Darele Bisquerra
a creative soul
DRAWING + PAINTING
My ongoing studies of physical structures of the skull, face and neck are taking many forms. Working in media including charcoal, graphite, pastel and oil paint is providing opportunities to explore the impact of each medium on depicting light, shadow and texture — but ultimately, feeling and meaning.
I want to thank the Atwood Atelier (Madison, Wisconsin), Grand Central Atelier (New York City), Gage Academy of Art (Seattle, Washington), the Académie des Beaux-Arts de Montréal (Québec) and MCAD, the Minneapolis College of Art & Design (Minneapolis, Minnesota) for their commitment to skill-based situations that still allow exploration and experimentation under the guidance of excellent artisans.
West African female model, portrait, oil painting (Bisquerra)
West African female model, conté crayon under-drawing for painting (Bisquerra)
Graphite on watercolor paper (Bisquerra)
Sepia tone color experiment, oil paint (Bisquerra)
Color + brushwork experiment, oil paint (Bisquerra)
Color + brushwork experiment, oil paint (Bisquerra)
Study of Juan de Pareja painting by Velasquez (Bisquerra)
Drawing Study for painting of Juan de Pareja - after Velasquez (Bisquerra)
Painting, oil, of Grandson Caleb (Bisquerra)
Oil paint study Female Model Portrait (Bisquerra)
Study of left side of skull and human head, charcoal (Bisquerra)
Redux of the Birth of Venus
A local theater needed a prop for the scenery set for their production of Mamma Mia. Because of the themes of love and fertility with the play, a close-up of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, originally painted in Italia around 1480, was chosen.
Stages of creation of the copy of this painting include prepping the canvas, drawing the image, painting in broad color areas, adding color refinements, highlights, shadows, and line-work details.
Study of St. Francis painting head and face after Zurburan (Bisquerra)
Study of a Guy Turning His Head (Bisquerra)
Study of a man praying, graphite on wood, work-in-progress (Bisquerra)
WEAVING
Weaving during Covid-19 home shelter time
Fibers and weaving are some of the most foundational of artisan crafts. To thread the loom with the warp (vertical) strings and then do a straight weave with the weft (horizontal) threads takes some patience. This seems simple, but it really takes some concentration! I did enjoy the process though, including varying the textures, inventing an earthy color scheme, and deciding on the proportions of color and texture in the striped rows.
Crocheting
Crocheting during Covid-19 season