This is actually the first sgraffito drawing that I ever did, and I have used it for years as a demo piece when I am teaching this unusual but ancient technique to my students. That is why it is covered with squiggles, pieces of perfectly matched curved-cross- hatching (done with a tool that has six pieces of wire all the same length sticking out of a metal holder), and other various messy marks. There is even some gold Sennelier oil pastel on his hair ornament - unfortunately, the luminosity of it has faded over the years.
I have described elsewhere in my blog how to do this technique, so I won't repeat myself here.
Tomorrow I will present a painting I've been working on for a little bit every day for a few days. It is the same composition as one presented on this blog, but with a new interpretation coloristically. It certainly was fun painting it! And I spent this day, mapping out the coming week. I have so many paintings I want to do - and this is just the small ones that can be done in a day or two - that I don't know how I'll ever finish them!! It's so exciting.
I did a silly thing the other day though - and if anyone who is reading this happens to have an "in" with Google, or is just more "internet savvy" than I am, please let me know if you can help me out!
I was looking at my account here, and they suggested that I change my Google-given URL for my blog to a domain name (at a price, of course...), so like a perfect consumer, I bought one. Alas, AFTER I purchased it I realized there was a serious typo in it. It was supposed to read: priscillatreacyfineart.com, BUT, it reads priscilltreacyfineart.com.
I haven't been able to get in touch with them through their byzantine "help" pages, I even contacted Enon, the company they work together with in producing these domain name. Any query has lead me to absolutely nowhere. And of course, there is never a phone number mentioned ANYWHERE. There is nothing in Google's FAQ that even touches on this problem. I offered to cancel, and start all over, but they didn't like that at all. No, no.
So, now I am stuck with a domain name with a misspelled name, and no one will be able to find my blog, and I have NO idea how to fix it. Does anyone out there know how! HELP!!
I would most grateful for any ideas - and thank you for visiting today.
I explained the procedure for this type of monotype in my blog on Monday. This one was used as a book cover by the David R. Godine Publishing Co. in Boston, in 1984, for a memoir by Iris Origo, titled War in Val d'Orcia. I was very happy when they decided to use it, of course. Also, I didn't have to deal with any art directors telling me what to do! It was a free ride!
Thanks for visiting today.
Tomorrow is "P" day - I begin to paint in earnest. I am so excited!!
SOLD I have to admit that I love this drawing. It is done in a method that I call "veils of color". It is done on white bond sketch-weight paper. You do a drawing with 1/8" round vine charcoal, and then go over that with Nupastel in whatever color you want. This can correct and mistakes if you are not done with the drawing, or if you are, it can begin to suggest a color plan or direction,
Then I further develop the drawing with the vine, and add more pastel, spraying between layers. I know that is contrary to what most people think as pastel technique, but this is just something I developed on my own, and I really like to draw this way. It is very freeing, and fun. You never really know what you are going to get. If you use regular fixative, the paper remains smooth, and you can apply hard and soft pastels, and charcoal pencils also - actually I prefer carbon pencils, because they don't smear as much.
If you use Matte medium spray it leave little tiny globules of spray on the paper, giving it a tiny tooth that is just great for grabbing onto very soft pastel, in rich saturated colors.
NFS This is an example of how accidents sometime work to our advantage in art. This is an oil paint monotype, which I painted on a small zinc plate (4" x 5"). Actually, I used this same plate over and over again.
This is the view from the patio of Nero's Villa which is on the very top of the island of Capri off the coast of Naples. It is said that he used to throw hapless people off just to amuse himself.
Anyway, the procedure for this consists of drawing an image onto the plate with a 6B pencil, and then painting the image with oil paint diluted with turpentine. For some reason turpentine works the best, which is a shame, as I have developed a tendency to develop migraines if I get anywhere near it. The paint isn't as thin as watercolor, just "thinned", and it can be manipulated with dry brushes, and also with brushes that are wet with solvent and then mostly dried off. Apparently, during this process a bit of turpentine got away and dribbled down the front of the terracotta pot. But, what a happy accident! It's really doing a marvelous imitation of the characteristic surface of these aged pots.
This was from a series called "Italian Geometrics". They were all 4"' x 5", and they were all oil monotypes. I have two others. One was used as a book cover once. I felt so lucky.
