As If In Recognition, Familia, 26

day 5: a day (or more) of rest
"Anno Nuovo, Vita Nuova!" or "New Year, New Life!"
(An expression of the belief that with a new year comes a chance for  new beginnings... a fresh start.)


day 4: the finished painting
For some unknown reason I'm calling her "Filomena", and maybe she really is an ancestor of mine, membro della famiglia dall'Italia.

This painting is for sale (with lots more photos too): https://www.etsy.com/listing/174341597

AS IF IN RECOGNITION, FAMILIA,  8x10" original oil painting by puci

day 3: creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
I decided to rely more on my painting intuition, with nothing pre-planned except for cropping the image a bit.

Same image, just cropped in a bit to fit the 8x10" size

day 2: capturing the selected image
I found her, just outside her gated home. You can see her too, just as I originally found her. Here's the link: http://goo.gl/maps/s8Y0R

Google Street View of "Filomena" in Lazio, Italy. We gaze at each other as if in recognition...

day 1: planning the destination

As mentioned in the previous entry, "An Interruption", I snuck away to Italy amidst the Christmas rush. I decided to go to Lazio Italy, specifically the region of Isola del Liri, hoping to find there the spirit of mi familia...

An Interruption

So, I haven't been traveling much lately. My boss (myself) insists that I postpone my Google Street Views paintings to focus on the many custom Christmas portrait paintings.

But, I have been perusing the virtual Google streets on the sly, and am exited to paint "The Three Italians" (from Lazio, Italy) when I get the chance.

Sorry for the delay. So much to paint, so little time... Salute! ~puci

The Pristine Light of Norway, 25

day 5: a day (or more) of rest
"Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye.. it also includes the inner pictures of the soul" ~Edward Munch (famous for the painting "The Scream")


day 4: the finished painting
I usually try to finish the painting in one session, because I'm going for an immediacy in brushwork. But I did accentuate some of water area after the oils were dry.

This painting is for sale (with more photos too): https://www.etsy.com/listing/167714236

THE PRISTINE LIGHT OF NORWAY, 8x10" original oil painting by puci

day 3: creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
Some cropping, image enhancement and we're good to go.

I've cropped the image and saturated the color a bit in preparation for the painting

day 2: capturing the selected image
Here we are,  in Møre og Romsdal , a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway.
It's a beautiful area! If you want to plop down RIGHT here and go exploring for yourself, here's the link: http://goo.gl/maps/OiOzf

Google Street View of an area in the Møre og Romsdal, Norway

day 1: planning the destination

Have you been to Norway? I mean, in the "real" world? If so, maybe you can verify if the light is really as pristine/the colors as vivid as in Google Street Views...

Harry Potter, Diagon Alley in London UK, 24

day 5: a day (or more) of rest
"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." ~Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets


day 4: the finished painting
I recently starred into the eyes of a very life-like mannequin in an antique store --for a long time. Her gaze was fixed upon me yet, at the same time, also looking beyond me. Her eyes, although realistically rendered, were soul-less. I thought of that same mannequin from the antique store as I was painting.

"Harry Potter, Diagon Alley" is for sale (with more photos too): https://www.etsy.com/listing/167101979

Harry Potter, Diagon Alley Mannequins, 8x10" original oil painting by puci

day 3: creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
Scuttering about the set of Diagon Alley, we bumped into many wicked (aka cool) visuals ...Yes? I don't know what intrigued you the most, but this set-up with the mannequins was my choice. But first, some cropping & other adjustments are needed in preparation for the 8x10" oil painting.

Photoshop crop of the chosen Google Image

day 2: capturing the selected image
This is my Halloween treat for you, the mannequins from Harry Potter's Diagon Alley.

The Google Street View image of a Harry Potter studio set along Diagon Alley
Warner Bros. Studio, London UK

day 1: planning the destination

I have a Halloween surprise for you, especially if you are a Harry Potter fan:
Google has now added the actual Harry Potter Movie set of Diagon Alley to its list of Street Views. And we're going there...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2356778/Thats-magic-Google-adds-spellbinding-set-Harry-Potters-Diagon-Alley-Street-View-service.html


 

San Francisco CA, Cliff House Reflections, 23

day 5: a day (or more) of rest
"Let nothing disturb thee, nothing affright thee. All things are passing." ~Theresa of Avila


day 4: the finished painting
Well, I thought I would use a calm palette of colors, but something happened... Actually the original finished painting was very dark in the forefront. I didn't like it. This one is better. Also, it's more towards twilight, that in-between time mirroring the edge of things such as where the ocean meets the land.

This is now the final painting, re-vamped and sold

Cliff House Reflections, original 8x10" oil painting by puci

day 3: creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
The "oceanic feeling" (as this man might be experiencing), may come to us when we are contemplating the vastness of the ocean, of time & space perhaps even beyond our recognition.
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0814-21.htm

A little tweaking of the original Google image, using Adobe Photoshop.

day 2: capturing the selected image
This scene was found near the Cliff House in San Francisco

Google Maps, Google Street Views image of an area near the Cliff House in San Francisco

day 1: planning the destination

We're going back to San Francisco, Ocean Beach. This Google Maps Google Street View scene is right near the Cliff House, above Sutro Baths.

Red Tulips in One Corner of The Czech Republic, 22

day 5: a day (or more) of rest
''Surely all art is the result of one's having been in danger, of having gone through an experience all the way to the end, where no one can go any further.'' Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926)


day 4: the finished painting
The painting turned out close to how I had envisioned it to be, yet I'm still wondering if the wall shadows are dark enough. Well anyway, the lively brushwork seems to have successfully rendered that sense of movement & life.

"Czech Tulips" is be for sale (and w/more photos too): https://www.etsy.com/listing/165760510

"Czech Tulips", 8x10" original oil painting by puci

day 3: creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
Although the photo became really "fuzzy" when cropped close in, I decided to go for it.

Photoshop crop/composition from the Google Street View image

day 2: capturing the selected image
I was captivated by that shadow angle and the way some of the tulips are in shadow/some in sunlight. The person(s) who live here, although missing from this image, hover like invisible phantom(s).

Google Maps / Google Street View image that will be the basis for the painting

day 1: planning the destination

I thought you might enjoy going someplace very different AND find some phantom figures. Yes, really! (Well, phantoms from what you see in this image anyway.)

Since I finally discovered how to give you a link that will take you RIGHT to this spot, you can maneuver around yourself to see more... MUCH more.

Once you click on the link, give Google a minute to get you there. (The little yellow figure will place itself on the map, and amazing ( вительный ), you're there! http://goo.gl/maps/1x1y7

If you're new to Google Street Views, try this: See the "compass" in the upper left? You can click on the - to zoom out, then maneuver the N around to go left & right; up & down. Also, clicking on the arrows in the road will move you forward. Do you see the "phantom" man on the roof? How about the figures in the car?

Red Bridge, Spokane Washington USA, 21

day 5: a day (or more) of rest

“If we know exactly where we're going, exactly how to get there, and exactly what we'll see along the way, we won't learn anything.” ~M. Scott Peck (from The Road Less Traveled)
• Click on the "older posts" link for more travel fun & resulting paintings.
• You can expect a new post with a new painting every 5~7 days.
• Thanks for traveling with me. Salute!


day 4: the finished painting
The distant green trees on a sunny day tend to take on a muted tone. The cross you see in the distance marks a cemetary.

"Red Bridge" is for sale (and w/more photos too): https://www.etsy.com/listing/164871757

"Red Bridge" 5x7" original oil painting by puci

day 3: creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
This was created from one of my own photos. But you can see that really it's from a very similar vantage point as the Google image, but much clearer and closer-in.

My photo of the area with some modifications made using Adobe Photoshop

day 2: capturing the selected image
This is the Google Street View image of this area. The image date is August 2008, and the mighty river is still running swift and high even in the summertime. (If you look closely, you can see the wake made by the water as it passes around the pillars of the bridge.)

The Google Maps / Google Street View image of this area known as "People's Park"

day 1: planning the destination

There is a place near the Spokane River known as "People's Park" where the red foot bridge crosses over the river. The city of Spokane Washington is unique in that it has a vital river running through the middle of town. Amazing views abound all along the river. I've taken many photos myself, and the resulting painting will be inspired by the Google Street View image plus by my own photo.

The French Riviera, 20

day 1: planning the destination
We're going to the French Riviera, and I found some lively activity along the long stretch of the Promenade Robert Schuman, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, France.

day 2: capturing the selected image
OK, this is kind of interesting: I had saved the Google image (w/the young man) a few months ago, yet when I went back there today, the scene has been updated. Those Google camera people do get around:
June 2008 Google image: young man carrying yellow chairs
July 2012 Google image: a row of yellow chairs
Well anyway, my painting will be based on the image w/young man

Google image comparison of same place along French Riviera, 4 years apart

day 3: creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
Here it is, the guide for my painting.

Photoshop composition of the Google Street View, to paint

day 4: the finished painting
"Yellow Chairs" was painted on a relatively textured prepared canvas panel, which I think works well with this scene. Love the shadow shapes of the chairs.

"Yellow Chairs" is for sale (and w/more photos too): https://www.etsy.com/listing/164226319

"YELLOW CHAIRS", 8x10" Original Oil Painting by puci

day 5: a day (or more) of rest
Enjoy your rest somewhere along this beach, as you hopefully find your place in the sun.

(click on the "older posts" link for more creative travel.)

Resting Up, 19

I awoke from a good nap thinking about this blog, and have decided to modify the number of blog posts. Instead of 1 post per day leading up to each finished painting, you'll be seeing 1 BIG post every 5-7 days. We'll see how it goes...

Whoever is out there (and a shout-out to my 1 follower so far tyvm!), thanks for taking the time to check in to my "A Street View A Day" project. I'm committed to keeping it going for at least 1 year.

Salute! ~puci
www.darlenepucilloart.com

The Finished Painting: Woman of the Dunes,19

day 4: the finished painting
I'm especially pleased with how the woman turned out.
With just a few brush strokes she emerged in her expressive stride as she communes with the dunes.

"Woman of the Dunes" is for sale (with more photos too): https://www.etsy.com/listing/163646632

"Woman of the Dunes", 8x10" Original Oil Painting by puci

Photoshop Revisions: San Francisco Ocean Beach, 19

day 3: creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
Here's the Google Street View image I've chosen for the painting. Thanks to this woman who happened to be walking along the dunes at just the right time...

Photoshop Revision, Woman on The Dunes, San Francisco Ocean Beach

Google Street Views: San Francisco Ocean Beach, California, 19

day 2: capturing the selected image

Crude as these images might be, I found something special in each. So, I'll decide on one and clean it up in Adobe Photoshop.

4 Google Street Views of the Ocean Beach area of San Francisco, CA

Destination: San Francisco CA (Ocean Beach), 19

day 1: planning the destination
We're heading to San Francisco. We're going to Ocean Beach :-)

Resting Up, 18

day 5: a day (or more) of rest
Lead, Kindly Light, amidst th' encircling gloom,
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home,
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me…  ~ j.h.newman

The Finished Painting: Lighthouse of Cape Alguhas, 18

day 4: the finished painting

           ... and the finished painting!

"Lighthouse of Cape Alguhas" is for sale (with more photos too): https://www.etsy.com/listing/163251790

"Lighthouse of Cape Alguhas", 8x10" Original Oil Painting by puci

Photoshop Revisions: Cape Agulhus 18

day 3: creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
This is it: my guide for the painting

Google Street Views: Cape Agulhas, South Africa 18

day 2: capturing the selected image
We are standing at the southernmost tip of Africa at Cape Agulhas, and the beacon standing tall is the Cape Agulhas lighthouse.

Cape Agulhas LightHouse, Southernmost tip of Africa

Destination: Cape Agulhas, South Africa 18

day 1: planning the destination
Well, the last 5-step series on Fukushima was pretty intense, wouldn't you say? So, I'm thinking that a light house might be a good counterbalance…

Resting Up, 17

day 5: a day (or more) of rest

The Finished Painting: "Fukushima, Message In A Bottle" 17

day 4: the finished painting
I'm used to building my paintings around one main area of importance. But I wanted the bottles and the fruit to share the limelight equally here, with all the other elements subordinate to this theme of the cycle of life/decay & rebirth. (Your comments are always welcomed.)

"Fukushima, Message In A Bottle" has been sold.

"FUKUSHIMA, MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE",  8x10" Original Oil Painting by puci

Photoshop Revisions: Fukushima, Japan 17

day 3: creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
This composition is meant to be more metaphoric than a stark rendering of destruction:
~ Nature, it seems, carries on.
~ The sad condition of the roof & the fermenting fruit is an indication of homes abandoned & lives lost.
~ The standing bottles are meant to be messengers of warning. The fallen and open bottle was once home to the wicked genie-in-the-bottle, which we have unleashed; it's havoc is yet to be known.

Photoshop composition for the Fukushima painting

Google Street Views: Fukushima, Japan 17

day 2: capturing the selected images

some images of the Fukushima devastation, March 2013 via Google Street Views

the painting will be based on a combination of these 2 images

Destination: Fukushima, Japan 17

day 1: planning the destination
The news last month ~an update about the amount of radiation leaking from a Fukushima nuclear storage tank into the ground~ is not good. The initial nuclear accident was, as we know, the result of the devastating earthquake & tsunami of March 11, 2011.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2397918/Fukushima-crisis-Japan-raise-toxic-leak-warning-tsunami-hit-nuclear-plant.html

So I wondered just how much of the visual devastation I might actually be able to see some 2+ years later. As it is, the Google camera people came through this area very recently, in March 2013, so the image quality is relatively good.

I spent a long time surveying the area via Google Street Views, initially looking for some visual samples of "deconstructive art". But the vision I now have for the painting is quite different...

the Daini Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima Prefecture

Resting Up, 16

day 5: a day (or more) of rest
"A line is a dot that goes for a walk."  Paul Klee

The Finished Painting: "Homeward Bound" 16

day 4: the finished painting
Well, since the 2 figures are too small for much of any detail, yet since they are such an important part of the painting, I had to dig into my bag-o'-tricks to make sure they are indeed the focal point of the painting. So, I used a thick build-up of white on the woman's shirt; made sure the setting around them had warm tones; angled the trees & highlights to be "pointing" to them; and created some stark contrasts with hard edges. The idea is to have lots of interesting stuff going on, so the viewer's eye keeps moving around the whole painting but keeps coming back to them and around again.

I like to think this painting tells a story too:
~ Has this elderly woman had her beloved companion since he/she was a pup?
~ They both look tired, so are probably going home. What kind of home do they share? Who will get the first drink of water, the woman or the dog?

"Homeward Bound" is for sale (with more photos too): https://www.etsy.com/listing/162026641/

"HOMEWARD BOUND", 8x10" Original Oil Painting by puci

Photoshop Revisions: Golden Gate Park 16

day 3: creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
Painting this scene will bring me right back there, and will hopefully provide for you the essence of the serene beauty to be found in Golden Gate Park.

Photoshop revision of Google Street View, Golden Gate Park

Google Street Views: Golden Gate Park 16

day 2: Capturing the selected image
Have I mentioned that I grew up just across the street from Golden Gate Park? My little dog Alfie & I found many special spots in that huge urban wilderness. The path along John F. Kennedy Drive led us right to the ocean. The north (Dutch) windmill still stands; it was my landmark beacon proclaiming that Ocean Beach was just a few hundred feet away.

So of course, when I found this scene of the woman&dog close to this windmill along John F. Kennedy Drive, I knew I had found my image to paint. I'll create the composition in the 10x8" tall format, so that the woman&dog will be even more dwarfed by the giant (Monterey?) pine trees. Yet, they will remain the focal point not only because of the tonal contrast but because the way they are strolling together so tenderly captures the viewers mind and imagination so vividly.

Here's some interesting stuff about the windmills:
http://www.golden-gate-park.com/windmills.html

the Google Street View image, Golden Gate Park; inspiration for the painting-to-be

Destination: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco 16

day 1: planning the destination
Wow, we really did rest up (3 days) after our New York trip. September has slid into home plate like Matt Williams of the San Francisco Giants ...and speaking of San Francisco, guess where our next virtual hop, skip and jump will take us?

(Btw, I decided to slightly alter the titles of each of the 5 Street-View-A-Day steps.)

The green strip that is Golden Gate Park in San Francisco

Resting Up, 15

day 5: a day (or more) of rest
The Promenade in My Poetry, by David Akimori 7/31/2009
It was here along the Brooklyn walk. Where love was born. Here were toddlers were guides. Here were sunshine radiated on smiles. Where I was young, Where I was Bold. This promenade I will remember as I grow old. In just so few ways it's beauty unfolds. Within the passion of my life. This place is truly paved of Gold.

The Finished Painting: The Brooklyn Bridge

day 4: the finished painting
Sometimes it's the highlights painted in just the correct places that can make-or-break a painting. I'm so glad that the time of day in the Google Street View photo was such that flecks of light are cast onto the shadows below the suspension bridge. If this painting does indeed "make it",  I think it's because of those tiny highlights. (OK, so the real Brooklyn Bridge is of a much more subdued grayish color. I guess this is an example of "artistic license" ;-) )

"The Brooklyn Bridge" is for sale (with more photos too): https://www.etsy.com/listing/161182156

"The Brooklyn Bridge", 8x10" Original Oil Painting by puci

Photoshop Revisions: The Brooklyn Bridge

day 3: Creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
So of course the magnificent Brooklyn Bridge needs to be composed in the 10x8" tall, rather than wide. And, since I'm a cream-puff for interesting shadows and angles, this will do just fine... (Speaking of cream-puffs, anybody out there care to comment on their favorite bakery in New York?)

The Brooklyn Bridge is a bridge in New York City and is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. With a main span of 1,595.5 feet (486.3 m), it was the longest suspension bridge in the world from its opening until 1903, and the first steel-wire suspension bridge.
(via wikipedia.org)

Photoshop revision of the Google Street View image of the Brooklyn Bridge

xxx

Destination: The Brooklyn Bridge

day 2: Capturing the selected image
OK, so I had to walk all around the bridge, and even hitched a ride across the bridge itself until I found what I consider to be a fairly interesting angle within the confines of the Brooklyn Heights Promenade area. We'll see what happens when I crop it to my usual 8x10" size for the composition and resulting painting.

Thanks for hangin' in there with me :-)

Google Street View image of the Brooklyn Bridge, New York USA

Google Street Views: The Brooklyn Bridge, New York

day 1: Planning the destination
I love your comments and even ideas for future travel destinations. Recently someone posted, "The Promenade in Brooklyn, NY maybe?"

I've already begun my Google Street View search, and surprisingly a good image for the resulting painting is slim pickin's. Sometimes the GSV images of one area are broken up into different days, months or even years; and most of the current GSV photos of the Brooklyn Heights Promenade were taken on a rather bleak-looking day. (Make sense?) But determined I am, so I've decided to focus on the Brooklyn Bridge where I'm bound to find something good...

Resting Up, 14

day 5: a day (or more) of rest
"If I didn't start painting, I would have raised chickens." ~Grandma Moses

The Finished Painting: Cows Near Swaziland

day 4: the finished painting
Of course life isn't always the idyllic scene we sometimes see and (for various reasons) the thousands of cattle in Swaziland have high mortality rates. But from an artistic point-of-view, I'm really pleased with this painting. I'm glad I managed to capture the lively "swoosh" of the cow's tail too...

"Cows Near Swaziland" is for sale (with lots more photos too): https://www.etsy.com/listing/160471558

COWS NEAR SWAZILAND, 8x10" original Oil Painting by puci

Photoshop Revisions: Cows Near Swaziland

day 3: creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
Really looking forward to painting this, mostly the cow & shadow in the foreground, and the way the dusty earth has swept into the road.

Photoshop revision of Google Street View image, in preparation for the 8x10" painting

Destination: Cows near Swaziland

day 2: capturing the selected image
 We are ...somewhere in South Africa. I was cruising all around and, oops, lost track of the specific area of this screen capture. Sorry about that. The little box (bottom right) let's us know that we are somewhere between Swaziland and Johannesburg. Really great scene, though. Excited to paint!

(Currently, the Google Street View options in Africa are limited to South Africa --not that I'm complaining. But maybe one day we may also have the option to travel to places like Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, or even to the Serengeti where over 2 million animals migrate to the Maasai Mara Reserve in Kenya.)

Cows near Swaziland, a screen capture from Goggle Street Views

Google Street Views: South Africa

day 1: Planning the destination
We're going to South Africa!!!

Resting Up, 13

day 5: a day (or more) of rest
"Everything you can imagine is real." ~Pablo Picasso

The Finished Painting: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

day 4: the finished painting
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
8x10" oil on prepared linen pad by puci

"Hawaii Volcanoes National Park" is for sale (with more photos too): https://www.etsy.com/listing/160007827

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park", 8x10" Original Oil Painting by puci

Photoshop Revisions: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

day 3: Creating the pre-painting composition (using Adobe Photoshop)
We love our adventures, don't we? We also love recording these adventures. I wonder what is more real for most people, the experience or the memory of the experience?

A wonderful artist who sometimes records-us-recording is Deladier Almeida:
http://www.deladier.com/tour.html

Photoshop revision of Google Street View, to paint...