"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.