I don't think it's too late to say that! and welcome to my news so far this year which has been great in terms of productivity and sales! Unusual for this time of the year.
Last year also ended in a lovely way - on a personal note. We had family over from England between Christmas and new year and had four generations in the house - marvellous.
So what's been happening. I spent most days of January in the studio working on more mountain paintings. Last year I had a commission for a painting of the Matterhorn (Il Cervino in Italy) which ended up more figurative than I intended - partly because it is such an iconic shape. As a subject, if you let it, it just sort of sits there. Also I went to see it in the summer when there was no snow. So I took another look and set about making paintings of it in a much freer and snowier way. I made 5 paintings in the end here are a few examples.
I also worked more on the Monte Bianco series - there is so much there to paint. I find the detail of the rock structure and colours so interesting. They tell the story of the life of the mountain - how it has been raised and folded over time. I have been making drawings on paper - mostly in acrylic inks. Also the second painting above is a small canvas where I used mostly ink and white acrylic. I can't resist the way the ink disperses and mixes when you spray water - before or after.
I don’t usually expect much of January in terms of visitors or sales but I sold a large drawing made several years ago to a client who visited the studio, and via Saatchi, a print of a painting they sold for me last year. Three paintings from the landscape exhibition at the restaurant Casa Serra were sold and since the beginning of February two flowerscape paintings have found a new home. So it has been a great year so far!
I have also been occupied with admin - boring. But I have been getting paintings ready for exhibition so organising framing, a lot of recording titles, certificates of authenticity, sales, costs and of course paperwork for my accountant for the year end. (The tax year here is a bit more sensible - it relates to the actual year not from April to March as in the UK)
Exhibitions
I have a number of collective and personal exhibitions lined up for the year.
A collective exhibition curated by the CSA Gallery Turin - at Chiesa di San Bernardino dei Disciplinanti Bianchi in Bene Vagienna, Cuneo, on the theme of landscape which runs from 18th February to 23rd March.
A personal exhibition in Turin curated by Artaporter and Carmen Caruso from 10th to 15th March - see poster below
A collective exhibition at the Cube Restaurant in Chieri, Turin in April (dates to be confirmed)
A personal exhibition in Castagnole delle Lanze from May 24th to June 23rd
Collective exhibition in September - location and dates to be confirmed
I didn't choose the title but I love it!
Exhibitions I have been visitingi in Turin
At GAM (Galleria d'Arte Moderna) - Francesco Hayez a 19th century Italian romantic painter known for his painting “The Kiss” - not to be confused with Gustav Klimt. Lots of interesting pieces also from his contemporaries. Since I have lived in Italy I have been educating myself on its post renaissance art history - nothing much of that was taught in art schools in the UK ( in my time!)
Another exhibition of an artist who I thought I didn’t need much educating about - Picasso - he has been my hero since I was a young teenager. "A rendezvous with Picasso" at the Palazzo Saluzzo Paesana, Turin. This was an exhibition of over 300 works - drawings, lithographs, ceramics, sculpture and, new to me, a series of amazing photographs. These were made in his later years in collaboration with a young photographer - Andre Villers, using Villers photographic skills - particularly focussing on texture, and Picasso’s inventiveness especially with cut outs to create what I suppose would be called surrealist photos. This was the first I had heard of this most intriguing and beautiful work.
Also at the Veneria Reale I saw an exhibition of some of Turner's earlier works of mythological subjects. Interesting but I really prefer the later works - but it is great to have his name on posters all over Turin at the same time as my exhibition!!
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