From Plein Air Painting to Studio Work
Thursday, December 24, 2015

There is no Greater Master than Nature when learning to paint. Nothing substitutes the observation and constant training of the eyes when facing natural elements.In fact, learning to paint is learning to see and translate our inner vision. Whenever I´m asked why plein air painting I have longer and shorter answers, but I always state that they are completely different ways of working.
Recently I finished in the studio  the painting I´m posting now. It is a very large work for plein air!
I had already done smaller works with this theme, but for this one I started with compositional studies on the site and brought them to the studio to be developed into the final painting.

Victoria Regia - The Star of the Waters oil on canvas 180 x 80 cm Sandra Nunes

On the next post I´ll show the preliminary studies for this work. 
By now, Happy Holidays!
I wish you  a Happy and Blessed New Year!

Posted bySandra Nunes at 8:33 AM 0 comments    

Labels: botanic garden, impressionism, ninpheas, oil painting, plein air painting, Rio de janeiro landscapes, Sandra Nunes, victoria regia

Art and Traveling - part III
Friday, November 20, 2015

Being an artist I´m always pushing myself, exploring new techniques and materials, learning all along the way. Sometimes it is tough leaving the comfort zone and setting new goals.Well, I believe it is not the destination but the journey that counts and I´m having a blast on mine!

On the previous post I mentioned my first contact with Cobra Oils Solvent Free, the water miscible oils from Talens(you can read it here).

Arches Huile

Another material I had the opportunity to test was Arches Huile. This paper was specifically designed for oil painting and I specially liked the texture that keeps the look of Arches watercolor papers. It is archival , high quality, 100%  rag, 300 gsm manufactured with a barrier that absorbs  water or solvents evenly. It is very practical as it is available in  A3, A4 pads and in rolls that are easy to cut in different sizes

In Paris I combined the water miscible oils (Cobra) with Arches Huile. I  loved their practicality for traveling; just attach the paper  temporally to a solid support like a foam board and you are ready to paint immediately. The only attention one must have is  mounting it afterwards on an equally archival support before framing.

This paper is a bit more absorbent than the support I use to prepare for my paintings, that calls for a different approach, maybe more impasto than thin areas...Well I´ll continue exploring plein air painting on this surface  and in the studio as well to test its versatility.

Sandra Nunes painting from the porch Canal San Martin, Paris

I started this oil sketch at the end of  a rainy afternoon from the porch. Paris rooftops  always attracted my attention and they were specially beautiful under an ever changing grey sky. I just wanted to capture the atmosphere with quick and synthetic brushstrokes only suggesting rather than rendering the rooftops architecture. At this point I called it done and stopped to  watch the gift of a wonderful sunset in Paris! 

Paris Rooftops -Sunset quick sketch Sandra Nunes Cobra Oils solvent free on Arches Huile

Read from the beginning Art and Traveling 1

                                         Art and Traveling 2

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Labels: arches huile, cobra watermiscible paint, les toits de paris, ois sketch, painting on paper, Paris painting, paris painting impressionism, Paris rooftops, plein air painting, Sandra Nunes

Art and Traveling - part II
Saturday, November 7, 2015

As I have written in the previous post, besides learning from the Great Masters studying their paintings up close, in galleries and museums, traveling abroad provides the opportunity to work in different locations; it is a great exercise on training to capture the local atmosphere. In addition, there is the possibility of experimenting with new techniques and use of new art materials.

Painting in oils, when travelling, may present some difficulties from brush cleaning, using solvents in inappropriate environments such as hotel rooms, to packing and transporting  wet canvases.. As we know, drying time of oil painting is subject to many variables ( I intend to  talk more about this soon).

I am always in search of the best art supplies to work with, not only the immediate result but permanence is also important. I want my paintings to last for many years after I´m gone.

Well,  I've tested water miscible oil paints some years ago, Winsor and Newton Artisan, Talens H2Oil and Grumbacher Max. None of them satisfied me for one reason or another. The pigment concentration, for example, I didn´t find any brand with the same pigment load of the traditional oils in their professional lines
This year I've learned about  Cobra, the new generation of Royal Talens water miscible oils. They  are manufactured both in professional line (Cobra fine) and student (Cobra study). I tested only the professional line.

Cobra Solvent Free Oils Sandra Nunes Painting in Tulleries Garden

                                                         
I was positively impressed by its quality, and the fact of not using solvent was a good point. At first it behaves differently from traditional oils, but after understanding how to handle it, a new world is opened! No smell!
When I´m travelling all paintings are done alla prima, hit or miss in one session.

Tulleries Garden Cobra Solvent Free oil on panel 16x22 cm Sandra Nunes

There are some mediums available to be used for  example when working in layers. I didn´t use any at this time, just a bit of water at the beginning and then just paint.

Sandra Nunes Painting in Honfleur

Sandra Nunes Painting in Honfleur

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Labels: cobra solvent free, julian paris, landscape painting, leidseplein, oil painting impressionism, Paris, plein air painting, pochade box, Sandra Nunes, Stadsschouwburg, Tulleries

Art and Traveling
Tuesday, October 6, 2015

I´ve been  posting less here and privileging Facebook. This is a natural way  for the social network's immediacy and real time response. But I still like writing and reading longer posts. So I´ll keep this blog and my website as well for this kind of interactivity, sharing  as often as possible my creative process.

The Night Watch Rembrandt at Rijksmuseum

The Banquet of the Officers of Saint George Militia Frans Hals

Studying the Master of brushstrokes at Frans Hals Museum - Haarlem

Plein Air painting in Amsterdam - Leidseplein Stadsschouwburg Sandra Nunes

Posted bySandra Nunes at 6:15 PM 2 comments    

Labels: alla prima, Amsterdam, Frans Hals, julianparis, leidseplein, oilsketch, plein air painting, pochade box, Rembrandt, Rijksmuseum, Sandra Nunes, Stadsschouwburg, The night watch, urbansketch

Spring is here- Sunflowers
Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Sunflowers
It is quite understandable  Van Gogh's passion  for sunflowers, this is a beautiful flower when it blooms , lives beautifully  and it can become even more beautiful when dying. Its warm hues turns gray, its leaves twists and turns like a ballet in a circular dance.
I was privileged to live a few days with them and yesterday decided to capture their last minutes of life.

Posted bySandra Nunes at 2:59 PM 0 comments    

Labels: floral painting, impressionism, Sandra Nunes, sennelier, soft pastel, spring, sunflowers, vincent van gogh, walls paper

Urca - Nomand Castle
Thursday, September 17, 2015

Those who visit my website and blog for some time now, realize that Urca has been quite often one of my inspirations.Strolling through its 17 streets, cycling or walking is part of my daily life. Sometimes with my bike-easel, pochade or large canvas I stop to register these peaceful moments.

Urca- Normand Castle Sandra Nunes oil on canvas 54 x 73 cm

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Labels: impressionism, oil on canvas, plein air painting, Rio de janeiro landscapes, sandra nunes, Urca

Santa Teresa - Almirante Alexandino Street
Saturday, August 29, 2015

It´s been four years since the district of Santa Teresa lost its charming Tram. Now, the neighborhood is getting ready to receive the new vehicles.
In fact, they have started now to run experimentally, along a short distance.
Little by little I´ve been returning to this collection that gives me so much pleasure to paint. I´ve been working on new compositions, revisiting some other ones and on a rhythm in harmony with Santa Teresa's  I´ll be posting some works here and on my website. Thanks for following this!

Almirante Alexandrino Street Oil on canvas 120x 90 cm Sandra Nunes

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Labels: curvelo, impressionism, largo dos guimaraes, new tram, oil painting, plein air painting, Rio de janeiro landscapes, Sandra Nunes, santa teresa tram. old tram

Arte de Portas Abertas - Santa Teresa Open Studios
Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Thanks everyone who attended my show  at Centro Cultural Laurinda Santos Lobo this weekend. It was great meeting old friends and making new ones!
The show runs til August 30th from Tuesday to Sunday - from 10 am to 05:00 pm
If you happen to be in Rio at this time, stop by!

Arte de Portas Abertas Opening Night Sandra Nunes

Arte de Portas Abertas Centro Cultural Laurinda Santos Lobo Sandra Nunes

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Labels: Arte de Portas abertas, Centro cultural Laurinda Santos Lobo, chave mestra, impressionism, oil painting, sandra nunes, santa teresa tram

Vitória Regia, Star of the Waters
Friday, May 22, 2015

There´s a Tupi Guarani legend which tells that whenever the moon hid itself behind the horizon, it took its favorite maiden to live in the sky. If the moon fell in love with a girl, the girl would turn into a star. Naia, daughter of an Indian chief and princess of the tribe, was impressed with the story. Then at night when everyone was asleep , she climbed the hills chasing for the moon in the hope that it would see her.But the moon did not seem to notice her and couldn´t hear her sobs of sadness in the distance. One night, Naia saw in the clear waters of a lake the shape of the moon. The poor girl, imagining that the moon had come to pick her up, threw herself into the deep waters of the lake and was never seen again.

Posted bySandra Nunes at 8:23 AM 0 comments    

Labels: Botanical Garden, floral painting, oil painting, pleinairpainting, Sandra Nunes, star of the waters, victoria regia, victoria_amazonica

High Summer - Flamboyant in Bloom
Monday, February 9, 2015

Along with the unbearable heat, summer comes exploding in color with the lush blooming of Flamboyants all over the city!
These trees have been calling me to paint for some time now,  and soft pastels seemed to be the right choice to make justice to these flowers vibrant colors bathed by the sun.

High Summer - Flamboyant in Bloom Sandra Nunes soft pastels 35 x 61 cm

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Labels: flamboyants, High summer - Flamboyant, painting flowers, plein air painting, Rio de janeiro landscapes, Sandra Nunes, soft pastel, summer in rio

Kandinsky: Everything starts from a dot.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015

On view at Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil  Kandinsky: "Everything starts from a dot."
This show brings to Rio de Janeiro works from the artist who is considered the pioneer of abstract art. Most of the works were selected from the collection of the State Museum in St Petersburg. On display alongside works by his contemporaries and by artists who influenced him, the exhibition is a great opportunity for understanding how his art evolved from figurative to abstract.

Kandinsky and Plein Air Painting

Wassily Kandinsky  Saint George 1911 oil on canvas

Kandinsky and Arnold Schönberg letters

Wassily Kandinsky - On White 1920 oil on canvas

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Labels: abstract painting, fauvism, gabriele münter, impressionism, Kandinsky, plein air painting, Sandra Nunes, schonberg, synesthesia