CeCeile Hartleib – Wet in Wet and More

St. Paul artist CeCeile Hartleib entertained our January audience with her “Wet in Wet” painting demonstration.

As a graduate of Atelier, CeCeile explained how the program trains the eye to see what is actually there and not what we think we see. The training is accomplished by learning the sight-size method to draw and paint from plaster casts, from still life set-ups and from the human figure.

Using a photo of a brilliant sunset, CeCeile departed from Atelier which does not permit photos.

She had stapled a sheet of 300 pound Arches cold press paper to stretcher bars so that she could wet the front and back thoroughly. Then she brushed in a large yellow area, followed by cadmium red, a spray of water, then ultramarine blue. She prefers a limited palette because this unifies the painting.

Going back in with each of the colors, she defined the clouds and brilliant sunset, lifting here and there with a dry brush. 

“Every painting needs red,” she advised, and continued to deepen red areas in the composition. Finally, adding the foreground landscape, she dried the paper during the break and then added the large foreground tree. A beautiful warm painting on a blustery cold night!