Laraine Armenti

Second semester paintings

Laraine Armenti — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:42:54 +0000

Windows, oil on canvas, 50 x 50 in (127 x 127 cm), 2012

Guitar, oil on canvas, 50 x 50 in (127 x 127 cm), 2012

Red studio, oil on canvas, 50 x 50 in (127 x 127 cm), 2012

Blue studio, oil on panel, 16 x 16 in (41 x 41 cm), 2012

Tulips, oil on panel, 10 x 10 in (25 x 25 cm), 2012

Bird, oil on panel, 10 x 10 in (25 x 25 cm), 2012

White sweater, oil on panel, 16 x 16 in (41 x 41 cm), 2012

White bag, oil on panel, 16 x 16 in (41 x 41 cm), 2012

Last Color Project

Laraine Armenti — Mon, 14 May 2012 01:24:13 +0000

Color aid paper copy of Robert De Niro, Sr, Last Painting, 1985-1993, 60 x 48 inches, oil on canvas

paint, paper, poem

Laraine Armenti — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 04:33:56 +0000

50×50 oil on canvas

acrylic paper collage

acrylic paper collage, charcoal drawing, oil on wood panel

color free studies and modified boxes, color-aid paper

sketchbook, Goya, 2nd of May

sketchbook, Ribera, Magdalene

sketchbook, El Greco, portraits and the holy trinity

poetry book project, mock-up

Text & ConText

Laraine Armenti — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:01:48 +0000

Thanks to the Arsenal Center for the Arts for a lively evening of poetry and painting, fine food, and dialogue about creativity. Along with the lecture series, this wonderful arts organization in Watertown offers classes, galleries, two theaters, and a gift shop of handmade items. I very much appreciate their warm welcome and opportunity to have presented my work to a new audience. It was a fun night.

Text & Context
This free Monday night series brings artists together in an open forum with slide shows and audience give and take.

March 26, 2012, 7 pm
Sue Standing (author) & Laraine Armenti (artist)

April 30, 2012, 7pm
Anna Heringer (architectural designer)

May 21, 2012, 7pm
3 Photographers: Daniel Lovering, Mark Peterson, Lynn Whitney

Click here for more info.

Series sponsored by Peggy S. Rice & Rice Family Foundation

Color Class

Laraine Armenti — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 21:22:13 +0000

Make two colors look like one

My stuff

Laraine Armenti — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 02:39:31 +0000

Bag and light bulb, oil on panel, 16 x 16 inches, 2012

Red Sweater, oil on panel, 20 x 16 inches, 2012

Yellow Sweater, oil on panel, 20 x 16 inches, 2012

2nd Semester

Laraine Armenti — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:19:33 +0000

papers, oil on panel, 16 x 20, 2012

kleenex, oil on panel, 20 x 16, 2012

clementines, oil on panel, 20 x 16, 2012

blue studio, oil on panel, 20 x 16, 2012

grey studio, oil on panel, 20 x 16, 2012

Paint Cart

Laraine Armenti — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:05:12 +0000

plans and measurements

trimming

wafer cuts

gluing

finished cart in studio

Oil on paper sketches

Laraine Armenti — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:53:25 +0000

One of my goals in graduate school is to become more conscious of my creative process. The oil on paper paintings below are a selection from daily work done before or after sustained paintings. They are a way to quickly summarize an impulse or direction to explore. Time spent painting on paper took the place of drawing in ink done earlier in the semester. I plan to make this a consistent part of my painting practice.

Flowers, 4.5 x 9 inches, 11/17/11

Orange in plastic bag, 5 x 6.5 inches, 11/18/11

Studio corner, 9 x 8 inches, 11/22/11

Pink pitcher, approx 4.5 x 6 inches, 11/28/11

Oil paintings

Laraine Armenti — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:15:11 +0000

Here are oil paintings that I presented last week in end of the semester critiques. There are approximately 30 graduate students in two classes. Reviewers include faculty, visiting artists, graduate and undergraduate students, and visitors. Everyone is encouraged to respond to the work and ask questions of the presenting artists. This process provides direction for second semester work.

Clementines in bag — oil on linen panel, 8 x 8 inches (20 x 20 cm), 2011

Pitcher and oil jar — oil on linen panel, 8 x 8 inches (20 x 20 cm), 2011

Olives and oranges — oil on wood panel, 9 x 12 inches (23 x 30 cm), 2011

Geranium — oil on wood panel, 22 x 15 inches (56 x 38 cm), 2011

Flower on red table — oil on linen, 24 x 24 inches (61 x 61 cm), 2011

Orange on grey table — oil on linen, 22 x 20 inches (56 x 51 cm), 2011

Kimono and flowers — oil on wood panel, 15 x 22 inches (38 x 56 cm), 2011

Apples and teapot — oil on wood panel, 12 x 9 inches (30 x 23 cm), 2011

Pitcher and knife — oil on wood panel, 11 x 15 inches (28 x 38 cm), 2011

Visual critique

Laraine Armenti — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 13:13:54 +0000

Visual critiques, done in response to the work of colleagues, are opportunities to embody a visual language different from our usual work.

In the first image, I did a direct copy of what I saw in the original. There were many beautiful passages but overall it felt fragmented. In the second version I consolidated major areas so the heads would be less disconnected from other parts of the painting. Traditional gouache mixes with previous layers, losing some vibrancy. It was a tradeoff to see what might happen with fewer subdivisions.

Direct copy, gouache and ink, approx 10 x 12, 11/16/11

Consolidated, gouache and ink, approx 10 x 12, 11/17/11

There is one sculptor in the first year MFA group. Her piece was a multi-storied stack of cardboard boxes with a viewing window cut in the bottom corner and the top story open to the ceiling. Fields of cut paper grass sprouted from the floor on each level. I simplified my response to one room and used sewing pins instead of paper grass. Ouch.

Pin box, grey and black mat board with sewing pins, 9″ x 3″ overall, 11/6/11

Window views

Laraine Armenti — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:22:57 +0000

Last of the sumi ink & bamboo pen series. Sumi ink, bamboo pen, Arches Aquarelle or Fabriano Artistico, 140 lb. hotpress, 7.5 x 10 inches (19 x 25 cm).

10/26/11

10/28/11

10/31/11

Visual Critique

Laraine Armenti — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:06:46 +0000

Visual critiques are pieces done in response to work done by colleagues.

Fish — gouache, 6.5 x 10 inches (17 x 25 cm), 11/05/11

Couple — gouache, 11.25 x 15 inches (17 x 25 cm), 11/14/11

Mid-term

Laraine Armenti — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 20:50:21 +0000

I was given the gift of borrowing a green and red Japanese kimono wedding gown to set up in my studio with a vase of silk flowers. It’s a spectacular opportunity for color, pattern and drama.

Flowers, oil on linen, 22 x 20 inches (56 x 51 cm), 10/28/11

Flowers, gouache, 6 x 6 inches (15 x 15 cm), 10/26/11

Kimono, acrylic on paper, 36 x 22 inches (91 x 56 cm), 10/21/11

Visual critique homework in response to oil paintings by two colleagues:

Demoiselles d’Hollywood — 3 ages of woman; gouache, 10 x 6.5 inches (25 x 17 cm), 10/27/11

Venus Endormie d’Headphones, gouache, 6.5 x 10 inches (17 x 25 cm), 10/27/11

Our Wednesday night model didn’t show up so students took turns posing for the class.

Pink Jacket and Shoes, gouache, 10 x 6.5 inches (25 x 17 cm), 10/26/11

Visual Critiques

Laraine Armenti — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 18:12:03 +0000

Below are drawings done for two weeks of visual critiques. I drew directly from observation of the paintings without preparation, as I do with most of my work. Drawings done for these assignments become the property of the artist whose painting is the original subject.

George Bellows’ lithos of prize fights came to mind as I began ‘Fighters.’ As Bellows’ had done, I increased the distance between the viewer and the main action by adding a row of catcallers in front. The viewer thereby becomes a complicit member of the crowd. I focused the light into a spot light and added an emotional dimension between the figures, making their gestures less like a cartoon and more natural and exhausted.

Fighters, sumi ink & bamboo pen, 7.5 x 10 inches ( 19 x 25 cm), 10/21/11

For ‘Reflection,’ I added a musician playing pipes and a fish in the pond. For the main figure, instead of an ethereal object of contemplation, I turned her into a person who contemplates herself by turning the head to look straight down into the water. Unlike Poussin’s Narcissus who is in a revery of self love, my figure is a good deal more pissed, like a wild animal at a watering hole.

Reflection, sumi ink & bamboo pen, 7.5 x 10 inches ( 19 x 25 cm), 10/21/11

For the previous week’s work, I used a larger size cotton printmaking paper. It was a little too soft and a little too large for a bamboo pen. I added space where the original figure had been cropped at the head and right side. I also added distance between the figure and horizon.

Laken, sumi ink & bamboo pen, 15 x 11 inches ( 38 x 28 cm), 10/17/11

At first it seemed silly to do a line drawing of a large, gestural abstract painting. But as shapes began to emerge in the process of drawing, the painting appeared to be full of content just waiting to be called out. I saw the painting completely differently by the time I was done, resurrecting Ana Mendieta’s remarkable earth works and brief intense life.

River Pods, sumi ink & bamboo pen, 15 x 11 inches ( 38 x 28 cm), 10/17/11

Boston Looking East

Laraine Armenti — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:21:12 +0000

Sumi ink & bamboo pen drawing series. All drawings: sumi ink and bamboo pen on Arches Aquarelle or Fabriano Artistico, 140 lb. hotpress, 7.5 x 10 inches (19 x 25 cm), except 10/13/11 6.75 x 10 inches (17 x 25 cm).

10/14/11

10/13/11

10/12/11

10/11/11

10/10/11

10/07/11

10/06/11

10/05/11

10/03/11

09/30/11

09/28/11

09/27/11

09/26/11

09/25/11

October Light

Laraine Armenti — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:54:57 +0000

I continue to begin most days with drawings of the city from my studio windows using sumi ink and bamboo pen. The process led to an acrylic on paper painting in a larger than usual size. Using black and white has been extremely helpful to organize space more coherently. This week the color yellow made its appearance.

City, acrylic on paper, 26 x 40 inches ( 66 x 102 cm), 10/13/11

The evening figure class instructor changes the context of the set-up each week. This time the wall was covered with colorful posters. Two brilliant silk kimonos were hung on easels along with a vase of artificial flowers. The model sat among it all. It was important to use color, so I ran to my studio down the hall to collect my gouache materials.

Figure & kimono, gouache on paper, 15 x 11 inches ( 38 x 28 cm), 10/12/11

The process of visual critique that we engage in for homework continues to be a fascinating divergence from the sometimes tortured efforts of verbal response in what is familiarly know as “crits.” Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream, an image that launched countless illustration knock-offs, rivaled only by Grant Wood’s American Gothic in frequency, inspired my response to the open fig. I had anticipated doing a natural version of the hamburger; the cows arrived of their own accord. Two days later I developed the idea in oil paint.

Fig Scream, sumi ink & bamboo pen, 10 x 10 inches (25 x 25 cm), 10/10/11

Hamburger and Cows, sumi ink & bamboo pen, 10 x 10 inches (25 x 25 cm), 10/10/11

Cows and hamburger, oil on wood panel, 10 x 10 inches (25 x 25 cm), 10/12/11

BU First Month

Laraine Armenti — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 03:47:36 +0000

There is too much being done for me to show everything on the blog. Here are some highlights. The photographs are snapshots, hand held, daylight. The city paintings are influenced in part by recently reading Don DeLillo’s White Noise. The story concerned an airborne toxic event hovering over Somerville, Mass, circa 1985.

Geranium with Traffic and Rain, oil on linen panel, 10 x 8 inches ( 25 x 20 cm), 2011

The next series of paintings use only black and white. The white is an unbleached titanium, a warmer color than titanium white. The color variations are due to the camera adjusting to light. It’s all the same paint.

Value palette, five steps, Unbleached Titanium and Lamp Black

Olives and plum, oil on linen panel, 8 x 10 inches (10 x 25 cm) 2011

Olives and plum, oil on linen panel, 10 x 8 inches (25 x 20 cm) 2011

Night City, oil on linen, 20 x 22 inches (51 x 56 cm) , 2011

Day City Bridge and Traffic, oil on wood panel, 10 x 10 inches (25 x 25 cm) , 2011

The two figures below are from different classes. The torn paper collage was made from drawings everyone in class made and then were instructed to tear up. One of many exercises that teach us to feel less precious or protective about our work and more generous. All the torn pieces were put in a pile. Then we selected a handful to tear again to make our collage figures. The pencil nude was the fourth session of three hours each of the same pose. I did mine on four separate sheets. Others in class were asked to work on one sheet. Finally got that left leg to turn properly.

Torn paper, charcoal, approx 18 x 24 in (46 x 61 cm), 10/06/11

Female nude, approx 15 x 11 inches ( 38 x 28 cm), 10/05/11

I was loaned a postcard of a painting by the Spanish realist Tomas Yepes, c. 1595–1674. First step to understanding a painting is to draw it. So much is seen in this process.

Copy of Tomas Yepes — pomegranates, figs, pumpkin and quail, fountain pen, 7 x 10 sketchbook (18 x 25 cm), 10/04/11

The only class all the first year MFA candidates have together is Painting Seminar. Each week two people choose one of their paintings to hang in a common room. The rest of the group does a piece in response to help the artist see the original work. It also helps the maker see their own work in a new way. It’s up to the individual to respond visually in any way they choose. Below is my acrylic painting on paper in response to an abstract oil painting. It’s also interesting that many of us end up working at the same time in a communal drawing party. So far it’s been really fun. Much better than verbal critiques.

Yellow, Grey and Orange, acrylic and charcoal on paper, 40 x 20 inches (101 x 51 cm), 9/30/11

Project Review

Laraine Armenti — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 03:50:12 +0000

My studio practice in school quickly developed four areas of focus: oil landscapes, figure drawing, homework, and the bamboo pen & sumi ink drawing series. I suddenly realized drawing is pushing out painting time in the first three weeks. These are all good projects but the masters I am pursuing is in painting, not drawing. Adjustments will be made.

The oil landscapes are from my studio window. Cold titanium white was eliminated, or replaced with a warm unbleached titanium, to use it more sparingly and break the habit of adding it to every color.

City, oil on linen panel, 8 x 10 inches (20 x 25 cm), 2011

Nickel City, oil on linen, 22 x 24 inches (56 x 61 cm), 2011 in progress

I am drawing from the figure nine hours a week in three sessions with two different instructors. In one class I am using graphite pencil, an exacting medium, to draw continuous tone. The benefit helps to see and control the overall light and value structure. The second figure class emphasizes visual invention. Each week we’re presented with a new set of challenges to learn to see uniquely. The black paper and white pencil in the photo below is an example. I’m supporting the figure work by copying a complete anatomy book in ink line.

Figure studies: graphite pencil, continuous tone; white general’s pencil on black acrylic paint

Anatomy sketchbook, fountain pen

The first year group, 12 candidates for MFA, have one class together called Painting Seminar. Our first homework assignment was to create a well developed drawing that was unrecognizable as our usual style and approach to art. My primary work involves direct observation of ephemeral or transient subjects. To do something different, I constructed an image based on photo sources with political content. The result is an image of my house from Google Earth enveloped by the shadow of a US military drone. Doing the drawing felt like recovering lost parts of myself. I had the feeling of violating prohibitions and gaining permission at the same time; in style, content and visual vocabulary. Below are four preliminary drawings and one final image.

Drone Surveillance, sumi ink and bamboo pen with wash, 40 x 24 inches ( 102 x 61 cm), 2011

Drone Surveillance development: sumi ink and bamboo pen; sumi ink and metal tip pen; with wash

Lecture Series

Laraine Armenti — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 16:09:25 +0000

Once a week visiting professionals from the Boston area make a one hour formal presentation to the graduate students on their subject of expertise. So far we have learned about the birth and death of stars from a brilliant MIT physics professor and eaten freshly harvested oysters shucked by the operations manager of a south shore farm. One of the earliest requests made of the graduate students was to contribute a set of drawings to be given to each speaker in lieu of monetary payment. The ten drawings from each artist were assembled into ten portfolios. I chose to focus on the the view from my studio window. Although my drawings have already been handed in, the process immediately became an important part of my work. I plan to continue the series as long as possible. All drawings are sumi ink and bamboo pen on Arches cotton paper, 7-1/2 x 10 inches.