Gloria J Zucaro's "Abstracted Floral"

I had some sort of "bug" this week so didn't get around to visit my Paint Party Friday friends.  I felt better by Thursday AM so finished this piece I had been working on for awhile.  It is in oil on watercolor paper and is 15" H by 7.5"Wide. I will be selling it in my new Etsy Shop when it opens in a couple of weeks.  
I am still working on that!  Have a great week~gloria

"Picasso, Marsha Valk and Double Trouble!"

My next Picasso project had me stumped for a couple of days.  The demo by Marsha Valk was absolutely fabulous, but quite complicated. I decided I wouldn't do all the steps she showed us, so instead of stripping the top layer of cardboard and exposing the inner structure, I opted for doing a stencil on the bottom layer instead.  Well, you will see below!

Here is the final Project picture.  Sorry the photo is warped!

Step one, coat one piece of cardboard with matte medium on one side and paint on the other. With the other piece of cardboard draw your outlines for your second layer.

I coated the cutout with gesso and white paint because of the tape on it.  The other side was coated with matt medium beforehand.

While that dried, I stenciled the background of the bottom layer. And being somewhat new to stenciling, I learned that you don't use soft body acrylics and ink to stencil!  I wiped the mess off and used two red shades of heavy bodied paint.

Starting to lay in colors.

Putting it all together with heavy Gel Medium

Have a great night!  Do some art!

Gloria

Gloria J Zucaro's "The Reference As A Starting Point"

This past week I experimented with using a reference as a jumping off point for two different styles of painting.  The reference is from a photograph I took of one of the set-ups that I furnished for the palette knife workshop with Ann Feldman.

The Reference

The first painting was done with pastel in an impressionistic manner. Different colors and parts of the reference were left out.  I struggled with it, trying to get the colors and values what I wanted.

Impressionistic Version # 1

The second one came more easily because I "dreamed/thought"about it during the night, so I knew what I wanted to do when I got to the studio. It is a one-direction diagonal style pastel with lots of black interlaced.  I really like it.

Diagonal Version # 2

Both paintings may be enlarged to see more detail by clicking on the image.  After the holidays are over I may try some other styles modeled after the "Masters".          Any suggestions?  

Please contact me for purchase information.

I am linking this to Paint Party Friday, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Have a good week and thanks for taking a look.

Gloria

Gloria J Zucaro's "The Palette Knife & The Weather"

I loved a palette knife floral that Ann Feldman did a couple of months ago and asked her when she would be teaching another class for palette knife. She didn't have any until Spring she said, but would do a special one if I could get enough people.  So I rounded up artist friends and all nine of us had a great day with Ann. 

Ann did a landscape demo first thing in the morning and gave us a photo as a reference for our painting after the demo.

This week I touched up my two oil paintings I had done with Ann in her workshop.

Below is my landscape using the reference.  We drew a rough outline in paint with a small brush first, then started our painting with the palette knife.

10" x 8" on canvas sheet.

After lunch, Ann and I set-up three still life florals for the artists to choose from.  I had brought all the vases and flowers to use for the still life.  Ann did another demo and then we started painting our own florals from whichever set-up we chose.

My choice to paint.

10" x 8" on Canvas sheet.

As far as the weather...considering the dilemma in Buffalo, New York we are extremely lucky in Chicago.  Here are a couple of photos of our first little dusting of snow.  One at night when it was first falling, and one the nest day from my kitchen window.

The back yard (click on photo to see more clearly)

And finally here is my new fish tank on the chalk painted(and loaded with three coats of hand-applied wax!)table.

Real plants and two fish.  A Fancy-Tail Goldfish and a small Koi.

Did you know you should only put one inch of fish for each gallon of water?  So I have about 6" of fish in a ten gallon tank.  In a year I will need a 20 gallon tank!

I am linking this post to Paint Party Friday, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.Pinterest

Gloria J Zucaro's "Just A Few"

Today my oil painting is of a crocus and other small Spring flowers nearby.  Even though our weather is very chilly and gray and rainy, I see some of my tulip bulbs have started to emerge.  My painting is from a photograph by Lee Brown the host at A Day Not Wasted and is the challenge photo for April.  I am also submitting to the Daily Paintworks challenge of "Market Day" which is our interpretation of flowers, fruit, people and tents.  Carol Marine offered a photo from her visit to a San Francisco market.  I chose to concentrate on one flower grouping instead of a whole scene.  I am also linking to Paint Party Friday.  All of these sites have wonderful artwork, so take a look!

10"H x 8"W on Board

Auction at Daily Paintworks for one week.  $75. plus $10. S&H in US.  Other countries email me 

Yesterday I worked on my class lessons from Julie Fei-Fan Balzer about using deli wax paper in collage and art journals.  I drew small flowers and shrunk them even smaller on my printer to use inside of some umbrellas for my Artist Trading Cards this coming weekend.

Here I was testing all my supplies on the waxy side of the paper to see how they reacted on the slick surface.  I wrote the name of each pen or pencil, paint or stamp pad.  Below I repeated each mark on the dull side.  After I finished that, I used tape to run my wax paper through my printer, copying off small drawings  and altered famous paintings covered with sketches or stencils.  Click on photos to enlarge.

If you love all sorts of mixed mediums and journaling or fabric art, please visit Julie's site.  She has all sorts of on-line classes to pick from.

Gloria J Zucaro's "Christmas Postcards"

Last year & this I have made my Christmas designs into post cards for mailing to friends and family as greetings.  It sure saves on postage!  I made my cards the standard 4 x 6 inches with a dividing line on the back, just like a regular postcard.  The fronts are glossy, and the backs are mat for easier writing with pen. Make sure that you check with your post office, it might cost you more if you want to send a 5 x 7 postcard either because of being over-sized or just more postage.  I tried to get Christmas "Forever" stamps, but they don't make them in Christmas designs.  So I took the ones that they had, but they are Aloha shirts.  I looked on-line for Christmas postcard stamps, but the USPS doesn't seem to have any.  I might be stuck with a conflicting message!  Winter/Summer!  Here are the cards I will be sending out this year.  I am sharing these with Jenn's The Artist Playroom 

     Church w/Star                                                      Floral w/Star

Snowman or Skater

Santa

These are all 4" x 6" and if you would like to buy one, they are $1.00 plus postage to send to you in an envelope of 45 cents. Would you like a stamp(Aloha) already on it? Add 32 cents with Aloha stamp. So $1.00 postcard, $0.45 cents S&H , $0.32 Aloha Stamp on postcard.

Option 1 $1.00 USD Option 2 $1.32 USD

Gloria J Zucaro's "Fall Flavors"

 8"H x 8"W Original Oil on Raymar Canvas Panel

$105.00 Framed    S&H to your ZIP
To Purchase, email me at gloria@gloriajzucaro.com

The Pantone color of the year for 2012 is "Tangerine Tango"  I happen to love orange...red, ...yellow, aqua.  Ah well, I digress!   So I will be doing more paintings with ORANGE!

Let The Tone Show Challenge "Fall-N-Leaves"

8"H x 8"W  Original Oil 

$75.00 Unframed/ $90.00 Framed in plain black wooden frame.

NLA

Unframed/Framed

Option 1-Unframed $75.00Option 2-Framed $90.00

         Thank you Ann, for this exciting challenge.  I have admired many of your peek-a-boo paintings and now a great challenge.  I started with a background tone of an acrylic paint called Hotshots Fluorescent Acrylics in Fiery Red.  Then came the olive green in random brush strokes, then the dark maple leaf forms with much of the red showing through.  Next came my favorite, turquoise leaves, some more touches of green in a lighter value, and some brush strokes of alizarin crimson,cobalt and dioxine purple in the dark leaves.  I really had fun doing something totally different today.

The Black & White to Color Challenge"Crystal Light"

10"H x 8"W Oil        $115.00 Framed
S&H to your ZIP
To Purchase, email me at gloria@gloriajzucaro


This was a really enjoyable picture to paint.  I sort of rearranged things a little bit, as I usually do by looking from a little different angle,making the crystal decanter larger and scooting over the small crystal ball and window closure.

Gloria J Zucaro's "So Succulent"

12"H x 9"W Original Oil 

$120.00 Framed

S&H to your ZIP

To Purchase, email me at Gloria@gloriajzucaro.com

When deciding what to paint one day at the studio I noticed this very nice set-up of pots with artificial cacti.  I rearranged it to be a little tipsy and from more of a birds-eye view.  I love the colors and shapes!

"Rock Garden" Birthday Challenge For Carol Marine

8"H x 10"W Original Oil on Raymar Canvas Panel

$115.00 Framed.  S&H to your ZIP
To Purchase, email me at gloria@gloriajzucaro.com

I think the elements in this painting speak to Carol's Marines personality.  Extremely strong and stable as a rock, at the same time beautiful and delicate in appearance.

"Rose And Friends"

5"H x 7"W Original oil on Linen sheet Unframed

$65.00 plus shipping to your zip.

To Purchase,email me at gloria@gloriajzucaro.com

A little bouquet of roses and other small flowers trying to survive the heat and humidity

"Spring Faces"

6"H x 6"W on Raymar Canvas Panel, Framed

$95.00, S&H to your ZIP

To Purchase, email me at gloria@gloriajzucaro.com

 Ah! Remember Spring...I think it lasted about two minutes!  Well, these lovely ladies were in small pots on my front step/planter area.  I just returned from a week away at The Clearing Folk Art School in Ellison Bay, Wisconsin.  I took an excellent oil/pastel workshop from Frankie Johnson and was also there while the Door County Plein Air Festival was going on.  Anyway, I digress...When I returned I found all my potted plants to be burned to a pulp by the incredibly hot and humid weather that the Chicago area had during the past week.  So even though my pansies had gotten a little leggy the first of July, I had cut them back to rejuvenate them and kept up the watering and some fertilizer.  But to no avail!!  They are officially over!   But you may have them forever..what a deal!

"Dogwood Duck"

6"H x 6"W Original Oil Painting on Raymar Canvas Panel,

 Framed in Plain Black Wooden Frame, $95.00

S&H to your ZIP

To Purchase, email me at gloria@gloriajzucaro.com

This is one of two little porcelain ducks I have.  I added some dogwood blooms along-side to keep him company.

"Lady Slipper"

8"H x 6"W Original Oil on Stretched Canvas,Framed

$99.00, S&H to your ZIP

To Purchase, email me at gloria@gloriajzucaro.com

I love all kinds of orchids and they are the flowers I paint most frequently.  These are just the very tops of an orchid plant I have on my desk.  I had planned to paint the whole plant with the long,long stems and all...but the beautiful flowers themselves would have been lost, too miniature.

Flame Lily

8"H x 10"W Original Oilo on Stretched Canvas Framed    

$115.00, S&H to your ZIP
To Purchase,email me at gloria@gloriajzucaro.com 

                                                  I enjoyed spicing up these lovely lilies.

"Baby Silver"

           

6"H X 6"W   Oil on Raymar Canvas Panel   $65.00 unframed plus S&H

My mother received this sterling silver baby cup in the 1940's with my name engraved on it.  At the time these little cups or silver spoons were baby shower gifts. 

It has been sitting in a closet for years, and I wonder if it was ever really used.  You certainly couldn't put juice in it, and I can picture a baby biting on the metal.

"Asian Magnolia"

8 x 6 Oil on wrapped canvas .75" deep    $55.00 plus S&H  Ready to hang.

   

I brought this little wooden sculpture of an Asian gentleman back from China in 2004.

Another artist and myself went on a Yangtze River Cruise to see the Three Gorges Dam project before everything was flooded.  We had a wonderful time and were treated royally as we flew by Chinese Air around the country from Bejing to end our trip of 19 days in Hong Kong.

"White On Black Floral" Challenge

SOLD

6" x  6" oil on Raymar Canvas Panel .  

This painting is my entry into the Daily Paintworks challenge of painting any white object on a patterned fabric background.  It is so much fun to see all the entries, each different and outstanding in their own way.

The Japan Challenge-"Cobalt & Rose"

   

                                  SOLD                                                                  

7" H x 5"W oil on gallery wrapped 1.50"D canvas.

This painting was done with a palette knife so has lots of great texture and is in my favorite colors.
I have put it in the Japan challege on the Daily Paintworks site.  All proceeds from the sale will go to The American Red Cross Aid designated for Japan.