Tracey Costescu Fine Art

This year I am offering an online studio sale of some of my smaller works.  Prices include shipping (in North America) and taxes.  Secure payment is set up through PayPal.   Upon receipt of your order, you will receive a confirmation email from me along with the expected arrival time of your artwork, which depending on location is roughly 7 - 10 business days.   Happy holidays!   Blue Vase with Flowers  8x10" Oil Painting Dried Flowers 8x10" Oil Painting Blue Vase with Skull 8x10" Oil Painting Flower 8x10" Oil Painting Seashell  8x10" Oil Painting includes shipping Rose Duo  8x10" Oil Painting includes shipping Figure  12x12" Acrylic Painting Portrait  8x10" Oil Painting

Join me for a free demo at Coquitlam's Opus Art Store on November 18.  Creating a still life starts long before the brush hits the canvas.  We will start with tips on how to set up and light your still life, choosing materials and discuss various processes that can be employed to paint without solvents. We will also cover the different methods of painting a still life, Alla Prima (direct) vs Classical (indirect).  Examples of each method will be shown at various stages which will hopefully will inspire you to paint a still life the way that suits you best. Space is limited and registration is required. Please visit Opus Coquitlam or contact them at 604‑545‑0410 to register. https://opusartsupplies.com/how/demos/art-still-life-non-toxic-oils

Oil on Canvas Board and Set Up I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to take another workshop with the amazing, talented, generous, patient...I could go on, Graydon Parrish . This is the third time I have had the opportunity to take one of his workshops (see Workshop 1 and Workshop 2 for more info) and every time I am amazed at how much I learn yet how relaxed and fun the process is.  When I learn on my own, it is more like a battle of wills and frustration and as I tend to learn by realizing what not to do....and then learning by the process. The workshop was two weeks long during which time Graydon walked us through setting up the still life which he set up as a work of art in itself.  He showed us how to determine the colors of the fabric and how the light affects the hue, value and chroma.  He had us paint half a sphere and cube with the local color to better understand what we were seeing.  We then mixed the color strings we needed by matching the...

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...

View from Pagoda Ridge Golf - 5x7" Oil on Paper Last week I got to spend two wonderful days at Wisteria Acres for the Art Retreat in Langley, BC put on by Michael King & Lalita Hamill ....SO fun! I went last year for one day but this year I planned ahead so I could make it for two days.  On the first day Michael King did  a demo filled with tons of great tips.  We then went to Pagoda Ridge Golf club to paint for a few hours.   When we got there everyone migrated to a huge shady tree (did I mention it was smokin hot, 34 degrees, ugh) and set up in front of a pond with a beautiful view of the mountains.  I loved the pond but of course the view I wanted was outside the golf course, looking through a chain link fence.   Luckily I still had the shade of the tree so it was such a great afternoon of painting.  I have not done much plein air or alla prima painting as I mostly do indirect oil painting.  I found that I tend to rush...

I often get asked what paints, brushes & supplies I use so I thought I would create a post with images for all us visual learners to make sharing the info easier. These are the supplies that I use when I teach my workshops and art classes.  My next class starts in March, please visit http://register.asapconnected.com/EventDetail.aspx?pk=343461 if you would like more information. Brushes   Silver Bristalon Synthetic Round s - Absolutely LOVE these brushes! They allow you to scrub to your hearts content yet the bristles stay together nicely and do not splay.  They may break down over time, but they always retain their shape and you don't get that annoying odd stray hair sticking out the side as you usually do with scrubbing brushes.   Silver Ruby Satin Synthetic - Again love this brush.  Excellent snap, soft yet able to achieve fine control.  Very resilient brush. Rosemary & Co Ivory Long Flat - Love, love these brushes for a...