This was step number 7 along my artistic journey from 1970. Being summer holidays I was probably painting more than just on Saturday at Mario Airomi's Studio...
This musician was painted from a sculpture created by Mario Airomi. It was my very first oil painting. He felt it was time to move on from charcoal sticks and paper. Mario laughingly chided me for counting the folds in the accordion. They are painted exactly as I saw them. My painting has the exact same number as the original.
I would ride my bike along the Kings Highway east of Brockville in order to arrive near 9 am. The door to Mario and Lily's cottage would be open and I would quietly go in and leave my shoes by the door. The spot were I painted was to the right as you went through their bedroom and into the studio. Their home was small and every room served multiple purposes. I painted in the corner beside the larger arch that led into a storage area for art and then into the sun room where Mario painted.
My routine was to locate the sculpture and place it on a small table to the right of the easel that Mario had out for me. There was a light to shine on the subject matter. I would mix up some paint and spend the next two hours working on a square inch of canvas trying to get it right. That is when you really learn how to mix and match colours. For me it was a slow process but every minute was a learning experience. Mario would stroll by and offer suggestions. There were other kids there as well but we all had our own work to do and there was not much talking. At the time I did not realize how fortunate I was to be quietly taught classically by a master.
I would have just turned 14 and was in Grade Eleven at the Brockville Collegiate and Vocational School. - BCIVS.
I would ride my bike along the Kings Highway east of Brockville in order to arrive near 9 am. The door to Mario and Lily's cottage would be open and I would quietly go in and leave my shoes by the door. The spot were I painted was to the right as you went through their bedroom and into the studio. Their home was small and every room served multiple purposes. I painted in the corner beside the larger arch that led into a storage area for art and then into the sun room where Mario painted.
My routine was to locate the sculpture and place it on a small table to the right of the easel that Mario had out for me. There was a light to shine on the subject matter. I would mix up some paint and spend the next two hours working on a square inch of canvas trying to get it right. That is when you really learn how to mix and match colours. For me it was a slow process but every minute was a learning experience. Mario would stroll by and offer suggestions. There were other kids there as well but we all had our own work to do and there was not much talking. At the time I did not realize how fortunate I was to be quietly taught classically by a master.
I would have just turned 14 and was in Grade Eleven at the Brockville Collegiate and Vocational School. - BCIVS.
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