by Rita Romero on May 21, 2011
Whether painting or drawing, most artists usually try to hide their “labor” and make the art look effortless. Even though it may have taken years of art classes, and frustrating hours of practice to be able to execute a good work of art. But the truth is that nobody else cares about the little battles fought, the hundreds of decisions struggled with, or whatever anguish it takes to create a work of art. All that matters is the final product – both to the artist and the viewer. This is true for any art – painting, music, dance, etc. There is a certain amount of performance in all of the arts. Every work of art is like a well-rehearsed symphony that is executed for an audience we hope wants to listen, and will appreciate the finished product of our labor.
I Recently painted a commissioned piece for a client, who later told me that she likes to stare at it for long periods of time, and often sees new things in it. For an artist, that is like getting an Academy Award!! After all the time and creativity I put into the painting, it is incredibly gratifying to have someone really enjoy it. Every artist – starving or not – lives for the thrill of appreciation for their creative efforts. The fact that you can reach some one’s heart – be it through painting, dance, sculpture, music, etc. – makes all the blood, sweat and angst worthwhile! It validates you as a creator of beauty and something that matters. That is what inspires us to keep working at being a better artist and creating more meaningful work. At least, that’s the way it works for me.
by Rita Romero on May 15, 2011
This is the finished drawing that I have been working on. I wanted to create a trompe l’oeil drawing-within-a-drawing. Trompe l’oeil is an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery used to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions. Some examples of this technique go back to Greek times.
The success of the illusion depends on a shallow field of depth, and a realistic handling of light on the image. As you can see, the light souce in the drawing is coming from the right side, which gets darker across the drawing and casts shadows to the left. The paper is white, so I had to tone it to add darker shades of grey on the left side.
This piece was done on white Strathmore pastel paper with pastel and sanquine. I used pastel to create the texture of the “paper” that is taped to the “wall”. The finished size is 16 x 20, which I will frame without a mat to preserve the illusion.
The model for the inner drawing was my ever-obliging husband. I got the idea for this drawing from a photo I took of a previous drawing of an arm and leg. I had taped it up to photograph it and, when I went to crop it in Photoshop, I really liked the image of the drawing taped up. I thought it would be a challenge and fun to do.
by Rita Romero on May 10, 2011
This is the start of a new drawing I am working on. What drawing? You don’t see anything? This was a funny story.
My studio space is right next to my husband’s computer station in our combined office. So I was working away at the drawing for a couple of hours until I lost the natural daylight. Then I turned to my husband and asked him what he thought of my drawing so far. He looked at it from his angle with a strange look on his face. He leaned over and tried to look at it more straight-on. He looked puzzled, and said, “what have you been doing all this time? All I see is a piece of paper taped up to your easel.” My response was a self-satisfied chuckle and mischeivous grin. He came over and looked at it more closely. He laughed when he realized that the drawing was of what appeared to be a piece of paper taped to a light wall or surface. So the 3D or trompe l’oeil illusion was definitely working.
The drawing, as I explained to him, is going to be a drawing within a drawing. Working on a white piece of drawing paper and pastels, I created the illusion of a warm toned paper taped to a wall, with the light coming from the right side. I will next do a very realisitc drawing on the toned paper. I will post the finished drawing soon, so stay tuned. I am not sure what to title it, so feel free to send me your ideas.
by Rita Romero on April 24, 2011
Just finished this portrait sketch of a little boy at the beach. Love those pudgy hands and legs. It was done with Conte sanguine and white on toned paper. This drawing was a bit of a challenge as there were so many textures to render – soft skin, clothing, sand, wood fence, and grass. Usually, sanguine is used for portrait sketches, with not a big variety of textures. So I thought I would push my skills a little to capture the feeling of this little boy playing in the sand on a bright day. Notice how his leg and toes are lodged in the sand.
Conté sticks or Conté crayons, are a drawing medium composed of compressed powdered graphite or charcoal mixed with a wax or clay base. Conté crayons are most commonly found in black, white, and sanguine tones, as well as bistre, shades of grey, and other colors. Sanguine is a reddish (tending to brown) drawing medium that lends itself naturally to sketches, life drawings, and rustic scenes. It is ideal for rendering modeling and volume. In the form of wood-cased pencils or manufactured sticks, sanguine may be used similarly to charcoal or pastel. As with pastel, a mid-toned paper may be used for the middle tones.
One of my favorite drawing mediums, I like to do a sanguine sketch now and then just to keep in practice. This is a 
recent anatomy study I did in sanguine, with my husband as the model. I love the way you can quickly capture a skin tone and create values simply by how much pressure is used on the paper. Sanguine was used extensively by 15th- and 16th-century artists such as Leonardo da Vinci (who employed it in his sketches for the Last Supper), Michelangelo, Raphael, and Andrea del Sarto. Sanguine was greatly favoured by the Venetian painters and by those artists, such as Peter Paul Rubens and Antoine Watteau, who were influenced by them. In conjunction with black and white, sanguine formed the technique known as aux trois crayons (“with three pencils”).
by Rita Romero on March 22, 2011
The hibiscus oil painting is finished. I refer to it in a singular way because, although it is on two separate panels (diptych) it is one image. This diptych format was a welcomed challenge, which I hope to do again soon.
As you can tell from the photos on my previous posts, I made several changes to the flowers and added features. Being a perfectionist, I worked at making the composition more interesting, and more three dimensional. In executing this painting, I used all of my knowledge regarding light and painting techniques, as well as learning more about using values and color temperature to create forms in space.
One of the things I tried to accomplish was to make this painting look realistic, yet remain painterly. I was not trying to get a photographic image. One of the worst “compliments” a painter can get – no matter how well intentioned – is “it looks just like a photograph”. A photograph tends to be flat and lifeless, albeit realistic. When painting in a realistic style, an artist tries to bring the image to life with skilled use of values and techniques that go beyond a photographic image. Some of the greatest paintings in history are realistic, but do not look like a photograph. Even Impressionist paintings are considered realistic, yet they are definitely not photographic.
A successful painting creates interest that draws the viewer in; as well as provide elements that a viewer can discover anew each time they look at the image. If you have ever stared at a painting and marveled at how the artist created the image, then you know what I mean about a successful painting. That is what I tried to accomplish with this large scale flower diptych. Ultimately, however, it is up to the viewer to decide if I have succeeded.
by Rita Romero on March 10, 2011
Still working on the dyptich of hibiscus blossoms. I have been really excited about this project. I have added elements and changed things to make it a more balanced composition. Especially, I want to capture a three dimension feel of the leaves and space around the flowers. My goal is to make it real enough that you can almost smell the flowers, yet maintain a painterly image. Since Ihave never painted flowers on this scale before, it has been quite a challenge. Hope you like watching the process. Click on the thumbnail image to see the full painting.
by Rita Romero on February 27, 2011
I have been busy lately working on a new commission of hibiscus flowers in a dyptich format. Here is a photo of the paintings to date. Still have to lay in the details, but it is close to being done. I had never done a dyptich before, which is a two panel painting. Also, I had never done a painting of flowers on a large scale close-up like this. What really interested me was the opportunity to explore some of the abstract design elements of the foliage and blossoms, while maintaining a realistic image when you look at it from a distance.
The large scale and two panels is also twice as much work. I am effectively doing two paintings at the same time, which is challenging. You must work on both canvases at the same time to make sure you have consistent colors and a balanced image on both panels. The two panels can be hung together as one image or separated with space in between. These ”gallery wrap” canvases, allow you to paint around the edges of the canvas. That way the paintings can be hung without framing, as well as being framed.
I want to capture the transluscent quality of the petals as the sunlight shines through and on them. This project has inspired me to do more large scale flower paintings. Already my mind is conceiving of imges that I would like to paint. So stay tuned.
by Rita Romero on December 15, 2010
16 x 20 pastel portrait
After I had done a portrait of her grandfather, one of my clients wanted me to do her grandmother. This lovely lady was done from a good photo, but the client wanted the hairstyle changed as it was in another not-so-good photo. This is definitely a challenge when doing a memorial or posthumous portrait, since you are not seeing what the subject really looked like in person. I combined the face with the other hairstyle as best as I could and my client seemed very happy with it.
As always, I guarantee my clients’ satisfaction. If someone is not totally happy with a portrait, or wants some minor changes, I am more than happy to do so at no cost. I know that sometimes it takes a few days to “live with” a portrait and then you may see some things that should be changed.
As a surprise for her, I also did another portrait of her grandfather, matching the background of the two portraits. That way they look like a matching set when hung together. I like doing surprises for my clients because it brings them so much happiness. To me, it is always worth my time and effort to bring happiness to someone with my art.
by Rita Romero on November 15, 2010
Zeke-16 x 20 pastel portrait
Meet Zeke! This adorable little guy was a lot of fun to do in pastel. This was done from a small photo of Zeke taken by a family friend. I love pudgy little baby hands, so it was fun making his hands look fleshy and cute. The hat has a subtle weave texture. The cell phone he is holding presses against those adorable chubby cheeks. It was a challenge to create all of these textures in a realistic way, but I think I accomplished it.
by Rita Romero on October 31, 2010
The Proposal - Oil - 22 x 28
One of the most challenging commissioned portraits I have ever done! I have always had a secret desire to paint a canyon, but never thought I was quite up to it yet. So when this commission came along, I jumped at the challenge to stretch my abilities and see if I could do it. Although being my own worst critic, I feel that I have been successful in capturing this scene.
I strived to get a three dimensional feel to the different planes of the canyon, as well as make it realistic enough to look like two people out in the noon day sun. I found that the canyon was not as challenging as it was to capture the couple in this scene. Because they are both in such a small scale, it took a long time and very small brushes to capture their likeness as much as possible. Afterall, it is not just a painting of a canyon. For the painting to be truly successful, it is important that they can recognize themselves.
Despite working from a good photograph, a photo flattens the image and changes the natural lighting. I had to make many adjustments to bring the scene to life in the painting in such a way as to look natural and realistic – but not photorealistic. My goal is to create a work of art that looks realistic, instead of a slavish copy of a photo. Otherwise, you might as well just put the photo on your wall, right?
Close up of couple
This was actually the day and location when the young man proposed. The canyon is in Utah, although carved by the Colorado River like the Grand Canyon. The couple, who live in New York, wanted to commemorate their anniversary with a painting of this romantic and momentous occasion. They are already happy with the photo proof I sent them, and I hope that they will enjoy the painting for many anniversaries to come.
