Kwan Jung Greetings
Dec. 2008
Dear Friends &
SEASON GREETINGS
2008 has been an artistic year for the Jungs. We have been busy doing paintings and engaged in many art activities like: attending friends’ exhibitions, being a helping hand in painting workshops and the art class.
We have also got our names in prints. In art book publishing of 2008, Kwan’s landscape painting “ Engagement in the Park “ is included in the book “Splash 10, the passionate brushstrokes“, edited by Rachel Wolf of the North Light Books this year. In her book, Editor Ms. Rachel Wolf asked all artist who is contributing his or her artworks to tell how to passionate those brushstrokes. Everyone had his or her thought written. In page 19th of “ Splash 10, the passionate brushstrokes “ Kwan wrote “ It is a lifetime goal to create something special” as his answer.
Early January 2008, Yee Wah and Kwan both participated in the invitational small group exhibition of “ Celebrating Tradition” in San Francisco State University. The exhibition was sponsored by the San Francisco State University, supported by the Yale -China Association and collaborated with the New Asia College Alumni Association in Northern California. “ Celebrating Traditions “ included 60 pieces of diverse artworks created by the renowned masters who had taught at New Asia College, a founding member of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Alumni artists who are living in California. The Exhibition was held at the SFSU Downtown Campus from February 8 to July 31, 2008. We were able to show our artworks together with our teacher Professors Ting Yen Yung (1902-1978), Tseng Ke Duan (1900-1975) and Principal Mr. Chien Mu (1895-1990). So, we drove up north twice. Each time, we took the opportunities to visit our daughter Kathy who is living in Livermore and friends who are living near San Francisco area. First, we went to deliver paintings for the exhibition and secondly for the Opening Ceremony which was scheduled on the the 8th of February and the demonstration of Chinese brush painting . Kwan took up the task for the New Asia College Alumni Association and did the demonstration on the 9th. It was a part of the lecture series related to Chinese art and culture to be offered to the general public at SFSU during the six month exhibition period. Kwan made twenty small Chinese paintings in two hours during the demonstration. In both trips, we visited friends and had small gatherings or informal College Reunion . Together, we had several delicious dinners in China Town. It was like the good old days when we were college kids. A 36 pages Exhibition Catalog was printed by the SFSU to accompany the Exhibition. All artists (11)who were in the exhibition are in one page print with photo, resume’ and painting occupying the Catalog. Kwan and Yee Wah have their pictures printed in pages 22 & 23 of the catalog.
Mrs. Blue of the General Atomics of San Diego purchased six more landscape paintings from Kwan for keep this year. In addition to the thirteen previous purchases, the total number of Kwan paintings in the General Atomics’ permanent collection now has reached 19. All paintings are on display daily in the facility there. The new paintings are “ “ Blue Grass Country” 26” x 36”, “Moon” 28” x 38”, “Purple Cloud” 30” x 33”,“Waterfall”19” x 58”, “Metallic Tree” 27” x 54”,and “Golden Hill” 33” x 60”. ” After the new collections were framed and hung, we made appointments and visited the General Atomics Gallery in two occasions. First, we went with our friends Janet and Minching Lam, Kwan’s high school friend. Secondly, we went with artist Kitty and Danny Tow, Danny was employed and worked there many years ago. We were so impressed with the enormous scale of the gallery and the various art collections displayed. The Gallery is in the middle of the offices. Their employees are actually working in an artistic and cultural environment so designed by the Blues.
We wish all of you a Joyous holiday season, Merry X’mas and a Prosperous Healthy Happy New Year 2009 !
Kwan & Yee Wah Jung
A Way to See Yourself Improve
by Lynn Powers
Craig Nelson says in order to improve your painting; you simply need to put in the brush miles. In his first workshop, Quick Studies, he demonstrates how, if you narrow your focus on specific issues, you can speed up your progress. Additionally, you can see one thing improve. His suggestion applies to other media as well.
To focus on specific issues requires some objectivity about our work. If you lack the confidence to pick an issue, I suggest you simply pick a specific subject and attack one part of it at a time. For example, I enjoy painting faces. I’ve focused on one feature at a time. For a while I studied mouths, then noses, then eyes. With each additional feature, I’ve gained confidence and became braver. The process has become more and more rewarding. If I were interested in still life florals, I might choose foliage, petals, crystal, etc. Then I might choose backgrounds, table tops, etc. You get the drift.
Part of the fun is the investigation on how other artists paint the same thing. You will find that when you narrow your attention, you will see and retain more because it will have more meaning to you.
Next, hands. Yikes!
Cheers, Lynn
What People are Saying
I saw the Carla O’Connor video at art school and liked it so much (I) decided to purchase one for myself.
B. Brands, Australia
I may be hooked on these DVD’s …Penelope
It’s always a pleasure to get one of your excellent videos! Thank you very much for your kind service and efforts!
Lots of greetings from Germany, Yours Ute
I have learned so much from the videos/dvds that you offer. They’re of great quality and the length of instruction is well worth the price. Keep producing them. They are better than taking a workshop.
C. Furman, N.J.
Lynn Powers Gallery
Lynn Powers Gallery
Creative Catalyst’s very own Lynn Powers has finally posted a few of her watercolors and posters in our website gallery. Does this mean she’s coming out from behind the camera?
-Jim-
LOOK OUTSIDE THE BOX
by Lynn Powers
Sometimes I receive phone calls from someone who wants to know more about a particular workshop and I am delighted to supply all the information I can. However, during the course of the conversation, I sometimes learn that the thing the caller wants to learn can be found in a workshop done in a style or media in which they are not interested. Polly Hammett’s workshop is a good example. A realistic painter of boats may think that Polly’s stylistic presentation of a woman holds no value for them. In reality, Polly’s workshop talks about issues inherent in any painting: the viewer’s relationship to the subject, importance of edge quality, expressive contours, value pattern appropriate to the subject and the list goes on. All one needs to do is exchange the word figure with boat.
Artists bring much more to their art than how they put paint to paper or canvas. They bring a way of thinking. They bring an approach to their work that has set them on a course that suits them. Sometimes it will impact us more when we learn how an artist thinks than how they handle their materials.
Most artists remain open to new influences. By staying receptive and curious, it permits continued growth and energy in our work. Self satisfaction, coupled with fear of change can stagnate creativity.
I’ve found that many of our CCP artists have altered the way I think about painting. Exposure to their ideas has been one of the best parts of being part of Creative Catalyst.
As a side note, let’s rejoice one and all! The elections will be over today… maybe
Cheers,
Lynn Powers
LAST CHANCE TO SAVE ON SALMINEN
Learn the process John Salminen uses to shape his complex imagery into a world class painting. He hits the streets of New York to gather candid reference shots for his urban scene. He shoots with a designer’s eye. When he returns to the studio, he modifies the color and composition of his reference materials. John teaches a simple system for accurately transferring his complex image to watercolor paper.
John lays a foundation with careful masking and vivid washes of hard-to-define colors. He concentrates on value relationships as he fills his landscape with shimmering streets and glowing neon. He uses mesmerizing reflective effects as an entry point to the composition and directs attention with white paper. John tones down conflicting passages with a mouth atomizer. He continually solves design problems, modifying colors in his foreground figure and lifting to enhance lines. The workshop includes exercises in perspective drawing and extensive discussions of design and reference photography.
This is the final week to receive the pre-order discount … the DVD arrives in our warehouse this week!
Retail Price will be $52.95, Pre-Order Price is $47.95 until the DVD arrives in our warehouse.
DESIGN WITH THE FIGURE
No matter your medium or subject, Polly Hammett offers ways to think about design that will expand your horizons. She uses the figure to explain her multifaceted and open ended approach that assures strong cohesive paintings.
Polly begins by describing what she looks for with her model and how placement and proximity impact the direction of the painting’s content. You see how she assesses value patterns, designs backgrounds, manipulate texture and include mixed media. You also learn how to find direction and strength in your own work when evaluating your paintings. No matter your media, you will gain confidence and learn ways to strengthen your paintings with Polly Hammett’s Design with the Figure.
Valid on Online or Mail-In orders only … Retail price is $39.95 – Sale Price is $34.95 + S/H – Sale ends Tuesday, 11/09/08.
George James Workshops
If creativity is a fire, then George James may well be the blow torch of ignition!
As a pioneer of YUPO (synthetic paper) James generously reveals his techniques to achieve dependable results in his first workshop, Mastering Yupo. It is a library of information.
In workshop two, The Artistic Process on Yupo, James shares his design considerations, use of symbolism and patterning to create a cohesive composition.
In his third workshop, Designing for Content (part of the CCP Masters’ Series) James focuses on how to develop a personal memory into a meaningful visual statement. He introduces a few new techniques, but the main thrust of the workshop is about one artist’s inner dialog with shape, color, rhythm, form and imagery. It’s a powerful collection from a wonderful teacher.
Sale ends Tuesday, November 4, 08.
John Salminen Urban Landscape
Overwhelmed by complex subject matter? Learn how one of the nation’s most award-winning artists unifies design in his intricate scenes.
Join John Salminen AWS DF, NWS as he hits the streets of New York City to gather candid reference shots for his urban scene. He shoots with a designer’s eye.
When he returns to the studio, he modifies the color and composition of his reference materials. John teaches a simple system for accurately transferring his complex image to watercolor paper. He lays a foundation with careful masking and vivid washes of hard-to-define colors. He concentrates on value relationships as he fills his landscape with shimmering streets and glowing neon. He uses mesmerizing reflective effects as an entry point to the composition and directs attention with white paper. John tones down conflicting passages with a mouth atomizer. He continually solves design problems, modifying colors in his foreground figure and lifting to enhance lines.
This workshop includes exercises in perspective drawing and extensive discussions of design and reference photography.
Get the Pre-Order special price until the DVD arrives in our warehouse.
Mark Mehaffey
COLOR AND DESIGN USING A MOUTH ATOMIZER with Mark Mehaffey WATERCOLOR – Mehaffey proves there’s more than one way to get paint on paper in “Color and Design Using a Mouth Atomizer.” First you learn what the mouth atomizer is and how to use it to create vivid work. Next, Mehaffey shows how to adhere your drawing to frisket and explains how to sequence your spray passages by approaching your work backwards. Mehaffey discusses a few simple rules that will help you strengthen your design including color balance and bounce. His final painting is crisp and radiant, and he didn’t use a brush. (From Lynn, “The mouth atomizer has become one of my favorite tools.”) From its simplest application (to smooth out a large area without disturbing the underlying paint) to creating a subtle, yet complex design, it is fun and opens up new opportunities. Mehaffey isn’t the only one who uses the atomizer, John Salminen also takes advantage of this tiny tool’s big effects in his upcoming workshop, “Urban Landscape in Watercolor.”
Tips for Cleaning Dirty or Damaged CDs or DVDs
We have “defective” discs returned more often than you would believe that are scratched and dirty due to mishandling. Here are some suggestions we found for care of your DVDs.
1. Handle discs carefully by the edges only.
2. Inspect the surface of the disc for damage or contamination, to see if it needs to be cleaned. Canned compressed air is excellent for removing dust.
3. If needed, rinse carefully in clean, warm water to remove any grit that could cause scratches when the disc is wiped.
4. If any debris or film remains that needs to be removed, clean gently with warm water and a mild detergent (e.g., dish-washing detergent), eyeglass cleaning solution, isopropyl alcohol or a commercially available CD/DVD cleaning solution.
5. Gently wipe dry with a lint-free, soft cotton cloth. Use a wiping motion moving from the center of the disc to the outside edge instead of wiping around the disc. If wiping does cause any scratch, an “inside to outside” scratch will cut across the data tracks around the disc instead of running along them and damaging additional data.
6. If any residue or film remains, wipe with alcohol and a soft cleaning wipe.
7. Remember to clean the case, too.
8. If a disc is still damp, store upright (on edge) to allow to air dry.
9. Insert thoroughly dry disc in appropriate disc drive to attempt to read data. If the disc isn’t readable, try a different disc drive. Different drives have different optical qualities with varying thresholds of error correction ability.
10. Data on the majority of discs is likely to be readable after following these steps. For those discs that still cannot be read, contact Susan at susan@ccpvideos.com.
From Behind the Camera: Choosing the right pigments
Integral to becoming who you are as a painter is finding the paints that help you achieve the look you want. The search can take years. It might help to know why some of the CCP artists have chosen the pigments they use.
Carla O’Connor is a shape painter. As part of her process, she continually alters shapes and edges. She can do so because she uses gouache on a coated surface. To her, transparency and color is secondary. She is able to adjust colors by adding any brand of watercolor to the gouache base.
In contrast, Jan Kunz is a value painter. Transparency and delicate transitions of value and color are important to her portraits. Jan prefers Winsor & Newton professional grade watercolors. After years of painting she knows exactly what to expect using these materials. Even with W&N she avoids the more opaque colors, such as cerulean, and is very judicious with ultramarine blue and the cobalt colors. Click here to download Jan’s pigment list.
John Salminen likes the gritty look of coarsely ground sedimentary colors for his urban landscapes. He has recently discovered that Stephen Quiller watercolors provide him the look he wants.
Robbie Laird uses M. Graham paints. They are honey based and explode into solution quickly. The high pigment content is perfect for Robbie’s intense wet into wet florals. Art Grahm has a selection of colors that are evenly distributed around the color wheel and make for logical mixing.
Judy Morris has made a study of pigments and their reaction to a variety of salts for her salt texturing techniques. She uses a combination of heavily ground and transparent pigments. Additionally she has developed several triad color schemes that require specific colors available through, among others, Daniel Smith.
Ratindra Das uses a lot of quinacridones which mix well with many colors yet maintain transparency. This quality is important to Das because he mixes most colors directly on paper. Chemical composition is less importance, but he does say that he has eliminated all cadmium from his palette for environmental reasons.
The list goes on and on but I think you get the point. And even though I’ve only addressed watercolor, the same is true with other media. Decide what you like then make it a point to find the materials and techniques that suit your needs.
Cheers,
Lynn
Learn to Draw With Confidence with David Kitler
With this drawing instruction DVD you will learn to draw as David N. Kitler shows you how to use basic shapes, locate important value shifts, understand the role of different pencil grades to create depth, locate and accurately plot objects on a page, and properly position the parts of any object, be it animal or plant, to relate to the whole. David combines these drawing techniques and the fundamentals of how to draw with confidence to help you develop a center of interest and to lead viewers’ eyes around your composition.
David Kitler reviews basic drawing concepts and then demonstrates drawing the entire process by completing a life-like, fully textured drawing of a ground squirrel.
David Kitler is an internationally known wildlife artist known for his accuracy to the subjects he draws and paints.
Sale ends Tuesday, 9/16/08
From Behind the Camera – Drawing Transfer
When I use an opaque projector, I think I’m denying myself the opportunity to become more familiar with my subject. Additionally, manual transfer of an image adds that little bit of distortion that is part of the artist’s style.
If freehand drawing is not for you, there’s a way to transfer an image and keep the YOU in your painting, without the use of modern technology.
The drawing GRID works well for complex subjects. It’s a time tested method when working with two dimensional reference materials. The idea is to make the areas you want to draw small enough to be manageable. Divide your resource in half and half again, and do the same on your larger sheet (horizontally and vertically). Continue to make the areas smaller, on both sheets, until you feel you can manage the information in each box. The vertical and horizontal grid lines act as reference points.
Make sure both your reference and you larger sheet are the same proportion, otherwise their respective grid boxes will be different shapes (square/rectangle). Click here for a quick way to check proportions.
A view finder can help provide the same reference points when you are drawing from life. Basically, you look through a mini-frame to your subject. You can sub-divide the scene by stretching wires or threads across your viewfinder to make a grid pattern as you would with two dimensional reference material. Divide your paper accordingly and transfer your image.
There are many ways to make your drawings more accurate, but I will leave that for another day. In the mean time, David Kitler’s DVD, DRAW with CONFIDENCE: From Basic to Brilliant with David N. Kitler, is an excellent way to learn.
Cheers,
Lynn Powers
From Behind the Camera – Unpredictable Consequences
I am not a morning person. I don’t know what time of day is my time but it definitely is not morning. I used to walk in the early morning (I can walk without really needing to wake up). One cup of coffee and I’m out the door! However, I discovered that if I’m ever going to paint, it must be the first thing I do, therefore, I now get up at my normally unconscious time of day to paint.
On one of my last early morning walks, I found two boxes of kittens and a very small mother cat (2 lbs 3 oz) on the side of the road. Fortunately the mother cat goes with the younger set of kittens that were way too young to eat on their own. The cat and kittens are now safely in my studio, consequently I’ve set up to paint in the dining room.
You ask what does this have to do with art. There have been two consequences resulting from my kitty rescue situation. The light in the dining room is horrible. As a result, in order to see any value shifts I’ve had to make them much stronger, and I like the result. Additionally, I don’t use a hair dryer (it disturbs the young kittens in the next room). Now the paint has time to settle out particles as it runs down the face of the paper. I like what’s happening.
So as I sit here typing with the three older kittens asleep on my lap, I realize that my good deed is exactly what I needed to take the next step in painting. Who would have ever guessed?
Cheers,
Lynn Powers
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