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From Behind the Camera
Creative Catalyst Newsletter
May 26, 2009
From Behind the Camera – Plein Frustrating
Every year around this time I find myself out in a field with a bit of paint and whole lot of frustration. For the other 9 months I am inside painting mostly portraits. It’s hard not to meet these great landscape painters and think that there is something wrong with me if I keep myself locked up on such glorious days.
But then I am on that hill or next to that lake or under that tree and while the people and place are all pleasant, I can feel myself fighting my craft and myself. I keep thinking that I should like it more and frankly get better paintings out of the experience. But then I start to consider what I’ve heard a few CCP artists say. George James described himself as a studio painter. I had never heard someone make that distinction. Shirley Trevena said in her latest video BREAKING THE RULES OF WATERCOLOR that she works on a painting for weeks, sometimes months, before she is done. Certainly she is not out in a field the entire time. She too would perhaps classify herself as a studio painter.
So would I. I am a studio painter. I need time and quiet for my work. But it makes me realize that as a studio painter, I really do love painting Plein air but not because of the finished painting. I like it because I pack a tasty snack and enjoy the view and the company of my fellow painters.
This coming week as I make my way outside I will acknowledge what I love about Plein air and also pay attention to all the same issues that are important to me in the studio. I’ll try to stay focused and optimistic. I’ll step back and think about what I’m doing. I will work on not feeling rushed. And maybe I’ll pack a few extra brownies. Because art is weighed on more than just the finished piece but also the experience of spending a day trying something new.
Cheers, Lynn Powers
From Behind the Camera
Creative Catalyst Newsletter
May 19, 2009
Elements of Painting – Light, by Ann Pember
ELEMENTS OF PAINTING WORTH CONSIDERING
LIGHT: The sunlight creates wonderful effects! How would you paint them? Ask yourself that question often as you observe the world. If a lighting effect appeals to you, create a series, painting it many times in different ways. You might vary the values, colors, point of view, or type of surface; whatever you can think of to be creative. This is good training for your right brain and will improve your ability to see. If you rely only on your linear thinking, left brain to tell you what it THINKS it sees, the results will be less creative.
For Instance: As you look at a tree, you “know” it is made up of many individual needles, or leaves, each with veins and stems. They appear to be all one color. This is information from your left brain. Your right brain, if allowed a chance, may notice more subtle information. You may discover that many leaves are grouped together in the light or shade to form a large shape, or mass. You don’t see the individual shapes at all (A) much less every vein and stem. There are colors reflected onto the tree from its surroundings, even in the darker shadows (B). That is exciting to paint! There will be similar discoveries when you observe any subject. Just find the patience to really look and SEE.
Notice the way the light pattern combines leaves together (C). Spell out the details (D) in only a few. Suggest them elsewhere(E).
Look for new or unusual groupings of shapes and light patterns when designing from flower forms. Don’t settle for a traditional and perhaps too common composition. Let your creativity lead you to something that is totally your own view of the subject. Experiment with colors too, rather than painting what you think you see. For instance, if you are painting a pink flower, use colors in addition to pink to do so. There will be numerous subtle colors reflected over the petals: lavenders and blues from the sky and greens and yellows from the foliage. Even if you don’t see them, you can make them up for a more exciting painting. A flower painted all pink is more like a botanical illustration and can be quite unexciting!
EDGES FORMED BY LIGHT: Study how the light creates edges. Look at the world and notice how many edges are really defined and sharp. There are many edges outside our area of focus, or not well illuminated, which we do not see sharply. Keep this in mind as you paint.
Do not carefully define every edge of every object. That would be unrealistic, although it could be utilized to create a stylized or abstract work of art. If you choose to do that, do so knowing that is your goal and exploit it fully. However, if you intend to create a realistic work, use a good variety of hard and soft edges. Your paintings will be more believable and will invite the viewer to move through the piece.
Use hard edges to define the subject and important shapes where the light is strongest and use soft edges to provide movement through the painting. Hard edges will stop the viewer’s eye, so design the painting with this in mind. Too many hard edges create confusion about where the focal point is and too many soft edges create boredom, with no focus to draw attention.
The texture of broken edges, or chatter marks, will also draw attention and should be quieted if they are distracting. Do so by softening the area with a clean damp brush. Prevent them by wetting the paper surface there before painting; or carefully paint on dry paper using enough paint to make a hard edge. A dry brush mark is made if there is not enough paint on the brush as it skips over the surface. This kind of paint quality can be very distracting. Use it to convey areas of texture, such as rough siding or a roof on a building. However, if it occurs within a smooth flower petal, it will draw attention and create confusion of the shape and details of the petal. It is not always a painterly way of stating a passage. It just means you did not pick up enough paint to cover the paper. Be intentional about how you apply paint to paper.
Paint with conviction and care. Decide what kind of result you desire and think about how to produce it. Envision it before you touch paint to paper!
From Behind the Camera
Creative Catalyst Newsletter
May 12, 2009
From Behind the Camera – Embrace Discomfort
If you are content with everything in you life, you may not have a clue what I’m writing about. I’m not comfortable and I’ve coined a phrase that helps me stay positive about the changes I want to make: “Comfortable people don’t change.” I’m referring to two types of discomfort.
The first is the kind of discomfort one may feel when it’s time to alter something in our lives. It can be provoked by a lousy drawing, dirty house, pants that seem to have miraculously shrunk a size or two or an ambiguous “something” that needs pondering to figure out from whence it came. For me it’s a wake-up call. It’s a sign that I need to initiate a change is behavior. It can be minor (easy change) or major. The trick is not to think compliancy is the answer. I’ve learned the irritation will only get worse until it cannot be ignored and usually it will be far more difficult to resolve.
The second type of discomfort is that which we experience when we try something new. I’ve know folks who want change but are allergic to the irritation getting out of their comfort zone creates. I think adults find this especially difficult. Children deal with “the learning curve” frustration all the time. Adults, who have managed to avoid making fools of themselves for years, see the learning discomfort as somehow unique to them personally. For them it becomes easier to lower their horizons rather than accept the frustration as part of learning something new. Or even more self delusional, adults think they should be able to do IT already and stop looking for what they need to work on.
The fact is change is inevitable. I try to embrace change, growth and yes, discomfort.
Cheers, Lynn Powers
From Behind the Camera
Creative Catalyst Newsletter
May 5, 2009
From Behind the Camera – Shadows Inspected
A common mistake made by beginners is to think shadows are unimportant. Beginners tend to focus on painting some thing, and think of shadows as not real. Shadows may not have a physical presence but they provide an amazing amount of information to the viewer. If painted too carelessly, an errant shadow can create conflicting information. If painted accurately, shadows help make a two dimensional surface have depth and atmosphere.
There are four major aspects of shadows to be considered: Shape, Edges, Value and Color (including color temperature).
Here are a few tips when plotting the SHAPE of your shadows.
When painting outdoors with a single light source, the sun, the general thrust of cast shadows should be parallel to one another. An errant cast shadow is disturbing. Careful observation is your best guide.
If your light source is moving, as with a plein air session, plot all your shadows at the same time. If that’s not possible, determine the angle of a shadow in relationship to the sun and plot all your shadows accordingly using the same angle.
Cast shadows should indicate the shape of the object that casts the shadow. For example, a figure with arms extended into the light should have a cast shadow with similar extensions.
Cast shadows help explain the surface on which they fall. If the shadow falls on a rounded surface, the shadow will appear more curved. If falling on a jagged surface, the shadow will appear more sharp and irregular.
Perspective impacts shadows just as it does any so-called real object. Remember to widen shadows closer to you and flatten shadows as they approach to the horizon line.
Finally, for any single solid object, a cast shadow shape should be one connected shape. A light spot within the cast shadow implies a hole in the object as with trees and a hole in the foliage. (Note the shape of the light holes. They too are parallel and generally oval in shape.) Or it may indicate a secondary light source from within the shadow. You may choose to break up the shadow shape to indicate an object between the viewer and the shadow. In that case, it is important to pay attention to the character of the shadow shape’s edge. I’ll leave that topic for another day.
Happy Painting ~ Lynn Powers
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