Ancient Artist: Developing an art career after 50

When the Art Feels Old

I have been writing too much.  Last year it seemed that I was writing and writing and painting just a little.   Some of the paintings were good but most of them felt old, old in that they were echoes of what I used to do, had been doing for so many years.  I can’t explain it,  except to say that when I looked at them I saw myself two, even five years ago, the same approach, the same emotion, maybe  a general improvement in technique and materials, but still that underlying...sameness.

There was a part of me remembering what it felt like, long ago, before I learned about painting. A part that could remember the escape into the paint without the worry that worried me now, and part that whispered late into the night that I was well on my way toward competent mediocrity.  I began reading, and then I was reading and writing too much and still painting just a little, only the painting became less and less enjoyable until I wondered if I really wanted to be an artist at all.

I don’t really think my experience is unique.   We like to call it a growth process, but it’s damn discouraging when it happens – yes, we’re supposed to come out of it stronger but that only happens if you destroy a bit of yourself in the process – that bit that holds on to what you’ve been doing, the part that creeps into your work and makes it look old.

And that’s the thing, because there does seem to be a strong rational for creating work that appeals to the gatekeepers, those in power who tell the public what to look for in fine art.  In one of the books I am reading, titled Why Art Artists Poor? The Exceptional Economy of the Arts, the author, Hans Abbing (an economist and an artist), describes what he calls the two kinds of Art – High Art and Low Art, and that those who enjoy High Art look down on Low Art, while those who understand Low Art might admire High Art but they will never embrace it. 

It’s one of the books I probably shouldn’t have started to read, when I was reading and writing too much, because it made it more difficult to get back to serious painting.  Oddly enough it didn’t interfere with the painting that felt old, so I suppose that out of cowardice I was safely painting the way I had been painting while I tried not to answer the questions as to why.

But that “getting back to serious painting” part – that’s the key phrase here.  Because what I realized was that – for myself – the painting that felt old was the painting that was hanging on to the way I used to create  – when what I was doing was slowly moving into a different place, a different perspective about what I wanted to achieve.   And all that reading and writing was simply a way for me get beyond the form of tunnel vision that had been dictating my choices. 

In an odd way I feel like I grew up a bit. That old growth process thing again. 

But the new art doesn’t feel old. 

 

 

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Why Pure Representation isn't Enough

E. H. Gombrich, in his book Art and Illusion: A Study in the Psychology of Pictorial Representation, starts  with a discussion about the representation of nature over the course of art history, including this statement:

"We see aspects of reality represented on the television screen and in the movies, on postage stamps and on food packages...I think that the victory and vulgarization of representational skills create a problem for both the historian and the critic."

Food for thought for the artist.

When we consider that technology can produce visual images that not only depict, but in the case of 3-dimensional technology, can recreate a visual kinesthetic experience so real as to be able to nearly duplicate reality, then the artist must consider ways in which his or her art can move beyond pure representation.

How much information is necessary before there is a perception of form and substance?

How can we articulate form through unexpectedly beautiful color and abstraction?

Even with a hyper-photorealism approach, where is the hidden magic of the artist's hand?

If art is an illusion, then the artist must be aware of the need for magic in what is produced.  Pure representation of what is seen, perceived, or imagined is not enough. 

 

If you are interested in this subject, check out these books at your local library:

Art and Illusion: A Study in the Psychology of Pictorial Representation, by E. H. Gombrich, from the A. W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts, 1956

Art and Visual Perception: A Psychology of the Creative Eye, by Rudolf Arnheim

As always, I appreciate your contributions to this blog, and please forward it to anyone you know who might find it informative. 

 

 

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100 Artist Show - Mile Post 42 and the Art of Communication

 Mile Post 42, 12 x 12 x 2 © 2011

 

This is my contribution to the 100 Artists Show at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery in Salem, Oregon.  My challenge was to respond to a letter sent by my partnered artist and to create an art piece that represented our communications. The Mary Lou Zeek Gallery will be blogging about the show and the artists - and how you can bid for your favorite piece - here.

Artist Statement

My letter contained an evocative poem by Portland artist Jeanne Levasseur, titled Winter.  As I read her words I could feel the dampness in the air, the cold bite of frost.  I wanted to capture that sensory experience of time and place in my artwork.

I am inspired by landscape. Looking, experiencing, touching, and feeling the place and form are all necessary for my work. I pick up a dry and brittle twig from the debris of a passing storm, feeling the energy in my fingers, delicate, before crumbling away. This is the energy I try to interpret with my work. 

Paintings often begin with a textured layer of gesso. I rub color onto the surface, or place a gestural mark to suggest the landform.  I am interested in the transforming power of light, and like the Impressionists, I want my paintings to be recognizable but not familiar, a place of memory and not subject matter.  I move from the abstract to the specific, bringing what I know about the landscape into the abstract forms, colors and shapes, and transforming them into a living, breathing place.

Being open to where the paint takes me is part of the process, like a traveler in unknown terrain: the work is successful when I create a space that others want to explore.

This is going to be a fabulous show with so many different artists participating - I hope you will join along in the fun!

Press Release and Info:

100 Artist Show

 Art of Communication-10th Annual 100 Artist Show

Show Date: February 1 – March 3, 2012

Opening reception: First Wednesday February 1, 5-7pm.

Location: Mary Lou Zeek Gallery, 335 State Street, Salem, Oregon 97301

Salem – Remember when we looked forward to art class at least a few times a week in school?  How about all that time spent learning how to print and write cursively?  All of those assignments written on notebook paper?  With budget crunches and ever-evolving technology in schools we have to wonder what will happen to all those words and art produced by hand.  And, as technology marches on, what will be the memories that today’s children leave their family and friends?  What if John and Abigail Adams had tweeted across the ocean instead of posting letters?   How about Julia Child and her friend Avis emailing instead of writing? All of that amazing correspondence gone in the flash of a DELETE button?

During the month of February, the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery will be presenting The Art of Communication, the 10th annual 100 Artists show. 

Over 100 artists were sent blank letters which arrived with instructions and included a stamped envelope with the address of a partnered artist.  These letters made their way to 100 different artists across the country and beyond!  Participating artists received a blank letter through the mail and were asked to write a thought, a story, or whatever they so chose and then send to their “partnered” artist. The artists had over three months to transform the writings into their work of art.

 During this show, the artists will present their own ideas of what it is to “communicate”, while creating striking and inspiring art pieces.  The act of letter writing is beginning to be a lost art, and receiving letters through the mail an almost forgotten pleasure for most of us.  The idea of “mail art” and keeping letter writing as a form of communication is our theme for the 10^th annual 100 Artist show.

 The artwork will be on display and the letters will be available for viewing.  The sale of the art will last the entire month with a silent bidding process ending at different times throughout the month.  Anyone interested can call the gallery for a bidding number, see the artworks online on the gallery website or stop in and do the bidding in person.  

This year the proceeds from the 100 Artists Show THE ART OF COMMUNICATION will be used to fund a special after school art and writing project for kids.  We want to replicate the DNA of this 100 artists show pairing children with each other as art pen pals and perhaps even with some of our 100 artists.   While this project will be launched in the Salem area community as a pilot, an important component will be to record what takes place so that the curriculum can be shared free of charge with other communities across the country who are interested in this hands-on experience.

The Mary Lou Zeek Gallery, located at 335 State Street in downtown Salem, Oregon, is the premiere place for purchasing contemporary arts and crafts.  Open hours are 12 pm to 5:30 pm Tuesday through Friday, and 12 pm to 5 pm on Saturday.  The gallery is closed on Sunday and Monday.  To preview the upcoming show and see work by many other Northwest artists, visit www.zeekgallery.com

 

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Working in a Series

When I was in my final year of school we were asked to present a Senior Thesis that consisted of 8 large paintings demonstrating a single concept - in other words, a series. Since I was under the Diebenkorn spell and only had 8 weeks to complete the assignment, my work was quite abstract and built around the grid. 

At the time my understanding of what a series was - and why an artist might consider working that way - was heavily influenced by my inexperienced views and the Modernism and Post-Modernism concepts that dominated the curriculum - in other words, I was faking it to a certain extent, repeating myself in different colors and textures without really appreciating what I was trying to do.

I've said before that in my growth as an artist I often do not immediately understand certain ideas, and only years later, as my skill level, comprehension and experience matures, am I able to grasp a deeper understanding of the work of the artist.  Working in a series is one of those concepts.

Right now I work with two specific approaches - the Mile Post Series and the Landscapes of the Interior West .  I consider both a Series - in that they explore unique ideas in different ways and yet are connected conceptually through subject matter.  With this post I want to use a group of paintings from the Interior West series, built around the cattle guards that are iconic in the open west.

I began the first cattle guard painting with a clear image of what I wanted to achieve.  On a recent location-scouting drive we rounded a curve in the road and suddenly the scene presented itself.  The light was perfect.  Late in the year, before the snow falls, there is rich color in the sagebrush and the red and gray cinders: the oblique light of the sun is so low in the horizon it defines edges, bounces across surfaces and dances in what is otherwise a drab landscape.  There was something about the light, and the idea of the empty road and distant vista - this unique physical space - that I wanted to communicate through a painting. 

Cattle Guard, 20" x 24" © 2011

While the oil paint on first Cattle Guard painting was wet, I was happy with the surface quality.  But as the work dried - and those of you who work in oil paint appreciate this - dimension diminished, colors flattened, and texture disappeared.  (This is also a consequence of using a lighter weight cotton commercial canvas that does not have the weave of linen.) 

As I studied the painting over several days, I was disappointed by some of my paint application technique, particularly edges that became more visually hard as the paint dried. These were primarily sections dominated by palette knife work - which I inattentively rely on in an effort to create texture on a - my apologies to all those commercial canvas manufacturers out there - but on a surface quality that just doesn't cut it. Perhaps if I had not felt so strongly about what I was trying to accomplish, I wouldn't have been so hyper-critical - but I knew what I wanted my painting surface to look like, not just the pieces of a composition, and I also realized how working through a series of this same subject matter - much in the way I work with the Mile Post Series - would help me explore subtle variations of my visual goal.

Yellow Cattle Guard, and Yellow Cattle Guard - Late November 2011 developed as I tried to work out issues I wanted to improve.

Yellow Cattle Guard, 12" x 18" © 2011

 

Yellow Cattle Guard - Late November 2011, 8" x 16" © 2011

 

The locations are different ( between the Cattle Guard painting and the Yellow Cattle Guard painting), but the concept is the same.  Yellow Cattle Guard is painted on a Signature linen panel, and the Late November version is on a Ray-Mar linen panel prepped with flake white which was allowed to dry for several weeks.  For me, having the right surface really allows the full expression of what I am trying to say. 

When you choose to work in a series, the benefits are far more subtle and unique to each circumstance than you might initially assume - you are not repeating an idea over and over, but creating room for your ideas to develop in a variety of ways.  You notice details in your execution that you've overlooked because you are not so tightly focused upon compositional problems.  You learn the surfaces and solve the issues of previous work. You discover happy accidents and - particularly important to me - continued joy in putting paint successfully on a surface. 

It's probably safe to say that all artists start out at a universally equal place - the desire to create something out of shape and color and give it meaning.  But the work of the artist evolves from there.  Words, instructions, generalizations, examples cannot convey the experience of looking at a work of art that impacts our emotions, just as you cannot use words to describe what Yo-Yo Ma creates with the cello.  We must each discover our own sensory language. Working in a series is - for this artist - one way to get there.

 

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 Looking for inspiration or motivation in 2012?

Ancient Wisdom Emerging Artist was nominated as one of the finalists on Katherine Tyrrell's Making a Mark Blog for Best Book by an art Blogger along with Studio and Business Practices (published on Blurb Nov 2010) by Deborah Paris, The Gyotaku Project (published by Blurb Jan. 2011) by Jeanette Jobson, and Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter (published Nov. 2010) by James Gurney.  Thank you, Katherine!

 

 

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Taking Art Off the Grid

 

I recently read a Squidoo Lens about Myth-busting the idea of Living off the Grid.   The author (RenaissanceWoman2010) opened the discussion with a quote from Henry David Thoreau:

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...I wanted to live deep..."

There is an abundance of information about the mechanics of being an artist ( and yes, I write my own share of it),  but at times I want to get back to the idea of creating deliberately...to create deeply.  I started wondering if a concept like living off the grid might help me return to those quiet moments where I find insight into what it means to create art.

When I first thought about taking my art off the grid I imagined shutting down my blog, my website, closing my facebook account, refusing to enter shows...definitely not something my creative side would allow the pragmatic side to do.  Was I thinking in terms of myths here?  Could I hypothetically take my art off the grid without literally doing it?

Perhaps I was complicating my thinking.

Myth #1 Off the Grid means retreating from all aspects of the Art World.

And yet both Agnes Martin and Georgia O'Keefe found strength by retreating from outside influences, while the Artist Retreat has a long and valued history. So an argument could be made that there are times when the artist will benefit by retreating from daily activities, finding space to synthesize privately what she has learned, and to understand from a more deliberate and personal perspective. 

Myth #2 Off the Grid means slipping into obscurity.

This was a huge myth for me - I had to really think about what I was fearing - the idea of not actively participating in "being an artist" and all that means - galleries, shows, websites, on-line networking - if there is an artistic equivalent of jumping off the bridge I was sure this was it. 

But I changed the way I interpreted the idea of "obscurity" by thinking in terms of "personal expression."  Moving off the grid of current popular taste could be a huge step toward strengthening the conviction in my own work.  By mentally freeing myself from the temptation of comparison, I am not stepping into obscurity.  I am actually reinforcing the expression of deeper ideas that resonate with viewers looking for the same insights. 

Myth #3 Off the Grid means trying to become that embarrassing relative dressed in macrame and peace beads.  

This seemed like another expression of fear to me.  I remember when we moved from California to Oregon during the early 70's craze of "getting back to self-sufficiency." That meant subscribing to The Farmer's Almanac, buying chicks at the local Farmer's Co-Op, and herding escaped cows with your car (don't ask). So this myth seemed firmly embedded.

But stepping back from actively seeking acceptance for your artwork does not consign you to the fringe unless you step so far back you are now spending your time playing golf. 

Again it is a question of re-framing the idea.  Refusing to follow the trends -if only for a short period of time - gives you the freedom to explore what living deeply and creating deeply might mean to you.  Maybe it's an opportunity to make space for growth and understanding, to bring insight back and apply it with fresh energy and momentum.

Do you think getting off the grid might be a useful idea?  How would you take your work off the grid? As someone who is always looking for that philosophical angle, I am curious about your thoughts regarding this idea. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A New Reading/Discussion Guide for Ancient Wisdom Emerging Artist as a Squidoo Lens

In response to those of you requesting a "book club" atmosphere around Ancient Wisdom Emerging Artist, I've just finished a fun new lens on Squidoo called Ancient Artist Resources for Artists - Study Group Guide for Ancient Wisdom Emerging Artist.  

There's new content, discussions, and my favorite feature - the Dueling Debate Modules, where you can agree or disagree.  Why not get your artist friends together in a cafe or a studio and have an old-fashioned Salon?

Here is a sampling:

INTRODUCTION, EXCERPT:

Ancient Wisdom Emerging Artist is about your art - why you create art, and the choices you must make in order to create art. It is partly a discussion on the practical aspects of the art business, as well as an exploration into your own private understanding of what it means to be successful as an artist.

Just buying a book and reading it isn't always enough. The experiences of artists differ. The motives for creating differ, as well as the sources of satisfaction. While Ancient Wisdom Emerging Artist is written from personal experience, as well as the experiences of others, it raises questions that are not easily answered.

This lens is an additional resource as you begin to identify your own questions.

This lens is about taking risks.

It's about finding your voice.

It's about art.

 

DISCUSSION EXCERPT

Creating commerce through our art work

...and the difference between the two

Art and commerce have always had a partnership: throughout most of world history, art was a commodity - a decoration, a fetish, forms of identification, or a means of story telling to an illiterate society. Artists worked for patrons and created on demand. Very few signed their work, and only within the last century has the idea taken root of the Artist creating Artwork as a means of personal experience - performance art, earth works art, environmental experience art. While expressive freedom has indeed opened the doors of opportunity for many artists, for others, the reasons behind the "why" of creating art have become far more nebulous.

Creative people struggle to find meaning and purpose as a daily experience. Without a "patron" we find ourselves on our own. And we ask: Who will buy our art? Who will help us sell our art? How can we justify the long hours of hard work with so little financial reward? Where will we find the funds needed to replenish our supplies, pay our mortgages, and contribute to our families while still maintaining our creative purpose without having to give up?

In Ancient Wisdom Emerging Artist, the section on How to Mentor Yourself focuses upon how we can identify sources of inner emotional support, obtain practical knowledge, discover methods to improve our craft, and build resources to help maintain emotional balance. Discuss your response to these questions:

Do we create as a form of self expression? And if so, then when our "expression" is not appreciated why do we begin to doubt ourselves?

Do we create to sell in the marketplace? What does this mean in terms of the decisions we make regarding what we produce? How does this affect our interest in the work - whether the work sells, or does not sell?

What ideas did you respond to in the essay by Shannon E Myrick, Ph.D, titled "Motivation and Art: Does getting paid for your work lower its quality?" How does this theme of intrinsic verses extrinsic motivation work it's way through Ancient Wisdom Emerging Artist?

Depending on the type of art you create (photography, sculpture, pottery, jewelry, clothing, painting) how have you integrated your personal expression into your work?

How do you think you are honoring your creative vision and why do you find this important?

What are your best methods for maintaining a balance between what seem like competing concerns?

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I hope you will hop on over to Squidoo and see what's there - it's too much to recreate on this blog. 

Best to all of you - thank you so much for supporting Amcient Wisdom Emerging Artist, and wishing all of you a happy, creative life every day. 

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Great Gift Ideas for Artists, Art-Lovers, and those who just like lists

One of my favorite Christmas songs is the one they play continually in the malls and on the radio - "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..."  It always makes me smile, and take a moment to stop and simply enjoy the season - the weather, the decorations, the smell of warm cookies -  without all the hectic demands.

If you're like me, you are always thinking about what you can get for that "hard-to-buy-for" person in your life, particularly if that person is an artist or an art-lover.  So here's a list of gifts that are sure to fit into almost any stocking.

A subscription to an Art Magazine.  Some of my favorites are Art of the West, Fine Art Connoisseur, Southwest Art Magazine, and Plein Air Magazine (Outdoor Painter).

A Fine Art coffee table book - here is a terrific one by Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn, titled Embracing the Everglades, that features her artwork as well as the story of this endangered area. Embracing the Everglades is available from her website.

Every artist needs a good brush soap, and one of the best I've found is Jack's Linseed Studio Soap, available from Cheap Joe's.

Instructional DVD's.  Some of the Best are by Quang Ho, Scott Christensen, and Sherrie McGraw.

Liz Massey compiled an original and creative list of gift ideas on her blog Creative Liberty

Consider giving a small piece of artwork, or a gift certificate from a favorite artist, gallery, or workshop.

Show your support for what your favorite artist is doing by becoming their "patron" - consider a gift certificate offering to help clean their studio or cook dinner. Or just tell them how much you love their art and want them to keep creating it.  That would be the best gift of all!

For the aspiring artist of any age, don't forget Ancient Wisdom Emerging Artist the business plan (not just) for the mature artist. In my Gratitude Jar (image above) I have many "notes" of gratitude for all of the wonderful comments you have been sending my way about Ancient Wisdom Emerging Artist.  Here are just a few:

Thank you so much for your wonderful book.  It's full of great ideas and plenty of wisdom that I will put into practice.

I've got my book in the mail and I read it with great pleasure.

You have a great style and the whole book is such an inspiration.

Thank you so much. I really enjoyed it and I keep it handy for all the moments when I doubt myself.

For those of you in the UK, the book can be purchased directly from me (email me) or through Amazon US store, but the Kindle Version is available in the Kindle UK store.  And if you like it - or even if you don't - please consider leaving a review. 

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

 

The Dreaded C-Words

In 1984 Suzi Gablik made this observation about the effect that Modernism, and Post-Modernism, had upon art and culture: that the “values of the marketplace” had replaced or undermined any sense of a “meaning-giving function” in the art being created. Artists found themselves in a cultural and economic system that rewarded those who created commodities that met the needs of the Art Market.  As Andy Warhol stated, “Why do people think artists are special? It’s just another job.”

In this 2011 article from Intelligent Life magazine Warhol is described as “the art market’s one-man Dow Jones.”  It would seem that Gablik’s observations about the influence of the marketplace upon current art markets has not declined over the past 27 years but increased.  More than ever it would seem that art has become a commodity.

Even on the local level there is influence – a general sameness in what is being offered, a cautious refusal to take risks outside of the most deliberately provocative markets - risks that go both ways, toward the avant-garde as well as toward traditionalism. And while Gablik did not foresee the equalizing influence of the internet, she did address the negative consequences of our cultural slide into Pluralism, where so many ideas about the value and purpose in art, offered by so many artists each exploring unlimited freedom of expression, have muddied the waters to the point that our culture has lost a sense of any “pattern of meaning” in the art it promotes.

Realistically, considering the social and economic environment that exists today, an artist cannot ignore the forces of the marketplace unless he is willing to withdraw completely and work in isolation, seeking neither recognition nor income. But in our own art practice, whether we are working for profit, for recognition, for pleasure, or for anything else,  are we - or should we be - confronting the dreaded C words?

No, not commodity.  

I am thinking more about these C words:

Creativity

Courage

Compassion

Compulsion

Culture

Creativity is the conceptual opposite of commodity. Courage is necessary to resist the status-quo and to live a creative life in harmony with one’s inner values. Compassion allows the artist to find his path between the competing interests of the market and his authentic artistic voice.  Compulsion drives the artist’s need to reflect the image of the world as he sees it in both his art and his practice, and culture is the carrier of all that we value. 

What is our art for? 

What is your art for?

Please leave your comments, ideas, thoughts…

Ancient Wisdom: Emerging Artist is now available for the Kindle.  If you would like a signed copy of the actual, hold-in-your-hand, able-to-write-comments-on-the-pages book, please email me and I will send you more information.  

 

Sign Posts Along the Way

This year I am participating in10th Annual 100 Artists Show at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery in Salem, Oregon  - a very special art show titled the “Art of Communication."  The challenge set for this show was that each artist would receive an object in the mail, which would then be used as a starting point for a piece of art. 

A few weeks ago we each received a blank sheet of paper, with a stamped envelope – the envelopes were part of a "date of first issue" collection found at an estate sale, so the dates were from the 70’s, 80’s.  We were then partnered with another artist, and were instructed to write something on the blank sheet of paper – a note, story, poem – whatever we were inspired to write.  This would then be sent on to our partnered artist, and each of us were to respond to what we received by creating an “art object.”

Here is a brief quote from the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery:

“This year the proceeds from the 100 Artists Show “The Art of Communication” will be used to fund a special after school art and writing project for kids.  We want to replicate the DNA of this 100 artists show pairing children with each other as art pen pals and perhaps even with some of our 100 artists…an important component will be to record what takes place so that the curriculum can be shared free of charge with other communities across the country who are interested in this hands-on experience.”

My partnered artist is Jeanne Levasseur, a talented landscape artist from Portland.  Her inspiration was to write a poem, and she took some of her cues from the postmark date on her envelope of December, as well as a large  image of the Christmas themed postage stamp printed on the envelope.  The inspiration I sent her took the form of a story, played out in a letter from one young art student to another who had moved away to fly an airplane for the forest service (the image stamped on my envelope) – it will be very interesting to see how the various postmarks and images can “communicate” a story or personality or moment from one artist to their DNA partner artist, who in turn “communicates” that inspiration to the public in the form of a work of art. 

no title yet, 8 x 10, oil, ©2011

This is my current planned submission to the 100 Artists Show - unless I paint something I like better between now and the deadline.  It's actually the third painting - I was a little rusty and had a few "twenty-minute tone jobs" before I started to get the rhythm back. 

The 100 Artist Show will run from February 1 through March 3, 2012. All artwork will be online and for sale, as well as in a Blurb book - also for sale. As I get more details I will post them for you. The opening reception will be held on First Wednesday, February 2, 2012, at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery, 335 State Street, Salem, Oregon  97301  It’s going to be a great show!

This is Thanksgiving Week, a time to be grateful for family and friends and the support that is all around us.  I am both humbled and very appreciative for the support I receive from the readers of this blog – and especially from those of you who have purchased Ancient Wisdom: Emerging Artist.  I am truly grateful for your overwhelming support.  I value all the emails I have received and I am so glad you are finding the book meaningful.  However, in all the edits and rewrites, there is at least one sentence that did not make it into the final version that I wish I had included – so I am including it here – feel free to write it in the book if you like:

There comes a point when you have to open your hands and let go of your expectations, when each brushstroke is an act of faith.

There is another quote from Robert Henri that I have always found meaningful:

“There are moments in our lives, there are moments in a day, when we seem to see beyond the usual. Such are the moments of our greatest happiness. Such are the moments of our greatest wisdom. If one could but recall his vision by some sort of sign. It was in this hope that the arts were invented. Sign-posts on the way to what may be. Sign-posts toward greater knowledge.” (Page 13, The Art Spirit)

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving.

 

Learning to Paint without Copying the Painting

     I have a student who is addicted to copying another artist’s work as a learning tool.   I have tried many strategies to build her foundational skills, but she just won’t trust her own instincts.  Since there is another major dust-up in the artist blog world about one artist infringing upon another’s work by creating a painting identical to the original, I thought I would share some ideas on how to learn from other artists without slipping into the trap of copying the work. 

     In Ancient Wisdom: Emerging Artist, there is a section on How to Mentor Yourself.  Here is an excerpt:

Try an Intensive Study

Set up your own intensive study program.  Select two or three artists who effectively demonstrate a technique you want to learn, and study their approach in order to teach yourself the underlying process.

For example:

Identify the artists that interest you and pull up their work on the computer or in books. Look for differences and similarities, going back and forth: how do they apply the paint, or use color temperature, or handle edges, or interpret subject matter?

Write out in bullet point fashion what you are noticing and refer to this information when you work, instead of the artwork images.   When you understand on this level it is far easier to incorporate the ideas through your personal interpretation and not unconsciously copy another’s style.  (page 51)

 

     Here is an excerpt from a worksheet I created when studying John Singer Sargent and Fechin:

o     Fechin paint application: thin hog brush strokes, looks like 2-3 value shifts in the color, very close, one stroke, change value, second stroke, change value, etc.  Darks appear to go on first, then lights on top.  Thicker paint pulled in to create an edge light against dark, dark first, then light, then a brush stroke at an angle to drag light over dark/dark over light very soft pressure, to soften edge.

o     Both use “spots” of the same color “around” the center of interest, subtle, to direct the eye. 

o     Both have the majority of the painting very loose, thin paint, then develop a thicker application with smoother/more finished edges in the center of interest

o     Sargent uses (background) a transparent for the dark (brown), then in the light areas, layers a cool light, then a thin dark, then a warmer light, and a warmer dark in the shadows – olive greens, Naples yellow, red iron oxide mixed loosely with white and with a darker cooler red – 3 values in the reds

o     Both artists use 3 values of a color in the mid tone areas where there is light, very loose cooler darks, thicker paint in area of interest, spots of color/pattern in area of interest, more abstract in supporting areas.

o     Dramatic value contrast, primarily achieved in the mid tone area with a small accent white, small accent dark

o     White accent  works with darkest dark, or darkest mid tone, to become the center of interest

o     Light mid tones are warmer, darker mid tones are either warm or cool and used to direct the eye.  Sargent uses a cool dark in the shirt next to the boy’s warmer mid tone light face, and the bottom of the shirt is a warmer dark but very close to the same value, thinner paint, the cooler darker area is more opaque, solid.

o     Fechin in winter scene keeps all of the mid tones warm, reserving the cool for the darkest dark accent in the water and the darks in the windows.  Color range is yellow ochre, violets, cobalt blues, (windows first stroke violet, second stroke cobalt blue, same value, third stroke highlight slightly lighter cobalt blue) burnt sienna/red iron oxide.  Uses the same color palette in Taos landscape, snow – first stroke white, top stroke blue/white. 

 

     Many artists rely on photo references while trying to learn to paint – I remember one fellow art student who began a lovely large abstract painting. Her colors were vibrant, her strokes loose and energetic, and then she opened a book about Richard Diebenkorn and her painting process changed – she would look at the book, look at her painting, and then copy some bit of something that she saw in the book that she admired.  Over the course of several days her painting lost all of the original spark and became a dull, lifeless copy of Diebenkorn’s style.  While the change was very obvious to the other students, she seemed oblivious to the similarity. I remember she was frustrated that no one else appreciated what she thought was her best effort yet.

     I want to believe that most artists are really unaware of how heavily their work can be influenced by that of another artist: when they are actually looking at the reference while working on their own painting they unconsciously incorporate far more of the original work than they realize.  If you are trying to improve your technique, try an intensive study.  Think in terms of discovering a process and then interpreting it through your own voice.

 I structured Ancient Wisdom: Emerging Artist as a Business Plan - but it's unlike any Business Plan you may have encountered.  Here is another excerpt:

Remember this: your Vision Statement opens your mind to the possibilities and directs your goals, while your Executive Summary describes the roadmap you will take to reach those goals.

Direct Engagement with your art on a daily basis enables you to experience your creative life in the moment, and balances the business pressures you will face in the marketing and promotion of your work.

The combination of these elements will help keep you grounded in the real world, without undermining your dreams.

 

Ancient Wisdom: Emerging Artist is now available on Amazon here.