Alfredo Wagner

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Alfredo Wagner, December, oil on card, 14 x 13 cm - unavailable

 Alfredo Wagner, cottages, oil on card, 18 x 15 cm

 Alfredo Wagner, distant fields, oil on card, 14 x 18 cm - unavailable

Some paintings from Alfredo Wagner. 

When I am painting I am seldom calm. My moods vary from elation to anguish. It isnt a pleasant activity: it's like a fight.

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A visit to the Serra Catarinense: between Alfredo Wagner and Rancho Queimado

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 Meadow, oil on card, 14.5 x 15.5 cm   -unavailable

Mountain view, oil on card, 12.5 x 13.5 cm  AVAILABLE

Two landscapes from my drive last weekend.

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A visit to the Serra Catarinense: Alfredo Wagner

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Alfredo Wagner, afternoon, houses, oil on card, 14 x 14.5- available

 Alfredo Wagner, buildings on a hillside, oil on card, 12.5 x 14.5 cm  unavailable

Both of these were painted from my room in the excellent Saolo Hotel. The breakfast was lacking (why is the coffee in Brazilian hotels so dreadful?*) but you can't really complain for 60R$ a night.

Both paintings are a success- following the terms I have set myself- lively, bright and harmonious,, successful in their description of the sensation of the place, and optimistic. They were rapidly executed, but behind them lie many failed pictures.

 It is important in this style of painting not to contradict oneself: if the piece is about immediacy of impression and spontaneity of response, then one must avoid the temptation to correct, one must accept and work with errors or clumsy marks, incorporating them into the composition: a Chinese virtue.

*part of a larger question: why is the coffee in Brazil so dreadful? Yes, there are occasional fancy cafes where it is good. Here in Floripa there are two, established by Australians. But the standard stuff in bakeries and ordinary restaurants is  dishwater, Stock reply- because the best coffee goes for export. As with all stock replies, one wonders if: a. this is really true and, b. why would it be true? Surely separating some bags of beans for a luxury domestic market would be easy? The same arguments circulate about chocolate.

 Alfredo Wagner, bushes on a hill, oil on card, 13,4 x 11.8 cm  available

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A visit to Itapiranga

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Landscape near Itapiranga, oil on card, 16 x 18 cm -  -unavailable

The square format is not that easy for landscape subjects- probably simply for the reason that the compositional conventions for landscapes are based around a golden section rectangle, and the square format necessitates adaptations.

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A drive to Alfredo Wagner

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 Alfredo Wagner, trees by a river, oil on card, 18 x 15 cm  -unavailable

Alfredo Wagner, view from a hotel, oil on card, 15 x 16 cm   SOLD

Some pictures from a recent trip to the very German city of Alfredo Wagner, in the mountains.

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A little trip to Alfredo Wagner

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 Alfredo Wagner river, oil on card, 15 x 18.5 cm -  available

 Alfredo Wagner, lane, oil on card, 14 x 14.5 cm   unavailable

 Alfredo Wagner small town nearby, oil on card 16.5 x 18 cm   SOLD

I`m ashamed to say that I can`t remember the name of this small town, and can`t find it on the map either.

 Alfredo Wagner, a residential area, oil on card 16 x 18.5 cm - unavailable

 Alfredo Wagner, houses by the river, oil on card, 13.5 x 18.5 cm    SOLD

Araucaria tree, Near Alfredo Wagner, oil on card, 17 x 17.5 cm    SOLD

Paintings from a recent  trip into the Catarinense Mountains.

 Alfredo Wagner is not a bad place to base oneself for a short trip, if coming in from Florianopolis. True, it isn`t terribly interesting in itself, but the surroundings are splendid,  with quite a fairy-tale atmosphere to me.

I like the people of the mountains. They strike me as an industrious bunch, working in their small-holdings right up to the moment Friday`s world cup match began. They have that cheerfulness you often find in hard-working people. They keep their towns tidy, and you can see the townspeople sweeping the roads in the mornings. 

They are conservative places but they are not dour. They had  the national flag on display all over the place, though I suspect many must privately regard much of the rest of Brazil with considerable disdain. I wouldn`t blame them if they did.