Paint, Counterpaint
June 29, 2011
Two Textured Tulips”,©Jill Rosoff 2011, 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″, $95.00
Thanks to everyone who responded to my last blog posting. The majority of the feedback to my question about the Poppy Pods was in favor of leaving the painting as is. As you wish! (to quote Wesley in The Princess Bride). And thank you for all your great comments! Read them by clicking on Comments under the posting.
This week’s piece, it turns out, is the diametric opposite, it’s almost all about the patterning. I’ve had this painting on my drawing board since about March, around the time I was doing the small postcard ‘portraits’ of tulips. I had a couple of pieces of watercolor paper a little larger than the postcard-szed ones lying on the table, aching to be painted on. So I did the coral tulips, and used the patterning to echo the delicate structure of the tulips petals. And then it sat there while I paid attention to other paintings, and put on a show, and went on my oh-so-great trip to Europe last month. And so I finished it this week, still using the line detail, but not quite the same way as on the tulip petals. And here it is.
I’m starting some pieces from my trip, they’ll be arriving here soon. Mostly in the architectural vein–I love the architecture of the Spanish, French and Italian Riviera. Plus there’s a few that I started before the trip that are almost finished, that are quite fun.
Have a great Fourth of July! And a safe one!
Three Poppy Pods, and you get to help me….
June 24, 2011
“Three Poppy Pods” ©Jill Rosoff 2011
This painting came about during a demonstration I did in one of my workshops. I have a bouquet of dried poppy pods that I got when the pods were still green, from my sister Jenny’s garden, where they grow each spring I take the bouquet to my Watercolor Workshops now and then if someone needs a subject to paint. This demonstration was about getting the shape of an object onto the paper without overworking it. And then about using paints that have a sedimentary quality to them for the shadows, how the texture of the sediment brings a whole new quality to the painting.
At the end of the workshop I had the three pods on the paper, nothing in the background. So I brought them back to the studio, and layered in the background, one layer of magenta, another of more sedimentary colors, primarily terre verte, with a little cobalt green and some turquoise in for flavor. It was just a little dull with just those two layers, so I added one more thin layer of magenta with a little quinacidrone pink thrown in. And voila.
So, the question I have now is whether to leave it like this, or add my fan/wave pattern to the background? Don’t know. Hmmm. What do you think?
Preview! Delicious New Hand-Painted Silk Scarves
June 15, 2011
”Flower Fields” design
For the first time anywhere, here is a sneak peak at my new hand-painted line of silk scarves. This is a path I’ve envisioned for a long time, and I’m thrilled to at last bring my designs to life in wearable art.
I have three designs I’m currently making. Above is the Flower Fields design, the first design in the collection. This one is on delicate Habotai silk, a floating, semi-transparent silk with a delicate lustre.
“Circles and Dots” in blue, green and marigold
The “Circles and Dots” can come in a variety of colors, and can be ordered to match. The blue, green and marigold scarf is on chiffon, the pink, orange and periwinkle below is on crepe de chine.
“Circles and Dots” in orange, magenta and periwinkle
The next scarf is a version of the “Flower Fields” scarf, featuring fun, whimsical flowers without the stems that are in the scarf at the top, so it’s called “Wild Flowers”. This one has a more delicate feeling, again because of the Habotai silk’s shimmering, diaphanousness. On crepe de chine the colors are a bit more vivid and cheerful where as this looks more subtly happy.
“Wild Flowers” in pinks, magentas, oranges and yellows
I hand-paint each scarf , so no two are alike. The flowers and field scarf designs are all numbered, and all the scarves are signed. And the edges are hand-rolled and finished. And they are washable, so they are easy-peasy to take care of!
These are some of the scarves I will have for sale this weekend at my show “Revel in Flowers” at Peet’s Coffee & Tea in Corona del Mar, CA. I’ll be at Peet’s on Saturday, June 18th from 2 to 7 pm, and on Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. If you can’t make it and/or would like to order a scarf, contact me either by using the Contact link below, or via my website’s contact page at RosoffArtworks.com. They’ll be up on the website soon!
Pop Up Show, June 18th & 19th, 2011
June 9, 2011
“Pink Icelands” ©Jill Rosoff 2008, 11 1/2″ x 15″, framed
For those of you in or who are coming to the Southern California area, I will be having a two-day “pop-up” show at Peet’s Coffee & Tea in Corona del Mar, CA on June 18 & 19, 2011.
The show will present my Tapestri Collection of original watercolors on paper. These paintings are a celebration of my love of gardens and flowers. In these paintings I use vivid colors, intricate motifs and layers that produce wonderful, richly-textured, luxuriant paintings. I really do revel in the blossoms, the leaves and surrounding plants and earth using delicate layering of colors and patterns to achieve rich, concentrated colors, contrasts in detailed brushwork.
I am also very excited about my new collection of lush, hand-painted silk scarves. Using crepe de chine, charmeuse and china silk, I hand-paint the silk with original designs. I have two lines that feature flowers and gardens, one in a very bold design, another I call “Flower Fields”, which is more delicately painted. A third line is more graphic, using circles and dots using color indulgently. This is something I’ve envisioned for a long time, and I’m thrilled to bring my designs to life in wearable art. The flower designs are all unique, signed and numbered, so no two are exactly the same. They’re brand new, so new that I’m just finishing the photography for them, so come be among the first to see them, and own one!
I’ll be at Peet’s both days, on Saturday from 2 pm – 7 pm, and on Sunday from 10 am – 5 pm, and will be happy to show and assist with the selection and purchase of the paintings, my notecard sets, and the scarves.
Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Corona del Mar is located at 894 Avocado Avenue, in the Corona del Mar Shopping Center. The show is open to the public.
Come enjoy the day, have a lovely cup of coffee, celebrate your Father’s, and peruse the art! See you there! Thanks!
Lovely Interim
June 3, 2011
Facades along a street in Firenze, May 2011
I’ve been on vacation the last three weeks, an amazing trip. I was traveling with my irrepressible, constantly curious mom, enjoying a cruise, with bookends in Barcelona and Rome. The cruise embarked from one of my new favorite cities, Barcelona (audible sigh) and then strung along the Mediterranean coastline of Spain, France and the west coast of Italy, and then five days in Rome. It was my first visit to Spain ever, not the last, and Barcelona is enchanting. Some of the cities I’d been to before over 20 years ago, including this one way-too-short day in Firenze, one of my favorite cities in the world. It was like re-meeting old friends, in a way, you know that you’ve been there, but its been so long it all looks so fresh and new.
Michelangelo’s “David”, replica in it’s original position in front of the Palazzo Signoria, Firenze, May 2011
Firenze was crammed full of tourists this day, and it was about 90°, and about 80% humidity. We were on a day trip from our cruise, as were people from 5 other ships, of which ours was the smallest. I think I’d estimate that there were a good 8,000 cruise day-trippers there that day, it was insane. S
Gelateria, Firenze, May 2011. I love how the cones echo the shapes of the lighting fixture!
I took over 2,00o photos. I want to finish the paintings I have going already, before I get to start some new pieces based on those photos, which I will be loading up here eventually. Lots to look forward to! In the meantime, these are a few shots of Firenze to whet your appetites, as they are whetting mine!
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