Andre in profile

Andre's "Roman profile" by Vanessa

Size:

Media: oil colors on canvas, grisaille

Folks, I really, but r-e-a-l-l-y didn’t mean, but look at it!
Isn’t Andre looking alike one of these Roman marbles?
/Vanessa/

Portrait of Andre in hat

Portrait of Andre in hat (#1) by Vanessa

Size:

Media: oil on canvas, grisaille *

* Grisaille (grɪʼzaɪ, -ʼzeɪl; French: gris, grey, French pronunciation: /ɡʁi.zaj/) is a term for painting executed entirely in monochrome, usually in shades of grey or brown, particularly used in decoration to represent objects in relief. Some grisailles, in fact, include a slightly wider colour range. A grisaille may be executed for its own sake as a decoration, as underpainting for an oil painting (in preparation for glazing layers of colour over it), or just as a painting technique.

Vanessa - self portrait once again

Self-portrait (Vanessa) # 4

Size:

Media: oil colors on canvas

Just study - once again with " the most loyal model ever"...

The third me

Okay, here is the third one - small (16x20 cm) as well. I doubt if to show it or not - I look really weird here. As you can see, the art-reasons (I consider that the painting itself is very interesting) finally won lady's care to look good ;-)

Vanessa ...as St Elena?

The second portrait is smaller (16x20 cm only), but it's much more successful painting. It is "another me" - You may to tell that it is not much looks alike, but I really don't care. Andre said that I'm looking there like St. Elena from Byzantine mosaic in Constantinople. Was it a compliment or what?

Cat vs. dog

"Cat vs. dog" by Andre
Size: 21x29 cm
Media: pencil on Ingres paper

Friends

"Friends" by Andre

Size: 20x18 cm
Media: Pastel, paper

House for demolition

"House for demolition" by Vanessa

Size: 42x30
Media: oil colors on canvas

Not good photo again, sorry!

Something wrong happen with my camera - I think it needs some upgrade. But I am so glad that I finished this "House for demolition"! – Now I can move on to a new one :-)

Plain Air pleasures

Once I used to paint outdoors constantly, but then it was a pause of landscapes which lasted few years. Plein Air is delight, I really enjoy it. It’s never easy task – need to work quick and very accurate, as light is changing rapidly; and also need to be prepared to unexpected changes of weather and interrupting by animals or, more often, by courions people.

I never wrote people’s comments in the past, and that pity because sometimes they are just brilliant! So, I would represent here few pearls from the last week plain air.

Here they are:

      Schoolboys talk between them:

     “… wooow.. Look at it! She painted the house!

      And the scooter!

      And even a laundry! Coool! ”

      Teenage girl asks me, while seeing me painting:

     “… Is it YOUR painting?”

      Uncle (to me):

      “It’s EVEN very nice (picture)!”

     Man asks:

     “Isnt’ your house? So why do you paint it then?”

     Another man:

     “Does somebody asked you to paint it?”

My favorite one, anyway, was: “What is it?”- while seeing me painting.

I guess this people never heared about this kind of acting. They know that pictures are  in the museum, and it's ok for them. ... but what I’m f*ing doing here, in the middle of the street?

House for demolition - day 5

It was another morning with "House for demolition".
Fragment of the picture below


I think the picture is mostly done, but I want to take it out tomorrow for the last "check up" and may be some work on the roofs at the right side. "Right" light is so short that I do each day a very little improvement.

Today, when I was already cleaning the pallet and packing my stuff, 2 doves fight for the place on the roof of "my house". It could be a beautiful addition on the picture - their wings where spotted with sunlight, and it was much movement. Unfortunately the fight was short - The Looser escape, and The Winner left in a while as well. I don't think that anyone of them was really interested to stay there.

Urban density

"Urban density"

Size: 42x29 cm

Media: oil colors on canvas

© ANDRE STASHINSKI 2009

Not for sale

In the morning

"In the morning" by Vanessa

Size: 15x20 cm

Media: oil colors on canvas

House for demolition - day 4

It was my 4th, but not last yet morning of "house for demolition". Meantime I painted another work "on the way". Morning light is amazing, just it's too short and that pity.

House for demolition - day 3

I changed the light in the picture to morning sun (instead of gray day). It means - to paint everything there once again (not completely re-paint, but still lots of additional work to do). Keep fingers for me - maybe I could finish this picture tomorrow? I hope so.

House for demolition - day 2

"House for demolition" by Vanessa

Size: 42x30

Media: oil colors on canvas

Status: in work

This house will be demolished in the next month! I begun to paint it in cloudy day and I did about 1/3 of work at the first day, but then weather changed to sunny.. ohh.. Now I'm in trouble! I can paint between 7AM to 8:30AM only, when light is similar to "original". It's very short time, and also street at this time is very busy - there are trash machines + intensive traffic to schools and pre-schools in the area, and also people who leaving to work. When the street finally gets calm - sun already here and I need finish my work. I worried if I could to complete this painting before they would destroy this house.

House for demolition - day 1

I just finished "House No. 9" and felt like continue painting.

The light was perfect for plain air today - rain stopped. Sky kept cloudy, but day was very bright. Soft lightning is rare in our Mediterranean area.

While I was painting house number 9, everyone who passed near, mentioned that the next one in the street (house nu 11) should be destroyed very soon, actually in the next month already. These news forced me don’t delay it, but begin to paint already. So I did.

House No.9

"House No.9" by Vanessa

Size: 30x21 cm

Media: oil colors on canvas

It was rain all the day!!!

If somebody would be filming my crazy painting at this day – the movie should be funny at least as Charlie Chaplin’s.

I begun to paint in perfect conditions: it was light gray morning with no sun – it rare here! This kind of light supposed to stay constant during all the day hours and it is great opportunity to paint with no stress.

Hah… I’ve been an optimist. Light rain begun to drop in half and hour after the beginning of the work. It didn’t bother me much until my pallet filled with water (water is going well with oil colors!). I took my equipment and moved under the roof – to wait when rain would stop.

Until I was relocating all my (heavy and unconventional) stuff– the rain stopped, and I moved back. Then rain begun and stopped, begun and stopped and begun and begun. Once it was strong enough to force me cut off completely, but when I entered home... it stopped again. Guess what? I returned to the street. Later I was running with pallet under the roof and back – to save it from rain and to return it back when rain was slowing for a while. Then I made a “vertical pallet” mixing colors directly on the board around the painting… I covered turpentine with cloth and then entered brush through little hole. I dried my Sketchbox Easel with towels – like it was a boat, filled with water. I bet that neighbors had fun watching me from the windows!

House on the corner

"House on the corner" by Vanessa

Size: 30x21 cm

Media: oil colors on canvas

Garden gate

"Garden gate" by Andre
Size: 11x21 and 14x21 (cm)
Media: oil colors on canvas

There are two pieces right now, but it supposed to be triptich. Will be updated when done.

House of Dr. Sherry

"House of Dr. Sherry" by Vanessa
Size: 28x20 cm
Media: oil colors on canvas

   I was painting a landscape today - it was refreshing after all the still-life serials. Once I used to paint landscapes regularly - I really love working outdoor, but, for now, I have not painted landscapes for a year or may be even longer. I expected to have some difficulty to return, or, at least change in style; but I was surprised because nothing has changed. It was like putting on my old comfortable shoes.
   Someone wanted to buy it at time I was painting – probably I will agree to sell. I’m not sure yet. Normally I use to store a new painting into the dark room and “forget” it there for a month or so. Then it became “matured” and I can decide its destiny when I see it again with clear eyes.

The picture with the story

You probably remember my "House For Demolition" and "Urban Density" of Andre. Two cityscapes with the same view - it's the house, visible from the window of our studio.

"House for demolition"
Size: 42 x 30 cm
Media: oil colors on canvas
© VANESSA STASHINSKI 2009

"Urban density" Size: 42x29 cm Media: oil colors on canvas © ANDRE STASHINSKI 2009 Not for sale

I don't know what about you, but I feel sorry for old buildings that going to be erased. Once upon a time people were creating buildings for living, with more human proportions.

Even it was not an architectural pearl, and not historical heritage, but it was sweet and pastoral house, with messy greenery around, colorful laundry and other signs of human being. 

The building that going to grow up instead of it is completely faceless, inanimate, disproportional to the tiny surface it's going to be composed into.

Almost each modern city I know suffers these faceless neighborhoods of rational architecture, which were erected in time of big need - usually after war or other social, political or natural disaster. I have seen them in London, Rome, Florence,Vienna and Berlin, East Europe and post-Soviet area are all covered with barrack architecture. It exists also in Middle-East.

I can't help - I'm not a big fan of industrialisation.

Being back to our little house - one morning we received letter of sorry for the bother, but the house on side street will be distroyed at (date, time). We planned the day outdoors in hope to escape noise and dust of demolition. When we returned home late afternoon - the house still was there. For a while I wanted to believe that it was cancelled  for any reason. But it was only delay of one day.

Next morning heavy machines entered into the side street where we live. They jammed the road, and angry traffic immediatelly begun agressive beeping - it's the only road leading to the school.

After 8AM the pressure around the school past and they begun to erase in relaxing athmosphere. Bummmmm.... And other bummm...

Annoying sound of crumbling teeth - it's crashing tile-roof.






Cloud of dust...

The living-room

It's no house here anymore.
Nothing personal - just business.