Friday, April 29, 2016

Did you know that today is the International Dance Day?

Out of the studio, I was drawing on my sketchbook at Las Canteras which is the biggest city beach in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. It was a cloudy day, around 8:00 pm. So,  there were a few people only on the beach. The building at the end of the beach is  Alfredo Kraus Auditorium. A wonderful concert hall has a glass window behind the stage, so you are listening the concert and facing to the sea view. We see International music festivals and concerts there.

 Work in progress

Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, Las Canteras, pencil on sketchbook

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Did you know that today is the International Dance Day? What about a little dance break with David Bowie's hit pop song from the 80's; "Let's dance"? Play the song below in the Itunes box and put on your red shoes :) How powerful and wonderful his voice isn't it? We'll miss him... This should be the "must have album" on your playlist.




I am bringing back an ink drawing illustration from "The Lead Girl" series which represents my mysteriously happy feelings in the mid 90', Istanbul. These are total of 9 illustrations. "Dance" is one of my favorite drawing in this series. I hope you enjoy it too :) Have a great weekend!


Dance, by Birsen Ozbilge, ink and guache on paper, 8" x 12"
Available in print, to see details click on SHOP



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Saturday, April 23, 2016

Celebrating International Day of the Book!

April 23rd is the yearly event for International day of the book. A few years ago, I have done a painting called  "Girl reading in Central Park". (see pic below) I used to live in New York City back in the 90's and early 00`s. and Central park was one of my favorite places in the city. Many times at my lunch break I spent my time reading a book on the bench like the girl on the picture. This painting brings back those good memories... Enjoy it!


Girl reading in Central Park, oil on wood panel
 6" x 8,75" (15,5 x 22 cm.), 2013
Available, click on SHOP

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Here it is a 15 minutes sketch work. While I was drawing there were two girls but they left before I took this picture.  
work in progress

Two girls at the fuente luminosa, pencil on sketchbook


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Thursday, April 21, 2016

New Soft Pastel set to work with...

New soft pastel set (left)

A few months ago I bought a soft pastel set to work with but I was short with pastel papers. Last week I found a very nice toned paper in the neighborhood art store. My first soft pastel artwork on this paper came out really good. The paper hold the pastel more than I thought. So, I am quite happy with the result. Especially because, I do not like to use pastel fixatives which make the pastel paintings look like dark and dull colored. (see finished artwork below) On the other hand the care of pastel without fixative is very fragile. It won't forgive any finger touch. That's why I leave a large unpainted area to hold the piece when safely keeping it ready for the frame work.

Work in progress


Neighbour's balcony, soft pastel on toned paper, 29 x 39,5 cm
Available on Etsy SHOP

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The other day we were in the city to watch a wonderful musical documentary called "Playing Lecuona" about a famous Cuban pianist and composer. After the movie I decided to sketch a monumental sculpture of Benitez Pérez Galdós (1843- 1920) in front of the Opera house which named after him. He was most celebrated realist novelist and in Spain after Cervantes and many times some authorities considered his work as equal with Balzac, Dickens and Tolstoy. He was born in Gran Canaria and his house is a museum which is very close to the theater building.

Work in progress

Perez Galdos Sculpture in Las Palmas City, pencil on sketchbook


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Thursday, April 14, 2016

Beautiful sculptures of Agüimes

The lovers, by Ana Luisa Benitez, in Agüimes

Last week we went to our neighbor town Agüimes. This little town is an open air art museum really. In every corner, square, in a narrow street you see beautiful sculptures. I want to share a few of them made by a Canarian sculpture artist, Ana Luisa Benitez. She has done wonderful sculptures all over the island, in fact, I have done sketches of a few of them in the past.

The donkey, by Ana Luisa Benitez, in Agüimes

The peasant, by Ana Luisa Benitez, in Agüimes

Chellist homage to the music, by Ana Luisa Benitez, in Agüimes

Sketching the chellist sculpture in Agüimes

After visiting the a few art studios and "History of Agüimes Museum" I set and decided to sketch by the cellist sculpture which magically plays a peaceful classical music concert. This is the 16th plate of the sketchbook, enjoy it! (see pic below)

Cellist of Agüimes, pencil on sketchbook, 2016

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I don't know if you use or had noticed on your friends posts "#tbt" hashtag in social networks. Initials of "Throw back thursday", meaning bring something old and share with your followers. This week I am bringing an early work from my first year of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts Academy, (Now they call University of Mimar Sinan) Istanbul, Turkey. It was my first drawing study from the nude sculpture. Enjoy it!


Sketch from Sculpture 
Chalk on Paper, 32 x 29 cm, 1987

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Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Step-by-step four-color reduction Linocut print demo


Sketching by the coast (La Garita, Gran Canaria)

Last weekend we visited another coastal town called "La Garita", where there is a lovely sculpture at the view point. I always would like to draw this landscape view. It was a challenging composition, as the sculpture had two figures standing  on the  cement shape in a peculiar way. 

La Garita beach, pencil on sketchbook

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Last week I started to work on a new reduction/suicide linocut print. This one will be another artwork for my ongoing "Kitchen Stories" project. I had a textile design pattern image that I made for the boutique I used to work "Melati" in Soho, NYC in the late 90's. This image was forgotten in a folder for many years, so I brought it back and made some modifications in order to adapt linocut carving and printing. See pic below.

Transfering the image to the lino sheet

Carved for the first layer

Ready to print

Set the lino into the cardboard, this way it is fixed so layers will be printed correctly. Taped on one side of the cardboard a removable paper which I cut out only the lino's place (chenge it in each printing session), this is very important, first to remove the paper and transfer the ink to the paper. o your print  is clean on the sides. (see below)

Inking the first layer

Transfering the ink to the paper

Printed the first color

Carving for the second layer


Inking the second layer

Printed the second color

Carved for the third layer

Inked for the third layer

Pulling the third color

Carved for the forth and the last layer, next step is inking the lino with black ink and transfering the image to the paper. See below the finished print.

"Elixir", reduction linocut print on Rives acid-free printmaking paper,
 Paper size 6.5" x 8,5" ( 17 x 20 cm.)
Image size 4" x 6" (10 x 15 cm.)
Available click on Etsy SHOP


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