Blog
10/29/2013 7:53:10 PM
I am an artist that works in different mediums and enjoys painting different subject matter. Currently in my studio sits an oil of a fallen log in the woods, a pastel of a woman ironing, and there is a still life set up in the corner. The reason I do this is to keep myself thinking in terms of visual language and not obsessing over painting “things.”
Years ago I saw myself as a portrait artist and thought of a portrait as a collection of features. Features are forms that are easy to describe as symbols. Below I have posted some symbols that we recognize as features.
Later, when I attempted to plein air paint, I had to rethink the entire process. There were few symbols I could rely on to help me create the ever changing landscape and I was forced to use a different approach. In order to truly learn to see I had to give up assumptions as to what I thought something should look like and define the composition with visual language.
Visual language describes the relationship of the visual elements. The visual elements are shape, value, color, transition, and texture. How we arrange the relationships of these elements on the canvas is the core of visual language.
So rather than working on painting a “face” (and the assumptions that go along with it), painting in visual language can be translated into the following conversation:
- Where will the shapes sit on the canvas – highest point, lowest point, and widest point?
- Will it be mostly light, dark, or mid-tone?
- Where is the lightest light and the darkest dark?
- Do the values reflect changes in the planes?
- Where is the extreme transition in the value range?
- Where can I make color changes instead of value changes?
- What are the color harmonies that will describe the light?
- What is my most saturated color?
- Where are the reflective colors?
- Will texture influence the effect of light and shadow?
close up of eye in Double Bun. 
Double Bun
The conversation can change depending on the subject and how the artist chooses to portray it but not once was a "thing" mentioned! This is not easy to do. As artists, it is difficult to trust the simplicity of the visual elements. The constant prick of fear of creating something recognizable keeps us bound to creating objects. When I am frustrated with a painting, I can usually trace it back to trying to paint things instead of orchestrating visual elements. When I trust the process of visual language, I am amazed how the subject materializes with little effort.
The beauty of being an artist is that the worst thing that can happen when you are trying out a new idea is that you may mess up a canvas or piece of paper. Wipe it out and you now have a lovely toned surface to try out a new idea!
close up of the mouth on "Santa Man" 
Santa Man
10/23/2013 4:33:59 PM
In the last blog post I wrote about a method of teaching yourself by identifying what you would like to learn, creating challenges and assessing the effectiveness of the exercise. This is a great method of improving your work but here is the most important action you need to take to become a better artist. You have to show up at the easel and go to work!
Procrastination is a powerful force and fear is procrastinations partner when we pursue creative endeavors. It is easy to put painting at the bottom of the to do list, but if we place painting and learning as one of our daily tasks, as important as paying bills or fixing supper, then, and only then will you become a working artist.
I am not an organized person by nature and compensate for this by creating a daily to do list. Each day I write down what has to be accomplished and studio time is always included. Sometimes the task is very deliberate such as, “Create pencil sketch for commission, “and sometimes it is very broad, “Paint 3 hours in studio.” Even if great art does not come out of the session there is something satisfying about crossing off studio time on the list and knowing that you have another chance tomorrow. If the goal of art is to learn, showing up to participate in the process is what is most important. Now off I go for today’s scheduled studio time!
I am a big fan of Cozi, the online calendar and organizer. It is a free app and website that has a calendar, menus, and to do lists that can be custom tailored for your needs. They have different levels of membership and the free one offers a lot of organing tools with minimal advertising.
10/18/2013 7:46:46 PM
Classrooms are important for us to hear new ideas and gain new perspectives but the real learning comes from within, by challenging ourselves and taking effective action to find new insight. I love painting because there is always something to learn. As a science major in college I found that the method of question, test, and analyze could be applied to art. Painting and drawing are inspired problem solving and going to the easel with a purpose helps move my work forward. Here are the steps I use:
Identify- what is it you want to learn? The answer should be concrete and easily identifiable. This will help you create a course of action
“I want to be a better artist” is a broad statement and not helpful in creating a course of action.
“I want to be a better artist by simplifying the value structure of my compositions” This identifies the issue and helps determine what to do next.
Create- once you identify what it is you want to change you can create a challenge.
“I will simplify the value structure of my paintings by creating a 3 value thumbnail sketch”
The secret to creating a challenge is to make one that addresses the problem but is not too challenging. There is a sweet spot between pushing yourself and setting yourself up for failure. Making small value sketches is a useful and helpful tool in understanding simplicity in composition. Insisting that the value sketch must be made directly on a 40x60 canvas without any forethought using phthalo colors is setting yourself up for failure.
Assess- This is crucial, did the action give you the results you wanted? Never take the results personally but use them to identify where you want to go next.” Sometimes you have to scrap the challenge and try something else; often you just need to tweak what you were working on.
“I used three values but the composition was static” This is because the three values were equally dominant.
Now you have a new action to identify
“I want to simplify my compositions by using three values and letting one dominate.”
Now you can create a new challenge
“I can change dominance of the three values by assigning them different percentages. 60% dark, 30% mid-tone and 10% light.” Now assess the effectiveness of this, which will lead to new ideas to tackle at the easel. Improving your art is a life long journey.
I have been experimenting with surface texture lately. In "Sleeping Bear Sunset" I kept the darks very thin and layed the lights on as thick as possible. I mixed huge piles of light values for the sunset and water and buttered the panel with the paint. I liked the effect of it so well that I tried it out in pastel on this painting of my son's boots. I ground the light pastel into the sandpaper. I does not quite have the punch of the oil strokes but I would like to play with it more.
