I start liking the Monday routing of 2,5 hours quick sketching at night. Reik was modeling for the first time and he did a brilliant job. Here is a peek into the results of the 2 and 5 minute sketches done in graphite. Have a great week everyone!

Different surfaces require special approaches in order to create a convincing illusion. I was working on a simple group of objects, all with a shiny surface which was the challenge. Especially when painting metal with sharp reflections and fast-changing values you need to observe very carefully to render the object's form and capture its presence in the space. I nearly finished with the small painting but give you here a glimpse to illustrate what I mean.

Monday I spent all day running around with graphite pencils, paper and sharping knive, enjoying my brand new H-foot studio easel to the max!

I am very excited to tell you about the Artinuum Academy that is going to get shape now. A project that I had in the drawer for a while now and that I want to bring to life with summer atelier in Hamburg in August. Last years training in Florence gave me the kick to launch this project and I am quite over the moon that I will be getting support from a very skillful person that I met in Italy who is coming to support the kick-off in summer. 
For all that read German, please have a look on the following crowd funding blog: 
www.kickstarter.com/projects/1843583926/the-artinuum-academy-ein-forum-fur-die-malerei?ref=discovery&term=artinuum
It would be great if you can support this project and could help getting the funds together to buy the professional equipment that will be needed. If all runs to plan, there will be ample information on this website about the Academy, the Ateliers and session dates published by mid March. I hope to hear from you as I will be happy to answer questions and share the excitement!
Happy Friday to You! :-D
​E.

Apart from organizing exciting activities for this year I am enjoying being back at the easel after a break due to moving houses. 
To warm up I am started with setting up a little still life for an oil painting to get back into swing. I chose a porcelain jar, a funky coconut bowl with a small copper can leaning inside and a red onion to complement the ensemble. The sometimes tricky thing of judging the values right makes me using the black mirror a lot, standing back and squint and taking a black-and-white photo at the end of each session. It's funny how much one discovers by reducing the picture onto a small screen in monochrome. It's really helping to refresh the eye and stay motivated throughout the process.