Tracey Costescu Fine Art

I was so fortunate to get to go to a 2 day workshop this past Mother's Day weekend in North Vancouver with the wonderful Deborah Tilby.  While I was unable to complete either painting, I got a TON of work done.  Alla prima painting is so much faster than indirect painting.  It definitely gets the adrenaline running as you know at the workshops, just like when plein air painting, you only have so much time to get things done! The landscape painting was done on the first day and really all I think it needed is to push the dark and light values further.  I always struggle with this and seem to have to keep pushing as I go to get the full value range.  I also think the barn could use a bit of fixing up, maybe a window or two? The seascape was done on the second day, I was SO sick :(  I spent the morning painting and actually considered packing up and going home after an hour.  I felt so ill...hot...cold....dizzy...nausea....Happy Mother's Day to me!...

Rough Oil Sketch by Student - 8x10" So proud of my student this morning who attempted her first oil sketch in preparation for her landscape painting...and she hit it out of the park!  We did a rough sketch using Burnt Sienna thinned down with Gamsol odorless mineral spirits. I love this stage of a painting as things fall into place so quickly and it is just so satisfying to see everything come together so quickly. Look at that focus and how she is holding the brush way, way back....makes me very happy :)

Oil Leaf Study This is a little study I did over the summer of some leaves I found on a hike up Simon Fraser Mountain.  The tree was full of these beautiful shiny leaves, I had to paint it. I did not have my paints with me and my hiking partner (aka hubby) would not have been impressed if I had and I could not fit the tree in my trunk so a bunch of branches had to do.  The leaves are so much more chromatic than I objects I usually paint so I thought they would be fun to work with and I was right.  If you are interested in learning to paint alla prima, join me Monday nights or Mondays during the date for watercolor lessons at the Port Moody Arts Centre.  You can register online at Port Moody Arts Center Online Link or call 604-931-2008 to register. Into the Blue - Detail Watercolor on Arches Paper

Well, that was fun, well fun like a long workout is when you are done ;) It definitely helps to have good music when paint mixing as sometimes it can seem like it can take forever to get the exact mix you are looking for.  It is so worth it though as there is nothing better than having all of your paint premixed in clean little tubes so that you can squish out fresh paint every time you paint.   I have thought of mixing while sipping a glass wine or martini but I am sure I would end up with very sub par mixes ;) I don't premix all my colors but I find it so helpful to premix a flesh palette as I may not get the chance to paint every day, especially in the summer, and there is nothing worse than mixing up your paint and then having to through it all out because it did not keep between sessions.  Also, as some days I only have an hour to two to paint and if I have all of my colors premixed, I get to spend almost all of the time painting rather than g...

Just a few of the fun projects will be working on at the next Acrylic Abstraction class starting Sep 24, 2015 at the Port Moody Arts Center. If you would like to join me, please register online at Port Moody Arts Center Online Link or call 604-931-2008.  Please register at least 5 days prior to class start date.

I wanted to share these beautiful pieces created by one of my students during one of my recent Acrylic Abstraction Classes.  She framed the pieces beautifully and they were included in the student exhibit at Port Moody Arts Center. The pieces were done as part of one of the exercises that we do during class which is a process of exploration of how we can allow acrylics to react with the paper which guides how the painting will evolve.  For the top painting, three colors were used, for the bottom, only two colors were use.  Just goes to show what you can achieve with a very limited palette and a keen eye! If you are interested, I have another Acrylic Abstraction class starting Sep 24 on Thur nights from 7-9pm.  You can register online at Port Moody Arts Center Online Link or call 604-931-2008 to register.

Still Life Seashell - Oil on Panel (Indirect Method) Wow, time is flying by! Registration is already open for fall art classes.  Please check out my Workshops & Classes page to see a full list of classes I am offering this September. I have planned new exercises and some fun projects for each of the classes and am so excited to share them! Students have already signed up for several of the classes so if you are thinking of joining me, please don't wait too long to decide as spaces are limited. Looking forward to another fun fall of teaching and sharing my love of art with all the art lovers out there :)

Blue Vase, Green Apples - 6x8" Oil on Paper Canvas This is a little alla prima painting I painted yesterday in my studio, SO much fun!  The blue vase I found last week at the thrift store and love it.  I have been hunting for simple ceramic bowls and vases to paint and got very lucky with this one as it was exactly what I was looking for. I usually paint using the indirect method but as I am short on time in the studio over the summer, I wanted to try alla prima so I could get in & get out all in one day as who knows when I can get back in the studio in this heat! I used a very limited palette, only the three primary colors and burnt umber and white which is the same palette I use for plein air painting.  Using a limited palette really simplifies the painting process and makes the painting feel more harmonious...plus I manage to keep my palette so much more organized and clean! I will have to take a photo of my palette next time.  This was painted from ...

Graphite Pencil - Master Copy Study I completed...well I think it is done....this study of Plate II, 23 which is a copy of a study of A Roman Woman by Adolphe-William Bouguereau (1825-1905).  It is not nearly as accurate as it should be but I was having so much fun that I just decided to let her be herself.  I will have to do the study again in the future and be more diligent.   I started this just prior to my drawing classes that I am teaching as a way to get back in the swing of drawing. It had been awhile since I had the time to draw and draw just for pleasure and it was SO much fun.  I love painting but the more I paint and then go back to drawing the more I realize how much I really love drawing.  I plan to draw several more plates and master copies over the summer months.  I hope to have one on-going in the studio and just left on an easel so on days where I only have limited time, I can just pop in and get some art time in.  It is the best...

Hard at Work I am so proud of my student's hard work! She is taking my Drawing From Life class and is working on a portrait that she will be giving away as a gift.  It is such a busy time of year yet she will be working every night this week to complete her portrait on time...while trying very hard not to rush! Things really started to take shape tonight and I can't wait to see the final piece by the end of tomorrow night, nothing like working under a deadline to get you to maximum productivity level ;)

Sustained Pose - Drawing of Lily Well this Tues was the last drawing session with Suite E Life Drawing group until September, gasp...sob.  This is my effort from that session with a lot of shading work done at home, I am sooo slow! There are several areas that I would have liked to improve but this method while hugely fun, is not one of speed, so this is as far as I got.  I would love to have sessions with the model where we do the same pose and model for two to four sessions to fully complete a drawing...perhaps something that the group can implement next season if others are interested? If you would like to put add your voice, please join us for our AGM Tues June 9th at Port Moody Arts Center.   We are a non-profit Life Drawing Group and welcome new members and drop in artists and students. You are welcome to become a member if you are not already as memebers decide on what things to keep or change to make annually to make our life drawing group even better y...

Portable Shadow Box I needed to come up with shadow boxes for my Drawing from Life class that are portable, have attached lighting, quick to set up & take down and reasonably cheap.  No small order!  So shopping I went.  I had a several ideas of what I could use, cardboard boxes, black fabric bins...but in the end I decided to go with black foam core.    The boxes are made from four pieces of foam core cut to the same size, in this case roughly 13x14".  I then taped three pieces together along the longest sides, alternating the side that I taped on.  This way the "boxes" fold flat like an accordion in seconds.  The third piece of foam core is the same size and sits on top.  I wanted to leave the top unattached to keep things portable but also, this way I can slide fabric over the back panel if I choose for different set ups.  The base is just black construction paper that I will cut to size.  The reason I chose pa...

Drawing Class Supplies Look at all the goodies I got from Colour's Artist Supplies !  I love shopping for art supplies, any art supplies and I especially love shopping at Colour's.  Everyone there is so helpful and really passionate about art so we always get chatting about or latest projects.  Laury makes my life as a teacher so much easier as she organized and rounds everythign up for me so I can just come in and pick everything up.  They even offered to cut up my full sheets of drawing paper for me and practically gift wrapped it :) These supplies are for my lucky students that signed up for my Drawing From Life class that starts June 1.  The black foam core sheets are not technically part of the supplies as I bought those for me..for what you ask?  You will have to wait to see, so excited to "build" with them. There are two days left (I never count the day I am on ;)) and two spots left so if you would like to join us, you can sign up using...

Drawing Classes Starting June 1 Scroll Down for More Info I get asked this at pretty much every class that I teach.  My answer is always, draw, draw, draw.  Yes, I know, I have heard that a zillion times, but the fact is, it really is true. If you can not draw it, imagine how much harder it is to paint it when you are dealing with drawing (proportionsa and form modeling) as well as color and paint handling. For years I did not do thumbnail sketches and pencil studies prior to starting a painting as I was so anxious to dive in and hey, I only have a few hours here and there to get stuff done.  I would use a grid to draw out a reasonably quick outline sketch of my subject and then it was on to the paint. Without fail though, I would struggle so much during the painting process, unsure as to what I was really seeing.  The painting, more often than not, turned out ok in the end, but it was always such a struggle and I did not feel like I was improving nearly a...