Easels and organizing

I had my parents bring me some small display easels from the US (all of the ones I’ve found for sale so far in Germany are ugly). They are perfect for displaying my daily paintings done on canvas board and hard board, which will come in handy in my studio (collectors often visit so I like to keep as much work on display as possible) and for a home show I have coming up in a couple months. Now to get my hands on a few dozen more, and I’ll be all set.

As I mentioned in my last post, this week is all about wrapping up 2010 and getting excited for 2011. I have been reorganizing my studio, gessoing over some old canvases, assessing my inventory, and thinking about my priorities for the coming year.

I think I’ve decided that January will be dedicated to some pretty intense studio time (interrupted, as always, with a little travel), since one of my ongoing excuses for not showing my work is the fact that I don’t really have a complete body of work on hand to show. I am not good at sticking to the same subject matter for long enough to fill a gallery. In 2010 I focused more on small daily paintings; while I want to continue making them in 2011, I also want to refocus on getting a group of larger cityscapes done.

What are you up to this week between holidays?

Tags: thoughts

Wrapping up the year

I’ve been out of the studio this week, traveling to Prague to see the Christmas markets. I’m hoping to sneak in a little painting time over the next couple days, but it’s difficult with house guests underfoot. I have a couple works in progress that really need finishing.

Available in my online shop.

The week between Christmas and New Year’s will be dedicated to cleaning my studio, labeling and cataloging the last of my 2010 paintings, and goal-setting for 2011. I’m really looking forward to having the time to get my studio and my thoughts organized. 2010 was a very good year for my art career, and I’m hoping 2011 will be even more exciting. I am so grateful for the amount of time I am able to spend painting.

What happened in 2010 that you are most grateful for?

Tags: work in progress

And the winner is…

…Pavinee from Merry Day! Congratulations, Pavinee! You’ve won a goody bag full of inspiration from the Faroe Islands, including a CD of local music, a big book of local art, a DVD tour of the islands, and lots more. Watch out for an email from me so I can arrange to send you your goodies.

Thank you to everyone who entered! I really enjoyed hearing about the places where you find inspiration.

To learn more about the Faroe Islands, check out my posts about our recent trip there.

Christmas market in the woods

Christmas market in the English Garden, Munich | oil on canvas panel | 30 x 40 cm | ©2010 Julie Galante

There is a huge park in the middle of Munich, even bigger than Central Park, called the English Garden. Every year there’s a Christmas market in the middle of this park, in an area that is a beer garden in summer. There is nowhere better to be in this city on a snowy day.

I noticed the name of this hut is “Der Münchner Honigbär,” which translates to “The Munich Honey Bear.” Appropriate, I think, because this painting is too sweet for my tastes. I’m enjoying the practice of painting Christmas markets, since they are all around me right now, but I am finding it challenging to create paintings that aren’t too cutesy. Hopefully I can figure out how to strike the right balance. Anyone else ever have this problem?

Tags: Christmas, Christmas market, cityscape, Munich, oils, painting

Daily paining: Christmas market in Berlin

20 x 20 cm, oil on stretched canvas, ©2010 Julie Galante. Available in my online shop now.

I am having a lot of fun playing around with Christmas markets as a subject. This image is from a Christmas market I visited last week in Berlin. I like the almost cartoony feel to this one – it seems right, given how idealized and unreal the markets feel sometimes. It can feel like walking around on a movie set, but better, because the roasted chestnuts and hot mulled wine are real.

Have you entered my inspiration from the Faroe Islands giveaway yet? It’s quick, easy, and fun.

Tags: Christmas, Christmas market, cityscape, daily painting, Germany, oils, painting

Inspiration from the Faroe Islands

Voted the best islands in the world by National Geographic Traveler, the Faroes are full of breathtaking views that would inspire almost anyone to create. I’m in the middle of a series of daily paintings inspired by the Faroes, myself.

This painting is available in my online shop. » Read the full post

Tags: daily painting, Faroe Islands, landscape, oils, painting

Christmas market at Sendlinger Tor

oil on canvas, 18 x 24 cm, ©2010 Julie Galante. This original oil painting is available for sale on Dawanda.

So here’s the final version. Munich is full of Christmas markets these days, so I’m guessing this won’t be my last Christmas market painting. That is, if I manage to do a good job of balancing my Christmas market time with studio time…

Tags: Christmas, Christmas market, cityscape, daily painting, Munich, oils, painting

AEDM day 30: over already?

This Art Every Day Month went by way too fast. I only got to play along for about half the month, since I was traveling a bunch. I just got back from Berlin and I don’t have much to show for myself today – I have several little paintings in progress, but nothing finished. So today you get a half-done Christmas market painting. Christmas markets popped up all over Germany this past weekend, and I can’t wait to paint some more of them.

Thanks to Leah for hosting another great AEDM, and thanks to all the other participants who have stopped by over the past month. And here’s to a very creative December.

Tags: Art Every Day Month

AEDM day 25: more Faroes

Faroe Island village, 18 x 24 cm, oil on canvas board, ©2010 Julie Galante. [SOLD]

Today I am dreaming of what it would be like to spend a month on sabbatical in the Faroe Islands, painting everything I see, people and places.

I got a little frisky with the tip of the palette knife on this one. I might go back and add something to it later, but I’m also pretty pleased with how it looks right now.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tags: Art Every Day Month, cityscape, daily painting, Faroe Islands, landscape, oils, painting

AEDM day 24: escape to the Faroe Islands

It was cloudy, stormy, and rainy for most of our recent trip to the Faroe Islands, but I still managed to get some photos that will make for some good painting inspiration. This little (18 x 24 cm) oil sketch is of the buildings in the historical section of Tórshavn, the capital.

Many of the wooden houses in the Faroes have roofs made out of turf (which is why a couple of them are green in the painting). The hotel where we stayed had a turf roof as well, which did a good job of muting the sounds from the storm that was raging on the night we arrived.

Tags: Art Every Day Month, cityscape, daily painting, oils