Out From Behind the Camera
I rarely get the opportunity to use our products as a customer might by working along with the DVD one chapter at a time. This past week was different. I played hooky with a group of art buddies down at my mom’s home in the Bay Area. There were seven of us total. I brought Creative Catalyst workshops and art supplies so we could try a variety of techniques.
It was a valuable experience to be a user of our products rather than someone involved in trying to calculate what is important when putting a DVD workshop together. As a consumer, it became apparent that multiple viewing was necessary for serious learning and chapters were critical to saving time. I repeated some chapters and skipped others after the first viewing. The second and third time through the DVD I’d hear a tidbit of information I’d missed before but this just happened to be the missing piece that made all the difference to my success. I simply could not take it all in with a single viewing.
It also was interesting to observe how each of us was attracted to different aspects of a teacher’s teachings, but never the whole teaching in its entirety. No one became a Carla O’Connor or a Nicholas Simmons clone. (There was one Jan Kunz but she was already Jan Kunz). We gathered information and pushed ourselves without loosing ourselves in the process. We gave ourselves permission to “dance along the edge of the abyss”, as Carla would say. It was fun but completely exhausting. I return to Creative Catalyst with an increased appreciation for the teachers and the students, and ready for another vacation.
Cheers ~ Lynn
THE COMMON THREAD
December 18, 2007
Over these many years of filming, I have been trying to distill what it is that makes one person an ARTIST and the next a PAINTER. (Notice I don’t say ‘just’ a painter) I think I can say, without reservation, that one ingredient in the mix is objective, self-critiquing. All of the people I’d consider Artists have paused many times in the course of their creative process, stepped back and pondered their next step. They asses the painting as a unique ‘happening’, on it’s own merits. Never have they said…’but it, the subject, looked like that.” They are more interested in making a work of art.
Artists are in no rush to complete their paintings. To the contrary, they do not put brush to canvas/paper until they are confident of the direction in which they want to lead their painting. Some have said they may have to wait days, weeks, or in the case of Cheng-Khee Chee, years, for a satisfactory, or even a brilliant, solution.
This is not to say that artists do not take risks. They do. They constantly push the envelope. Mary Todd Beam read from an article in SCIENTIFIC AMERICA (sorry, I can’t remember which issue) which said “creativity flourishes on the brink of incompetency”. Carla O’Connor described it as, “dancing right up to the edge of the cliff.” Virginia Cobb talked about creating problems in her painting, and then finding solutions as part of her creative process.
The real difference between a top tier artist and painter occurs in what they bring to their analysis. It is then when the years of study and experience give them more options, better choices and a clearer understanding of their media. It is NOT a “lets throw it on and see if anything works” sort of process. It is having confidence in their ability to trod new territory knowing their design skills will help them find the best, most expressive solution available to them at that given time.
So be patient, step back often and assess what’s happening in the painting. Don’t just ‘do’ to be ‘doing’. Stay attentive and try something new, something you’ve learned. If you always paint the same way, you can expect to … (here it comes…) always paint the same way.
Have a wonderful holiday!
~Lynn~
Q&A with Barbara Nechis December 6, 2007
I would like to report back on what Barbara Nechis had to say when I asked her the two questions sent in by readers. The first was to list her materials: Barbara uses #140 Arches watercolor paper, not stretched. She generally uses Winsor & Newton paints that have been refreshed the night before. She has a few Graham paints too. Her brushes of choice for almost everything are flats. She likes to use the biggest brush she can get into the area! She only uses rounds when doing lines or small details. Finally, Barbara does not post all her work or prices on her internet site because she does not want her site to become commercial. Because buyers contact her personally to ’see’ her complete availability, she has an opportunity to get to know them and what they are looking for when she sends them JPGs. I might add that Barbara is a very prolific painter “¦ keeping her gallery current could be a full time job! Barbara’s very recognizable style is achieved differently than any other artist we have filmed. Wet into wet painters will benefit greatly from her workshop! (Expect it next summer-2008).
~ Lynn ~
BARBARA NECHIS DVD and BOOK at CCP
Barbara Nechis,produced a workshop video, Watercolor with Barbara Nechis, with Artists’ Video Productions a number of years ago and re-released it on DVD this year. We are pleased to make this DVD available to you at CCP for $29.95.
We are also stocking her book, Watercolor From the Heart, Techniques for Painting the Essence of Nature
View Barbara Nechis’ New Web Page
Hugh Greer DVD
SPOTLIGHT ON HUGH GREER’s seasonal shifts!
The color of light greatly impacts the mood of a landscape, and that is no where more apparent than in acrylic artist Hugh Greer’s, Create Mood and Atmosphere with Color and Value. Hugh executes two paintings of the same scene adjusting (you got it) color and value! The results are dramatically different. Hugh shows you how small changes can make a big difference! His incredible handling of the pigment and brilliant color sense is something to behold… truly awe-inspiring! In addition, it is one of three workshops that start with the very basics and progress to this advanced level. The trio makes a great gift also.
Jan Kunz’s Watercolor Basics is Back
Jan Kunz book, Watercolor Basics: Color by Jan Kunz is on our shelves again. It was out of print and is back. This is an excellent introductory book for beginning watercolorists. It would make a great gift for an aspiring artist.
KELLY’S ANIMATED " 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS"
This falls into the “What CCP Employees Do In Their Spare Time” category. Kelly, one of our editors has just put a new animated video on YouTube. You have to see it to believe it!
If you like her video you may also enjoy our new Craft Arts webpage.
(Kelly is currently on vacation, but I’m sure she would like to hear your comments regarding her YouTube video.) Please send her an e-mail at: Kelly@ccpvideos.com
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