12x16 inches
oil on panel
Available at Paddiwhack Gallery HERE
Painters Tip
The Creative Process
Many people think that painting is all creative, right brained, or intuitive. I thought that as a young artist too. I hear artists say this all the time. In fact, the older I get and the more experience I have as a painter, the more I realize that painting is all about decision making and analytical considerations.
Composition is a very deliberate process and so is good design. Flying by the seat of your pants may seem romantic and artsy, but good painting skills will take you much further. I don't just mean for realist or representational art either. Good modern or non- representational art comes from careful consideration and planning as well.
Before you jump into your next painting, you may want to take some time to plan with pencil and paper and to mix a palette in advance. Think about possible compositions and do thumbnails until you get it just right. Think about each step of the painting, stopping to rest your mind and eyes before continuing. Let the painting develop at it's own speed.
Most of the time I have two or three paintings going at once in the studio. Right now I have 5 in various sizes and stages and I'm in no rush to finish any one of them. I work on them a bit each day and move on to the next one. Letting them percolate and find their muse makes for a better painting.
One of the bad things about plein air painting is the habit you can get into of feeling like you must always do alla prima work and rush through paintings. That is a mistake. Small works are fine that way but it should not be the only method you are using to paint. Careful deliberation and letting a painting develop over time is a good balance. Both methods are better than one or the other. When I stopped doing only plein air, alla prima work, and added some studio work, my paintings improved very quickly. I think of it as the best of both worlds.
2 comments:
I understand what you're saying about taking your time, but then again, I like to paint at a plein air pace even in my studio as I find it keeps the painting fresh and vibrant.
Ed, I painted that way for a long time, but I have become more deliberate in all of my work in the last year, including plein air. We all have to go at our own pace.
I guess I got tired of the slap dash look of alla prima work ( What you feel is vibrant),and it began to just look sloppy to me. I wanted to go in another direction. We all have stages in our work and I think it is necessary to listen to our heart and go in whatever direction it leads us to. I spent 10 years working alla prima and over the last couple of years I have felt that there is something more than that to landscape painting.
Love,
Linda
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