I really like to paint from real life. It’s very similar to meditating. Concentrating and thinking about shapes and colors is a pleasure. I’m going to do it while I can.
El Buen Retiro Madrid, Spain
Tag Archives: Victoria Olson O’Donnell
La Plaza de Pintores – A Collective Painting Exhibition at the Auditorio Y Sala De Exposiciones Paco De Lucia / La Plaza de Pintores – Una exposición de pintura colectiva en el Auditorio y Sala de Exposiciones de Paco De Lucia
-There are 39 Painters at the Plaza-
Inauguration day at Sala Paco de Lucia.
-Hay 39 pintores en la Plaza-
Día de inauguración en la Sala Paco de Lucía.
A small group of painters just before the opening.
Oh another picture, more of us are here.
The Group started getting bigger
16 of the 39 painters presented a piece at the Sala. Hopefully next time they will all participate.
16 de los 39 pintores presentaron una pieza en la Sala. Esperemos que la próxima vez todos participen.
Here we are again.
That would be super fun.
Eso sería super divertido.
The Inauguration begins
I don’t have pictures of everybody or the other’s paintings.
No tengo fotos de todos ni de sus pinturas
While Setting up
But these are the paintings I presented at the exhibition.
Pero estas son las pinturas que presento en la exposición.
Painters and Friends
You would have to come to the exhibition to see the rest of the pieces. Although here is a clip.
Tendrías que venir a la exposición para ver el resto de las piezas. Aunque aquí hay un corto.
Checking out the exhibition
The art work presented here is quite amazing.
El trabajo de arte presentado aquí es bastante sorprendente.
Sala Paco de Lucia
as amazing as my buddies at the Plaza.
Tan asombroso como mis amigos en la Plaza.
At the Plaza
The Art exhibition is up through the 27th of February.
La exposición de arte – solo hasta el 27 de febrero.
Spain – City and Rural Landscape
El Templo de Dobod Plein Air Watercolor
The Temple of Debod is an ancient building constructed in the early 2nd century BC dedicated to the goddess Isis. This is one of the few works of ancient Egyptian architecture that can be seen outside Egypt and one of its kind in Spain.
El Templo de Debod plein air painting
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It is located in the Parque del Oeste in Madrid, Spain. It was donated to Spain in 1968 by Egypt as a sign of gratitude for the help provided by Spain in saving the temples of Abu Simbel. Temples which were going to be lost forever due to the construction of the Great Dam of built across the Nile River.
Templo de Debod, Madrid Spain 2014
Temple LDS in Madrid, Spain – Small Plein Air Watercolor.
I went out to see the LDS Temple in person to do a few quick watercolors to see which one I wanted to paint on a full size sheet. The facade is beautiful and angel Moroni is on top blowing a trumpet. I painted this before going into the courtyard.
Templo LDS 2016
Inside the courtyard the Garden, El Jardín de las Novias, is symmetrical. There is a beautiful flower garden with white, pink and red flowers flanking a double dish water fountain with a round pond. That side of the Temple contrasts with this serious solemn side with inviting cypress trees.
2º concurso de pintura rápida al aire libre Taller Abierto, en pleno Madrid de los Austrias En la Plaza del Conde de Barajas.
Now this is a rapid painting competition, in Plaza del Conde de Barajas also called Plaza de los Pintores in Madrid, Spain. I’ve always had my eye on this plaza.
Plaza del Conde de Barajas,
I’ve been doing line and wash lately so I thought I would try it here at the fast painting competition sponsored by Taller Abierto; really nice people by the way.
Line and Wash
After about three hours the light completely changed.
The light creeping in.
And the sun started creeping in until I had to leave.
2º concurso de pintura rápida al aire libre Taller Abierto
Here in Madrid the Sun is hot, really hot. You got to be careful and always try to stay in the shade to avoid heat related mishaps. You don’t want one of those.
Emilio and I
This is Emilio, he took all the pictures. Thanks Emilio!
The next day I went back and finished the painting as best I could.
Plaza Del Conde de Barajas July 1st 2018
This watercolor is going to be in Semana de Arte en la Calle street exhibition at Plaza del Conde de Barajas every Sunday of July. 10-13:00. Come visit us if you are in Madrid this summer.
A small Watercolor of The Almudena Cathedral Madrid, Spain.
I like to start a watercolor with a light grid to keep my parallel lines parallel. I start with a pencil sketch and then go on to pen and ink.
Pen & Ink La Almudena Cathedral
I tape down all of my watercolors to get the white edge of the paper. Don’t think you need anything expensive. I use carpenter’s tape, but it’s only there for a couple of hours. I wouldn’t leave it there for more than a day.
A small watercolor taped down to the drawing board.
This is the white edge I’m talking about. When the tape is taken off, you have a white border.
Small Watercolor of Almudena Cathedral June 24th 2018
Click Here is a really short video of the painting site.
Madrid is great!
Summer June Flowers 2017
After our funny hail storm in June, these little yellow sun flowers bloomed on the terrace all at once.
I took out my easel and oil paints onto the terrace and started to paint the mini sun flowers early morning.
I mix my own colors with natural pigment bound with linseed oil. The colors are: cadmium lemon yellow, yellow chrome, transparent gold ochre, cadmium orange, magnesium blue, intense crimson, tierra sombra and cadmium red.
I usually start with my favorite part and build around it.
I just try to paint what I see.
I put the exact color and shape on the canvas as quickly and accurately as possible.
Here again the next morning in the hot sun.
Here I started putting in the skyline.
Since all the colors influence each other, I try to find all them as quickly as possible before the light changes.
The background colors are established, so now I start with more detail in the foreground.
I felt as if I had finished the painting at this point and then I couldn’t resist putting a scumble on it to push the back ground into the distance.
So little by little I started building up the foreground, leaving the back ground alone.
Summer June Flowers 2017.
Figure Painting
Dante’s Inferno Canto IV in process – Mixed Technique: Tempera Under-painting and Resin-Oil Finish.
ILLustration in Process of Canto IV, Limbo
Almost finished…(Inspired by Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy)
Canto IV Session 20
The mixed technique is oil paint and egg tempera. The resin-oil drying time is more than a few days.
When drying a painting with this kind of mixture make sure the painting is isolated for a few days since all varnishes are volatile and harmful.
The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri is as Divine as Epic Poetry gets. There’s nothing pretty about the poem to paint and art has never been about painting a pretty pictures.
I’ve posted three sessions, the other sessions in between were mistakes taken off of the canvas. ;).
Session 19
Canto IV Limbo Session 10
Watercolor Exhibiton in Madrid: Small Format
La Agrupación Española de Acuarelistas de Madrid celebra una exposición colectiva de acuarelas de pequeño formato.
Se inaugura el día 12 de diciembre de 2016 y permanecerá abierta hasta el 22 de diciembre de 2016.
Horario de Inauguración: 17:00 a 20:00 horas.
C / Benito Castro 12 Madrid, España.
Telf. 91 409 65 11
Personalmente estaré allí el día 12; esperamos que asistas a esta invitación.
Victoria
Poppies, Daisies and Red Roses 2016
Victoria Olson Art - Watercolor, Egg Tempera & Oil 