A STOLEN OPPORTUNITY!
On Monday October 14th, 2019, my husband Bob had to have unexpected surgery and so we were in a pre-surgery room when the physician who was to administer his anesthesia walked in. That's when I decided what I would paint for the Portrait Society of America's competition, which was due in just a few weeks. I hadn't decided what to do and was procrastinating, until that day at the Cleveland Clinic in Vero Beach. There was my subject! So I got permission from him and started clicking while he tended to Bob. No special lighting, no posing ... just as it was. So anyway, here it is, and I had a wonderful time painting him. I submitted it November 7th, and am waiting to hear if it was accepted.
 |
| "The Healer" oil, 17"x20" by Judy Burgarella |
VERO BEACH MUSEUM OF ART FALL CLASS 2019 - MICHELANGELO
Arguably the most famous artist of all time. Not too many images of him on the internet though, and the best one at the best age presented happened to have him in a turban. It has been said that some artists wrapped their head in a turban to protect it from paint. True? Maybe, but who knows. Anyhow, I gave my students the option of painting him with turban or with hair. Students were given step-by-step illustrated instructions.
 |
| "Michelangelo" (In Turban) Acrylic by Judy Burgarella |
 |
| "Michelangelo" Acrylic by Judy Burgarella |
VERO BEACH MUSEUM OF ART WINTER CLASS 2019 - PROSERPINE
Featured at the Museum, the American Pre-Raphaelites: Radical Realists, "Rroserpine" by Dante Gabriel Rossetti
.
VERO BEACH MUSEUM OF ART 2018 FALL CLASS - "PURITAN WOMAN"
Found this original painting falling out of its frame in a flea market and purchased it for almost nothing. The only skillfully-painted part was her portrait. Cut off the rest of her dress and legs (ouich!) Put it in the most perfect frame which I also purchased at the flea market, and it now sits on an easel on a decorative high shelf in my kitchen. She was lovely to copy in acrylics, however I made her a little more attractive. I hit the jackpot that day at the sale!
 |
| "Puritan Woman" Acrylic by Judy Burgarella |
VERO BEACH MUSEUM OF ART 2018 SPRING CLASS - "CHILD BRIDE OF CEYLON"
My journey to paint this little girl was an interesting one. While visiting my sister in Connecticut, she took me to a "Junk" store, where I purchased books by the pound. The book "Child Bride of Ceylon" probably cost me 10 cents or so. It was very old, and each page was filled with adventure and interesting information about a long-ago and faraway culture. While reading the book, I Googled Ceylon, an island country in South Asia, not far from India. In 1972 its name was changed to Sri Lanka. I perused the photos posted about Sri Lanka, and began to communicate with one of the photographers, who grew up there and spent most of his childhood barefoot playing with the natives, in a wonderful fairy-tale life. Sadly, now there are profound political, environmental and human rights crises within the country, and that idyllic lifestyle of the photographer no longer exists. The "Child" bride part of yore were commonly because of arranged marriages. Such a small price I paid for hours and hours of entertainment and creative brushwork. Who needs millions to have a wonderful time?
 |
| "Child Bride of Ceylon" Acrylic by Judy Burgarella |
"MONA LISA ON A PALETTE" - VERO BEACH MUSEUM OF ART WINTER PORTRAIT CLASS
I have painted Da Vinci's Mona Lisa several times, but I thought it would be interesting to offer it on a palette as substrate. The most complicated part of this painting is actually the landscape, for me at least. I cannot pinpoint what her expression is, and perhaps that is why people find her so mysterious. However I always enjoy painting her.
 |
| "Mona Lisa" on palette, acrylic by Judy Burgarella |
VERO BEACH MUSEUM OF ART FALL 2017 PORTRAIT CLASS - LADY OF ELCHE
I came across an image of this mysterious woman in an old sculpture book wherein all images were in black and white. The photo was not clear, and was just the upper torso, but the side-temple rosettes intrigued me. I rather thought I had discovered a wonderful unknown artifact that I could bring to life! However, I later found lots of information on it--some of it just theorized--but I had already planned to paint it. A few people over time had done drawings or paintings of it, but all was guesswork as to color and actual fine detail, as the statue itself was deteriorated. One guess was it was a funerary urn. Made of limestone, the bust was discovered in 1897 at La Alcudia, an archaeological site on a private estate in Spain. It is currently exhibited in the National Archaeological Museum of Spain in Madrid. The abundant ornamentation made me apprehansive to have my students tackle it, but tackle it they did ... and all dd very well I might add. The mysteries of painting this subject was made easier by presenting students with step-by-step illustrated instructions (below), which I include with all my portrait classes except for the model workshops. The instructions also enables students to jump ahead if they want to start another portrait before the end of the semester.
 |
| "Lady of Elche" Acrylic by Judy Burgarella |
VERO BEACH MUSEUM OF ART PORTRAIT CLASS, SPRING 2017 - GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING
This famous painting can compete in popularity to the Mona Lisa. I have painted her many times, large and small. Never tire of painting that lovely face, originally painted by Johannes Vermeer.
 |
| "Girl with a Perl Earring" from Vermeer, Acrylic by Judy Burgarella |
More information will be posted about the below portraits when time permits.
 |
| "Maddona" Oil with 15K Gold Leaf by Judy Burgarella |
 |
| "Waldo Sexton" Oil by Judy Burgarella |
 |
| "Osceola" Pastel by Judy Burgarella |
 |
| "Kate" Oil by Judy Burgarella |
 |
| "Mandolin Player" Acrylic by Judy Burgarella |
TOO BUSY TO POST ...
I have been remiss in posting portrait works since 2015, and I have done plenty since then, many of which are not finished. However I hope to post any finished ones I have done soon.
ORCA MURAL
Below is a mural I did for ORCA (Oceanic Research and Conservation Association) in Vero Beach during the summer of 2019. It was a collaborative project with 5 other people doing their own murals. It's not exactly a portrait, however there are many portraits of animals and one person in there so I am adding it to my blog.
 |
| "Florida Uplands" 4"x4" Acrylic mural by Judy Burgarella |
The six murals look fabulous together, each depicting a different habitat of Florida. Needs to be seen by more of the public, as it's tucked away in a laboratory by the Vero Beach Airport. Click on the image to enlarge it and view some of the critters therein.
Hope to post more later. In the meantime, enjoy this and my older posts.
Regards,
Judy Burgarella,
Blogger
