More about old canvases and landfills

In my January 27th post I talked about culling through my old paintings and discarding them on a regular basis,  saving digital images for my records instead.  In my last post, August 3rd, I suggested a way to salvage older paintings- make them better based on your current level of expertise.  But there will always be failed paintings no matter how accomplished an artist may be.  It is part of the creative process.  In one of my earliest workshops the instructor, quoting someone I can't recall, said "we all have bad paintings in us- we just have to paint them and get them out".

In the spirit of recycling I try to reduce landfill trash as much as possible because I believe it is important. However I do pitch unsuccessful paintings if I do not wipe them out on the spot. When I was just starting to paint, several instructors suggested painting over old paintings to salvage canvases.  I paint in oil so I cannot cover an old canvas with acrylic gesso.  I would have to use oil based gesso or a similar product.  Windsor Newton makes an oil paint called "Underpainting White" that can be used this way and is fast drying.  One instructor suggested painting directly over old paintings- turn the canvas upside down so one won't be distracted by what is already there.

I tried this for several years and I learned something about myself.  I hate painting on used canvases.  When I paint directly over old paintings I am very disoriented and it takes my focus away from what I am trying to paint.  When I tried using Underpainting White the texture was rough and kept my brush from moving freely.  One time I painted a successful painting over an older bad one only to realize that I could see the ghost of the previous painting through the new one.  Had I sanded the canvas this probably wouldn't have happened, but  I don't want to sand canvases.

I spend a lot of money on good quality paint and brushes.  I feel the same way about a fresh new canvas that has the feel that I enjoy and allows me to start out with transparent darks and to let my toned canvas show in areas of the final painting if I choose.  I make a lot of my panels now (future blog) which saves on the cost.  I have started painting on unmounted canvas taped to a support so I only have to pitch the canvas itself if the painting isn't successful.   I just mount the "keepers".

But that is just me.  Everyone has their own painting style.  If I used a lot of thick paint throughout my paintings or painted with a palette knife I don't think a used canvas would bother me at all. Occasionally I paint on an old canvas for exercises which is a cost saver.

Thomas Jefferson Kitts recently posted a thorough discussion about old paintings that was very entertaining and helpful to me.  Check it out- the link is to the right under "favorite blog posts".

This is a painting I did on location, a very good oil primed linen canvas taped to a support.  I haven't mounted it yet, but I could.  This is a good way to reduce cost.

Thanks for looking and happy painting!

Critique your "younger" self.

In May I showed an example of a painting that was critiqued by a real professional and the changes I made based on that critique when I repainted the same scene later.  As I said then, never pass up an opportunity to learn from someone more accomplished.

Unfortunately there are not enough of those opportunities, at least for me.  Earlier this year I worked my way through a couple of boxes of my older paintings in order to make space for newer work.  Some of these had never left the studio but many had been in frames in various shows and on my website and never sold.  On average they were painted 3 years before.  I had no trouble putting many in the "to the landfill" pile.  (Yes, I know I could have painted over the canvases and I'm going to address that in a future blog.)  But there were quite a few that didn't look that bad and I found myself trying to think of ways to improve them.  It dawned on me that there is a more accomplished painter in my own home- me!  At least compared to me several years ago.  It became a fun exercise.  After all, if I was going to pitch them I had nothing to lose by trying to make them better, and it was a chance to practice my critiquing skills.  I found that in some cases just a few brushstrokes made a big difference.  If the basic composition wasn't good I didn't bother.  In some cases the focal point needed more development, the edges needed work, the values/temperatures needed a push and the canvas often needed more paint.

Here are two examples-

This was a 1 1/2 hour plein air study.  The paint is thinly applied, the foreground doesn't have a lot of interest, and the intended center of interest (the grass islands in the upper right area) doesn't stand out very well.

I added paint and brightened up the colors in all the grasses in the light, especially on the upper right area, and I added a few brighter highlights in the foreground.  I made the paint thicker in the blue sky reflections but left the dark reflections thin.

Here is another quick plein air piece.  I liked the light and shadow areas and was fairly happy with the contrast between the two.  I was very bothered by the 3 vertical lines formed by the straight tree trunk and the door frame.  The paint in much of the foliage was thinly applied and the shadows on the light side of the building were too spotty and distracting.

I eliminated the door.  If you didn't see the house yourself you would assume it was located outside of the painting.  I eliminated some of the dark shadows and tried to connect the darks as much as possible hoping to suggest a window.  I added paint to the sky and the cooler shadow areas, still leaving some thin areas there and put in a few thicker highlights on the foliage.  I also lightened up the roof a bit.

As I started to write this blog I realized something else.  I thought I was good about photographing my paintings for my records.  I had two examples that I really wanted to show, better than these, only to realize that I didn't have a photo of the "before" painting. Let that be a lesson to me...

So, pull out your old stuff and get busy!

Learning from Monet

Here is another example of what I do with my photo files (see March 20th) as a study tool. Recently I had the opportunity to see an exhibition of American impressionists which also included some works by Monet.  The entire exhibit was wonderful.  When entering the gallery (at the Jepson Center, Savannah, GA) the first painting to great the visitors was a beautiful large painting by Monet.  A comfortable bench was thoughtfully placed before it inviting everyone to spend some time there.  Later I found a digital image of this painting and saved it to my landscape file.

This piece is magnificent- the photo does not come close to doing it justice.  I was of course struck by the beautiful composition and use of arial perspective.  There was something very familiar about it though I had never seen it before.  Many of my landscape paintings are of the local tidal marshes.  Though beautiful, the marshes are annoyingly horizontal.  Monet's painting depicts  the same type of subject matter.  The strong vertical on the right gives relief from all the horizontals, and the distant trees give the scene enormous space.  I searched my personal reference files and found this image from a marsh on Edisto Island:

Instead of a field of flowers there are marsh grasses and water.  I liked the deadwood on the right but the dark green trees in the background wall the viewer in.  Using my reference and Monet's composition I painted this:

Had I used only my reference photo I might have pushed the farthest trees out a bit, but not nearly as much as I did here.  Now I try to do this when painting other scenes on location.  If there isn't a distant tree line I make one up, trying to place it where I want the eye to go.  I now see that the light in the sky in Monet's painting leads the eye back to the strong vertical which is also the darkest value.  I failed to do that with my sky- mine takes the viewer off to the left- but I will keep that in mind the next time I paint a similar landscape.

The title of Monet's painting is Champ d"avione (Oat Field) and measures 26" x 36".  Its home is the Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, University of Florida, Gainesville.

Take Advantage of a Good Critique

Critiques are invaluable especially early in the process, but should become a permanent practice for the long run.  Even the best artists do this.  If you paint with other painters, ask them to look at your work while they are taking a break.  Return the favor.  A growing number of professional artists offer critique services online for a fee.  If you follow artists via social media or email you can ask if they are willing to do this, even if they do not advertise the service.  Ask the artists whose work you admire and are known to be good instructors.  Most workshops end with a critique, usually of the work done during the workshop.

Recently I had the opportunity at the end of a workshop to bring in a painting from home that was giving me trouble.  The critique was extremely helpful and I will show you what I did as a result.

First of all,  here is the reference photo I used for this studio piece.  It is a scene very close to my house.  I live in a VERY GREEN region and the typical lagoon scenes are very complex.  My goal is to find a good approach to these scenes.  So, here is the reference-

Green, right?  Maybe not the best choice for a reference, but I have many paintings in my files (see post from March 20th) which are good examples of excellent all green paintings by other artists.  It can be done!  Here is the image of my first try-

I managed to knock down the greens by using a lot of red and violet near-blacks, but  I knew that the painting was not working and didn't know why.  Here is the critique-

1.  Big bad green shape to the left.  I had tried to avoid the parallel lines of green but made a bad shape as a result.  I thought it looked like an alligator's head but was informed it looked more like a molar.

2.  The focal point on the upper left is too close to the upper edge of the painting.  The viewer's eye stops there and stays there.  No movement.  I had decided to make this a nocturne, though it wasn't.  I added a moon on the upper left and tried to make a night sky.  The moon needs to be lower, is too bright for a moon and there needs to be some light on the water to help move the eye around.

3.  The darks should be more united, which always improves a composition.

First I painted over the already dry painting for practice.  I had so much thick paint on the moon that moving it would be difficult.  I decided to start over with a slightly larger panel and try again.  Here is the second painting-

Molar gone, like a trip to the dentist.  Moon is now in a much better location and not as bright though the image might not make that obvious.  There is light on the water which balances the moon and helps move the eye around.  It is debatable that the darks are more united though I tried- more work on that would help.  The previous molar might be too much of a circle now and eliminating some of it would help unite the darks...

I took notes during the critique and made up my mind to address them right away. Painting it again was very helpful.  This will carry forward to every painting I do from here on and will help me develop my own critique skills.  Of the many things we have to learn, critiquing is another skill to study.

And here is an example of a successful green painting by James Richards.  How did he even DO this?

Thanks for checking in- and enjoy your art journey.

Required Reading #2

Last month (March 7th) I listed some books that helped me get started and made me believe that learning how to paint was a wonderful journey.  I consciously skipped some classics that all painters should read, written by wonderful artists/teachers.  It is impossible to mention every great book about art that has ever been written, but over the years these have come up time and again as books that have been essential reading for many excellent contemporary artists.

1.  Landscape Painting by John Carlson.   Not an easy read but of huge importance to landscape painters.  Contains critical concepts, such as the different planes in the landscape that affect value, and why.  If I had read this book first I would have been convinced that I could never learn to paint, but it is a must read.  All the photos are in black and white, great for studying value, but look up his paintings online so you can see them in color too.

2.  Composition of Outdoor Painting by Edgar Payne.  Excellent discussions regarding good compositions and bad ones, and what makes them so.  If you are not familiar with Payne's work look him up and see how fabulous he was.  There is a reasonably priced "coffee table" book with beautiful color photos and an extensive text called EDGAR PAYNE the Scenic Journey that gives a wonderful overview of his work  and is well worth owning.

3. The Art Spirit by Robert Henri.  I confess that I have never read this book cover to cover, but it contains many instructional lectures and also inspirational thoughts about painting.

I am now working my way through a series of books by Emil Gruppe.  (There is an accent on the last "e")  He was a student of Carlson's and famous, among other things, for his wonderful boats and trees.  He actually discusses the behavior and character of trees.  He walks you through many of his compositions in detail, inviting you to eliminate specific elements by covering them with your finger to see how important they are to the painting.  You can find these on used book websites and the prices can vary, but they are worth the investment.  Imagine a whole book on brushwork!  I'm not there yet but looking forward to it.

Happy Reading!

Study Art That You Love

In addition to reading about art, which obviously includes studying images, keeping image files of other artists work that you admire is a valuable learning tool.  There are many ways to do this and I will share my approach.

I am on Facebook and though I do follow friends and family, my main purpose is to follow artists.  I never wanted to join a social network until an artist friend suggested it.  Over a several year period I was able to either become friends with or follow many wonderful painters.  Every morning I look forward to seeing all the beautiful things they have posted.

Of course I don't save everything I see, but when I see something that is similar to a subject I have painted or plan to,  is a particular genre I wish to try, or excites me in its overall statement, I save it to my photo album labelled "Other Artists' Work".  This folder contains files by genre.  Below is a screen shot of part of this album.  All you can see are the index images, but each file may have as many as two hundred.

To save an image on FB, first click on the post to go from the newsfeed to the full screen post.  I have an Apple with a track pad so I click and drag the image into Photos and then assign it to the correct file.  On a PC you would right click and choose "save to photos".

By now some of you are saying "I am not on FB and don't want to be".  Understandable.  You can look up artists you admire and find images on their websites and on Google.  I have found that galleries often do not allow me to save images from their websites.  You can find art by genre on Pinterest.  If you follow art blogs you can get images that way.  You will want to arrange your images in a way that suits your specific needs.  I lump all of my animal images into one file, but if you are a serious cow painter you would want a cow file, and so on.

Now what?  Sometimes I just look through my files for inspiration.  If I am having difficulties with a painting I am working on I look for successful paintings with similar subject matter and try to see how the artist made it work.  It is surprising how often I find an image that is so similar to a reference photo I am planning to use.  Here is an example-

This is a pond scene that I pass regularly.  I have yet to try to paint it, but see how another artist handled a very similar scene.

Unfortunately I saved this image early on before I realized that I needed to note the artist and what made me want to save it.  So if you painted this please let me know!  I just love this piece.

If you don't already have art image files give it a try.  Don't get overwhelmed.  Just saving one image a day quickly adds up.

Happy painting and thanks for reading!

Required Reading #1- Books you will love

There are at least three essentials for becoming a good painter-

1. Get quality instruction from the beginning and continue to do so throughout your painting life.
2. Paint often, not allowing failed paintings to keep you from doing so.
3.  READ!  Discover books that you can understand and, hopefully, enjoy reading so you will re-read them as you progress.  You will find that there were many lessons you did not absorb initially simply because you were not ready.

Below are 4 books that have profoundly influenced my painting experience.  I read them early on and many times since.  I have left out some earlier classics and I will get to those in another post, but at least for me these books were more accessible and enjoyable for a beginner looking for inspiration as well as information.  I will list them in the order I would recommend you read them if you have not already.

Oil Painting for the Serious Beginner by Steve Allrich.  
This is a short book with many wonderful color photos of the artist's work.  It can be read in one session.  It touches on all the major aspects of painting, from materials to making painting a career.  It includes fine examples of still life, interiors and landscape and has a very concise discussion about plein air painting.  

Landscape Painting Inside and Out by Kevin Macpherson.  Obviously meant for the landscape painter, this book is full of beautiful compositions and many demonstrations that allow one to see how the artist develops his paintings.  He addresses studio painting as well as plein air.  (I could just have easily listed Fill Your Oil Paintings with Color and Light by the artist which includes some figurative and still life work.)

Oil Painting, the Workshop Experience by Ted Goerschner.  Same as the above examples, specifically from a workshop point of view.  I like the "paint on" critiques included here and his chapter about a difficult day of plein air painting.

Alla Prima, Everything I Know About Painting by Richard Schmid.  I would not choose this for my first book to read, but do read it as soon as you have a few other books under your belt and have started painting with some regularity.  The copyright on this book is 1999 but it became an "instant classic" and has inspired many wonderful contemporary painters.  The artist really does tell all he knows in a very generous way.  The writing is excellent.  Don't let it overwhelm you.  I like to read this one cover to cover once a year or so (I might be a year behind!) and each time find things I didn't appreciate before.  Many beautiful color photos complete the experience of reading this gem.

I like to read art books at bedtime.  Each chapter can stand alone, a plus for those of us with shorter attention spans that time of day.  And, art books make pleasant dreams.