Gloria j Zucaro's "Sun and Sky"

This week I have another pastel to share.  It is called "Sun  and Sky" and was painted from a photograph I took during a drive out near Harvard,IL.  I saw this scene out my car window and stopped to take a picture.  I love the reflections of the trees in the cloudy water and then the blue, blue sky reflection.

Below is a Fall street in the town of Palatine, IL

And one from my back yard

If you love art of all types please look at the website below where I am posting today.  

It is hosted by Kristin & Eva, thank you, Ladies! 

I am linking this post to Paint Party Friday

Gloria J Zucaro's "Demented Candy Corn from Tracy Delisle and Sun Filled "

I am sorry I took so long to get my "Thank You" to Tracy Delisle  out for this incredible "Demented Candy Corn" piece of art by Tracy.  I have it on my mantel in the family room and just love it.  Tracy is known for her very original pieces of three-D art.

"Demented Candy Corn"

This past week I finished a pastel I was working on.  I am trying to decide on a title I like.

This painting is 9" x 12" on La Carte sanded Pastel Paper.

Contact me if interested in purchase.  May be enlarged by clicking on picture.  Thank you for taking a look.   

                    Gloria

Gloria J Zucaro's "A Great Day for Plein Air"

Yesterday morning we were to arrive at Crabtree Nature Center in Barrington at 8 AM for a demo given by Kathy Clouse. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the 70's and no wind to knock the easel over. There were about 20 of us all dragging our equipment behind us along a path to the chosen spot for the demo. We were to do our own Plein Air after the demo, if desired. There was no instruction, just the demo. Kathy started by telling how she had chosen that particular spot. Good large shapes, water, pond scum that was a beautiful lime green, flowers on two banks. She said the values of some light and some dark were good, too. She started with a canvas toned in a combination of reds and yellows because it gives a nice glow under the painting and she lets some show through in the final painting. Kathy then began to put in the first thin coats of paint for the large dark shapes. She did not draw any placement marks and used various dark colors under the different areas depending on what the actual final color would be. The treed areas which were dark, came first then a bit of blue for the sky. Afterwards the shapes for the water and berm with hardy hibiscus. She did not finish the painting, because it was only a demo to show us how she starts. She had painted the same area the week before and showed us her finished painting. It was beautiful! I would show you, but she hasn't posted it yet.

After the demo we all picked out spots and began our own paintings. About 6 of us parked our supplies in an area nearby getting various views of the area where the demo had been. Others moved far afield to other areas of the preserve.  I was doing pastel and set up a little down the path from where Kathy had been. This is the actual scene that I chose.

Here is my pastel Plein Air painting. I used Canson Mi-Tientes black paper, the"rough"side because I like the texture. The only area I smoothed with my finger was the sky, but then put some more pastel over that without smoothing it in. I did put some red, yellow and orange under the area I would be doing my painting on to give some warmth underneath. 

I enjoyed the three hours I was there, except for the mosquitoes!  I had put spray on but I got bites on the back of one elbow and on the tops of my fingers!

Gloria J Zucaro's "Take-Off on Seuss"

Tonight I am posting some ATC's I made for next weekends meeting at The Barrington Ice House Gallery for the Barrington Cultural Arts Center.  We meet the second Saturday of each month to make and trade Artist Trading Cards.  This months' theme is Dr. Seuss.  Of  course we can't really copy his work, but can do our version.  I am joining the party with Kristin and Eva over at Paint Party Friday again, and can't wait to see what the other party goers are up to this week.

Yikes!  An attack frog!

Happy Paint Party Friday!

Gloria J Zucaro's "Sunset at Sea" Pastel

My pastel painting today is from a photo by Michael Yates.  He posted it in 2010 to Paint My Photo which is a copyright free site.  I painted this for the Daily Paintworks Challenge of the week.  The challenge was to paint with your non-dominant hand and was suggested by Christine Holzschuh.  I knew when I saw the challenge that I would try a landscape/ seascape.  I had recently had an email from a friend in Hawaii who is an artist on vacation from Illinois.  Lucky her!  We just had some ice, then a downpour of rain and thunder!  Anyway I didn't want to use her photo because she might get really mad at me!  My friend Corrine had told me about Paint My Photo.  I went to their gallery of photos and searched for "Hawaiian sunset".  Believe it or not this was the only one I found with that tag.  I was true to the challenge until the very end when I forgot one time and found myself changing to my right hand to get the mast drawn in as straight as I could.  I quickly switched back to my left hand.  Working with the opposite hand was not easy, and I have a stiff neck from holding my body in a different direction.  But other than that I found I could accommodate to it.  Maybe my brain grew a little? Ya think?!

Click on image to enlarge....SOLD

16"w x 12"H on Canson Mi-Tientes Pastel Paper.

To Purchase 

Gloria J Zucaro's "Little Red Truck"

6"H x 6"W Original Oil on Panel

Questions?

I did this painting from my reference photo of a farmstead in McHenry, IL.  There was a little snow on the ground and the stormy sky suggested that we might get more.  This was also done the third day of the Dreama Tolle Perry workshop, and I blocked in with the transparent oils.  I am really enjoying the wonderful mix of colors you get with them under the more opaque paints. I love the truck in this photo and the sunshine and shadow mood.

Gloria J Zucaro's "Out To Pasture"

6"H x 6"W original Oil on Raymar Panel    SOLD

This is the challenge from Carol Marine at the Daily Paintworks for the week.  I brought the horizon closer to the horse and tried to keep the shapes in mind..  I had toned the canvas with cad red before beginning and let it show through around the silhouette of the horse.