Archive for the ‘Abstract Art’ Category
Friday’s Painting
Friday, I had set aside time to do some landscape painting but had no idea where I would go. Several people had made suggestions and on Friday I checked them out, but non appealed to me.
I continued down Nanticoke Road toward the Bay and realized that I would have to go on a side road if I wanted to find a tree with personality. All the trees along the main road were straight and beautiful. I even checked out several side roads along the way.
When I reached the Westside Fire Station, just before the road makes a sharp left, I went straight, onto Bivalve Wharf Road, and through a residential area where I hit pay dirt! There, on the right were 3 giant trees with real personality, some leaves, and lots of bare branches. Fortunately, I had a large canvas with me – just the size for those beautiful trees! What a fun afternoon I had!
My Neighbor’s Tree
Today was the coolest day we have had in a while. Actually, this week we can expect temps in the 80s and low humidity, so it’s good landscape painting weather.
There is a particular willow tree I have been eyeing on my daily walk, and today was the day I decided to paint it. With all my gear in the car, I drove over and parked in the street and set up my easel behind the car. I had hardly gotten started when the owner came out of his house staring at me. I said I was painting his tree. He came over and said he had planned to take his chain saw and cut out the dead wood, which would have been about half the tree, but he wanted to cut the lawn first. I said I would be finished by the time he was finished, as I can paint in the field only about 2 hours at a time.
Sure enough, when he was finished, I had the bones of my painting completed and some greenery – enough to finish at home. – and I got it done in the nick of time. One more day would have been too late!
To Each His Own
Everyone has his or her own criteria as to what constitutes art. For some the work must display some set of talent as prescribed by classical artists, but for others the definition is more obscure. Personally, I ascribe to the school of thought that recognizes a vast range of art. And while I enjoy many styles of painting, abstract oil paintings are my unequivocal favorite.
While I enjoy realism in painting, I feel more connection with the pieces that are abstract. When an artist simply recreates a landscape or still life, I get the same impression as when I look at a photograph; I enjoy the beauty of the subject, but I fail to feel any serious connection to the artist. With abstract art, on the other hand, the artist’s own interpretation of the subject is palpable, which creates more feeling in the piece.
Another Word about Glazing
There is another option if you aren’t interested in making your own glaze for oil paintings. Liquin is a glaze that can be purchased at many craft stores and is often used.
When applying the glaze, a brush can be used. Sometimes a stiff brush called a stippling brush is used to even out the glaze. For a softer or thinner application, a rag or toe of an old sock filled with cotton can be used to dab on the glaze and to soften the edges.
I came across this quote from a non-glazer: If you hear a voice within you say, “you can’t paint,” then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced”. …Vincent van Gogh
Richard Robinson, New Zealand Artist
Friday’s letter from Robert Genn was about Mastering Colour. He explained some of the difficulties of same, and from the comments, a lot of people must have difficulty mastering color.
He noted that a subscriber and friend, Richard Robinson, a New Zealand artist, has an excellent downloadable video called Mastering Colour, with printable lesson notes. All is free! Go to www.livepaintinglessons.com and sign up for your free painting videos and then confirm from the email they send you. When I clicked on the link to confirm, I landed back on the page to sign up. That seemed odd, but it must have been OK, because I found Lesson #1 in my inbox!
Robert Genn, Canadian Artist
Robert Genn is one of Canada’s must accomplished landscape painters. He paints in acrylics and writes a twice weekly letter which is free, and to which I subscribe.
You, too , can subscribe by going to www.robertgenn.com and click on “Painter’s Keys” at the bottom of the page. Your letter will arrive every Tuesday and Friday mornings in your inbox.
Many artists comment about his letters and include their own paintings. Sometimes I find it as interesting to read the comments as to read the letters.
Recipe for a Glaze
When I searched Google for “recipes for glazes for oil painting”, many comments were about a method of imparting color to oil painting by adding a thin darker layer of nearly transparent color over a dried, lighter color already laid down on the canvas. However, I did find a couple of specific formulations.
The one I shall give you has 4 ingredients. 1) Stand oil is a specifically refined linseed oil, of honey-like consistency, non-yellowing and has a tendency to flow smoothly to an enamel effect – just what you’d want in a glaze. 2) Damar varnish is a solution of damar resin in turpentine. I believe it’s purpose is as a dryer, but I could find nothing in the literature that said that. 3) Turpentine is the main vehicle for mixing all this, and 4) Cobalt drier is another dryer.
This is a typical recipe and “gives good results for all-round purposes and is in wide use”.
Stand Oil 1 fluid ounce
Damar varnish [5-pound cut] 1 fluid ounce
Pure gum spirits of turpentine 5 fluid ounces
Cobalt drier 15 drops
[Mayer, Ralph. The Painter's Craft. An Introduction to Artist's Methods and Materials. Revised and updated by Steven Sheehan, Director of the Ralph Mayer Center, Yale University School of Art. New York: Penquin Group. 1948. 1991.]
The Art Walk in My Town
Friday night there was an Art Walk in my home town. Since I had entered a landscape painting, I decided to attend the opening.
Five prizes were to be given: First, Second, and Third best and two Honorable Mentionsl The judge was a lady who had a Masters degree in Art, formerly lived in New Jersey, but moved here recently and was teaching at a local private school. About midway through the evening, she was introduced and explained why she chose those particular honorees.
Later, I asked her to critique my painting. She liked the lines and colors, but suggested that I put a glaze on it. The glaze would consist of turpentine, linseed oil and a small amount of damar varnish and I could find a recipe on the internet. She said that when brushstrokes are supposed to be seen and are, that is good. When they are not supposed to be seen, but are, this is distracting. (Some parts of my painting were shinier than others because the oil was thicker there.) At any rate, I was grateful for her comments.
On Not Being Able to Write
On days in which I do an oil painting, it’s easy to write a blog. On other days, not so much.
Take, for instance, Wednesday. I was scheduled for an appointment with the chiropractor for the last of a series of back corrections from having driven from Florida to Maryland a month or so ago. In the meantime, last Saturday I began the day with a large bucket of soap and bleach water and scrubbed my deck furniture and some of the mildew from winter that had collected on the back of the house. As a result, I had developed a stiff neck – for 4 days! The chiro fixed me up, but last night I got something in my eye that just about did me in!
This morning, I finally got the eye problem abated, after lots more eye drops! All that from someone who has been sick hardly a day in her life!
Expressionism
Expressionism was a cultural movement originating in Germany at the start of the 20th century. It is exhibited in many art forms, including: painting, literature, theater, dance, film, architecture and music. Its typical trait is to present the world from a subjective perspective, violently distorting it to transmit personal moods. In general, the term refers to art that expresses intense emotion rather than physical reality.
A few of the Expressionists were: Klee, Van Gogh, Munch, Kandinsky, Chagall, deKooning and Pollock. Influenced by the Fauves, Expressionists worked with arbitrary colors as well as jarring compositions to capture vivid emotions. Kandinski believed that with simple colors and shapes, the spectator could perceive the moods and feelings of the paintings. Therefore, he make the move to abstraction. ……from Wikipedia