and de-saturation. The cobalt blue pot is so bright. I decided to surround it with more desaturated blues and greens with some yellows and oranges as a kind of accent. I underpainted with a mixture of alizarin crimson, cad. red and some cad. orange. It is nice to have the time this summer to play around and experiment with painting a little more. I am really trying to stay a little looser with my still lifes.

I have been tagged!

2008-07-11T22:38:00.012-04:00

Vickie of Snowy Days Art has just awarded me The Brilliante Premio Weblog Award. Thanks for responding to my work! This seems like a good way to spread the word about what all you creative people are doing out there. Now it's my turn to suggest some noteworthy blogs. Here they are:

1. Morgan is a young jewelry maker who just happens to be my daughter. She is self-taught and has built up her business in the past year through Etsy and holding trunk shows. I am so proud of her!

2. Laurie is a fabulous cook who started a blog called Mediterraean Cooking in Alaska to publicize a cookbook she wrote as a fundraiser for her church. It has evolved into a most informative blog her daily recipes. Great photos of the food. Warning they will make you hungry.(She is related to me too - my sister-in-law.)

3. Katherine is a painter and illustrator with a distinctive style worth checking out. She talks about all kinds of things artsy and otherwise.

4. Takeyce is an daily oil painter whose work just keeps getting better and better.

5. Rachel was one of my former students who is very talented at collage illustration. She just started a blog. I love watching her process.

6. Carol has a unique blog entitled Paris Breakfasts where she incorporates her fabulous watercolors with her love of all things Parisian.

7. Shiho is another former student who is most talented and is developing her blog about her illustration. She can draw anything.

The Award rules of accepting the award are as follows:

1) Put the logo on your blog.

2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.

4) Add links to those blogs on yours.

5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

Blue Pots

2008-07-11T14:08:00.004-04:00

Copyrighted 2008 © by Linda Warner Constantino. 7"w by 5"h - oil on canvas Available for $100 plus shipping. email me if interested.

I enjoyed painting flowers at our local nursery but these giant exotic pots caught my attention. So I am not sure what to call this: a small painting of a large still life or a landscape. This was such a change because I just painted a small painting of small pottery. So much for scale!

Just for Fun!

2008-07-05T19:52:00.004-04:00

I sometimes receive these little canvas mounted boards(2"by 3") from Artboards where I purchase my linen panels for my small paintings. I love the Belgian linen surface. It is smoother than regular canvas but not as slick as gessoed board can be. They are so small I haven't known what to do with them. I gave them to my young students that I taught earlier this summer and let them paint a "portrait" of piece of candy. They were highly motivated because they could eat it when they were finished! I could not resist painting one, too.

"River's Edge - Palmetto Bluff"

2008-07-05T15:07:00.008-04:00

I went out to this gorgeous place on the May River near Bluffton SC called Palmetto Bluff. The place is like a dream with picturesque views. I went with my colleague, Don Rogers.We managed to have a good morning of painting before the "wall of heat" came down on us close to noon.

2008-06-30T17:30:00.005-04:00

"Blue-Green Group" - Sold

It's a cloudy day so I decided to do a still life. I collect Arts and Crafts pottery and I have a lot of little pitchers and pots. I love their colors and shapes. I painted this thinking more abstractly about shapes and colors. I could not resist the Queen Anne cherry for an accent. I am struck by how much tighter this painting is rendered than my landscapes. I think it is the challenge of painting the geometric forms and the fact that I can paint slower not worrying about the light changing. Still I try to paint spots of color without too much blending. As an experiment I used Galykd Lite as a medium just for the heck of it. Not sure how I feel about using it - a bit sticky.

"Community Garden"- Sold

2008-06-27T15:16:00.008-04:00

I guess you could say I am "garden hopping" these days. This is a community garden located in Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island. There are lots of small plots packed with vegetables and wildflowers and enclosed by an electric fence becasue the deer are rather ferocious down here.

This was another view that required a lot of visual sorting.Since I started painting at 7 am the sun was casting a long golden light across the gardens.

I was re-reading Lanscape Painting Inside & Out by Kevin Macpershon and found this quote that sums up my feelings about small plein air painting,"Loose painterly painting is by no means sloppy. On the contrary, it involves selectivity and an underlying excellence in drawing. A painterly stroke reduces many details to a poetic brush mark that expresses more with less. Objects are revealed with spots of color. The quick application of paint is largely due to to the speed necessary to capture fast-changing outdoor conditions."

"The Greenery"

2008-06-26T13:21:00.008-04:00

Copyrighted ©2008 by Linda Warner Constantino. Oil on belgian linen mounted on board. 7"h by5"w. Click on image to see larger view. Available for $100 plus shipping. If you would like it framed add $40 more. Email me if interested.

The Greenery is my favorite nursery on Hilton Head to buy plants. I am like a kid in candy store when I go there conveniently forgetting about having to dig the holes for what I purchase when I get home.

There are so many scenes to paint here that it took a bit of looking and thinking about what to paint. I was teaching and demonstrating at the time and the goal was to make sure to have a focal point. I liked the urn not because it was obvious but it was a beautiful buttery color surrounded by all the other colored plants.(Our painting group:Peter, Me, Francie)

If you would like to check out my other blog: Plein Air Painting in Tuscany I am putting up paintings for sale on Ebay and donating a portion to the Spannocchia Foundation.

Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, SC

2008-06-25T15:16:00.007-04:00

I got up early today and headed out to a gorgeous spot along the May River in Bluffton. The ground is high by the water - thus the bluff. I did not get going early enough because it got warm very quickly, though once I found my motivation to paint, I was able to ignore the heat for at least a little while.The marsh grasses were really this green!

"Boat Dock on Hilton Head"

2008-06-20T16:54:00.007-04:00

Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino. Oil on Belgian linenboard - 5" by 7". I found the view of this little marina full of shapes and the colors of the morning. I tried to capture the scene as a celebration of shapes in a more abstract way.

2008-06-09T14:24:00.005-04:00

"Hudson's Dock on Hilton Head" - Sold

I went out painting this morning very early because it is very hot out down here right now. I painted with my friends Peter and Francie. I teach them but also paint at the same time because I think it is very helpful. We tried a different palette today than in the past - ultramarine blue, cerulean blue, cadmium yellow pale, yellow ochre, cadmium red light, permanent thalo red rose or violet, plus white. I think switching out colors sometimes can give the painting such a different mood.

It felt so great to be outside painting. We even saw otters playing down by the water.

Pitcher and Cherries

2008-06-09T14:06:00.003-04:00

I have not painted in a couple of weeks and it is always a little rough going in the beginning. I developed "walking pneumonia" the last week of classes and wound up spending 4 days in bed! I do not get sick often but when I do it sure makes me appreciate wellness.

I feel like Queen Ann cherries were made to be painted. I love the play between the yellow and red. The pitcher was a tough one- translucent and ridges. I was going for an impression of it.

2008-05-17T17:05:00.006-04:00

Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino. 6" by 6"oil on linen board. I have always loved the skies here in South Carolina. They roll in and change so dramatically forcing me to paint very fast. I think they are one of the most challenging landscape elements to paint. This is another limited palette painting(3 colors plus white). I continue to be baffled by how many colors I can make. I hope you enjoy.

Port Royal Beach

2008-05-05T19:30:00.007-04:00

I decided to start painting some square paintings as many plein air painters have done. I am still working with my 3 colors (cadmium yellow lemon, permanent red, and ultramarine blue) plus white. I have to say I am constantly amazed at the color range,especially with the color intensity that can be achieved.Just the other week I painted a cloudy marsh scene with the same palette.

Cipollini Onions - Oils

2008-04-20T08:38:00.006-04:00

This is the real painting in oil that I created before the digital one below. This painting was done from life.

Digital Painting From a Painting From Life

2008-04-19T23:34:00.002-04:00

This is a digital painting of a painting that I painted from life. I will upload the painting from life tomorrow when I can take a picture of it.(My husband borrowed my digital camera.

Since I teach Photoshop for illustrators, I instruct my students on how to paint digitally. The photoshop brushes mimic real world painting tools but it is a bit of trial and error to figure out the right tools for the medium you are interested in dgitally painting.I did this digital study just to stay in practice. While corrections are easier digitally I still like the look and feel of paint and brushes

Stay tuned for the real thing.

Bear Island near Hilton Head

2008-04-12T15:10:00.009-04:00

I painted this on a very foggy morning while out with a student of mine. The fog kept gradually lifting as we were painting revealing more and more of the landscape. The gnats were ferocious. I wrapped a paper towel around my neck like a scarf to keep them from biting my neck. Once I got involved with painting I did not notice them nearly as much.

I used the red, yellow, blue palette that I employed with the last painting with the Vasari oils. I like them, they are very creamy.

"Tuscan Farmhouse" - Sold

2008-03-30T11:22:00.007-04:00

This painting is from my recent trip to Spannocchia near Siena, Italy where I will be teaching a workshop this summer. I was heading to paint another view when I turned and saw this farmhouse nestled in the hillside with the orchard in front of it. I cannot wait to come back and paint in the same area this summer with everything in bloom.

Tuscan Trees

2008-03-23T16:07:00.010-04:00

This painting was inspired by my recent trip to Spannocchia where I will be teaching a plein air painting workshop this summer.During the late afternoon the light was peaking through the trees on the other side of the driveway leaving little dots and slivers of light. I also find the tall cypress trees irresistible Copyright © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino - 5" by 7" oil on linen board - Available for $100 plus shipping and handling. Email me if interested.

Return from Tuscany

2008-03-23T10:30:00.004-04:00

I just returned from Spannocchia in Italy where I spent the week plein air painting in oils and watercolors. The weather was on the chilly side but the experience was unforgettable. The grounds afforded endless views for painting. Sometimes it was difficult to decide. The food was memorable and so were the aromas that came out of the kitchen. It was like a dream and a trip back in time. I highly recommend going there! I created numerous studies and took lots of pictures. I will be posting some of them soon. If you are interested I am going to be teaching a plein air painting workshop there this summer. For more information visit my other blog Plein Air Painting in Tuscany

Fuori alla Toscana!

2008-03-09T22:46:00.001-04:00

I am off to Castello de Spannocchia near Siena, Italy this friday March 14-23 to spend my spring break plein air painting. If technology cooperates with me I will be posting my paintings and keeping a kind of online journal for the week on my other blog, Plein Air Painting in Tuscany. I am so excited to be going to Spannocchia. This is a goal I have had for 3 years. So "stay tuned" as they say.

"Pinckney Island Road"

2008-03-01T13:15:00.009-05:00

I almost did not go out and paint because of a busy week at school. My friend Peter called to ask if I was going out painting and I instantly said yes and got myself in gear. Once we were out on site the day and view was so beautiful that I could not have imagined how I would have hesitated to go initially.

This linen canvas is a single primed with a little more tooth. It took a little getting used to, hard to cover with paint. Hope you enjoy.