Raffaele Ciccaleni came to us LIVE from Italy on Friday, November 4th via Zoom to share his watercolor techniques and favorite color palette.

Here’s a quick Q&A with Raffaele:

Why do you make art?

I‘ve always been drawing and painting (and playing) since I can remember, so making art has always been a way of expressing myself. No special goal to pursue or rules to follow, just a normal way of traveling through life. What has come out of that process may not have been actual “art” all the time of course, but it was the essence of that travel anyway.

Did you have formal art training?

No, I only had a formal training for my main job, which was teaching. Now after retiring, I am a full-time working and teaching artist.

What inspires you?

As for subjects, I mainly get inspiration from landscapes. As for creativity, everything can inspire me – books, art history, abstract words, fine art critics, students and teaching.

What kind of music do you listen to while painting?

As a musician… I absolutely prefer a non-music environment while I paint. Do musicians usually look at artworks while composing music?

Have you had a mentor?

My main cultural mentor was my University professor Gino Stefani, who taught of History of Music. He always suggested a semiologic approach to every field regarding communication and expression. He was a friend of the late Umberto Eco, whose University courses I also attended in the 1970s. My watercolor mentors are to be found in books by J.S. Cotman, E.Lear, J.W.M. Turner, E.Wesson, E. Seago, R. Hilder and J. Fletcher Watson. I have been fortunate enough to have some correspondence with the latter. Also Eastern contemporary masters, which we have only been able to know and follow on the web in the last decades, are of great inspiration.

Do you paint every day?

I do not paint every day. I need blank periods made up of  thinking and studying days. Then at a moment’s notice, I go paint!

Do you paint one piece at a time or work on several at the same time?

I usually work on a piece at a time, but I often paint some pieces in one session – I do prefer to work very quickly! Sometimes I work after stating a concept or an inspiring idea-trigger, but I mostly go with the flow, especially en plein air.

Do you prefer painting in studio or en plein air?

I do prefer to paint en plein air, but I feel like I am en plein air even indoors, since I never had a “true” studio.

How many core colors do you use?

I use very few core colors all the time, but I have been limiting myself to very restricted palette sets. In the last decades one of my main interests has been the effort to study, understand and exploit the lessons that color triads teach us painters. My perfect set is three colors, three brushes, and a water cup.

Tubes, pans or sticks?

I prefer tube paints, though I sometimes also use pans when traveling – staying light is a must. It may seem funny, but tube paints are still preferable for quick sketches. I consider using sticks mostly for “filling” whole pans in special sets.

When do you know that your piece is finished?

I know that a piece is finished… mostly too late! Only at this age am I beginning to let a painting flow and stand on its own in its “unfinished look” glory.

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Join us online each week for an Up Close and Personal Conversation with Daniel Smith CEO and Owner, John Cogley and guest artists from around the world. On Thursdays (2:00pm Pacific), John highlights various features of our products and answers your questions. On Fridays (10:30am Pacific), a guest artist follows up to share how they incorporate those features into their art. Click here for the upcoming week’s Zoom links.

Check our Facebook page for news about upcoming guest artists or to watch past replays. Each Zoom meeting is also recorded and shared on our YouTube channel. La traducción al español está disponible – selecciona el canal en español en Zoom.