The Creative Life - Barbara Trovillo

Ciao Amici,

I am finally finished this "grandissimo" (4' x 8') commissioned painting! It is done in oil on canvas with the addition of cold wax here and there. This was quite a learning experience for me. I did my best work at this moment in time. I am pleased and certainly hope the collector who commissioned the piece will be too.

I wanted to share my thoughts about the process up to this point:

First, I had no idea where one gets a canvas that BIG! I found a local frame company who builds custom canvases. It was expensive...$850! I am not completely content with the way they reinforced this large canvas, though it feels secure. I would have used more reinforcements. I trust that they know what they are doing, but I think in the future, I will learn how to build canvas. I know this is something my talented husband can do! :)

Secondly, It took A LOT of paint to cover a canvas this large. I used four (4) tubes of Titanium White alone, along with Ultramarine Blue, Earth Green, Cadmium Yellow, Fanchon Red, Naples Yellow, Burnt Sienna, Alizarin Crimson as well as dabs of other colors. 

This painting was inspired by a smaller painting called La Luce Balla. That painting has a vertical orientation and a BIG SKY.

The commissioned piece has a horizontal orientation due to its dimensions, making the sky a much smaller part of the composition. I still used the deep blue typical of the italian skies, but my concentration needed to be on the landscape. I incorporated the elements typical to Tuscany or Umbria that one sees driving from town to town: cypress trees, olive groves, vineyards, red tiled roofs, and sunflowers. 

I learned a lot on this project. I was discouraged at first by the naivete of the painting. I am an impressionist painter. I did not want to create a lifelike representation of an Italian landscape but, rather, wanted to express a sense of being there.  It was only after several passes with paint that the texture and depth began to develop. It took patience. I had to work hard to balance the colors and the composition.

 “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” Picasso

It was with this quote in mind that I painted the olive trees on the right of the painting. Loose, expressive and Fun! 

It is ready to hang, but still a wee bit wet.  I will wrap it in brown paper when dry for safe delivery. This has been a great experience, very challenging and rewarding. Now, I want a bigger studio so I can do more BIG paintings! haha. Piano … piano … One step at a time.

Creativity expresses itself  in many ways. What is your creative outlet these days? I would like to hear about it!

ciao, Barbara