Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Why paint that? 

I’ve always stood by (and behind) the expression "a painting should speak for itself". I trust that every painting that I have ever made has a "voice", but to tell the truth I never gave any importance to defining or explaining why I was painting what I was painting. I just painted what ever excited or challenged me. I just plowed ahead. How about you?

I don't think of plein air painting as a lesser art and if I'm out painting a scene, unless I decide otherwise, I want the painting to be accomplished and important. The trouble is, in the field, I tend to forget that all great art is not just about the surface accomplishment. Great art has a point of view, a narrative commingled with surface artistry. It is the combination of accomplished painting and narrative that grabs the viewers hearts and minds. The way to a complete painting is a simple one, before “I just plow ahead”, I take a few minutes to breathe in the scene and then follow the two steps below.

 I'm not scolding myself, it's a fine painting but I have no idea
what’s it saying. It’s titled “Farmstead”.
Step One: After years of painting I’ve come to learn that the first and most important ingredient to a successful painting is to verbalize what it is about, what are you seeing that makes it important to paint. I must discipline myself to identify what it is about the scene before me that grabbed my attention or tripped a switch within me at a deeper personal level. For instance, imagine a scene with a spectacular spot of sunlight falling on a small patch of forest floor seen through the dark silhouettes of foreground trees. Like the “I spy” game we used to play on long car rides, you might use identifying words like “glowing”, “high contrast”, "otherworldly", "mystical”“spiritual”.

Step Two: Write these words on a piece of paper and tape the paper to your easel just above your canvas as a reminder that’s always in sight. This reminder will keep you from wandering from the aspiration to achieve this paintings purpose for being. Refer to it often as it is easy to loose your way and be seduced into painting noncontributing elements. Make your painting decisions (composition, color, value, edges, brush handling, etc.) with these key words in mind.

Various things contribute to a paintings technical success or failure but imagine the satisfaction of accomplishing a successful painting that also speaks in your voice about your vision of the world.

Maybe this is a little too easy but this painting's key words were companionship, loyalty,
kinship. It’s titled “Buddies”. It sold as soon as the gallery hung it.