Studio blog of Julie Galante – painting ridiculous things in Scotland
Detail of a work in progress, oil on canvas, ©2011 Julie Galante. Another big-name artist died this week: Lucian Freud. Figurative painters are in the minority in today’s art world, especially ones creating truly new, interesting things. I tend to seek them out and study their work; they comfort me against fears that nothing new can … Read more
Two paint tubes, two brushes | 15 x 20 cm | oil on canvas | ©2011 Julie Galante | available on Etsy Last night I dreamed I was interviewing for something art-related. The interviewer (a stern older man) asked me what artists influenced me. I struggled to answer this, tossing out the first names of … Read more
So just the other day I was whining about how hard it is for me to work in series. Work in Progress: Scott with MacBook Pro.©2011 Julie Galante. Now suddenly my studio is full of related paintings in progress, and I have six more models lined up. I do believe I’ve found myself a series. I’ve … Read more
Jessica, 60 x 80 cm, acrylic on canvas, ©2007 Julie Galante. I’ve been thinking a lot about attributes recently. In portraiture, an attribute is an object included to help the viewer identify the subject, or to communicate something about the subject. Artists’ self portraits often include paint brushes or a palette, for example. Catholic saints are … Read more
This has happened before. I have a big, several-month expanse of time in the studio ahead of me. Time to buckle down, get productive, take my art seriously. I’ve been playing around long enough; it’s time to make a Series Of Work. Time to paint a bunch of big canvases, sticking to a similar subject, … Read more
Christmas market at the Chinese Tower, Munich | 18 x 24 cm | oil on canvas | @2010 Julie Galante. [SOLD] Happy new year! I had intended to start my new year by diligently posting my art goals for the year, but a couple crazy things came up this week and that just didn’t happen. … Read more
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 … Read more
Since visiting Munich’s new Brandhorst Museum this weekend, I’ve been trying to justify buying myself a membership to the Munich art museums. For €90 you get a year pass to several of Munich’s best art museums (plus a couple in surrounding towns, as well). Without the pass, I am unlikely to spend €90 on admission … Read more
My husband brought this article to my attention today, about how Google has been asking artists to create skins for them for free. The reward to the artist, naturally, is “exposure”, that insipid internet currency. I am familiar with this sort of scenario, not with my art work, but rather with travel writing. Ever since … Read more
When it’s 0 degrees out, it’s perfectly acceptable for me to throw my long winter coat over my studio clothes and go shopping. Never mind that those studio clothes are really paint-stained sweats with holes in them. A nice long coat makes it all ok. Yay winter!