New painting for Cactusueños series

There was not much space for my latest artwork  in the patio, therefore I decided to work in the studio again. The canvas size is 97 x 160 cm. I need at least 3 m. distance to look at the painting sometimes. Putting first layers of the skin tones so far.First I did the monochrome painting on the face, as I am mastering the old dutch master's technique patiently I am layering the transparent skin tones. On weekend planning to accomplish all the first layers to be done.

 New painting work in progress for "Cactusueños" series

 

Tip: Leftover oil paint can be saved in airtight container in your freezer up to a week.

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New Painting, work in progress

Recently I started to work on a portrait painting. It needs a lot of  layers on the skin tones and the background of course. These first stages of  the painting don't look very nice but that's how it is. Next step will be putting some layers on the sky and the sea. Once the face dried later I can start paint the face again... It'll get better no worries :)

Portrait of "Cigdem" 45 x 38 cm. Oil colour (work in progress)

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Patio days

Painting with oil colours at outdoors has highly advantages, like; natural light, getting fresh air, easy to clean around but all above it's much healthier! Guess what? Just started to paint at my outdoor patio... I will keep using my studio room for the other mediums such as acrylics, drawing, digital art computing etc...

"Cigdem" s portrait work in progress

Here is my latest setting, you can see that at the corner there are few plants also :))

By the lava sea

Lanzarote Island's surreal volcanic landscape inspired and urged me to create "By the lava sea" . One third of the painting is covered by the black weird rock block which is a lava rock by the way. The rock was half  inside the house and the big glass window starts from the edges of it to the top.

 

"By the lava sea" 

( view from the Cesar Manrique's former house "Taro de Tahiche")

Oil on canvas, 90 x 65 cm. 

I can actually show you with a picture so you can get better idea. It's another room in the house but facing to same direction almost. You see now the vast amount of lava, it's amazing!

 

Cesar Manrique's former house "Taro de Tahiche" . Today is his foundation and museum. For more info
http://www.cesarmanrique.com

From white to grey, red, green and the others

During July month I worked on the cactusueños paintings. Progress is advancing slowly… It is always pleasure to work with oil colours but they dry slowly but I don't wanna rush... I put the undertones of the paintings and did some sketches on the actual canvases. I will put more photos here soon …

On the other hand "the portrait of a young woman" is in this state. Still, many layers to add... The composition effectively satisfied me. The background is coming up well. New images will come soon, thanks for visiting my artlog.

Welcomeback to "CactuSueños"

In 2003, when I moved from New York to Gran Canaria I found the island has vast diversity of  vegetation, all kinds. Especially the cactus plant which always I admired its flower, the untouchable spine and its fruit "tuna"...  I visited in the island several botanical gardens, including the biggest cactus garden "Cactualdea" which is the biggest in all Europe and also the biggest botanical garden " Jardin del botanico" in Europe, as well. Learning the Canarian art history I wasn't suprized that this beautiful plant inspired many Canarian artists, like myself...

A good example, one of the great Gran Canarian painters called " Néstor Martín- Fernández de la Torre" (1887-1937)

Néstor Martín- Fernández de la Torre

Triptic Mural "El Mar"- lateral derecho- Casino Isla Tenerife

 The very first cactus painting was a group of cactus called the type of "cordon" in our garden. Several cactus paintings followed by with these style which looks like "abstract figurative".

Orange flowerd cactus

Oil on canvas, 60 x 100 cm., 2004 

The transition was inevitable, folowing few years the subject of cactus didn't changed but the paintings formed by with new colours, tecniques and additionally using my selfportraits. A very first painting with these style I think, it can be called as "figurative symbolism". The name of the series formed after this painting cause, I was portraying myself in each painting dreaming...

Cactusueños I

Oil on panel, 45 x 105 cm., 2007

(SOLD)

I am working on and off with Cactusueños close to 8 years now. You will be seeing soon my latest works... Keep it real, Cheers!

 To see more works visit at my web page