BEST IN 2007

This is the Jan./Feb. 2008 edition of "Watercolor Artist" magazine previously named Watercolor Magic which will be available in art magazine sections in prominent bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders. They have included the best of watercolors for 2007. These are paintings that won a major award and they are all wonderful artists. I am pleased to be among the award winners and took great pride in a quote from Dean Mitchell regarding my painting "Venetian Gold". I respect Dean's work very much. His work is among the best.

The editior's note on page 4 has a quote from yours truly in her column. Everything is absolutely true and now I know where I stand in the international art world. This year has been the most transitional year of my life in a very good and yet sometimes unsure way. I guess that is what change is all about.

Good things can happen when you least expect them.

Diego Rivera Mural

For those of you that have never visited the Detroit Institute of Arts, there are hugh murals that Diego Rivera painted in one of the main halls of the Museum. It was interesting to see them as a back drop to the huge party that was taking place within the hall itself. To be able to sit there sipping a glass of wine and enjoying a seafood cocktail in the midst of all this artwork was really not an experience that I had pictured myself doing anytime soon. It was like being at a fancy restaurant that Diego just happened to be called to decorate! How cool. This is another photo taken to accompany the article below regarding the gala.

Detroit Institute of Arts Gala

Hi everyone from the DIA gala! It was definitely a night to remember. Interesting entertainment, interesting food, interesting art and people. I took some time away from my own artwork and painting projects to attend this red carpet extravaganza. For those of you viewing my blog and do not live in the Detroit area, the DIA has undergone a major renovation plus expansion. The museum has been under construction for the last three years and was closed a good part of 2007.

On November 10, they rolled out the red carpet (literally) for a fancy get together for anyone who was willing to pay between $2400 to $200 per ticket to attend. Detroit notibles were in attendance. And of course, I had to add my watercolor celebrity status to the mix. Why not, I say. The museum looked the best that I have ever seen.

I hope that this will be just the beginning of more cultural expansion here in Detroit. We need it!

"Saveurs de la Provence"

Saveurs de la Provence translated is flavors of Provence. This latest watercolor reminds me of the linens that I bought while traveling in the South of France last year. A comment that I would like to make is that the French are not afraid to use color and they do so with a lot of style and class. This is a brand new painting that I just completed this evening and I was not sure of the final result. But when all was said and done, I am pleased with the result. Every painting has a certain mood. The lighting that I tried to convey was one of being late at night and looking for a late night snack. There is just a single source of light in the room and shined on this table with linens strewed about to create some interesting shadows patterns on the colorful linens from Provence while the "marionette" watches over the scene.

I wanted the viewer to feel like they just stepped into a French dining room in Provence. I found a fun webcam linked to a French bakery in Paris. It shows them making the breads in their ovens. The site is: www.siteparc.fr/bonneau/webcam.htm.

Not Titled (Yet)

I have not titled this painting yet. When I came up with the design, I had been playing around with some decorative papers, and shells and I came up with this realistic but somewhat contemporary composition. Composition I think is really key to any painting. Even if the painting technique is not quite as sophisticated, how it is composed can make it intriquing. I need a simple, contemporary name for this painting. Maybe in time, it will come to me. Any thoughts will be taken into consideration.

"Venice"

This painting done from images taken while on vacation in Venice is from an area in the canals where all the gondolas gather to take people out on rides. I don't know if I would have wanted to stay at that particular hotel in that area as it must get awfully noisy especially at night. This painting was done on watercolor board as opposed to paper and created a different effect. For those of you that have a Mac, there is a widget of a live webcam from Venice. You can find it at: http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/webcams/livevenice.html

"Made in Italy"

Bon Giorno! Guess what these are? They are glass "candies" made in Italy. I picked them up from the island of Burano near Venice. They sell these all over Italy. All are very colorful and made to look like the real thing. This painting made it into the 2005 National Watercolor show whichs take place on the West Coast usually in a suburb of LA. This is quite different than my Venetian Gold. I used several different colors and displayed them all on a murano glass plate. Looking back, I see a lot that I could of added to the painting but choose instead to go with the white plain background. I like the fact that with all of these paintings, the objects that I have collected bring back good memories of where I was and what the day was like. Burano is a fishing village where all the houses are painted different bright colors. This is also an island where they make hand-made lace. I would recommend anyone to visit if you ever go to Venice.

"Caribbean Beat"

Ever been to a caribbean island? This painting is from a photo I took while in St. Maarten and this street scene is of Phillipsburg on the dutch side of the island. Whether it is because of the different subject or because it is taken from a photo, my watercolor technique looks different. Does it look like an original Paula Fiebich? That is the question. You send me your comments.

"Afterglow"

Here is my latest painting "Afterglow". Now a lot of people that have looked at this love it but have to look deeper into the painting to see what is really going on. Everybody wants me to do another painting just like Venetian Gold, I feel a need to mix it up a bit. The goblet in the center is a piece of murano glass from Italy, the scarf is from Florence (once again) and the bottle of liquer is from France. (See here is a mix of my French and Italian themes again.) Some say it is so feminine and I say yes it is, is that a problem. What I tried to capture was a sense of flowing movement. The painting is 23x30. Upon studying it, observers begin to see what I saw while painting it. I wanted it to "glow".

"Venetian Gold"

This is my painting that was awarded the AWS Gold Metal of Honor for 2007. It is currently a part of the American Watercolor Society's traveling exhibit around the US. It has been to Gloucester, Massachusetts, Port Huron, Michigan, El Dorado, Arkansas, and is now on its way to Tullahoma, Tennessee. The painting was purchased by an art collector in New York City during the 140th Exhibit held last April.

Here is some background about the painting itself. I purchased the mask in Venice, Italy a few years ago and will never forget my experience of traveling there. There is no other city in the world like Venice. It is definitely magical. I tried to capture that feeling in this painting. The scarf come from Florence. It was sold to me as a Versace replica. I didn't care, I liked the design and colors. Both items came from a part of the world that I have come to love. The art that I experienced there has left a lifetime impression and I plan to go back whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Because of requests for prints of this painting, I have limited edition Iris giclee prints on Arches watercolor which I am currently selling through a gallery out in California. It is the World Art Gallery in Ladera Ranch. The website is: www.worldartpublishing.org. Contact me for further information.

The start of something big

Or so I wish or hope for. Who knows where life can lead. Today I am creating my first blog all to do with art, watercolor in particular, my personal artwork and my love of anything Italian or French. These are all of my most favorite things in life and when I can combine them.....well you will see for yourself. Did I mention cooking, recipes and food also? Or fine wines? I think this all goes hand in hand with a love of creating something wonderful. I have been to Italy twice and the South of France once, but have been creating works of art many times over. I have also sampled my share of wines and enjoyed good recipes countless times. I hope that my blog will be enjoyed by those who like art, travel and cooking all in combination with each other. So let's get going....


Today, I am home working on another watercolor painting hopefully with the idea of submitting it to one of the national or international watercolor societies here in the USA. I am recently the recipient of the American Watercolor Society 2007 Gold Metal of Honor. Yes, this is true that is why this is the start of something big. But how can I out do myself now? Not all of my paintings can possibly be Gold Metal winners can they? This was my first time entering a painting into AWS and that alone is very difficult to get accepted into, and on my first try, I walk away with the Gold Metal. Now what? Talk about pressure. But I am not going to let that stand in the way of me creating paintings that are maybe just honorable mentions. The creative process has its good days and cosi cosi days and I accept that. But everyone around me has suddenly become an expert on telling me what to paint next. I wonder if Monet ran into this when he started getting noticed. And if he did, I would imagine he told them where to get off, just like I am learning to do.