Measuring Up

Copyrighted © 2009 by Linda Warner Constantino. 6" by 6" - oil on gessoboard - Sold.

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.

Coastal Discovery Museum

Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino.8"by 8" oil on gessoboard.

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.

The Last Meyer Lemon of the Year

Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino - oil on gessoboard - 6" by 6".

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

Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino. 7"by 5" oil on gessoboard.

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

Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino. 7" by 5" oil on gessoboard.

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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.

Cheese Shaker

Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino - 5" by 7"-oil on gessoboard.

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

Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino. Oil on gessoboard 5 by 7 in.

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.

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

"Cottage Garden"- Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino. oil on linen panel - 9" by 12".

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

"Sunny Day on Minister's Island." Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino. Oil on linen panel. 8" by 10".

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.

Tangled Banana Palms - Landscape

Click here to purchase.

Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino.6" h by 8"w - Oil on linen panel.

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

Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino. 6" by 6". oil on linen panel.

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

Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino. 5"h by 7"w - oil on linen panel.

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

Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino. 6" by 8"- oil on canvas panel.Click on image to view larger. Click here to purchase.

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

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

Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino. 5" by 7" oil on linen panel.Click image to view larger.

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

Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino, oil on canvas board 6"h by 8"w. Click on image to view larger. Click here to purchase.

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

Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino. Oil on Belgian linen panel - 6 by 6 in. Click image to view larger. Click here to purchase.

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

Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino. Oil on linen panel. 7"by5"Available for $100 plus shipping. Email me if interested. Click on image for larger view.

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

Copyrighted ©2008 by Linda Warner Constantino.Oil on linen board 6" by 6" - Click on image for larger view. Click here to purchase.

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

Copyrighted © 2008 by Linda Warner Constantino - oil on linen board 8"by6". Click on image see larger.

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.