It's Monday and this means it's Barragan Paintings' weekly sale day.
ONLY today March 30, 2015 get 15% all original Flower Oil Paintings in my Etsy Shop.  Use code: PAINTSALE15 at the checkout.  

A little about myself:
Just like you, I enjoy finding and marveling at apparently insignificant things such as wildflowers picked on a morning walk, a local fruit right out of an orchard, or an Italian landscape especially at sunset when the colors warm up.

I love simplicity & quality and I embed these values in my paintings by using only the finest Italian oil paints and supports. When you purchase a Barragan Painting you're buying a timeless original that will last for generations. Each painting is signed on the front & back and sold with a Certificate of Authenticity.
I accept custom orders of gardens, towns, churches, homes and landscapes.

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My daughter is in film school in Milan so this means that I'm often in the northern Italian provincial capital visiting her.




I'm a curious person and I don't like crowds so when I heard about the Brera Botanical Garden in the center of Milan, I couldn't resist and headed over there.  It was quite easy to find and about 250mt. from the Monteleone metro stop at Via Brera 28.



Eventhough it was late February, I was surprised to find quite a bit of flowering going on. (list)  
I'm certain it must be a real treat in late Spring when the larger trees will offer a much desired shat and freshness from the city cement.

There are comfy wooden benches throughout and I took advantage to rest and sketch some of the Galanthus that had just started blooming along with the Chimonanthus.



It's a rather small garden, just 5000sqm. located at the end of a private street nestled among historical palazzi in one of Milan's more charming neighborhoods. 



It has a wide variety of plants from all over the world. It's small, sweet and very well maintained with clear and thorough plant tags.  If you're looking for a quiet, green area to rest then this botanical garden is the perfect place. 

 Click here for Opening hours & information.


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It's Monday and this means it's Barragan Paintings' weekly sale day.
ONLY today March 23, 2015 get 50 OFF all Flower Painting Prints in my Etsy Shop.  Use code: 2FOR1SALE at the checkout.  

A little about myself:
Just like you, I enjoy finding and marveling at apparently insignificant things such as wildflowers picked on a morning walk, a local fruit right out of an orchard, or an Italian landscape especially at sunset when the colors warm up.

I love simplicity & quality and I embed these values in my paintings by using only the finest Italian oil paints and supports. When you purchase a Barragan Painting you're buying a timeless original that will last for generations. Each painting is signed on the front & back and sold with a Certificate of Authenticity.
I accept custom orders of gardens, towns, churches, homes and landscapes.

Share this post with a friend below, thank you!

I came across Eva Gonzalèz suring my Women Artists art history course many years ago and am happy to remember her now. Gonzalès (April 19, 1849 – May 6, 1883) was a French Impressionist painter.
Eva Gonzalès was born in Paris into the family of the writer Emmanuel Gonzalèz.[1]  *from Wikipedia, read more there.

Read thi interesting paper entitled "Rethinking Self: Eva Gonzalès (1849-1883) On Her Own" by Janalee Emmer, PhD Assistant Professor of Art History Fine Arts Department, Ohio Wesleyan University



 


FAI Days 23rd edition in Umbria: Saturday 21 and Sunday, March 22
Saturday 21 and Sunday, March 22 in Italy and Umbria the FAI Spring will take place. It is a historic event now in its 23rd edition which has so far involved more than 7.8 million Italians.
It is a large festival dedicated to cultural heritage, a unique opportunity to discover places that are normally closed to the pubblic: churches, houses, villages, palaces, archaeological sites, castles, gardens, music archives: there are over 780 places open with free entry or a small contribution in 340 locations throughout Italy thanks to the commitment and enthusiasm of the Delegations and volunteers of the FAI.

 For more information:
http://www.giornatefai.it/luoghi#reg:umbria
Check out the FAI Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/events/706379112816978/

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It's Monday and this means it's Barragan Paintings' weekly sale day.
ONLY today March 16, 2015 get 15% off all Veggie Paintings in my Etsy Shop.  Use code: PAINTSALE15 at the checkout.  

A little about myself:
Just like you, I enjoy finding and marveling at apparently insignificant things such as wildflowers picked on a morning walk, a local fruit right out of an orchard, or an Italian landscape especially at sunset when the colors warm up.

I love simplicity & quality and I embed these values in my paintings by using only the finest Italian oil paints and supports. When you purchase a Barragan Painting you're buying a timeless original that will last for generations. Each painting is signed on the front & back and sold with a Certificate of Authenticity.
I accept custom orders of gardens, towns, churches, homes and landscapes.

Share this post with a friend below, thank you!

I'll be auctioning two still life oil paintings that I painted this week.

 "Sprouting Red Onion" is: 

- Painted on professional grade Italian oil paints on finely prepared MDF board (.4cm - 5/32in. thick)
- Signed on the front and back.
- Numbered and will be sold with a Certificate of Authenticity.
- Measures 9.13 x  6.3 in. / 23.2 x 16 cm.
All materials are archival.
 






"Yellow Wild Flowers in Bottle" is:
- Painted with professional grade Italian oil paints on fine Italian canvas board
- Signed on the front and back.
- Numbered and will be sold with a Certificate of Authenticity.
- Measures 5 x 7 in. / 13 x 18 cm.
All materials are archival.

About these Paintings
Thes paintings were painted "alla prima" from life -- in one single sitting in Umbria, Italy. Each mark of paint is applied wet-into-wet and remains visible in the painting's finished state. These paintings are painted with professional grade Italian oil colors on an oil primed surface. They will arrive varnished and unframed, ready to display. 

Just like you, I enjoy finding and marveling at apparently insignificant things such as wildflowers picked on a morning walk, a local fruit right out of an orchard, or an Italian landscape especially at sunset when the colors warm up.  
I love simplicity & quality and embed these values in my paintings by using only the finest Italian oil paints and supports.  When you purchase a Barragan Painting you're buying a timeless original that will last for generations. 

If you like this post please commento or share with a friend, thank you!

Today's painter is Berthe Marie Pauline Morisot (January 14, 1841 – March 2, 1895). I first learned about her in my Women Artists class at the university.  Besides being one of my favorite painters, she was a member of the circle of painters in Paris who became known as the Impressionists. She was described by Gustave Geffroy in 1894 as one of "les trois grandes dames" of Impressionism alongside Marie Bracquemond and Mary Cassatt. 
*from Wikipedia  Read more here. 

Caption this painting and share with a friend below, thank you!

  
I came across Al Gury's book by chance one day as I was browsing "alla prima painting" on the internet.  

It seemed like a wonderful book to have and once I received it in the mail I was even more surprised to see that the images and explanations were genuinely informative and beautiful.



I really enjoyed the step by step images along with the color palettes of famous direct painters. This is one of those books that you'll never get tired of looking at. 

Whether you're a seasoned painter or simply appreciate painting, this book helps you to further understand the complex process of developing an alla prima painting.  

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Thank you.


 

Starting today I will be organizing weekly sales of my oil paintings, fruit cards, art prints and more.  

This week, when you BUY 1 Set of five Pomegranate Postcards  YOU GET ANOTHER SET FREE.
Use coupon code: 2FOR1SALE at the checkout in my Etsy Shop. 
This sale is valid ONLY today and finishes at midnight PST.

Pomegranates are a symbol of abundance & prosperity in many cultures and religions.  These little cards are prints of my original paintings and are a sweet and unique way of wishing someone you love well.



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Thank you and stay tuned each week for my "Monday Sales".

 *testo italiano sotto
I've been invited to participate as an exhibitor at the "Giorni delle Rose" Festival in Spello, Perugia at the end of May 2015 so I got to thinking that I'd like to take something really special besides my fruit, flower & Umbrian landscape paintings.

I've always loved decorative screens so after studying quite a few examples I decided to create one of my own.  I had 3 panels cut to the right size and proceeded to prepare the surface with 4-5 coats of acrylic primer, sanding between each coat.


Full of enthusiasm, I jumped right in and painting some bright red poppies.  Boy was that a mistake as everything else that was painted afterwards couldn't compete chromatically.

  
What else could I do but paint right over them and start over with a nice light antique blue background.  

The best part of painting this screen is using 'live' branches and flowers as my subjects.  I try to capture their soul.
I should be finishing this screen this coming week.  Stay tuned!

 Would you like to know more about my decorative screens? Drop me a line & I'll get back to you in 12 hours. 
 

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*testo italiano
Sono stata invitata a partecipare come espositore alla manifestazione "Il Giorni delle Rose" a Spello a fine maggio di quest'anno.  Ho iniziato a pensare che vorrei portare qualcosa di speciale aparte i fiori, frutta e paesaggi Umbri.

Mi sono sempre piaciuti i paraventi e allora decise di studiarli per poter creare uno proprio.  Mi sono fatta tagliare 3 panelli della giusta misura e gli ho preparato con 4-5 mani di cementite.  

Ero piena d'entusiasmo e così ho dipinto per primo dei bei papaveri rossi.  Che errore!  Quel tono condizionava troppo tutto il resto e niente sembrava essere all'altezza. 

L'unica cosa che potevo fare era iniziare da capo con un bel colore di fondo, blu antico.

La parte migliore di dipingere questo paravento è poter dipingere usando rami e fiori vivi.  Cerco di catturare l'anima di questi.
Dovrei finire la prossima settimana, vi faccio sapere!

Volete dell'informazione riguardo questi paraventi? Scrivetemi e vi risponderò entro 12 ore.



Each friday I'll be posting a favorite artist and will ask you to "caption" the work.  

This week's artist is Paula Moderson Becker.  I first learned about this painter while taking a "Women Artists" Art History class for my BFA at Cal State Fullerton in California. 

Paula Modersohn-Becker (February 8, 1876 – November 21, 1907) was a German painter and one of the most important representatives of early expressionism. In a brief career, cut short by an embolism at the age of 31, she created a number of groundbreaking images of great intensity. She is becoming recognized as the first female painter to paint female nudes. Using bold forays into subject matter and chromatic color choices, she and fellow-artists Picasso and Matisse introduced the world to modernism at the start of the twentieth century.(from Wikipedia)


Please caption this painting below 
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Having lived in Umbria for 9 years, I'm almost embarassed to say that I had never visited the archeological area of Carsulae.  

So when my friend Francesca* invited me for a picnic late last summer, I simply couldn't refuse. I packed my easel, paints and some munchies and headed for the hills around Terni, Italy.
It's one of the most impressive archeological sites in Italy and dates back to around 300 B.C.

There's a beautiful arch, amphitheater, Roman baths and the Church of S.Cosima and Damiano and walking the grounds you get the feeling of walking through history. 
 
 

 I took advantage of the warm weather and painted the ruins and the surrounding hill.






Later in the afternoon there was an Italian folk musica gathering and we had the lovely surprise of listening to various groups from all over Italy.

If you visit Umbria, please don't miss out on this enchanting place. 

What: Roman ruins & music festival
When: from Spring to Autumn
Where: San Gemini exit off the E45 highway 
Cost: €5 entrance gets you inside the site and museum.

 For more info regarding opening hours and events at Carsulae click here: http://www.carsulae.it/home.php?lang=eng 

*Photography by Francesca Baldassari


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About me

I'm a Painter.

Just like you, I enjoy finding and marveling at apparently insignificant things such as wildflowers picked on a morning walk, a local fruit right out of an orchard, or an Italian landscape especially at sunset when the colors warm up.

I love simplicity & quality and I embed these values in my paintings by using only the finest Italian oil paints and supports. When you purchase a Barragan Painting you're buying a timeless original that will last for generations. Each painting is signed on the front & back and sold with a Certificate of Authenticity.

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