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Push the mids
When the light outdoors isn’t that great to pull a work together cohesively I always remember to push my mid hues. I learned this from a past highly regarded artist/teacher. This actually does work if used smartly without over saturating the hues. This is a section of an artwork and you can see the day has little light to work with.
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Little does he know
My little boy Homer is heading to the Vet specialist early tomorrow morning for a full knee reconstruction or something similar to an ACL knee injury (a bit like the footy players get at times). The next 6-8 weeks will be trying for him and probably me too. He is only four so he is still young enough to recover well. I’m hoping he will recover quicker than they say and back to his bouncy, loveable ready to please self. x
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My cosy workspace
www.instagram.com/p/CEladVcjmPg/ I wondered how I would cope after moving house and not having a studio anymore. But it’s nothing to worry about as an artist can make and create even on their knee. Fortunately I have enough room on my adored French mid 1800’s table for a small illustration or a finished painting using my table top easle. I’m cosy and happy. 🙂
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Walks around the neighbourhood
We are tending to take more notice on our one hour of exercise a day structure in Melbourne for now. I keep finding treasure in the many gardens and such adorable little and biggish homes I pass. Homes that must be filled with a vast array of stories that could fill a book. I think these little homes and gardens are exuding warmth, cosy and love in buckets; I feel it as I pass by. I’ve picked flowers (trying to be discreet) from these blooming gardens and have started the process of pressing them in many old books. What joy I am making with my miniature artworks and pressed flowers…
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Vincent VanGogh and the Seasons
My fascination with the work and life of Vincent Van Gogh makes pure sense to me and even more so after watching this video from the National Gallery of Victoria. The way he links his art with the seasons in nature resonates with so many of us artists; that is often our learning ground and it is a free resource that we can obtain and learn from at any time. I do hope you take the time to watch this and enjoy if you haven’t already.
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Family tree
www.instagram.com/p/CD5J7gQjH0L/
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Early Friday’s sketchbook
https://instagram.com/stories/jul.toffolo/2365291420883626381?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igshid=e6xwcpu94hel
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Untold
It was the 24th June on a Wednesday.
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Coffee In
I found myself having good coffee in a Footscray cafe whilst waiting for a family member at the Tattoo shop. Trying to work smarter at sketching when out and about in my little journal and left the coffee I spilled on the page as all a part of it. The man on the stool kept getting up and then down expressively chatting with his mate. I found this tricky and nearly felt brave enough to ask him to stay put for five but nah I didn’t as I actually was enjoying listening to their convo, think they were muso’s which was interesting to me. I was overlooking yummy cakes in…
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Knowing when to stop
Trying to be more spontaneous when painting plein air. Such a sunny winters day in one of my fave places to hang by the sea. My gouache paints were drying out quickly and the sea water I used in my spray bottle added to the authentic feel I wanted to capture but it just clogged up with sand particles. And sitting on a rock to paint took its toll when I stood up but I needed to feel grounded in nature whilst I worked. It’s so tempting to go back and correct this one but I’ll resist as that’s where the continual learning comes from; knowing how to stop.
