"If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world on fire".  
  
 "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams".

"Nothing great is ever achieved without enduring".

"We had enough of exhortations to be silent. Cry out with a hundred thousand tongues. I see that the world is rotten because of silence".      Santa Caterina da Siene
Note:
Hi...
     Yes, I know....It has been awhile since I have posted. I just got back from spending a month in Italy. What a great time. I played, observed, painted, walked and walked and walked......I just wanted to feel the country. I stayed in apartments among the locals, shopped in their food stores, slipped across the street or around a corner to have my morning espresso/pastry (sometimes twice a day), waving from my window Buongiorno (Hello..Good Day) to my Italian neighbor in their window and hung out in piazzas observing, taking photos and sketching. What a life.

   Besides all that, I had a wonderful experience I want to pass on to you. I learned about an amazing woman, Santa Caterina da Siene (St Catherine of Siene). The above quotes are from her. Image those quotes coming from a woman in the 1300's !!

       Siene is filled with art about her and from that, learning of her...made the art come alive.

      The Siene apartment I stayed in was on St Caterina street (via St. Caterina)....from my window I could see across the street her home she was born and raised in: her church, 
S. Domenico, (I heard the bells all day) where she had some of her miracles: and her altar window (the little religious altar windows hanging on buildings), and I viewed many paintings about her in many galleries. Below, are some facts about her life.

St Caterina prayer card

Santa Caterina da Siene (St. Catherine of Siene)....3/17/1347 born in Siene and died in Rome 4/29/1380. She was one of 25 kids and a twin (who died soon after birth). Half of the 25 died at birth.  At age 5 or 6, she had a vision of Christ  and by age 7...she vowed to give her whole life to God. At age 21..she experienced a "Mystical Marriage" with Jesus (many paintings show that). She did many miracles and she was the go between the Pope, Florence and Siene in keeping peace, plus she helped the ill and women. She is the patron saint of nurses and fire protection. She refused to marry as her Dad wanted and the nuns wouldn't take her because they took only widows...so she was a nun that lived outside of the order. She wrote over 400 letters, quotes to the Pope and other people in the church...300 still are around. She was sainted in 6/18/1866 (one of 2 patron saints of Italy with St. Francis of Assisi) and Oct 1999, Pope John Paul II named her one of 6 patron saints of Europe. Oct 1970, Pope Paul VI proclaimed her "Doctor of the Church". She was canonized...6/29/1461 by Pope Pius II.  I went to her home and the church. The church is the most plain one ever...it has a wooden bean ceiling...hardly any art or sculptures etc...it is huge (no photos were allowed...so I don't have any). What it does have is her head and finger.  Since she died in Rome, they built a church for her (near the Pantheon) and buried her there. But the people of Siene wanted at least part of her for Siene...so they went and stole her head. They had her head in a bag and when the guards looked into it...all they saw were rose petals...but when they got out of the guards reach, they looked inside and saw the head. Another miracle. She is shown with roses in paintings. The church has a lot of paintings just about her. She couldn't eat most of her life...she called it an illness  and then she couldn't drink water either. She died of a stroke....she was only 33 yrs old.  Kind of neat to  be in the middle of her history and see paintings about her.

St Caternia's altar window outside my window

View outside another of my windows...the arches are St Caterina's home and the S. Domenico church.

 The medieval hilltop walled town of Siene, Italy. Look at the large piazza (Piazza del Campo), then look left of that until you see the arches...that is St Caterina's home. My apartment is right next to the arches.

                                                                    

The plain S. Domenico...church. St Caterina was affiliated with it.

In comparison with S. Demenico: the Siene Cathedral was so ornate it was over the top. You can see it as the huge white building in the above city aerial view.

Siene Cathedral...exterior.

Siene cathedral...interior.

Hi...Here are more paintings for you to enjoy. Class this term didn't really have a challenge...but to maybe paint large. We had the room this term, but not the time, as this term we had only 4 weeks instead of 5 weeks. Michael took the challenge to heart and painted really large....I forgot to measure, but it had to be at around 3 x 4 feet?

I'll be out and about during this 2 month break...but the class hopes to meet and paint together...I think that shows a great group of fellow painters and friends. Have a great time. I'll see you again when Fall Term starts.

Michael:

Mary:

Kathy:

Byrnie:

Views:...3,995....USA, China and Mexico.

                           Featured Artist

Here is Art Bits 2nd Featured Artist. Colette has been a student with me from the Beginning Class to some years now as an Intermediate Artist/Student. I enjoy her artwork and I hope you will too.

Colette  Fleck

"I'm originally from Northern California and spent much of my youth participating in the arts, including music and painting in High School and College. I finally retired three years ago after 35 years working with social service programs. I'm having a lot of fun re-learning how to paint. Here are some things I've done recently and not so recently. I'm hoping to recapture some of the fearlessness I had in my youth".

            

Poppies: 1977

             Pigeon barn: 1980

Horse Mt...acrylic 2008

Pear

Ruby  2014

Cave-Willow Creek   2014


McCloud  2014

Salamanca

                                    Cave on Willow Creek  #1

Views: 3904 total views.  (This week so far)......from USA and Russia.

Calling all Artists:
I'm calling all artist from around the world to consider being a "Featured Artist" on this blog. Would love to hear from anyone....no matter where you live, what mediums you use, what genre etc.
Just e-mail me (rainbowleaforiginals@gmail.com) a few photos of your work with descriptions and an introductory letter about yourself. 

(See Micheal's page...June 9th posting).

Blog Views: This week so far...3858 views...from: USA, Russia, Belgium, France, Germany, Lithuania & Ukraine.

Plein Air:
A few weeks ago, my Plein Air class went out to paint along the lake. It was a little windy and cool and most stayed the whole 3 hours. Below are some photos taken that day....sorry I didn't get photos of everyone's paintings.

General Photos:

Liz:

Watercolor

John:

Watercolor

Mary:

watercolor

Karen:

Watercolor

                          Class Challenge
             Viewers....Hold Onto Your Hats
              You Are In For a Visual Treat

"Copy Another Artist's Painting Challenge"
The painting challenge I presented to my Intermediate Students, as an educational learning experience, was to copy another artist's painting. Much can be learned by copying brushstroke by brushstroke from a painting....observation, brush control, color mixing etc.  I remember my days of copying a master's painting when I was getting my art degree.

Each student understands that this challenge is for their education...and that they can never sign their name, show or sale this challenge painting....but, they can enjoy...as you will.

Below are their "Copy Another Artist's Painting Challenge" masterpieces.

Michael:  Remember Michael as the First Featured Artist (May 9th posting)...here is his                                 "Copy Another Artist's Painting Challenge" painting.

Original...Leonid Afremov

Michael's copy....acrylic (unfinished)

Mary:

Original...Winslow Homer

Mary's copy...watercolor

 John:

Original...Joseph Lo

John's copy...watercolor

Original...Rachel Collins

John"s copy...watercolor

Maurean:

Original...Soon Young Warren

Maurean's copy...watercolor

Jean:

Original....Wolf Schenke

Jean's copy...acrylic

Stephanie:

Original...Iain Stewart

Stephanie's copy....watercolor

                         Featured Artist

I asked my artist/students to think about becoming an Art Bits Featured Artist.... I asked for an artist statement and photos of their paintings. I thought it would be great to feature each as the interesting, individual, improving wonderful painters that they are. Below is one such painter....I hope others will follow.


(I have saved Michael's latest painting for my next posting, as it is part of our Intermediate Painting Classes's Spring Term Challenge.....Don't miss it...Michael's and the rest of the artist's challenge paintings are great.)

Michael Fritschi

"I am an amateur acrylic artist and musician from Northern California, and have recently moved to Klamath Falls, Oregon. I took a painting course back in 1996 and I was turned on to this new form of self-expression. I took a 15 year break from painting and have recently enrolled in courses from KCC in order to force myself to rediscover this important passion. While music takes presentence from my creative side, painting has found a sturdy place in my life and has brought me additional happiness.

My pre-21st century works were painted very fast, most took about 20 minutes. I felt I needed to get paint on canvas and not worry about details, I was also much less mature and had less technique (plus acrylics dry fast anyway). Post 20th century work, being a little more mature, I feel I can take my time and explore technique. This is allowing me to get into painting portraits, which I love. Because I am a novice, every painting feels like a roller coaster ride. With guidance provided by Joni, I am able to better articulate my desires for outcomes on canvas. I relish the thrill of the process more so than the result.

I live in a very peaceful place and am at a very creative time in my life. I intend to take full advantage! I enjoy playing jazz and folk records while I paint at home. I also feel that transcendental meditation allows me better focus on ideas and feelings as they are translated on canvas. This summer I look forward to taking road trips in my vw bus and meeting new people wherever I go. I have recently painted a portrait to honor a lost loved one, and have a request for a second. Mixing my art with love and comfort is becoming my latest artistic endeavor. I look forward to converting future artwork to an expression of love and healing for others, my small contribution to the greater good of human connection. In the process, I get my "roller coaster ride"..."

Michael T. Fritschi



Current Paintings

Pre-2000 Paintings

Thank you, Michael.