Rainy days at Arte Studio Ginestrelle
The last couple days have been rather gray and rainy here in Assisi, offering us the perfect excuse to sit by the fire and drink grappa for several hours each evening. Days are spent in the studio making art. Yesterday I did a series of sketches with wine bottles, and some landscapes of the rolling [...]
Fresh olive oil, art, and a full moon in Umbria
It’s day four of my artist’s residency in Umbria. I’m making progress on a couple of mixed-media pieces, which is good because they need to be finished for an art exhibition that opens Sunday in Assisi. In addition to working in the studio, I sat outside for a bit and drew the panorama around. In [...]
Settling in at Ginestrelle
Today was my first full day working at Arte Studio Ginestrelle (an artists’ retreat outside of Assisi, Italy). Before breakfast I went out for a morning walk through the surrounding hills. The sun was bright and the autumn colors were dazzling. Breakfast featured local deliciousness in the form of fresh ricotta cheese and yogurt from [...]
Mixed-media portrait: Betty in her dirndl
Betty in her dirndl, 56 x 42 cm, mixed media on watercolor paper, ©2012 Julie Galante. I’m proud to say that I’m still managing to fit in a little bit of art every day, even amongst the pre-move chaos. Less than two weeks left in this apartment, and this studio. I’m focusing on mixed-media techniques [...]
Mixed media sketches
My artist’s residency in Assisi, Italy, starts in two weeks. I am so excited. Being able to focus on nothing but art in such a gorgeous environment is going to be heavenly. For now I am fighting a million little distractions – planning the move, visa application, saying goodbye to our friends in Munich, and [...]
Broccoli: the end of the oil paintings
Broccoli #2, oil on canvas, 20 x 20 cm, ©2012 Julie Galante. Available on Etsy. As I mentioned yesterday, I’ve put away the oil paints until after the move. Today I’m scanning in the last couple oil daily paintings that I have. They’re dry enough to be listed in my online shop, which I’ll keep [...]
Getting into art every day
I’ve participated in Leah’s November Art Every Day Month for several years now. I really enjoy the challenge of making time for art every single day, no matter how full my schedule or where in the world I might be (plus I love connecting with the other participating artists). This year is going to be [...]
Day 30: Christmas market on Marienplatz
Christmas market on Marienplatz, 15 x 15 cm, oil on canvas, ©2011 Julie Galante. [SOLD] The last day! I have had so much fun during this Art Every Day Month. I’ve loved getting to know other AEDMers through their blogs, and I’m pretty pleased with the paintings I’ve produced. Thank you all so much for [...]
Day 29: sunny Odeonsplatz
A sunny winter morning in Munich’s Odeonsplatz, 30 x 40 cm, oil on canvas, ©2011 Julie Galante. Available for sale on Etsy. More Munich for you today. This painting is kind of a companion piece to day 15′s Snowy Day in Odeonsplatz. It also depicts a winter day, but without snow (I know it’s winter [...]
Day 28: Munich Wittelsbacherbrücke
Munich Wittelsbacherbrücke, 18 x 24 cm, oil on canvas, ©2011 Julie Galante. [SOLD] This is a bridge in central Munich called Wittelsbacherbrücke (don’t you just love German?). The church looming in the background is St. Maximilian. I’m on a Munich streak here, which is quite serendipitous since little Munich paintings tend to be quite popular at [...]
Day 27: Miniature Munich
Alter Peter in Miniature, 15 x 15 cm, oil on canvas, ©2011 Julie Galante. [SOLD] I don’t usually do cityscapes on these tiny (6 x 6 inch) canvases. I don’t have the world’s steadiest hand, so putting in such small details isn’t easy (that’s why this painting is pretty loose). I think the result is [...]
Day 26: chili peppers
Chili Peppers, 15 x 15 cm, oil on canvas, ©2011 Julie Galante. [SOLD] I felt like doing something a little different today, and that ended up being this palette knife painting of chili peppers. For the most part I used the colors straight out of the tubes. I was going for simple shapes and bright colors. [...]
Day 25: more Munich
Alter Peter Study, 18 x 24 cm, oil on canvas, ©2011 Julie Galante. Original painting available on Etsy. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. In honor of Black Friday, I’ve added a new batch of paintings to my Etsy store, including my pomegranate painting and the last of the leaf paintings. Way more [...]
Day 24: Thanksgiving dumpling squash
Dumpling squash, 13 x 18 cm, oil on canvas, ©2011 Julie Galante. Original painting available for sale on Etsy. If there were any wall space whatsoever in my kitchen, I might like to hang this painting in there. It reminds me how tasty these squash are. Can’t wait to roast up the models for lunch! [...]
Day 23: Evening at the Christmas Market
Evening at the Christmas Market, 15 x 15 cm, oil on canvas, ©2011 Julie Galante. [SOLD] The Munich Christmas markets start this weekend! Yay! I am busy getting ready for my December 4th Open Studio. Invitations went out yesterday, and it has been so fun hearing back from people who are excited to come. If [...]
Day 22: Dementor Bridge
Gebsattelstraße, 18 x 24 cm, oil on canvas, ©2011 Julie Galante. [SOLD] This is a bridge in my Munich neighborhood which has a creepy-looking statue of the Münchner Kindl (the city’s cloak-wearing mascot) on it; some friends have dubbed it Dementor Bridge, due to the Kindl’s similarity to certain characters in the Harry Potter books. [...]
Day 21: Brussels sprout snake
Brussels sprout stalk, 24 x 18 cm, oil on canvas, ©2011 Julie Galante. I never really thought about how brussels sprouts grew until a stand at our local farmers market started selling stalks of them. This painting is just the very top of the stalk. The whole thing is a few feet long and has [...]
Day 20: revisiting Wienerplatz
Wienerplatz Study #3, 18 x 24 cm, oil on canvas, ©2011 Julie Galante. [SOLD] I am really enjoying painting every day, even though some days I sit down at the easel and feel a bit idea-less. Nothing sounds appealing to paint. None of my reference photos look interesting, none of the still-life objects I have [...]
Day 19: Postcard from the Christmas market
A Postcard from the Christmas Market, 18 x 13 cm, oil on canvas panel, ©2011 Julie Galante. Original painting for sale on Etsy. This painting is smaller than what I usually paint. So small (and thin – it’s on canvas board) that it almost feels like a postcard. Thus the title. Are the vague faces [...]
Day 18: Christmassy onions and garlic?
Onions & garlic & greenery, 24 x 18 cm, oil on canvas, ©2011 Julie Galante. Hey, if the Germans can use pickles as Christmas tree decorations, why can’t I use garlic and onions? OK, perhaps it would not be the sweetest-smelling Christmas tree on the block. These pine branches are fun to paint. Perhaps I’ll [...]
Day 17: Munich’s Volksbad on the Isar
Munich’s Volksbad on the Isar, 18 x 24 cm, oil on canvas, ©2011 Julie Galante. [SOLD] The Müller’sches Volksbad is Munich’s incredibly beautiful Art Nouveau indoor swimming pool. It is located next to a shallow part of the Isar, the river that runs through the city. I love looking at it. And painting it. I [...]
Day 16: Christmas clementines and cranberries
Clementines and cranberries, 15 x 15 cm, oil on canvas, ©2011 Julie Galante. Original painting available on Etsy. A still life containing pine branches is automatically going to have a Christmas theme, isn’t it? This one started out as just clementines and branches, but as I was painting I decided it needed a small splash [...]
Day 15: a snowy day in Munich’s Odeonsplatz
A snowy day in Odeonsplatz, 30 x 40 cm, oil on canvas, ©2011 Julie Galante. [SOLD] Usually I rely heavily on vibrant colors to make my paintings interesting, so this painting was a good way for me to challenge myself. The original scene includes similarly-colored buildings, snow, and sky; I wanted to have this monochromatic [...]
Day 14: juicy pomegranate
Open pomegranate, 20 x 20 cm, oil on canvas, ©2011 Julie Galante. [SOLD] Pomegranates are one of my favorite fruits, both to eat and to look at. Turns out they’re also fun to paint. If you’ll be in Munich on December 4th, please plan to stop by the Open Studio I will be hosting that [...]
