Three New 12" x 12" x 1-1/2" Acrylics!

 I whipped these up for the Environmental Learning Center's "Little Things" show.  All entries had to be 12" x 12" x 1-1/2", and nature-related.  Not having the required pieces, I was forced to paint them. Maximum entries for one price was three, so that's why I painted three.

First one I did was an Eagle. For this show, the title is, "Symbol of Hope." I named it that because of all the political chaos and bad decisions being made by our leaders as of late which is very concerning for America's future, and I was looking for something that would give us hope. 

"Symbol of Hope," Acrylic, 12"x12"x1-1/2" by Judy Burgarella

I had been wanting to paint a hummingbird lately.  These "flying flowers" often visit one of my flowering bushes in the yard, but I have yet to get a photograph of them.  This is a combination of several photos from a bird book of mine.  The clouds were from a snapshot I took just today from the Wabasso Bridge. Pink Hibiscus were from my garden.

"Hummingbird's Delight," Acrylic, 12"x12"x1-1/2" by Judy Burgarella

"On The Hunt" was a combination of photos of a Florida panther, however the scene is from a vacant lot down on my street that always intrigued me as it has an interesting little opening where you can peer into the dark underbrush.  On my walks with the dog many times I have taken photos of it, hoping that I could use it in a painting someday.

"On The Hunt," Acrylic, 12"x12"x1-1/2" by Judy Burgarella

Delivery due later today.  Enjoy the view!

Judy Burgarella

Blogger

Portrait of Mary

 A pretty woman, a fuzzy picture.  I was given a commission for a portrait to create from an old photograph, taken when "Mary" was much younger.  Her husband, Ray wanted it as a surprise for a future event.  I did the best I could, not having even met Mary, and using a very small, old, fuzzy faded photograph.  It got rave reviews and the customer was very happy and proud.  Mary is still very beautiful, as is her younger version shown below.

"Portrait of Mary" Oil, by Judy Burgarella

Aside from the difficulties of an image without a lot of information contained within it, the strange lighting and shadows also posed some problems.  What colors to use? How much contrast? What were the actual values?  And some forms and details happen to be missing within the photograph.

The customer asked me to frame it with a gilded frame, which I happened to have on hand, and I believe it was the best choice for this portrait.

What a joy it is to paint a portrait and get to know a person's face inch-by-inch, and have the challenge especially of bringing it to life again decades later in the future.  Yes, a joy and a challenge, but exhausting and I'm relieved it came out ok and it's finished.

Judy Burgarella
Portrait Blogger

 

Some More Recent Works ~ 

"Blue Heron and Orchids" is a watercolor rendition of a painting of the same name in Acrylics.  The Acrylic one was recently sold during my show at the Environmental Learning Center.  It was created for an upcoming workshop for the Orchid Island Art Club in March.  Two totally different mediums, but a lovely painting nonetheless.

"Blue Heron and Orchids" Watercolor
14"x11" Unframed, 23"x19" Frame by Judy Burgarella

"Blue Heron in the Reeds" was created in a pastel workshop at Orchid Island.  We all painted something different, and this image was snapped by me at the canal in my backyard.  When I put it in the oval mat it looked just perfect!  

"Blue Heron in the Reeds" Watercolor 14"x11" unframed, 20"x16" framed
By Judy Burgarella

Enjoy!

Judy Burgarella

Blogger

 What can an artist do??

"KATERYNA"

As the date to do this portrait in acrylics class drew near I was moved to design something to go along with our world in crisis, mainly the Ukraine.  After researching facial features of Ukrainian women a face gradually emerged from my pencil of a woman in Ukrainian native dress and wearing a floral garland.  All designs were taken from historical photos on the internet and so are truly based on authentic Ukrainian attire.

The name "Kateryna" according to a list of Ukrainian names means "Pure." Pure and innocent are those who are being killed, maimed and driven from their free country.  The atrocities that Putin has inflicted upon the Ukrainian people will be revisited by all those who survived for the rest of their lives.

So what could an older, powerless, not-so-well-off artist do to help?  Well one was to recognize the Ukrainian people's plight by designing a work of art to represent their people.  And gradually I came up with the idea of donating the proceeds of this painting to them also.  And so the idea was born.  But wait--I thought, "How can I expand upon that idea?"  So then I came up with publishing it on the internet in hopes that other artists see it, paint it, sell it, and donate the proceeds.

So here is beautiful Kateryna, with instructions below it.  Feel free to improve it, change it, or be inspired by it to do something yourself that will help the people in the Ukraine.  

(Click on Kateryna to enlarge)

Note - Keep mind that these instructions were drafted for a classroom where I explained various techniques of painting in acrylics. Please look up on the internet "scumbling" as that was a common technique used in the final skin layers.  This portrait can also be created in oil, watercolor, pastels, colored pencils, etc.  I used a limited palette and did not name the actual colors as I provided all the supplies and some people in class are not familiar with the actual names of the colors. But following are colors I used or suggest: titanium white, cadmium yellow, cadmium orange, cadmium red light, alizarin crimson, dioxazene purple, ultramarine blue, permanent green light, sap green, burnt umber, burnt sienna, ivory black.

Also, I considered "Kateryna" finished enough for my class, however not finished enough to sell.  In spite of that a student insisted on purchasing it from the class "as is."  So the proceeds will be donated to:

                            Samaritan's Purse

                            P.O. Box 3000

                           Boone, North Carolina 28607

                          Phone - 828-262-1980

If you do decide to paint it yourself, I hope you will donate at least something to either Samaritan's Purse or another charity that is helping the Ukrainian people in their struggle to protect their citizens, help those who have survivied, or help them in their fight for their freedom.

(Click on the below instructions to enlarge)

Visit again soon, as I will be uploading more paintings for you to try!

Judy Burgarella

Blogger

Solo Show at the Environmental Learning Center

 Wrapping up a 2-month Show!

Installed 35 paintings in the Environmental Learning Center on January 3rd, where they were on display until today, February 27th.  The ELC was very accommodating and great to deal with, and it was a nice venue for all my nature-related work.  I named it "Florida's Natural Treasures," and it was good to see a large body of my work all in one place. Several paintings found new homes, and I am always happy to know they will be appreciated and enjoyed for years to come. And now I have more money to buy more brushes.  He who has the most brushes wins!    

West Wall #1  

... More to come about this show when time.

Updating for New Works

NOTE ~ For a view of my studio, click on:    https://www.facebook.com/CCOVB.org/videos/611418863194541

Folk Art Show at the Vero Beach Museum of Art

Local artist members of the Cultural Council of Indian River County were invited to show Folk Art-related works in the Education Wing of the Vero Beach Art Club, in collaboration with their current Fold Art Exhibition.  Show ran October-November 2021, and I entered two pieces:  "Laundry Day" and "Six Rosters."

"Laundry Day"

I painted this a couple of years ago to enter into the Vero Beach Art Club's "New Dimensions" show on Orchid Island, Vero Beach.  I had named it "Laundry Day Wine Bar," and had included wine glasses with clotheslines painted on them, and a washboard cheese tray.  Someone bought the glasses only, and so I've had this odd art piece knocking around my garage ever since, showing it once or twice in the Sebastian River Art Club shows.  So I was happy to get it out of the garage and on display again.

"Laundry Day" Painted in acrylics on wooden ironing board.
By Judy Burgarella

"Six Roosters"

"Six Roosters" was painted specifically for the Vero Beach Museum of Art's Folk Art Show.  If I hadn't run out of time (painting right up to the last minute as usual!) I had planned to get some rusty old chicken wire and rusty old bent nails and nail it sloppily to the outside of the window, with the rooster portraits behind it.  This was such fun to paint and research.  Took me right out of my comfort zone.

"Six Roosters" Acrylic, 16"x20" by Judy Burgarella

"Jesus On Palette"

This palette painting was done as a demo on Faculty Day at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, where I have been teaching portraiture for seven years now.  It was not complete, but close enough to post here. This was the last demonstration we teachers did before the Pandemic Closedown.  Sadly, we had no idea what was to come.

"Jesus on Palette" Oil 11"x16" by Judy Burgarella

"Night-Blooming Cereus"

"Night-Blooming Cereus Cactus"
Acrylic by Judy Burgarella, 16"x20"

Perched high above my herb garden setting in a wire replica plant stand of the Eiffel Tower, sits this usually-ugly flat-leaved prickerless plant.  Don't know where I got it, but for years I've neglected it, and even threw it behind a big ixoria to see if it would die and get it over with. I have had this plant for about 15 years.

At some time later I saw it was struggling to survive, and like an orphaned pet I gently potted it in a nice pot to give it a chance to live--guilt being the driving force.  I don't remember when it happened, but I remember seeing a big long pointed snake-like bud emerging.  I kept watching it as it got bigger, excited to see what beautiful flower would emerge from this ugly plant.  It got bigger ... and bigger ... and bigger! Every morning I would run out to the herb garden to see it emerging!  Then one morning--finally--there it was ... a very large drooping dead white what shriveled whatchamacallit!  After all that time I had missed its bloom!  

After doing some research, I found that it is of the genre of a "Night Blooming Cereus," in the cactus family.  Look it up on the internet--they are spectacular and diverse.  Mine blooms as big as a dish.  I found out that the bats love it and do the pollinating, and I've seen that it peaks about midnight.  The aroma can compete any day--or night--with Gardenia.  A very strong yet soft aroma that permeates the night air all around it.  It blesses me with always having either an emerging flower or a flower bloom--sometimes more than one!  I try to catch its glory at midnight, but alas many times miss it by forgetting and going to bed.

And so I finally honored this spectacular flower by painting it and exhibiting the painting several shows.  It is mounted on a gallery-wrapped frame, with the painting continued all around the edges. Looks great on a white wall, and I hope it finds a good home some time soon. Note that I included a dying bloom behind the "perfect" bloom. Also note the bizarre pink and yellow stamen.

Plein Air Pait-Out at the Environmental Learning Center

October 2nd, 2021, joined some fellow artists for a paint-out on-site at the Environmental Learning Center in Vero Beach, FL, as part of the "Bird Show" there.  The rule is, you must complete and frame the painting all in one sitting, which I did. It's an unrefined work, which I will tweak to be finer at a later date.  It did pull a 3rd-place ribbon at the show though, and two of my other works won ribbons, pictures of which follow.

"Pond Scape" Acrylic, 11"x14" by Judy Burgarella

Egrets and Waterlilies on Palette

Painted on a lovely cloud-filled day in my backyard, with a group of plein-aire friends. February 10th, 2021.  Such fun to paint directly on your palette: squirt the paint on and dip/drag it into your creation.  Artists were scattered all around the yard, painting the canal, gardens, trees, flowers.  Afterwards we broke open the wine and toasted to a wonderful mask-free day outdoors.  Won First Place ribbon in the "Bird Show" at the Environmental Learning Center in October 2021.

"Egrets & Waterlilies on Palette" Oil on Palette, 16"x19" by Judy Burgarella

"Fencepost by the Meadow"

This cute little painting was done during a demonstration, and was later donated to charity.  A simple, sweet, peaceful gem.

"Fencepost by the Meadow" Oil, 17"x14" Framed by Judy Burgarella

Well, that's all for today, will post more works soon.

Judy Burgarella

Blogger for the Arts

And Now ... 5 more months of painting/creating ins spite of COVID!

"DRAGON"

"Dragon" took several months to paint because I hated doing it.  I blocked the darned thing in and let it sit out on our lanai for months. Finally, my granddaughter Salem's birthday was coming up quick in July so I HAD to get it done!  It was just yesterday she was loving unicorns and princesses ... and now, at 10, she loves Harry Potter!  Go figure.  I do miss my princess with the magical wand and tutu though.  And I hated everything Harry-Potter-ish and dark and gloomy stuff.  However, by the time I was almost finished with the dragon, I was watching movies about Harry Potter with her, biting my nails!  Loved him, and I certainly learned to "Love the Dragon!"

"Dragon" Oil on Stretched Canvas, 28"x36" by Judy Burgarella

"SPENSER"

"Spenser" was a delight to paint.  And upon pickup, my client brought his wife and other furry famly members.  Spenser wanted so badly to play with my Piper, but Spenser had just undergone surgery and was in no shape to romp, so I left Piper outside.  I was told that the painting really captured his spirit and personality.  I painted it from several referenced photographs.

"Spenser" Acrylic by Judy Burgarella. Painted surface 14"x11"