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'Moonrise over Château de la Treyne' by Tina Orsolic
🕑 Added 2021-06-14 16:00:51 +0000 UTCThis weeks’s Spotlight on Art features Moonrise over Château de la Treyne by FAA graduate Tina Orsolic.
Tina Orsolic
Moonrise over Château de la Treyne
Oil on canvas
60 x 50 cm
2020
Tell us about this artwork and where you created it.
Moonrise over Château de la Treyne is a piece that I painted in my studio in Estremoz, Portugal in preparation for an upcoming exhibition at the mentioned castle. The work is 60 x 50 cm, oil on canvas, painted in 2020. It is based on a smaller plein air painting and some preparatory ink and gouache studies, all painted in 2020.
Ink studies of Château de la Treyne
What was the inspiration behind it? Tell us about your process.
The main inspiration for this work was the smaller scale painting titled Bathers below Château de la Treyne, which was painted on location, from life. I wanted to enlarge this painting for the exhibition, but change the light effect and the season (from summer to autumn). Using my imagination and memory, I first developed ink and gouache studies to test my idea, and then moved on to the larger piece when I settled on the composition.
Tina Orsolic
Bathers below Château de la Treyne
Oil on wood panel
25 x 35 cm
2020
For the larger piece, I started with a thin wash of paint (almost watercolor-like) in order to work out the light effect and color harmonies. In my mind’s eye, I had a pretty clear idea where I wanted to go with it, but given that I wasn’t working from life, it made sense to approach the building of the picture gradually, in layers. After the initial, almost transparent, underpainting, I proceeded to build up color, texture, form and details.
Tell us about the light in your studio.
I work in a north-facing studio. There are no skylights, but instead three large windows, which fill the atelier with light. I keep the shutters wide open, as I like working in a light space, especially when enlarging plein air work. That way, despite working indoors, I can get closer to the light effect I would find outdoors on my canvas, which allows me to have better control of the colors and values that I see in the sketches that I’m enlarging.
View of Tina's studio
What did you learn in the process of the making?
I learned that, for me, it’s much harder to work from imagination and memory, than life. I was trained to work from direct observation, and this is a very different method, which requires me to work in a completely new way. That said, I also learned that I really enjoy and grow through projects that push my limits and my artistic process.
What do you wish to convey through this work? What makes this work special for you?
I hope to convey the beauty of the place depicted, and the sense of calm and purity it invokes in me. Château de la Treyne is a stunning historic castle nested on the cliffs of one of the most beautiful and clean European rivers. In fact, Dordogne and its watershed were designated Biosphere reserve by UNESCO and you can really understand why when you visit this place. The water is filled with fish and little frogs, swans and ducks pedaling around, and beautiful blue-winged damselflies dancing in the air all around you. The first time my husband Marc Dalessio and I canoed down this river in search for painting spots, we were completely impressed with the wildlife around it and the purity of it.
Tina painting Bathers below Château de la Treyne on location
The water is crystal clear and calm in the summers, which provides for a truly meditative experience. I remember the leaves gently falling down on its surface, adding warmth to the prevailing cool tones, as it was the end of summer when we first visited. Perhaps that’s what inspired the change of seasons from summer to autumn in my larger piece.
Be it as it may, the Dordogne valley is a very inspiring and visually stunning place. And the gorgeous Château de la Treyne, which rests in perfect harmony with the nature around it, is majestic in its commanding spot above the river.
Hence, for me, this piece, as well as the studies made in preparation for it, are special as they act as a reminder of the splendor of this. I hope that with my painting I can convey at least a little bit of the magnificence of this unique place to the viewers.
More about Tina:
Tina Oršolić Dalessio is a figurative painter born in Zagreb, Croatia. She received her formal academic training at the prestigious Florence Academy of Art in Italy, during which time she was granted a meritorious scholarship. She graduated from Florence Academy of Art in 2018.
Tina also holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Zagreb Law School, an LL.M. degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a PhD degree from the University of Maastricht, Faculty of Law. Before becoming a painter, she taught philosophy of law at the University of Zagreb.
Alongside her husband Marc Dalessio, she discovered her passion for fine art, which led her to a life changing decision to leave academia and devote herself fully to painting.
To view more of Tina’s work visit:
Website: www.tinaorsolic.com
Instagram: @tinaorsolicdalessio
