La mucca al pascolo

There she was.  At last I had found the one.  Although she was not my soul-mate, she was simply, my ultimate and most desirable “subject.”  And what a subject she was!

I have heard her bell not far from the medieval arched bridge, exiting Puntid, in the Calnegia valley.  I felt absurd, chasing the sound of cow bells.  Like the hide and seek game, I was obsessed with trying to figure out where the sound came from.  After all, I was already there, on top of the Foroglio Falls.  My mission was clear.  I had to capture in pencil the biggest oxymoron ever created by me:  a cute beast…a live cow!

I slowly moved in to sit as close as I could to the one cow that caught my eye.  As she chewed her never ending meal, I quickly grabbed my acrylics and started painting.  It was all good till the beast decided she had had enough.  “I’ve been hit, something hurts!”  My body sprang into action.  In a split of a second, I saw myself jump behind a boulder, paints and paper in hand.  I was bleeding and feeling like I had just walked into a nightmare!

Once the bruises and shock subsided, I came down the mountain a happy woman.

To say that “the mucca al pascolo,” is my most special piece of art is an under statement!  Nevertheless, I think I will stick to painting landscapes over moving, live, subjects.

The grazing cow

Life within a flower vase…

A full of life sketch in my sketchbook.

The sunflowers of Ticino reminded me today, of my favorite artist, Van Gogh. He undeniably painted the most sticking, live and dead, sunflowers portraits.

To me, the most interesting aspect of Van Gogh paintings were not his subjects, but his own interpretation of life. Fresh sunflowers lift our spirits up, not because of their bright colors, but because they are alive. The opposite can be said about tired sunflowers that patiently await death in an empty vase. There, between the stench of rotten mold and death, lies an important reminder that life is truly short.

In honor of such truth, and wonderful flower painter, I filled in another page in my sketch book. My drawing is about life. It is a about a simple, plumped up, yet full of life plant that reminded today, to live life to the fullest!

A special spot in Canada

Pencils, color pencils, crayons, pens, and erasers. Those were the only things I thought I needed to create a world made entirely by me. I was a content child.

Then I turned 14.

I was living in Canada when I took art seriously. My art teacher introduced me to all sorts of materials and techniques that helped me recreate far away lands. Those were never imaginary places but spots I had only seen in pictures and on tv.

It never crossed my mind to paint Canadian landscapes. I thought there was no one else but Emely Carr, to let Canadians see the beauty and spiritual essence of my beloved Western coast. I also thought there was no one like Lawren Harris to translate the magical secrets of the Canadian Artic, or the Rocky mountains.

It’s not till this summer that I understood my necessity to capture what other well known Canadian artists have already accomplished:  to create a visual poetry of the places that have seen us grow…of the places we call home…of a giant beauty that Canada is!

I chose to paint, as my first Canadian subject, a little lagoon in the outskirts of Banff.  Not only do I think of Banff as a spectacular town (because of its geographical position), but also as a place where I’ve made so many meaningful memories.  This is why one of my special spots in Canada is Banff!

Look me up (!!!):  New Blood Art CANADA:  www.newbloodart.ca

 

 

My first version: simple in terms of colors, yet complex as a subject.

 

My second version: a more complex paintings in terms of colors. I felt it’d be a shame to omit the wonderful colors of this little lagoon.

 

 

 

  

The day “Morning coffee” is gone…

 

It is time to say goodbye to yet another piece of art created by my very own hands.

The sale of “Morning Coffee” brings joy and sadness all at the same time. This funny feeling does not end at the shaking of hands/dried ink sort of speak. Next week I’m putting the series down and I’m preparing myself to experience both joy and sadness simultaneously.

The memories of hot summer afternoons, overlooking the tranquil waters of Lake Maggiore, sitting under the shade of trees older than history…all those things is what “Morning coffee” is to me.  The three, 1m x 0.70m canvases covered with all sort of patterns recreate the most beloved and visited spot of Ticino:  The piazza of Ascona.  To call the piazza of Ascona “popular” is an understatement.  Every sort of gathering happens in this piazza.  In the past, women are said to have come to the piazza’s shore to do some laundry, but I personally believe there was more chatting and little washing.  It’s in the nature of this spectacular piazza.  It seduces you to leave all shores behind you.  You can’t help but feel the need to love life as you see the peace and the beauty of the lake and its surrounding mountains.

This magical aspect, the one I discovered while sipping the so many latte macchiatos I’ve had at the piazza, is what I hoped to capture in my 3 paintings.  I seem not to be alone thinking I have succeeded in recreating a “happy feel” as soon as one lays eyes on these 3 paintings.

Here is a „last look“ at Morning coffee.  What is the end to long hours of work is a new beginning for yet other amazing paintings of this piazza.  And that’s the joyful part of selling art.  Thank you client!

 

Morning coffee 1.

Morning coffee 2.

Morning coffee 3

 

 

 

 

The Red Boat of Gandria, Ticino.

I looked through my journal today, to try to find again, the how’s and the why’s,that gave rise to creation of “Red boat.”  This is what I found:

“Red Boat” will be part of my collection, “Ticino through my window.“  Today I discovered a small red boat in the port of Gandria, Ticino. Its beautiful red color wasn’t the only thing that demanded my attention, but also the gentle motion by which it rocked backwards and forward. A motion that made a squeaky sound to the touch of a tree branch just resting next to the boat.  “It looks as if they’re playing,“ I heard my inner voice saying.  “Perhaps the boat likes to be tickled by the arm of the tree, and that squeaky sound is the sound of the boat’s laugh!“ I smiled big. I walked down to the water, grabbed my glass from my backpack, grabbed my watercolors, and started sketching these funny playmates.

I unhooked this painting, took one last look at it, and said:  “So long!”

“Red boat is going to Australia to be appreciated and pampered by two happy new owners.  I couldn’t have asked for more!

The Birch trees of Val Bavona

There is something spectacular about Val Bavona, and it’s not just its popular 80 meters high waterfall in the town of Foroglio. Val Bavona offers more than that. There are trails with amazing views, and places where experienced and not so experienced climbers can enjoy some steep mountains. For me, Val Bavona has offered me more than beauty and entertainment:  it has given me the inspiration to create a new painting!
The Birch trees of Val Bavona, is now part of my collection: “Ticino through my window.” It depicts a forest of Birch trees along the famous trail of Cristallina.  It’s been fun recreating the colors and overall composition of a tiny ecological part of what’s one of the most beautiful valleys in the canton Ticino.

Portrait

I had just to make my last hair stroke on my new portrait painting to count the work as officially finished.  As imagined by friends and family alike, my portrait painting is not a self portrait, but a personal study of someone else’s life.  It’s a painting I’ve named:  ephemerality.  This word can describe every stage of the work, as with each brush stroke the image was transformed to a new “being,” or a more recognizable being.  

The work itself is my own interpretation of the moment I was lucky to caught on my sitter.  The white background for me, represents her innocence and the purity of the image.  The white egg hanging from her ear lobe represents her fertility.  There is a ticking clock behind, in the background.  Unlike any other kid, this one is serious.  She’s aware, like myself, that time has tremendous powers and I, as an artist, I’m just an observant of ephemeral moments. 

Invito

„Ticino through my window (Ticino attraverso la mia finestra).“

 Ciao a tutti,

Perdomo Artworks, e io, Carmen Perdomo, abbiamo il piacere di estendere il nostro invito a Lei, che ama l’arte ed il Ticino.

Venerdì 4 ottobre dalle ore 18.00, presso la galleria “Perdomo Artworks” di Ascona, inaugurerò la mia nuova collezione di dipinti “Ticino Through my window”.

L’idea – di guardare il Ticino attraverso una finestra – mi è venuta durante un viaggio di due anni fa ad Avignone, Francia. Dopo aver fatto un centinaio di fotografie alle mura ed al pavimento della sede papale di Avignone, provai a fare una foto alla città attraverso una vecchia finestra. Nel riguardare lo scatto mi sorpresi di quanto la distorsione che il vetro aveva prodotto riuscisse ad esaltare ancor di più la bellezza di quel posto. Dopodichè mi chiesi come sarebbe sembrata la mia di città, attraverso quel vetro. In quel momento decisi che, una volta tornata a casa, avrei fatto di tutto per avere un vetro come quello; fortunatamente lo trovai proprio in Ticino, a Tegna.

Fu così che, tra un dipinto e l’altro della mia prima collezione “Reflections of Ticino”, mi ritagliai del tempo per attraversare le diverse zone del Ticino col mio vecchio-nuovo compagno: il vetro “alla francese”.

“Ticino through my window” include quadri di meravigliosi scorci del sotto e sopra ceneri ed è anche un tributo personale al simbolo della storia dell’arte ticinese, la fondatrice del “Museo di Arte Moderna di Ascona,” Marianna Werefkin.

 

Vi aspettiamo numerosi!

Carmen Perdomo.

 

LA  COLLEZIONE (12 dipinti):

 

Marianne Werefkin

 

Morning coffee

 

Jesus

 

Morning in Gandria

 

Dove siamo:

 

 

 

 

 

A give away painting!

This is a painting I entered for the competition Pittori in Piazza, back in July of this year. I am giving it away to the person who becomes a fan in my facebook page and then invites the most fans into this site (presses likes and tells me he/she is your friend). The competition is heated! So far, a lady from Ascona is winning the race! I give this painting away at end of this month. You have about 2 weeks to catch up so I hope you join in!