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"

Uploading Some New Work ... After A Long Covid Layover!

 As the Covid crisis begins to wind down, artists are starting to crawl out of their cocoons, myself included, although I emerged sooner than many.  In November 2020, and against all odds, me and my dear friend Camy DeMario developed a show, "Keeping the Arts Alive," at Raw Space Gallery in Vero Beach.  We curated a month-long fine art show featuring over 200 works of art by over 100 artists, and the show included 17 different themes and events throughout the month.  The agenda included honoring our civic leaders, fire, police, military and medical heroes, and I presented portraits to several of our Leaders and Heroes. Other nights were dedicated to Jazz, Ghosts & Hauntings, book signings, Music, poetry, graffiti, and more. Ribbons were awarded, wine and refreshments were served, and a good time was had by all. However, as Covid loomed throughout the month we decided to slow down some of the other events we had planned. In spite of all the odds against us, we were able to make a generous donation to Little Birthday Angels, our chosen charity.  Below are the portraits that were presented:

"Amelia Earhart" Pastel, 11x14 by Judy Burgarella

Amelia Earhart, famous American aviator - presented to the City's Vero Beach Municipal Airport

"Portrait of a Hero," oil on linen by Judy Burgarella

"Portrait of a Hero," presented to Dr. Marcelin of Cleveland Clinic, Vero Beach

"Alma Lee Loy" Acrylic, 11"x14" by Judy Burgarella

"Alma Lee Loy," presented to the Mayor of Vero Beach. Alma Lee, who passed away in April of 2020, was a tireless promotor and philanthropist of Vero Beach and beyond, beloved by all who knew her. 

"Sheriff Daryl Loar" Acrylic, 11"x14" by Judy Burgarella

Symbolic to our Police, and in recognition of Sheriff Loar's service.

"Fire!" Acrylic by Judy Burgarella

 Presented to Indian River County Fire and Rescue.

We created a wonderful show featuring many wonderful works, helped a charity, and honored those who helped bring us through this awful pandemic--God bless them all.  The show closed, and that was the end of "Keeping the Arts Alive," for us.

When time permits, I will post more of the artwork I created just before the Pandemic, during, and after.  But for now, new art shows and art projects loom on the horizon which I must attend to ... so, more to come! 

Judy Burgarella

Blogger

Sebastian, Florida

A few more creations of late

"PATIENCE" - DESTINY MADE HER MINE!

"Patience" below, is from another of my portrait classes for the Fall 2018 semester at the Vero Beach Museum of Art.  I teach there three semesters per year, in addition to a 3-day oil & acrylics Portrait Workshop from a live model during each semester.

"Prudence" (I am guessing a Puritan Woman) was inspired and painted from a painting I purchased at the St. Sebastian Church's Saturday Flea Market a few years ago.  It was a full-body, life-sized oil painting in really rough shape, that obviously was destined to be thrown in the trash heap had I not come along last minute just before closing. I purchased this lovely painting, frame and all, for  $5 or $10.  No signature or any indication on it to identify the artist.  Since the clothing from below the collar on down was rendered poorly, I held my breath and cut it off.  I then glued it onto a masonite board and framed it with a beautiful hand-carved ornate frame also purchased at the same time, also for $5. The frame was also in rough shape, and even had holes drilled in it on several areas.  With some filler and good gilding, sanding and painting, the frame was perfect for this painting.  It now sits in an easel on display on high kitchen shelving along with other items and paintings of interest I have collected over the years.  And so I recreated this painting, inspired by that which I purchased, only made her a bit more pretty, as seen below.  Below the painting is a sample of the step-by-step handout I give to my Museum students.  Lots of work for me, but makes it so much easier for students to understand or jump ahead.

"Prudence" Acrylic on canvas by Judy Burgarella

Class instruction hand-outs for my students

"KATE" - FROM A LIVE MODEL

Below is an oil portrait I started in October 2018 from a live model, friend and student Kate Russum, and finished six months later.  It was my first demo at a new location, Indian River Estates in Vero Beach, where I continue to teach.  This painting haunted me after I started it, as I promised it to Kate as a thank-you gift for posing for me that first day.  It was a very rough start, as all portraits of mine tend to be.  But I finished it and believed it was one of my best yet.  I actually feel that way about all my portraits, as the way of the life of an artist is that one gets better with each painting.  And so it always gets better, if one takes the extra time to make it that way.  However I am usually on the clock and on the run, trying to finish and document steps in a painting for a class, so those paintings are not usually my finest work.

"Kate" oil painting by Judy Burgarella

MONET'S "WILLOW TREE AND LILY POND"

Below is a finished painting, a copy of a work by Claude Monet, one of the impressionists (1840-1926).  I painted this in acrylics to get the feel of how he painted, in preparation for my demo/class at Indian River Estates.  This was a 2-week demo, wrought with the usual mistakes which I gladly announce and exhibit to my students so that they can learn how an artist corrects his/her mistakes and moves on. Mistakes often result in the creation of a great new technique, a so-called "Happy Mistake," and it happened several times in this oil painting. demo.  I hope to post this painting when it's finished.  But below is my acrylic rendition of Monet's oil painting.

"Monet's Willow tree and Lily Pond" acrylic by Judy Burgarella

I have many more I would love to post, but alas, they are on the self in my studio unfinished with the hundreds of other paintings needing my attention.   I need about 40 more years and maybe I'll finish them all ... but then what?

I hope you enjoyed my postings!

Judy Burgarella

Blogger

Orca Mural - Finally Finished!

ORCA Mural, "Florida Uplands" Acrylic on Canvas by Judy Burgarella

So happy to be a part of this project, and we completed it very quickly, about a month--with some finishing even before that.  So I delivered mine, which was the latest, on Tuesday, July 3rd.  I touched mine up on the outside perimeter with the paint they all used, repainted the gold band, and Dawn and I installed the hanging hardware and hung them all in the classroom of the Artists Guild Gallery in Vero Beach.

The Vero Beach Art Club provided the artists, who donated their time to this project: me, Dawn Mill (project manager), Carol Makris, Sue Dinenno, Judy Rixom and Rita Ziegler.  Dawn chose the round design and provided each artist with a rough idea, and we all created our own design based on the basic specifications, researching our individual habitat assignments ourselves and choosing the plants and animals to include.  There are six murals, all mounted with stretched canvas over a wood frame, with circular pattern outlined in gold paint.  All are painted in acrylic. As soon as I get photos of the others, I will post them here.

ORCA "Oceanic Research and Conservation Association" happened to see the Vero Beach History/Habitat Murals (www.verobeachmural.blogspot.com), at the Community Center on 14th Avenue, and felt they needed something like that for their organization, perhaps to use as an educational tool and in demonstrations.  And so they contacted the Vero Beach Art Club, and the rest is history.

A "Soft Opening" will be held Friday July 5th, 5:00-8:00 pm at the Artists Guild Gallery, 1974 14th Avenue, Vero Beach, with wine and hors doeuvres, and a grand opening will be held at the ORCA facility at VB Airport some time in the fall.

We are very proud to play a small part in prooting ORCA's environmental mission, and look forward to the public enjoying the fruits of our labor.

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There are many more paintings I have created since my last posting, and hopefully I will have time soon to post them here.

Judy Burgarella
Blogger