Turkish Light Still Life Painting

Dear Art-loving friend,

Shortly after carving stone in Bulgaria this past summer, I then went to Istanbul for a few days.  I did not buy as much as I wanted, however, I am a sucker for burning things… so I bought a couple of the tea light candle holders that glow with glorious hues from the colored glass mosaics.  One of those became a model in my next project, “Turkish Light.”

I have always moved slowly; ask my parents if you believe this not.  But while I have come to accept this part of myself, I still work to improve my productivity in creating art.  And when it also helps me to improve the quality, well, … you know that accepting the idea is a given.

I have also come to accept about myself that I have a self-sabotage mechanism in my brain. To that end, I refer to the idea that no matter how many times I do “shape exercises,”  my first attempts at drawing anything are way off.  It is difficult for me to do demos when I teach in part because of this problem.  [Another problem is talking while drawing… they rarely mix in my brain.]  Anyway, despite the encouragement by some to simply start my compositions in paint, I prefer to use charcoal.  

“Pentimento” is the Italian word that describes the concept of “the sins of the past will continue to haunt you.”  I know that oil paint goes transparent after many years and I know that red is a tricky color. I do not want my bad drawing to show through.  And I know that on this composition of red, white, and black… I increase the odds a bit of having problems.  So, you see me figuring out my design in charcoal on a mid-toned primed wooden panel.  

 I was not sure that I wanted the vase thingy as close to center, but later decided to leave it as is.  I liked the shapes between the objects, too.  Once my drawing was close enough, I used egg tempera to paint in the light shapes.  This is opaque and dries very quickly… like acrylic, but I think that I like egg tempera better, and hopefully it leaves more of a tooth for the oil paints.

I then layered in some of the cadmium orange and the serious reds.  The black came later.  These colors take forever to dry (an exaggeration, I hope you understand) and I had to be careful not to smear a thing, yet keep the edges I wanted soft … soft.  This painting then went up on a shelf to dry for about a month, I think.   

I took her down occasionally to develop the painting in layers, letting each one have about a week to dry, if I could manage that.  My models stayed in place while I worked on other easels.  Ok, so THAT part of the process is not particularly efficient for productivity, but hey, I love red and black, both slow driers.  It was the egg tempera trick that gave me light and speed.  There… I have given away all of my secrets.  So, I will go home now. 

I started “Turkish Light” in mid-July.  I finished her in mid-October.  Sadly, in my new flat, I have not yet figured out how to get a high-quality image of an oil painting.  But here is the shot that I have.  

“Turkish Light” is available.  She is a 50 x 35 cm (19.6 x 13.7 inches) oil painting on Italian Geso-vero’d primed wooden panel.  Please contact me if you would like to own this gem or gift her to someone you love.

Thank you for your interest and enthusiasm,

Kelly

~ Kelly Borsheim, sculptor, painter, writer, teacher

http://BorsheimArts.com

An Open Mind in Istanbul – Nargile

Dear Art Lover,
Istanbul: exotic and fun, and full of shopping and imbibing. My friend Kumiko and I went there for a few days after we finished carving stone at a symposium in Bulgaria. How inviting some of the spaces are: so cozy and comfortable! I tried to keep an open mind or at least the mentality of “When in Roma…” I was delighted to experience the Hamam and discovered that a sauna of steaming marble is actually much more refreshing that the direct hot summer sun in a city.

We were in Istanbul during Ramadan, but also during the World Cup finales. That meant for a lot of people out in the bars and restaurants that had large or multiple screens. I had no idea of the close ties between Turkey and Japan, but Kumiko did not even have to pay for a tourist visa, while I did (it was only 25 euro for an American, paid at the border). The Japanese have built tunnels under the waterways to connect Istanbul to itself, among other wonderful business deals. Kumiko was spoken to in Japanese more often than I ever anticipated while she and I toured the city by foot.

So, it was no surprise when she made friends with some rug merchants near our hotel. One of the men had even lived in Japan for over 15 years with his Japanese wife and was returning this month.

So, we found ourselves getting taken to a nearby restaurant and offered things by this man’s friend. I had been curious of the Nargile, the Turkish water pipes one sees almost everyone sitting around and smoking.
It is legal and yet, I think that I had hoped it was something exotic by the expressions on consumers’ faces.

Admittedly, I have a hard time just sitting around and relaxing. During this trip, I was often distracted by thoughts of my work at home. However, when the restaurateur offered to let me try Nargile for only 5 bucks (normally about 15, I think), I thought, Ok, why not? Even my hero Audrey Hepburn made her long cigarette holder next to her lips look elegant and beautiful in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

Yours truly on holiday.  Foto by Kumiko Suzuki - Istanbul

They had no coconut, so I tried strawberry. The man set the mechanism on the floor beside our table and lit it with hot coals, sucking on the end to get it going. Then he gave us two plastic reeds. We each had one to slip into the mouthpiece for our own use. I was sadly disappointed. I think some part of me wanted this to taste good, the way that I will drink Turkish coffee, but really have no affinity towards any other.

But … tobacco is tobacco. I have hated it even before childhood friends wanted to get me into it. And this tasted only slightly better than how splashing perfume over stale and horrendous body odor smells. I waited a bit, then gave it a few more puffs, hoping that maybe I was just biased against it. Nope, I just do not like the taste nor the smell of tobacco.

The next morning Kumiko and I walked under an open arch somewhere in the city. We found a bunch of Turks sitting around smoking. But for me, these next three gray images just reminded me of what tobacco puts in one’s body. And I am sure that I would be unhappy in a lifestyle of just sitting around numbing myself. But, I DID give it a shot.

Happy birthday wherever your energy be, Vasily Fedorouk.  You are missed!

Istanbul during Ramadan

Dear Art-Loving Friend,

On the night of the full moon, after my friend Kumiko and I finished up at the art symposium in Bulgaria, she and I were on our way to Istanbul.  I hope you enjoy these images.  We packed a lot in to the short time we were there, my first.  I will be writing about the experiences in Bulgaria in an art newsletter in August.  If you would like to receive a subscription to that publication (only 6-8 times per year), please send me your e-mail address with an add request (that list is different from the blog subscription list, which I do not manage).

Anyway, I would write more, but today is my birthday and I want to eat dark chocolate and cherries, some good food, and do some painting.  Hard to believe this journey thus far, and I am curious to know where and how the future unfolds… in any event, I am now: