Posts Tagged ‘Plein Air Art’
Going Big from Plein Air Paintings
Last week Robert Genn, Canadian landscape painter, had some ideas about how to change a small 8” x 10” plein air painting into a large studio piece. Here is what he said: Effective large paintings are often merely small paintings enlarged. This is how they gain power and authority. The temptation is to put more elements into larger paintings, thus weakening the overall compositions.
To make better bigs, first consider copying small paintings onto the larger formats you have in mind. Enlarge the size of brushes you use, squeeze more paint – you’re going to need it. Where really large amounts are needed, premix. In acrylics, storage in yogurt cups with lids makes for ease of operation and avoids all kinds of problems. Artists need to eat a lot of yogurt.
Gridding, pantographong and projecting-up are useful tools in the art of bigs. Don’t be embarrassed about using these tools – it’s just practical and intelligent. The time honored convention of the thumbnail is most useful in planning bigs. Go small – and let the sketch tell you what size might work best.
Artists Make Suggestions
Because Robert Genn, Canadian landscape painter, had suggested that an artist needs a website (see blog of July 27), some of his artist readers rang in on that topic also. They made suggestions as to how to make or get an inexpensive web site and free blog.
Regarding making your own website, they suggested the following: One said to check out http://www.homestead.com to make your own site. She knew nothing about sites in the beginning but now has 5 sites with everything included for $20/month. Another said to check out http://www.printrevolutioninamerica.com for less than $14/month. Also you can start a blog at http://www.blogspot.com for free. I have not checked these out, but please feel free. Good luck!
Art in the Waiting Room
“Can painting improve your health?” asks Canadian landscape painter Robert Genn in his twice-weekly newsletter. One of his followers had written that she noticed that she had no migraine on days when she painted, whereas on no-painting days, she did have a migraine. Robert replied that migraines are one of the most frequently reported maladies of artists, are not understood by the medical community, that adult women are three times more likely to have them than adult men and that there are several “triggers”.
This led to many responses, but one was very appealing. Mike Barr from South Australia pointed out that the art on the walls of doctors’ waiting rooms and other medical centers is very important. Instead of the diagrams of aortas or posters calling for immunization against some threatened pandemic which would increase the blood pressure of an already sick person, how much nicer it would be to look at a Monet print or other calming painting. Art works on the waiting room walls help us to feel calm. Better still are paintings of local places that are likely to strike a chord and evoke happy memories.
Hanging Your Work (Part 3)
When you’re ready to hang your oil paintings on the wall, you’ll need hooks or nails for the hanging, a pencil, a hammer, pliers, (make sure they also cut wire), a tape measure at least 8 feet long and a kneaded gray eraser to clean up any stray marks. A four- or six-foot level and extra picture wire for emergencies are also good to have handy. The average human eye height is approximately 62 inches and many galleries try to position their art with the center of the work, measured vertically, at this level. A picture hanging worksheet can be found at http://www.artistsnetwork.com/article/talbot-picture-hanging-worksheet. If you have a group of same-size works which you want to hang in a row, perhaps using a level might be effective. Or, perhaps ignoring the wires and hanging the frames on pairs of nails driven in the wall on a level line would be quick.
If the exhibition space has track lighting, make sure that the lights are directed so they best enhance your work. Sometimes lighting from an angle, or cross lighting in which more than one work is lit by the same fixture works well.
In finishing, you should photograph your show. Use a tripod and turn off the flash in your camera to avoid reflections from glass or varnished surfaces. Don’t include people. Secondly, prepare a guest book. Getting the names and email addresses of visitors to the exhibition can be a big help in growing your mailing list and your career. A guest book prototype can also be found at the above web address.
Talbot, Jonathon and Marsha. “How to Hang Your Solo Show.” The Artists Magazine, June 2011. p. 59.
Hanging Your Work (Part 2)
Ideally, you’ll have more oil paintings than you need to fill the space because this will give you options. Consider: Do you have more work that you need or not enough for a particular space? Are any of the works in series? If so, must the series by hung together? Are the majority of the works large or small? The most frequent error artists make is including too much work. Or, you may think the more you hang, the more you’ll sell (not true). Quality, not quantity should govern your decisions. The integrity of the show itself, the visual impact of the works, both collectively and individually, are far more important than the number of pieces on display.
The first step in considering what goes where is to consider how the viewers will enter the space and what they’ll see first. If there is a wall directly opposite the entrance, the visitor’s gaze will likely go there first. If there is an exit opposite the entrance or if the works on the opposite wall are small, viewers are likely to turn to the right.
Next, lean works against that wall. Stay flexible. Create an interesting arrangement. Try to see the exhibition from the visitor’s perspective. Continuity is important but sometimes large groups can be broken into smaller groups of unequal size. A small work resting on an easel or pedestal can draw visitors to a corner they might otherwise pass by. (to be continued)
Alternative Spaces – Part 2
Before deciding to exhibit somewhere, consider the presentation quality of the location. Well the available lighting show your oil paintings well? Is the business clean, with good space to hang? If your work is small enough to be easily carried off, will it be in view of the proprietor’s watchful eye? You might want to talk to other artists who have shown here and ask if they would show again.
Once you find a place, it is crucial to have an inventory price list as well as an agreement that the work is loaned for exhibit. You will also need to include your contact information, the length of the show and how sales will be managed. For example, will the business hold a check from the customer, or are they willing to run a credit card sale?
Another topic to be included in the agreement is the sales commissions – generally 10 – 20 percent for the proprietor. Another 10% for the waiter or waitress who writes up the sale is a good investment. When finished, you keep a copy and the proprietor keeps a copy, each with both signatures.
This article largely taken from “Showing Your art in Alternative Spaces” by Diana Botkin, May 2011 issue of Professional Artist (formerly Art Calendar)
John Carlson’s Technique
The book I mentioned yesterday went on to discuss Carlson’s approach to painting. When starting an oil painting, Carlson encouraged his students to relax and “give nature a chance to sing to you.” Analyze the idea, not nature, then paint the idea.
Take a long time to compose the picture because the composition will either make or break the painting. Make changes as they suggest themselves. Turn your back on the scene and compose your painting in its entirety. In that way you will be likely to conceive the picture as you feel it. Afterwards, consult nature as much as you like for facts of color, texture, etc. This checkup will encourage you to fill every part of your canvas with interesting material.
When I paint, some scenes appeal to me, some don’t. When planning it on canvas, I try to follow the rules: don’t put the tree in the middle, cover the entire canvas, even allowing the picture to flow off the edge. If I have a really interesting spot or focal point, place it where the lines of the “tic-tac-toe” game would cross. Sometimes I even draw a sketch in my sketch book if I need to rethink the placement. I get excited about my picture and hope my feelings will transfer to the painting and eventually to the viewer.
John F. Carlson (1875-1947)
Recently, I read a book which listed twelve US painters of the early 20th century and described their methods of painting. The one which interested me the most was John F. Carlson, an institution in the American art world. His awards in watercolors and oil painting fill a long column in Who’s Who in American Art. His book Elementary Principles of Landscape Painting, written in 1928, was reprinted in 1953, 1958, 1970 and 1973. Recent additions have been titled Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting.
His words: “I would rather be in the woods than any other place on earth,” said John F. Carlson, one of America’s foremost oil painters, “ and I’ve spent a good part of my life painting trees. Naturally, I’ve gotten acquainted with them. Trees are a lot like human beings: rooted men, possessing character, ambitions and idiosyncrasies. Those who know trees see all their whims; see their struggles, too; struggles with wind and weather, struggles to adjust themselves to their society. For nature will not allow them to run amok. Heedless of their neighbors, their individual propensities must conform to the cosmic laws within their own democracy. Thus there is a certain rhythm in a wood; a flow between parts, a give and take that is rigidly observed”. What a great love for trees and the out-of-doors he had!
Home Again
Thursday afternoon I arrived back in Maryland! Although I enjoyed visiting with family and friends on my trip north, it was so good to be home after several days of traveling.
I know what I shall paint first! On my morning walk, there is one location where I can see a variety of trees, each a little taller than the one in front. I’ve looked at this scene often as I take my walk, but yesterday it was particularly appealing to this plein-air painter because each of those trees was a very different color – each was wearing its spring costume. One had flowers, one was dark red, one green, etc. So tomorrow, bright and early, I shall set up my easel and paint – even before I have seen my friends!
Diane
On Saturday, I leave Paradise for climes further north. I’ll have lunch with sis and family and stay the night with bro and wife before I head for Durham, NC, arriving there Monday afternoon sometime.
In Durham, I have a plein air painter friend, Diane, whom I’ve known for a few years now. We were both students of Cassandra James, Austin, TX, painter, and teacher at Ringling School of Art and Design and the summer camps where Diane and I met. At this point Cassandra is ill and no longer teaches, but we still visit with her – Diane more often than I.
It will be good to see my friend again. She wants to show me her area and I am eager to see it as I am not acquainted with that area. Then it will be really nice to be back in Maryland for the summer.