Ancient Artist: Developing an art career after 50

Peter Wileman's Recipe for Priming

I've mentioned Peter Wileman's book (along with Malcolm Allsop), Painting Light in Oils, before, and I want to share my experiment with his process for preparing painting panels, with my own modifications.

I like to work on a hard surface - either mounted linen or panels - and I have been looking for a good way to make my own custom sizes and surfaces - especially for the Mountain Series.  Initially I experimented with thin hardboard and luan - but neither gave anything close to satisfactory results.  So I was interested in the advice Peter Wileman gives in his book and dvd, and gave it a try.

I found 24 x 29 inch sheets of 1/4 inch MDF board for under $7 at a local home improvement store.  So - no big deal if the project failed.  Following Wileman's recipe, I purchased a can of acrylic (water based) primer/sealer.  Pollyfilla - the secret ingredient - is not marketed in the US, and through research I discovered it is similar to dry spackle.  But other research, particularly through The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques, by Ralph Mayer, discusses the old method of making gesso first detailed by Cennino Cennini, of slaking plaster of Paris (a process that involves soaking in water) and mixing with rabbit skin glue. 

Ok, so as I stood in the home improvement store looking at the two boxes - plaster of Paris and spackle - I opted for the plaster of Paris to use because, after all, this is somewhat of an experiment, and spackle has always seemed gritty and prone to cracking to me. 

The primary caution regarding plaster of Paris is that it tends to crack when used on a flexable surface like canvas, but on wood panels the substrate is stable.  I used only a scant amount of plaster of Paris - approximately 1 teaspoon to 3 cups of primer, poured into a mixing container - about the consistency of yogurt.  Mix thoroughly and brush on to your pre-cut panels. 

You can see in the photo above that this mixture is rough on your household paint brush, so work quickly, brushing in multiple directions to give a more textured surface.  At least two thin layers, and allow to dry thoroughly between coats.  This gave good coverage, but there were a few panels where I used three coats and didn't  have any problems. 

You could certainly seal your board first using an acrylic product like GAC, but this seems to be overkill according to some resources.

I tried mixing marble dust in the mixture and found that the result was too rough on my brushes and I quickly tired of removing hogs hair from the surface and seeing my rounds demolished within minutes - so no marble dust in subsequent mixtures.

Here are the panels drying - allow ample time and don't stack until you are sure they are dry - trust me, they will stick together and you will have to repaint spots using your mixture.

Wileman also tones the panels as a next step, using acrylic paint.  For the Mountain Series I do use either a pink or a blue toned ground, and then add additional texturing before I begin to paint.  I have found this surface to be perfect for palette knife work as well as the rubbing and staining that I use - I don't worry about the panels warping as they dry - and my sizes range upward to 12 x 29 and larger without any problems as long as you store them flat and not on a slant.  Gravity wins out then, no matter what, unless you add a cradle. 

With oil paint, the paint is absorbed and becomes part of each layer, linked chemically, so the purpose of the plaster of Paris is to increase this tooth or absorbency.  I dislike some of the oil grounds that I've tried( too slippery) and many times commercial gessos also make it diffricult to lay down the paint - I have actually learned how to use these different qualities to create some of the textures in my work, applying some grounds that are more absorbent than others. 

All this points to the benefits in researching and experimenting until you find materials that work the best for what you are trying to do. 

Don't settle for what you can find commercially if it isn't working for you. 

 

******

 

"I could sure hear you in the book, very upbeat and encouraging...I also loaned your book to my Tucson art teacher and she let another friend of hers read it, too.  She’s already doing most of what you suggested...she hates self-promotion like most of us do..."  TB, Tuscon, AZ

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Things I Talk About When I Talk to Myself

I often talk to myself at critical junctures during the creative cycle.  I do this for several reasons: either I’m not clear on what I want to achieve, or because only another artist would understand whether this area needs a perspective cue or that texture is too dominant. 

Mostly, the conversations I have with myself revolve around ideas, and why some unfold like the rapid motion photography of flower petals,  and others are lost in a fog.  When the fog happens, I remind myself that I'm not a very good gardener, either. I plant seeds and then forget which ones I put in which pot, and have to wait weeks before I can identify the emerging leaves. Last year I ended up with twenty pots of zucchini and only three of sweet peas because, both with my painting and with gardening, I don’t always know what I am interested in. I once worked non-stop for three days, painting, wiping off, re-painting the same scene of pine trees along a canal, thinking it was the structure of the trees, or the pattern of light between the trunks, or just figuring out how to put the paint on in a way that effectively suggested “pine trees” – and each version, horizontal, vertical, reversed, intimate, expansive – each version earned the TIC (This Is C##P) designation.  Oddly enough, at the end of this failure marathon I knew I had figured something out and didn’t need to keep painting those trees.

What I have discovered is, sometimes the idea exciting me isn’t the one I think I'm working on.  And while talking to others is an effective way to clarify which seed is in which pot, at the early stage of my creative work I can easily get trapped by the obvious – and often incorrect – assumptions that result in "foggy" paintings.

For many artists, this physical and mental act of turning a concept into reality is difficult work.  We’ve all had the experience of inspiration, followed by struggle to bring it into reality.  These are the things I talk to myself about, because persistence, and patience, and the willingness to survive the disappointment of not getting it right the first – or even the tenth time – are all critical to the creative process: not from the Edison Perspective (how many failures before he achieved success?) but because inconsequential discoveries, along with the mindfulness to recognize them, propel the creative process. 

Jeffrey Davis, M.A., in his article The Creative Thinking Myth in Psychology Today, writes, “A person who is aware of how her mind works and who trains herself to pay attention to and to capture those flashes of insight, of course, is more likely to follow through on them.”  And perhaps it's possible to have flashes of insight that we don't, consciously, apprehend, but totally get on another level.  Any maybe it's just as possible that the pop-culture description of insanity - taking the same action over and over while expecting different results - isn't insanity at all but the fine line of creativity. 

I don't know.  There are times I wonder if, after you've been painting your entire lifetime, you get to the point where you don't need to talk to yourself that much. Or paint pine trees over and over.

But I hope not.

 

 *****

"I could sure hear you in the book, very upbeat and encouraging...I also loaned your book to my Tucson art teacher and she let another friend of hers read it, too.  She’s already doing most of what you suggested...she hates self-promotion like most of us do..."  TB, Tuscon, AZ

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Easy Value References for your Palette

Strong compositions require a good grasp of tone or value.  When I recently replaced my painting surface, I took advantage of these two simple value tips to make the palette super efficient.

My palette is low-tech. I use a large sheet of glass and back it with mat board. For this project, I purchased a scrap piece of mat board that measured 8 on the 10 point value scale, where white is 10 (take your value scale with you to get a sheet in the lighter range of 7 to 9, but not white).  

Using a straight edge and utility knife, I cut the mat board to fit beneath my 18 inch by 28 inch sheet of glass.  I taped the two pieces together using several layers of blue painters tape, making sure the sharp edges were completely covered.

 

 

(Palette and blue tape, slightly used)

Next, I used acrylic paint from Liquitex called Neutral gray value 5 / mixing gray, and painted the blue tape on opposite corners so I would have a readily available mid-value to use when judging color. I also painted in a triangular section in the corner of the palette closest to the edge of my taboret, giving me a larger area to use for value comparison. I can easily scrape this paint off using my scraper when it becomes too dirty, and re-apply fresh paint.

(gray corner, slightly used)

 

(This image shows a comparison using a printer's 10 step value scale.)

I found that while the acrylic paint measures at value 5 using this printer's ruler, it can also be read as a value 4 using Daniel Smith's printed card. But for me, what is more useful is understanding the value step - or distance between the lightness and darkness of two colors - and now I can easily control this simply by using the value of the palette and the value on the tape/corner as a guide.  I like this method better than just using the mid-value gray as the palette color because it keeps me focused upon working with value differences and strong contrasts. 

So,

Tip #1 - select a lighter value to use for your palette surface and know what that value is compared to white.

Tip #2 - paint the edge of your palette with a darker value, and know the distance on the value scale from the value of the palette, as well as the distance to black.  This should give you a good basis for a 3-point value plan - light-mid-dark.

The best advantage is that color mixing becomes automatic when you use this simple value scale.

 

Looking for inspiration?

 

"I could sure hear you in the book, very upbeat and encouraging...I also loaned your book to my Tucson art teacher and she let another friend of hers read it, too.  She’s already doing most of what you suggested...she hates self-promotion like most of us do..."  TB, Tuscon, AZ

 

 

 

 

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How They Do It - The British Landscape Painters

I recently came across several DVDs that focus on the British Plein Air Landscape Painters that were quite inspiring.  I enjoyed Oil Landscapes - Quick and Easy with Brian Ryder the most, but all three instructional dvds offer insights into this painting approach from different perspectives.

 

I really enjoyed Brian Ryder  - he was funny and very approachable, offered plenty of information and created terrific paintings.  Watching him paint the sea wall was a master class in color and abstraction. I found Oil Landscapes - Quick and Easy with Brian Ryder by chance on Amazon and it is one I will watch more than once.  

 

 

 

 

You might also enjoy Painting the Light in Oils with Peter Wileman, who has a book out with the same title.  Much of the information is in both sources, and while the book is less expensive, I enjoyed the dvd more, hearing the artist  talk and watching him work.  I have been experimenting with his method of using MDF and preparing it using acrylic primer.  I've had to adjust the ingredients as we don't have the same brand names in the US, but at this point it is an experiment and I will post on the results later.

 

 

 

If you have been following Stapleton Kern's blog  you know he had several posts on Edward Seago awhile back.  The dvd Edward Seago Oil Landscape Techniques with Miles Fairhurst offers insights into the artist's approach from "Miles Fairhurst...a Suffolk artist whose father knew Seago well."  All three artists are using what is described as the "Edward Seago Approach" - starting with a toned ground, "scrubbing" on the color, and each dvd had high points and boring parts. Worth the modest $40 price range, but perhaps you don't need all three. 

 

 

 

 

Need a nudge?

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Pushing Your Art to the Next Level

An artist's "toolbox" is not just filled with the equipment he uses, but the experiences, ideas, passions, and stories that he wants to tell.  Sometimes, though, the stories are bigger than the skills, or the ideas applied to the wrong materials.  When this happens - at least in my own experience - frustration takes hold and I wonder if I will ever grow beyond the obstacles I see in front of me.

But - over the past few months I've been able to identify certain strategies that are more successful than others in pushing my art out of frustration mode into real growth:

 

1.  Change either the painting support, format, or size - or all of the above

 

North or West?, version II, 18" x 36"

The first version of this painting was on mounted linen in a 12 x 18 inch size.  I was excited about the direction that North or West (first version) and the other "old road" paintings were going, but I wasn't sure how to develop my ideas.  I decided to switch to gessoed panels and completely change my painting style.

Working on panel successfully - for me - requires different painting skills, brushwork and innovation.  I needed to move from direct alla prima painting to an approach based upon drawing and layers of glazing and scumbling, building up the surface over a longer period of time. (This painting evolved over a two week period.)  While I was initially uneasy as to whether or not I could successfully pull off a painting of this size, I took the chance and gained not only a new skill set and confidence, but creative momentum.

 

2.  Explore unconventional subject matter

That Summer When We Walked the Field, 12" x 36"

 

This is another painting on panel, actually completed before North or West. 

You can see the influence from Robert Bateman and Andrew Wyeth in this painting.  The subject matter - the edge of an irrigation canal - goes back to my early years in Oregon, and I was drawn to the emotional simplicity of the idea - which is what I find most comforting in Wyeth's work. Through the process of painting I realized I was never going to be one of those artists that could paint every blade of grass, so I needed to devise ways of accomplishing a visual reality in my own style.

I worked with scumbling colors and using a rag to rub "in and out" - a method of subtle blending in the under-painting to create form, and followed with a series of glazes, brushwork, more glazes and scumbling. Since the panel surface accepts paint differently than linen or canvas, it can take time to understand your brushwork.  But the insights let you work successfully through challenges and develop  confidence in your ability to manipulate both your paint and your surface. 

 

3  Repaint it, or over-paint it - just don't settle if it's not right

We all create work that doesn't meet our standards - some are "learning experiences" and some present the opportunity to really learn about what you are doing, even if you regret the outcome.

Lodgepole Pines is a painting I originally created in 2009.  While I liked the composition and the sense of the color temperature and light, I was really disappointed in my ability to control the brush and some of the painting mixtures.  After a disastrous attempt to "fix" a painting that I rather liked (one of the yellow cattle guard paintings from a previous post) by over-painting and totally destroying it, I decided to repaint Lodgepole Pines.

Lodgepole Pines, 12 x 16, originally created in 2009

 Lodgepole Pines, 12 x 16 Repainted 2012

The success of the second version of Lodgepole Pines comes from several factors:

• I used one of the beautiful linen surfaces from Signature Canvas instead of a commercial canvas with a poor surface that would not allow for subtle brush marks and sensitivity
• I had the first version to study and identify the successful and not-so-successful areas of execution
• I had a better skill set in both my understanding of brushwork and paint manipulation, as well as how to create proper color temperature and surface interest. 

And the failure of my attempt to fix the yellow cattle guard painting came from these factors:

• not taking the time to understand what was wrong with the painting
• deciding that a "few dabs" of color would fix it, when in fact the visual issue I was trying to correct had to do with edges and needed to be corrected by painting wet-in-wet - in other words, a new painting
• not realizing until I was well into the mess that once I began changing things I couldn't stop with one change - everything effects everything else, basic painting 101 which I ignored until it was too late

 

 Sometimes we take a chance and the outcome is positive.  It allows for growth, improvement and confidence.  Other times, we take a chance and are unhappy with the results - but before you give in to frustration, realize this:

In every painting there is something to be gained, even if you decide you made a dumb decision.  And no painting is so precious that it cannot be recreated. 

Newer, and better. 

 

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Ancient Wisdom Emerging Artist is available through Amazon.

 

 "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.  I really enjoyed it and I keep it handy for all the moments when I doubt myself."  SM, Australia

 

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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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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?

***************

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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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.  

 

Two Collaborative Sites That Connect Artists to Artists - Plus MoMA

Recently, I came across two collaborative websites for artists - The Arts Map, and My Art Tutor  - that enhance the way we interact with each other.  Plus, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is offering new online courses for the Fall 2011 season.

The Arts Map was created by collage artist Robin Colodzin, and painter and collage artist Jonathan Talbot. The Arts Map connects people within the arts community through free listings that appear on the map like push pins.  Click on the push pins in your area and you can see details, such as artist or gallery name, the location, services offered, and upcoming events. I particularly like the opt-in feature for potential clients to get on the lister's mailing list and I see The Arts Map as a growing collaborative tool for making important connections.  The creators - both highly respected artists - have this to say about The Arts Map:

When we first created The Arts Map, our primary intention was to enable new connections between artists, arts organizations, galleries, museums, art schools, art materials suppliers, and the general public...The Arts Map is like a baby learning to walk. It needs help until it can stand on its own. Please tell your friends and colleagues about The Arts Map. Be sure to tell them that listings on http://TheArtsMap.com/ are FREE and will remain free forever.
Thanks,
Robin Colodzin & Jonathan Talbot

My listing on The Arts Map was easy to create.  It features an artwork image, contact information, the type of artwork, and studio hours, workshops and lessons.  It is easy to edit, so there's no excuse not to keep your listings and events current.  This collaborative tool is one of the best I've come across for connecting people within the Fine Arts Community.

My Art Tutor introduces a unique collaborative twist to the digital workshop experience.  Created by Chief Muse, Vicki Ross, My Art Tutor currently offers on-line workshops with 6 different tutors, in a variety of genres and mediums.  Using Voice Thread technology, founders Vicki and Randy Ross have recreated the actual workshop experience with a level of interactivity and support not found in static workshop delivery systems, such as DVD's or digital lessons. 

The key benefit is that students can ask questions, either by pausing the lesson and typing the question, or posting one using a video cam. Because the workshops are stored "in the cloud," the content is constantly refreshed: tutors sign in weekly to answer questions, and the interaction is added to the workshop content. This was part of the design concept behind the workshop interactivity, as the founders believe much of the learning comes from the social interaction.

The other interesting feature is the development of a Facebook page, where students and tutors, as well as others, can ask questions, get answers, and support one another in their efforts to improve their artistic skills. Facebook is a wonderful platform for providing immediate feedback - although it is not specific to the workshop topics, but art questions in general, as well as tips and technique. 

Vicki Ross explains,

"Our plan going forward is to add more classes and tutors...watercolor, acrylic, drawing, charcoal.  We have a non-profit grant company actively pursuing educational grant monies for us to get our program in schools, especially under served populations, and we have several art educators on board as advisers."

If you would like to learn from the workshop experience, this is an innovative resource to investigate.  There are two free videos - an introduction to the concept, and a free "Sepia" portrait workshop by Leslie B. Demille - on the My Art Tutor site. All you will need is a good internet connection, and some free time to discover what this site has to offer. 

And although some of you may already be aware of MoMA's online courses, I wanted to include them in this post.  The Museum of Modern Art in New York City has always been at the forefront of innovation and education, and their new online course offering is an opportunity for people around the world to gain access to this resource and learn from the curators and educators.  Registration for the Fall 2010 classes is currently ongoing, although only the self-directed classes have available space.  The next round of classes are scheduled for the Winter/Spring 2012 session.  This is definitely a site you want to bookmark if you are interested in modern art history and the practices and techniques used by artists whose work is exhibited in the museum.  

The Quest for Beauty: Edgar Payne on Forms of Composition

 

This is the third post in the series on composition and features one of my favorite teachers, Edgar Payne (California Impressionist, Plein Air Artist).

♦

Edgar Payne's book, Composition of Outdoor Painting, is often described as one of the "must haves" in every artist's library. I've learned so much about technique, color, and problem solving from this little gem that I can't imagine being without it.

Payne teaches that every artist must have a solid foundation in the principles of art, but should also develop his own thinking and viewpoint. The artist's emotional response to the subject inspires the painting, while foundational principles are the means of accomplishing a successful result. 

When I first explored plein air painting, my biggest challenge was to identify what to paint, and then hold on to that initial impression when everything seems to change. Often, we get lost in the details, or chase the moving light, creating what one instructor called the "twenty-minute tone job."

 

 In this photograph of Sparks Lake, where I recently attended a painting workshop, you can see the many exciting possitilities in a single view.  Where do you start?

Payne suggests that we narrow down the choices by making important decisions first.

Find the abstract pattern that excites you.

Look for ways to emphasize your pattern as you arrange the major shapes.

Make the choice to focus on one motif at a time.  There will always be multiple possibilities presented to you and confusion arises from the inability to select just one idea.

 

In the photo above, you can see one of the plein air studies I completed in the field. I organized my initial abstract pattern around the standard S composition.  But - following Payne's example  - once I got home I began to explore the material in a variety of ways in my sketch book. In the photo above, you can see the examples Payne offers for constructing a "form of composition."  I am using these ideas as my guide to push my painted sketch in new directions.

The top sketch is pushed more toward group mass design.

The bottom sketch is pushed toward a steelyard design and offers an entirely different possibility.

Further explorations could include color variations, other design structures, and emphasizing specific areas such as the water and reflections, or the sky.  By using my painted sketch, I have an interesting guide for color temperature, edges, and the freshness of painting in the moment.

Payne teaches that design principles, as they relate to the various approaches to composition, are part of the “means” to achieving a satisfying result.  Knowledge of these principles will strengthen your work, but originality evolves from your ability to use these principles in your personal expression, not from following a rule.

Finding new, poetic solutions to express an initial response will help you develop your personal artistic voice.  Don't limit youself by painting what you see, exactly the way you see it.