Archive for the ‘Oil Paintings’ Category
Beginning a Landscape Painting
When beginning a landscape painting, isn’t it interesting that we do that in a variety of ways? Some of us begin at the top and paint downward. Some begin at the foreground and work up. Some begin at the focal point or the center of the painting and work outward. Some develop the picture all over at once and continually refine.
The other problem is knowing when to quit. How many times have I asked my instructor, “How do I know when I’m finished?” A good instructor will say, “A good artist knows when to stop,” thus enabling the artist, giving the artist confidence. Just stop. Relax, enjoy the act of creation, and worry less about the finished product. A good artist knows when to stop.
Judging Landscape Paintings
Damar Minyak, of Kansas City (area), MO, wrote a response to the January 20, 2012 newsletter written by Robert Genn, Canadian landscape painter. It touched me because I feel very much the same way.
“History has shown that those who set themselves up as arbiters of “proper art” are wrong, almost 100% of the time. Consider as the prime example, the Impressionists, who set themselves up because the museums and “art experts” of their day refused their products. Today, it seems, almost everybody wants to pretend to the title “neoimpressionist” or “post impressionist” or “non-impressionist”, or whatso-everist. Judged shows usually mean “It all has to look like our stuff.” Virtually all of the artists I respect were the renegades of their periods. So, it remains, for my contemporaries. Being told I’m not doing it correctly just makes me smile, and say, ‘Thank you!’ “
The Landscape Painter Visits a Museum
Today: a couple of quotes. The first is by Robert Genn, Canadian landscape painter, from his newsletter last week.
“If a brilliantly good artist happens to live just down the street, his top-up of your efforts may be hard to take. That’s why it’s good to check out dead artists. The dead guy won’t let you take him to dinner or tell you, ‘There’s something wrong with that mouth,’ as several of our subscribers did with my painting of Mel, but he can show you stroke by stroke how things might be. Cruising your eyes over someone else’s work in silence and with respect may be the next best thing to struggling on your own. Art museums help artists realize they’re never truly alone.”
“The way to understand painting is to go and look at it. And if out of a million visitors there is even one to whom art means something, that is enough to justify museums.” (Pierre-Auguste Renoir)
Selling Landscape Paintings (Again)
Last week, Pat Weekley of Clovis, New Mexico wrote Robert Genn, Canadian landscape painter, about trying to sell art in Clovis. The art league members had conducted an auction with wine and cheese and other goodies on a day with perfect weather. Few people came and several art pieces sold for less than the cost of framing.
Genn’s answer was to note that Taos and Santa Fe are known for fine art. If the folks want it known that there is good art in Clovis, they must make better art. They must make art so good that collectors in their Caddies and Lincolns would come – and bring their own wine and cheese! Many readers gave quite good suggestions also, but the bottom line always was that the artists in Clovis needed to make better art!
Selling Landscape Paintings
More and more artists are their own best handlers. They manage their distribution, their retail prices and their futures. Some of the current artists have closed out dealers altogether and make a handsome living selling on eBay and other inexpensive venues.
“Consignment is by far the best system,” says Robert Genn, Canadian landscape painter. “An artist’s efforts can be taken back and moved to other galleries – perhaps to ones with a more favorable commission structure.”
Particularly since the 2008 financial shakedown, Genn said he noticed that a lot more art buyers are contacting artists directly. Internet savvy and well-informed, they are people who seldom go to commercial galleries, but have a particular desire to get to know artists. They are not necessarily looking for deals. It may be that more people are trying to “think smart” these days and are like those who do their own research and buy stocks and bonds online. Maybe individual empowerment and self-management are the new normal.
Why the Landscape Painter Should Teach a Workshop – Part 4
In his article in the December 2011 issue of Professional Artist, Alan Bamberger gives some additional hints for the landscape painter who is interested in holding a workshop. First, decide what you want to teach and plan your agenda ahead of time. Practice in order to make sure that you can accomplish what you want to do within a set time period.
Advertise that no experience is necessary in order to attend, but also indicate that artists who sign up will learn something new. A good workshop teacher knows how to address a variety of skill levels and make sure everyone is comfortable and learns something. Advertise in places where artists and people who like art congregate. These include bulletin boards, newsletters of arts and artist organizations, your own mailing lists, recreation centers, art centers, art schools, cafes, coffee shops and art sites on the Internet.
Determine what supplies are needed and whether or not to provide them. If you’re just starting out, providing them yourself is usually the best option, but be sure to work that into the price. Plan to have 3 to 10 students. You want to make sure each student gets individual attention. If your space is not adequate, ask your best collectors if they can provide you space in exchange for a painting or free workshop. Holding a workshop every month or two is a good frequency.
Why the Landscape Painter Should Teach a Workshop – Part-2
Money is not the only reason landscape painters should teach a workshop – and may not even be the primary incentive. Artist Li Gardiner says that her workshops stimulate her own creative juices, help to relieve artists’ block and give her ideas and inspiration for future work. Within the arts community, an overall increase of exposure results from teaching workshops. Artists add students’ names to their mailing lists for future workshops. Students return and often bring friends who are interested in painting.
Artists who teach other artists in their workshop report that they are great avenues for networking. Artists find that by maintaining contact with each other, they are more effective at creating and marketing their own art than those who go it alone. In addition, teaching lends an aura of authority to artists. Being a voice of experience can lead to opportunities in other areas, such as writing articles or books.
Why the Landscape Painter Should Teach a Workshop
In the December 2011/January 2012 issue of Professional Artist, Alan Bamberger wrote about Why You Should Teach One-Day Workshops. The most immediate and obvious benefit of teaching a workshop is that they’re a good source of income. In addition, many artists use them to increase their effectiveness at creating and marketing art. Workshops involve working creatively and do not require large commitments in terms of preparation and overhead.
A one-day workshop could run from four to six hours in length, with the instructor charging $35 to $150 per person. A single workshop can net anywhere from several hundred to a thousand dollars depending on class size, if the artist teaches in her own studio. Another benefit of teaching a workshop is the opportunity to sell art. Most artists make sure to display a good selection of their art during the workshop. As students become more familiar with the artist’s work, they feel less intimidated and more inclined to purchase it. In addition, some artists further augment their income by selling art supplies. Teaching a one-day workshop should be considered by all landscape painters.
Love and Anger of the Landscape Painter
Love and anger are two of the motivators for making art. Due to economic conditions, disabilities, peer pressure, teachers or others, a few landscape painters are able to fight the uphill battle to at least channel their anger and daily they are driven to “show the world”.
“Other creatures take a more gentle and loving approach. The finding of love within our work unlocks the studio and prompts the action of hand and mind. The extraordinary prevails and even ordinary and well-trodden subject matter can be freshly explored and rejuvenated. Between the turning on and turning off of the lights there’s a span of privilege. Held steady by the gentle hand of love, we begin, we keep going, and we sign off. There may not be a higher calling,” said Robert Genn in his January 6, 2012 newsletter. “Love does not just sit there, like a stone; it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new.” (Ursula K. LeGuin)
New Year’s Resolutions for the Landscape Painter
Here we are almost a week into the New Year. Have all you landscape painters made your New Year’s resolutions? What do you want to achieve this year? Usually we make a few resolutions, then life gets in the way, and in a few weeks we have forgotten or neglected our heartfelt desires.
If you decide that this will be “your year”, you will need to: 1) Write down your goals. This gives you the focus to follow through. Make them realistic, but with leeway. Put this list where you can see it every day. 2) Make a plan. Develop a roadmap to achieve the goals and desires you want for this year. 3) Set a deadline. When you have a deadline for achieving a goal, you are more likely to follow through and actually make it happen. Highlight the deadline date for each idea and look at it every day. Challenge yourself to finish each idea by the selected deadline. 4) The “how” comes once you have decided to follow your dreams. So, decide what you want for the year, make a plan, set a deadline for each idea and know that the “how” will take care of itself.