Pink Mules

My poor husband. He buys me such hip shoes. Only to see them on canvas, as opposed to seeing them on my feet. He bought these at a punk/goth boutique called "Roadkill" in New Orleans. The owner is a friend of ours and gave us a good deal on them, as well as some black fishnets. Naturally, I was urged to wear them immediately. Trapesing around New Orleans in mules and fishnets is an interesting experience, one that I'm not compelled to repeat. Do men have any clue about the dichotomy between how these look and how they actually feel? (Does it matter?)

Pink Mules

Acrylic on Canvas 12x12"

Red Apple

Busted flat in Baton Rouge (or close)...8 hours in the Louis Armstrong New Orleans Airport - whew! Its been a very long day due to bad weather in the NY area. But the good news is it gave me the opportunity to take some cool photos while waiting... of airplanes at interesting angles, the guys in the brightly colored vests that transport the luggage, other travelers like me who had mega hours on their hands and nowhere to go. Even with all that time, I can always find some way to be busy. We artists can always find some new artistic challenge in any given situation - like our work is never done, theres always a new scene catching our interest that we have to capture in one medium or another - isn't that so? Does anyone else feel the same?

Speaking of rouge, I don't think I'll ever tire of painting brilliant red apples - simple shapes but those vibrant reds and oranges, who can resist?

Rouge Pomme

Oil on Canvas 6x6"

'Tis the season

I was certainly launched into the holiday spirit this past week, traveling to New Orleans for a painting workshop, and getting a big dose of North Pole weather temperatures. If you ever have the opportunity to attend a Carol Marine workshop, go for it. (That in itself is a challenge, considering her workshops fill up 18 months in advance.) She's the real deal, an excellent teacher, very talented and equally sweet. There is something about taking workshops that catapults me into new places of experimentation. I was working in oils this time around, getting re-familiarized with their unique traits. A very different experience from acrylics, but wonderful just the same.

Christmas ornaments

6"x6" oil on panel $100

Ice Cream Cones

Why paint Ice Cream Cones in the winter? Because they are reeeeally fun to paint. And why stop at one with so many flavors/colors to play with? I became obsessed with soft serve ice cream cones this summer - those lovely folds of luscious creamy calories. But being the purist that I am, I had no interest in consuming them, only painting them.

This is a great exercise I give to my students - keep painting the same thing over and over till you know it so well you can do it with your eyes closed (ok, maybe I'm exaggerating there). The first one is usually kind of stiff, because you are feeling your way around it, as you paint it successively you SHOULD (ahem) get loose and confident. And by the time you get to the 4th - or the 14th, you know your subject so well you can paint it with ease, in very few, expressive strokes. The goal is to enjoy the journey and see where it takes you...

Soft Serve Ice Cream Cones

Acrylic on Canvas 9x12" $200.

For more information or to purchase contact patti@mollicastudio.com

Lemon Slices

Yesterday was a painting marathon. I setup this still life for one of my students and painted along with them, painting from whatever angle I could find. I always let the students get the "good view" and I take whatever is left, but that in itself is a great lesson for me. As artists, we are often faced with less than ideal settings and situations and we have to find ways to "make it work" one way or another. If the composition doesn't work or the lighting is bad or the angles are awkward or the subject gets up and leaves, what can we do to fix it? The good news is that we have permission - aka artistic license - to do whatever it takes to make the painting work. Having a deep bag of artistic tricks, learned from dealing with many imperfect situations helps. In otherwords, learning how to best make lemonade from lemons. The other two paintings were done after class, where I could arrange the slices however I chose, stand wherever I wanted to get a good view. Interestingly enough, I like the first one the best, where I had to work dilligently from my big bag of tricks.

Lemon Slices 1,2, and 3

6x6" Acrylic on Canvas

For information or to purchase, contact patti@mollicastudio.com

Boat Painting

Painting boats en plein air, its tricky. The boats move, the light changes, there is always distractions from curious bystanders who are fascinated and want to chat, the schlepping, the bugs, I always forget my visor and sunblock. So many things to deal with, so little time to work with before the light pattern has changed completely, about 3 hours tops. However all these factors put together make for a painting that communicates a bold, immediate reaction to your subject matter which is hard to simulate in a controlled studio setting. Your color, values and drawing decisions have to be quickly calculated and ruthlessly executed - no time to waver. Get it right - now - and move on quickly.

I discovered a marina in Rye, New York yesterday at about 3:45. After getting permission to paint there, parking, setting up my easel, putting out the colors, brushes, doing a quick sketch etc, I was ready to roll at about 4:30. Minus about 1/2 hour of chat time with some local boat owners who kindly offered me beer, water, and a sunset boatride, the painting was done at 6 PM. Just in time to enjoy that sunset cruise - which departed about 10 minutes prior ... next time!

Rye Marina SOLD

12x12 Acrylic on Canvas

Yellow Rose

A rose is a rose is a rose...

that elegant simplicity of a rose in bloom is so alluring. Yet is there anything more challenging to paint? The tendancy is to paint every single petal, accounting for the layers and layers of lush fullness that makes the rose so voluptuous. However in approaching it that way, one can quickly find themselves on a slippery slope of painting every petal and eliminating all the "magic" that struck us upon first glimpse. This is one of the many challenges of painting such an exquisite, complex, masterfully designed form. Implying the complexity but painting the simplicity and the drama ... not so easy.

My husband bought me a dozen yellow roses for my recent birthday. One of them stood out as being so "perfect" in its structure and design, so "architectural", that I decided to bring it to class and have my students paint it. What added to the challenge was that it was set against a very light backround, with little contrast to "fall back on". When everyone left, I pulled out the paints and went at it too.

Yellow Rose Acrylic on Board 10x10

If you are interested in purchasing, contact me at: patti@mollicastudio.com