July 17th - Abstract Painting at the Sebastian River Art Club

Today, inspired by a lecture on Abstract Painting at the Sebastian River Art Club, I completed--well almost completed--this fun and fast painting.  I was a-slapping the paint on like it was on fire!  Didn't really know what I was doing, but just kept going, hoping it would turn out ok.  It's got lots of room for improvement, but I'm pretty happy with the technique.


Abstract Seascape on gallery-wrapped canvas, using acrylic paints and plastic grocery bags

 First I troweled acrylic paint in blues, blacks and white on the canvas using a palette knife.  Then very quickly I started ripping plastic bags and sticking them on "willy-nilly" to the wet paint, scrunching them as I went, trying to cover the whole canvas, including the sides.  After covering the sides I began slapping paint on top of the plastic bags, being more careful to create the storm cloud shapes, the water, and the glistening horizon, all the while painting very fast to keep up with the fast-drying acrylic paint.  I struggled a bit with the frayed edges of plastic, and began cutting the excess wherever it appeared.  Next time I will make the plastic gather in such a way that the water has horizontal waves, like the sky.  It was a lot of fun, and completed in less than an hour and a half.  I plan to take this to the next level. 

Judy Burgarella
Blogger

Creating A Rainbarrel

Saturday July 12th I spent part of the day with my bud Rita Ziegler and we helped "budding" artists (who ad actually never painted anything before) paint their designs on rain barrels in the Indian River Mall for a recycling organization.  We didn't know what to expect, but we had a good time and helped a very nice lady, Dianne, complete a nice-looking rainbarrel using the most rudamentary equipment.  We three collaborated on ideas and painted away for a couple of hours.  Below is our masterpiece.


Rainbarrel painted using acrylics



Rita Ziegler (left) and me (Judy Burgarella) with the finished rainbarrel

Giving Birth to a Cowboy!



"Texas Cowboy" 11"x14" Acrylic, UNFINISHED 

 "Texas Cowboy," in progress, started today in the Sebastian River Art Club's "Three-Hour Challenge" painting program.  We try to do a painting, start to finish, in thee hours.  Some take less, some take more.  I started this one just before noon, painted till 3:00, and I'd say have about another hour or so to finish.  It's my first serious portrait in acrylic, and I'm pretty happy with it, although it had a bit of a rough start.  Can't wait to work on it again, but for now I'm off to another non-painting event! 
PS - The Sebastian River Art Club will be having a show in the Art Center in September for these 3-hour paintings, with many unframed and reasonably priced.  More news to come!

Judy Burgarella
Blogger

FIRE!




"FIRE!" acrylic, 9"x12" gallery wrapped

  Just finished this painting of "FIRE!," inspired by a photo of a fire I saw in a book, and by the upcoming Vero Beach Library exhibit, "Heat's On" which will be on display there for the next three months, installation is tomorrow (Tuesday July 9th).  I really needed a push to paint, and this one just fell into place.  It's only a 9" x12", acrylic, but was so much fun to paint.  It's a gallery-wrap, in that I've painted the scene all around the sides.  I've run out of time, but I plan to buy a "floater" frame for it, which is a frame that gives the impression that the painting is "floating" inside the frame, sometimes with the sides of the painting partially showing.  My juices are flowing now, so maybe I'll finish a commission that's way overdue.  Enjoy.

Judy Burgarella
Blogger

New painting of a Horse

Yesterday at the Sebastian River Art Club Peni Baker challenged members to a three-hour paint-in.  It was quite a challenge, and although we all chatted up a storm most of us managed to do a complete painting in three hours ... and below is mine.  I had given a quick (1/2-hour) demo on Tuesday of painting that same horse in acrylic, very rough.  But this one is in oil, and I'm quite happy with the looseness of it.  With a little tweaking (not too much) it will be good enough for the gallery.

Three-hour paint-in challenge at the Sebastian River Art Cub

Judy Burgarella
Blogger

June 10th--Sunset at the Wabasso Bridge

I guess I should have named this blog "Beautiful Sebastian," as that seems to be the way it's going.  Had dinner down on the Wabasso bridge in Sebastian with Bob, and following are some great pics of the sunet and other things.

Below is a pastel painting I did years ago for Bob of his father fishing, which was taken from an old photo.  His father died at age 52 so I never met him, but his spirit was certainly with us today when I snapped a picture of his son in almost the same position, fishing ... déjà vu!


Pastel painting of Joe Burgarella, Bob's dad, fishing

 

Bob fishing

 So we spent a very enjoyable couple of hours at the Wabasso Bridge park overlooking the beautiful Indian River Lagoon, and I had a great time hunting for things to capture with my camera.  One more of Bob ... it's good to see him happily fishing after triple-bypass surgery just eight weeks ago.

Theis next photo is of Pat Mills and "Billie."  Bob started talking to her and seems she is a native Floridian of several generations from Wabasso--a rarity!  She had lots of stories and we both enjoyed listening.  Billie was a doll, but not too social.

This is another one I must paint, this shot is perfect!

It was a lesson in grace watching this castnetter throw out his weighted net, but came up with no mullet to fish with.  It's not easy, the timing must be perfect.

This snowy egret seemed to be posing for me, with his beautiful plumage glowing in the soft amber sunset. I must paint him some day (along with the thousand other paintings I want to do.  I think I'll need another turn.



This little guy kept jumping all over the rocks, following me as I strolled by the water's edge with my camera.  Such fun to watch him -- another "poser."

The following photographs are the progression of a very beautiful sunset, a mostly everyday view from the Wabasso Causeway, and especially beautiful as you drive over the tallest bridge overlooking the lagoon. 

 



Barely visible is a blue heron whose silhouette is just above the rocks

 


Also barely visible is the heron in flight in the middle of the sunset

 A-h-h-h, Sebastian.  You really should move here.  It truly is a paradise--and we're so glad we found it.

Judy Burgarella
Blogger

Lots to see today, Sunday, June 3rd, 2012

I guess since this is "Art by Burgarella" I should be putting some of my art up when I post, so I'll start by what's first in the alphabet on my hard drive.  "Afghan Girl" was a little 5"x5" painting I did for the Artists Guild Gallery's "Cinco de Mayo" show a couple of years ago, where all paintings were $55 and were 5"x5".  Of course this famous face was taken from a photo in National Geographic, and the painting eventually made it's way to be known by the actual photographer, which was a thrill and ironic coincidence for me.


"Afghan Girl" Sharbat Gula in 1984, from National Geographic June 1985 cover by Steve McCurry



Sharbat Gula, 2011

Every painting has a story.  This is Sharbat Gula today, 27 years later, you can see what the ravages of time has done to her, coupled with an extremely hard life in Afghanistan which is the plight--and worse--for most Afghan women.  Actually, she is still a beautiful woman, but you could tell those eyes have seen things we in America can't even imagine.  Glad to be a woman in 2012 in America.

Now to the more pleasant news at hand.  Today was a day to remember, as I finally saw the spoonbill that the neighbors have all seen at the water's edge in our beautiful canal.  Unfortunately though, I ran into the house, grabbed my camera, brought it outside and the lens got condensation because of going from cold air to the hot muggy outside air.  But this fellow was really a beautiful pink--actually anything that pink must be a girl.  Anyway, she took off and the pink underbelly and underwings were stunning, such a thrill watching a big bird like that, pink as she was, flying right by me down the canal.  The picture below is awful and does not show the beautiful pink color

After weeding all morning before the sun got hot, Bob and I drove to get mulch, and on our way home we saw "Woody" the resident woodstork on Schumann Drive.  The owner of the house, Jim, came out and we chatted for a while, him telling me all about the birds who come to his house, sit on his bench under the living room window peering in waiting for him to come out.  What a sight.  Everyone stretches their neck going by that house.  There are so many doodads, animal statues and chochki things out front under a huge oak, I believe these big birds think they belong there among the litter of critters.  But Jim pointed out that Woody had broken his leg clean in half with the bone sticking out the top--you could see it.  Happened 2 weeks ago--gator he thinks--and Jim has been feeding the poor guy since then--baloney which is his favorite food.  No agency will take him as long as he can fly, and he can.  He's stolen my heart, and you can see why below.  I willl bring food next time I drive by.  Wish I could take him home and make him better.  You can see his foot is facing backwards, poor thing.  Such a cute little guy.  (Little--he's about 3' high!)



"Woody"--notice his broken leg

 The hibiscus I planted down by the edge of the dock is paying us back with a spectacular display of red hibiscus.  So far this plant is carefree, and does not show signs of neglect--yet!  Just another little "jewel" to admire today.

Hibiscus

Below is not tonight's sunset, but it was beautiful, along with the full moon that was rising on the opposite side of the sky.  But below is a typical sunset over the Indian River Lagoon that I took from a friend's house some time ago.  I just may paint this sunset as a sunrise into the Vero Beach mural, which is almost finished http://www.verobeachmural.blogspot.com/ - take a look.



Typical sunset over the Indian River Lagoon, Sebasitan

  Well, that's all for today, dont' know when I'll get to it again but hope you enjoyed the pretty pics.

Judy Burgarella
Blogger