Thoughts from previous drafts not posted...


Painting larger pieces and working with the composition of larger fields/grounds/surfaces and substrates is like all other areas of growth. That old Quantum Mechanics saw of "unintended consequences" comes into play. Especially with a less than perfectly solid easel. The pieces are 24x18 and I find that the entire approach has changed in order to prevent me from mistreating the composition.

Here's a list of thoughts about painting:

Rules make lousy paintings. Eg, 'never put the subject in the center'.
The only thing that works is working.
Observation is better than instruction.
Fear can help unpeel the dangerous entre into good painting, risk all.
Let go of the previous look and dive into a subject that resists your style.
Get control of values, there is no sense in color until this is reached.
Don't color in!
No crayoning-in with the materials, the scrub must be also one stroke perfect.
Eliminate the need for recognition for mediocre work, this will kill all good things.
Burn your "children" – the paintings that have become too precious but still are stuck in mediocre or even poorer quality.
Find out why you paint.
Learn who you paint for.
Determine what ratio of your drive is from inside, and from outside you.
It's okay to screw up, do it as often as possible. But recognize it for what it is, see it clearly for good screw ups or foul screw ups.
Work even when you're away from the easel, paint in your mind and look, look, look.
Set a light source over the whole scene, skip the details and fussiness.
A good painting is not an inventory of detail.
Play with design exercises regularly, bad paintings usually happen at the start.
Let art and self-esteem be in separate buildings!

:)

Sandy

Pastel Society of America

After Lorenz Chavez suggested that I go for the best, I looked again at Pastel Society of America. It is the pinnacle organization and I'm now a member.

There are a few other items that should be shared including the success of the Mackerel Sky Gallery show. It's really lovely and somehow the invitational artists were all on the same wavelength in submitting gorgeous greens and vibrant summer energy. Usually. Of course I sent in a painting with a subtle light falling on river quality that is a long pano format.

Mackerel Sky Gallery

Interestingly, I just saw that Henry Issacs is showing a number of these long skinnies too at a gallery we both display at in Virginia, Warm Springs Gallery. Always interesting how the landscape is seen, his are lovely and quite abstract with interesting mark making and perky color.

Warm Springs Gallery Charlottesville

Critiques: Work well spent.

In January I requested a critique from the local art museum director, second time in a couple of years. It always takes a bit of prep to get the work organized and limited to a reasonable body which can be seen in the half hour/hour we have. This time I took in old work and new work. Six large-ish pieces that I call my swamp trees and about that many new pieces also large-ish.

The earlier work was on black and the new work done in my usual technique of gouache underpainting on sandpaper. "Spooky" and "alive" were the first comments to come out of the curator and the director's mouths seeing the first, black background, early work.

The second body of work was all about the magic of a particular place, discovered last fall while we sipped up an extended Indian Summer.

Neither body of work has yet made the gallery rounds, so this was a test balloon sort of critique.

I had so much fun with this one, except that the hauling of 20x24 inches work needs to be refined, every new expansion requires a refinement in my technique, schedule, hardware or supplies. The critique was a great way to move this all forward into new territory.

More soon.

Featured in Pastel Journal Magazine, May/June 2010. The issue is on the stands and includes the new feature with my representing Michigan and a little info on painting and art in the state. Here's a link to the publisher Pastel Journal Magazine May/June 2010