2016 Art Calendar and Art as a gift

Dear Friends,


The Holiday Season is approaching quickly! I already feel there is a sweet smell in the air! It's time to think about gifts for all of your friends and loved ones.

There are so many different gift guides published every year; but there is nothing better than a unique art gift like a painting that unveils emotions, touches soul, and brings joy! If there is a special someone in your life and you want to get them something one of a kind then please consider purchasing my art or if you would like to receive my paintings this holiday year then let all your friends and family know! Either way it's one less gift to cross off your holiday shopping list!

For a selection of unique art, please visit my website www.starkovagallery.com where you can choose and buy a great art gift at various prices!

I have also created a colorful Calendar for 2016 with my most recent paintings which can be a great inexpensive (only $40) gift as well! (Please note this is a standard US calendar, Sunday through Saturday).

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions!

Happy Holidays!

6 weeks until 2016!

With 2016 just around the corner, I have created a long to-finish-by-the-new-year list which beside lots of household stuff, also includes my art business: an update and upgrade of my website, studio inventory and organization, etc.

This leaves me almost no time to paint but I feel like if I don't check all these off my list now it will grow as a snowball and it will painfully hit me later. Besides, now it's a great time as everyone is trying to complete all the resolutions they made for this year.

One more item from my to-do list is to try to show how my paintings would look like in a room environment. Buut this will be my ongoing task. Below you can see an example, my diptych "Along the Charles" in a modern set room; the painting brings feel of nature to the environment and light fresh breeze.

Here is the close-up of the painting:

"Along the Charles" (acrylic on canvas; 20"x16" each panel)

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Another reason why I would like to finish a lot of organizational tasks now is that I might participate in a new Challenge "30 paintings in 30 days" in January 2016. But more updates about that later.

"Floral Liaisons" painting

Finally! I completed my big floral painting! It took me a while to finish it due to a long absence from my studio during summer months and because of my participation in the "30 paintings in 30 days" Challenge in September when I put all of my focus on small works. My goal was to finish "Floral Liaisons" by end of October so I could exhibit it at the upcoming show in Boston (at Prudential Center, Huntington Arcade - Winter Garden, November 5-21, 2015, free and open to public) and I'm so happy I did it!

I painted each flower with every fine detail, most attention and I enjoyed the process very much. The goal was to keep the background simple and and have all the attention on the flowers.

In order to showcase the various stages of blooming; in the painting I had some flowers that were very fresh while others had already begun fading. Despite the fading flowers, the bouquet is still gorgeous and attractive. In addition, this painting is very personal to me because it represents my present state of mind. As many of you know, I became a mother a year ago and it altered many aspects of my life. They say after having a baby a woman flourishes, that's what I feel and that's what I wanted to show in my painting. I hope that you like it!

The "30 in 30" Challenge - lessons learned

The September "30 paintings in 30 days" Challenge is now complete. Due to my passion for details, I spent approximately two days on one work (technically, 4-5 hours) and I was able to complete 16 drawings and paintings. And I'm happy I reached my mini-goal. It was a great challenge for me and I learned so much from the entire experience! Here is what I learned: 1) Get materials (paints, pencils, brushes, canvases and/or paper, erasers) in advance in order to avoid multiple visits to an art supply store; which will then free up more time for painting. 2) Plan a theme and subjects to paint well in advance. I know that sometimes for me like many other artists it can take a while to decide on what to paint. Looking through reference materials for an hour to find the one that fits the mood of the day will be a waste of time during the Challenge. I chose floral theme and wanted to paint all the flowers that my husband gave to me (however, that would be at least 100 paintings).

3) Plan in advance but save some space for spontaniety. I had to start my Challenge away from my studio with no paints, just paper and pencil. Drawing a rose is one thing, but drawing a bouquet would never transfer all the vibrancy of the flowers with just pencil. So I had to change the entire theme and I found a great source of inspiration in silver serving set which was perfect subject to draw. 4) Be consistent. After the seventh drawing I was tempted to change to acrylic and watercolor painting and for a brief moment I did end up changing subjects but in the end I came back to drawing in order to complete the ititial theme I chose.  5) Stay strong. To be honest there were moment when I felt rushed and I didn't feel comfortable with the pace the Challenge was going. I'm very hard on myself and I consider myself to be a result oriented artist. I fully realized that from the Challenge and now I know what to work on and I'm confident that this entire expericenve will improve future painting processes. Overall, the Challenge was one of the most interesting art events I have ever taken part in. Maybe I was not completely ready for it but I enjoyed the Challenge and took a lot of positive feedback from it and things to improve on in the future. This past September was the most productive month this year. I'm looking forward to tackling this Challenge next time because I now know what to expect and hopefully will be better prepared to complete the maxi-goal.

Work on the big floral

Since the completion of the Challenge I have resumed work on the large (30"x30") floral painting which I hope to finish by end of October (fingers crossed). Here is detail:

 

  

I would like to complete at least two floral paintings of the same size (30"x30") to make a pair unless the first painting finds a new home before I start work on the second one. Other floral paintings will be smaller in size. I would really like to paint all the flowers that my husband has given me. That will be a great series of paintings!

16 paintings of September

A small collage of the 16 works:

And an interactive gallery:

Photo Gallery by QuickGallery.com

30 paintings in 30 days - Day 30

On final day of the Challenge I decided to rework two of the acrylic paintings I started several days ago. So now I have three paintings with ceramic still life.

 "Terracotta and Yellow" (acrylic on canvas panel; 8"x6")

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"Terracotta and White" (acrylic on canvas panel; 8"x6")

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 "Terracotta and Blue" (acrylic on canvas panel; 8"x6")

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