Back to the Studio

After more than a month away from my beloved studio I am now back, sorted and with two little paintings done, easing my way back into my routine. Routine is not really the right word as that makes it sound like some sort of work commitment. For me it is just where I want to be every moment and only when an offer of getting out is really appealing do I not unlock the studio door and lose myself.
The workshop I attended in Queensland with Fabio Cembranelli was supposed to be for 5 days. We traveled more than 2000kms with our caravan taking just over a week to get there. It seems no one else was interested in doing the full 5 days so I was refunded and just did the 3.
It was a great experience to watch an international renowned watercolourist and find out which of the myriad of techniques he uses to create his unique works. He did only do florals as it turned out to be to hot to go out and do any landscapes.
One needed very much to be a visual learner as Fabio does not like to talk and paint so any questions needed to be held until he finished. He demoed full paintings, start to finish, 2 per day but this left us not a lot of time to paint.  I would have preferred to watch him start and then just go paint rather than watch every brush stroke. I am a quick painter which helped in the limited time but for many they struggled to get finished paintings and if they did have questions along the way they may be well out of mind by the time the demo was finished.

Did I learn anything new - No, but it did confirm my own approach to working was right. Working for hundreds of hours by oneself these are questions that you wonder about,

Fabio approaches his florals using his imagination even if the starting point is a single bloom reference. We were encouraged to create this way and so as this is how I always paint florals I was well in my comfort zone. Original work is always guaranteed this way and it was interesting to see what the rest of the attendees came up with.
I did spend a bit on supplies before I went and purchased his "workshop materials" so that I could get the most from the event.
This included synthetic brushes which I have come to enjoy using and will continue to do so until I am sure whether or not they are me.
My very expensive sables have worn considerably in just over a year and I may well not replace them.
I added some new to me pigments for the workshop (finding that some on his list he said he doesn't use anymore!!).
In summary I thoroughly enjoyed being in the room to observe Fabio paint and to be with keen watercolour lovers of all levels.

Here are the two most pleasing and finished works of the 4 paintings I did during the workshop I did not seek help with any of my paintings and am pleased they are original and unique as they are my own compositions and my own colour choices.

Colourful Poppieson 1/4 sheet Arches Cold Press 300gsm

Scent of a Roseon 1/4 sheet Arches Cold Press 300gsm

Comments

  1. You're back! Thank you Lorraine, I was wondering how your workshop with Fabio went. Must have been neat to watch him paint his famous florals. Love your poppies and roses! I'm finding I'm not replacing expensive sable brushes since the synthetics are so nice.

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    1. Thanks Sherry, great to be home. I will be using just the synthectics for a while and see if I really prefer them

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  2. Looks like your experience was very similar to mine. I felt we needed more painting time too and more input as we were painting. Shame you didn't get to do any landscapes, that would have been a nice change even though I know you love florals. Thankfully I decided not to purchase from his list as I had a lot of colours and thought I would make do with the rest but as you will have become aware, the colours didn't seem relevant as he didn't seem to dwell on what colour he was using at least not in our sessions. I bought an Escoda Syntetico Versatil earlier this year, a fraction of the cost of sable and I love it!! Will definitely be purchasing more in the future!!

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    1. Hi Judith, I do like florals but don't paint them very often these days .

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  3. These are really gorgeous results and you're a very talented student, that's sure!!
    Wish you happy and creative studio time today.

    xo, isabella

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  4. Thank you for sharing your experiences
    Your paintings are beautiful.

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    1. Glad you like them, thank you for taking the time to comment

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  5. Your two florals are awesome, and I enjoyed reading about your experience with Fabio. I had been thinking about joining him for a workshop in Tuscany a few years back, but in the end I didn't , maybe I should have :-))

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    1. Thanks Jane, I appreciated Fabio coming all the way to Australia

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  6. Welcome back! Sounds like such a lovely getaway, and to get to paint with such a master. Even if you watched, it looks like you have felt his influence. These florals are so so pretty!

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    1. Thanks Terry, I dont do florals very often anymore so even though this was all we did it was kind of nice

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  7. Welcome back, Lorraine! Your paintings are eye candy, gorgeous! Thank you for sharing your workshop experience with us. Great tip about synthetic brushes, I am on the market for some new ones.

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    1. Hi Celia, do give the synthetics a try, took me a few days as they dont hold water the same way as sable and at first I blobbed water a lot

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  8. Glad you had a good trip, and welcome home. Its always lovely to get back into the studio after a time away. Happy painting!

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  9. ¡Fantásticas esas acuarelas de flores! El colorido, la pincelada rápida y precisa hace que no pueda pasar de largo por tu blog y me quede. Si te parece visita el mío y verás que también hago lo que puedo con las acuarelas.
    Saludos cariñosos.

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    1. Thank you Antonia for stopping by, I will look up your blog

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  10. Dear Lorraine - so glad you are back. Looks like the workshop was very inspiring. Both paintings are just lovely friend. Hope you have a great evening.

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    1. Hi Debbie, I am mostly full of painting inspiration but being a room with Fabio and all the attendees certainly helps

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  11. Welcome back! Love both of these. I don't work much from imagination, so I'm impressed that you were able to work that way. Sometimes being with a great painter and other people who are inspired by him/her is great to recharge our batteries.

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    1. Must admit that not every painting from imagination is a winner but it certainly a great and free way of painting. Thanks Joan

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