FEATURED ARTISTS
Carol Adreienne
A Modern Renaissance Style Painter
Although she is currently inspired by portraits from the Renaissance, Carol Adrienne is the epitome of the modern woman artist. She learns technique from the internet, searching for models, YouTube videos and other tutorials online.
Carol, the author of more than ten self-help books, spent decades researching and writing. But in her retirement years, she has resumed her life-long interest in art. Now she applies her research mind to art.
I talked to Carol about her current series, she calls “Queens,” consisting of dozens of portraits of regal women, copied from images of mostly Renaissance portraits. When she couldn’t find portraits of women of color from that era, she found photographs of tribal queens and oriental empresses for inspiration. But all of the women she depicts are wearing lavish, ornate costumes, copious jewels, and headdresses or crowns.
“The thing that really got me into female portraits is that I love replicating the depth and beauty of jewels,” Carol said. “I wanted to paint these noblewomen with their fabulous jewels.” She found tutorials on YouTube with step by step instructions for capturing the depth of rubies and emeralds. Carol uses acrylic paint only and the Renaissance painters used oil, so the surface results differ. Skin tone is especially challenging. Rendering light on skin is very difficult in acrylic because the medium is more opaque than oil.
But Carol says, “It’s a bit daunting to follow the old masters. I’m not striving to replicate their techniques. I use their paintings for inspiration, and I do what I can do.”
Even though she starts with an original, I can see in her renditions that all of her paintings look like they were done by the same person. They are fresher and more up to date. And they have a softness that is very kind to their subjects. Carol is celebrating female beauty. She has nostalgia for the timeless beauty in fashion, textiles, and jewelry, when women would adorn themselves in splendor. “Beauty is my guiding light,” she says.
Graciela Placak
"As the pandemic is hopefully ending, I was tired of the dark and I wanted something positive. This new work reflects the hope and joy I want to bring to people,” Graciela told me. The work abounds with positive imagery: butterflies, balloons, flowers, hummingbirds, the moon, the sun. Most paintings feature women, realistic or abstracted, dreamy and contemplative. “My goal with each painting in this series is to invite the viewer to come on a journey of discovery and well-being and experience feelings of hope, joy, love and wonder.”
To achieve her effects, Graciela experimented by mixing acrylic and metallic paints. She started each painting by priming the canvas with gesso and stucco, using a palette knife to create form, shape and texture. For the more realistic pieces, she painted layers of diluted washes of bright colors. The acrylic/metallic mixture reflects the light from different angles giving a 3D effect. When painting faces, she used Yupo paper to convey the smoothness of skin, and then applied varnish to preserve the skin tone. The faces were painted with fine, round brushes and the backgrounds were painted with large brushes, rags and paper towels.
A pop-up show featuring her new series will be held downtown at Artonomi Fine Art in late fall. In the meantime, she is offering classes at the Ranch on a continuing basis and has just started teaching a “sip and paint” class at In Good Taste, the new wine tasting room downtown. For each class she brings a photograph of a master work that the students' study and copy. This method of art training has been traditional throughout history and Graciela makes it easy by providing canvas, paint, brushes, and step-by- step instruction. “It’s the best way to learn different styles by close observation and tryingto replicate what you see. What’s fascinating is that by the end of the class everyone’s painting looks similar to the example but clearly has the mark of the individual student.”
“Although they are copying, whatever is in them is coming out and the result doesn’t matter. As Salvador Dali once said ‘What we see isn’t in things, it’s in our souls’.”
Graciela Placak was born in Madrid, Spain and was raised in Colombia South America where she was influenced by a large family of artists. She has been painting since childhood. Graciela, who studied Architecture and Fine Arts at University of Saint Thomas in South America, came to the USA in 1983. She is married to Bob Placak and mother to four handsome boys. Since arriving in the USA, Graciela has been commission to do specialized pieces including Murals, Mosaics, Stained Glass, Wine Labels and Portraits for both commercial and residential clients. She has done all the designs for the RCP Tiburon Mile and has worked on many other art projects for schools, restaurants and private clients.
Graciela works in her studio in Tiburon and is known for painting with colorful, fine, almost see through strokes. She paints beautiful, powerful landscapes and seascapes that depict a regions soul. Her attention to detail is mesmerizing. After 40 years of experience she is teaching Oil and Acrylic Art Classes. Contact Graciela to visit her collection or discuss a commissioned artwork. On instagram: Art by Graciela
For more information contact graciela.placak@gmail.com
Bill Wheeler
Learning from my Students (by Graciela Placak)
Sometimes my students teach me more than I teach them. For the past year I have been visiting the Pt Tiburon home of Bill Wheeler and his wife Ingrid. The couple just celebrated their 50th anniversary. At first, I was there to practice Spanish with Bill , but I couldn’t help noticing the numerous large paintings that line the halls and brighten almost every wall of the spacious condo. Bold and dramatic, most depicting foreign locales, I was surprised to learn that all of them were painted by Bill. But, he told me, he had not painted in years. “Why don’t we do Spanish and paint together?” I suggested.
Bill, a 1960s graduate of Yale and the London School of Economics, spent his early career working for the State Department. Subsequently he owned a number of businesses, including a vineyard in Healdsburg, settled in Tiburon, but visited San Miquel Allende, Mexico upon retirement. It was in San Miguel that Bill first began to paint. And without any previous experience or training he developed a distinct style all his own.
These paintings capture experiences that Bill had; as he paints we talk and he tells me the stories of the paintings. Many portray vivid celebrations in the countries he visited, like the Macumba dancers in Brazil and the costumed characters in a parade in San Miguel Allende.
When he started to paint again, his dormant mastery awoke. Working from his own photographs for inspiration, he first sketches a scene using a little piece of charcoal. Next, he uses a spray fixative to keep the charcoal from smearing. Then dipping into paint, he uses long handled fat brushes and rapidly covers a large canvas He works quickly and boldly and can outline a subject with just a few strokes.
I discovered that he didn’t need lessons from me. He has an innate style that can’t be taught. And I am reminded that this is true of so many artists. It’s a privilege for me to encourage and nurture what the artist has within. Bill takes me to places I’ve never been and I’m happy to go along for the ride.