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Stuff Guaranteed To Make You a Better Artist |
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Becoming a better artist: Tips by Merv Richardson. |
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Thoughts on moving towards abstraction of subject |
Representational vs Abstract
Representational – painting things
Abstract - painting thoughts
Every time we paint we address the same 3 basic issues:
Available space
Objects to be placed in that space
Shapes which define the objects
The tools we use to address these issues are the principles and elements of art
Principles are contrast, dominance, unity, repetition, alternation, harmony, gradation, balance
Elements are line, value, texture, size, colour, shape, direction
Every painting has abstract qualities. Even if a painting is high realism, shapes in the painting taken individually are abstract in nature, and do not by themselves speak of what we traditionally think of as an object (i.e. tree, sky, car, etc). It is the way in which these shapes interact that defines the finished work for the viewer.
Art that is representational in nature speaks to the practical mind of the viewer because we can equate objects we see in the painting to objects we see in reality. (rocks, trees, houses, etc); and the tendency of the viewer will be to focus on the objects in the painting to which one can relate, perhaps disregarding the other supporting components. Art which is purely abstract in nature speaks to the subconscious mind in a sensual manner. We either are greatly attracted to the work for reasons difficult to explain, or on the other hand may not be able to relate to it in any satisfactory manner. With abstract form, one must study all facets of the painting (both negative and positive shapes) to get a full appreciation for the work as a whole.
Painting representational subjects in a manner which moves toward abstraction requires that we think clearly about how we want to communicate to the viewer. What we are attempting to do is to create a painting which includes our own unique content. Obviously, we as artists are required to constantly challenge ourselves in new ways in order to ensure that goals we set in this regard are going to be met. The good news is that this effort will be rewarded with lasting impact on our style, giving our work a unique and interesting quality.
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Finding Time |
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One of the big concerns artists talk with me about is not having enough time to devote to their art, because of the busy lives they lead with spouses, kids, jobs, volunteer work, etc to handle. My response to these artists is to recognize that all of the above priorities are in fact very important, but there is still lots of time for their art if they so choose. Of course, the obvious question is: "ok; where the heck does this magical time come from"? The answer is it comes from the "negative resource pile" that we all carry around with us. In everyone's life, we have negative issues to deal with, whether its personal issues, financial problems, or whatever. We spend a lot of time worrying about these negatives in our lives; in fact far more time is spent worrying about all of these things than we would ever suspect, and on top of all that guess what?; the negative stuff is not going to go away and/or get resolved just because we are worrying about it. Rather than worry about things which are not about to change; take a hunk of that time to turn it to positive use through your art. So even though some of this stuff is preying on your mind, make it a point to consciously seek a positive alternative by immersing yourself in your art, You will be amazed to find what a boost an hour at your easel or sketching can be, and how energized you will feel when you have to return to reality. This positive energy will reduce the stress caused by day to day problems, and you will also be surprised to find that once into the art project your mind did not focus on the negatives, but on producing art. And of course, the best news is the "negative resource pile" just took a heck of a beating. |
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The Secret Of Success For Artists |
Let's get this one out of the way while we are on the subject of creating art.
Most of us are guilty of spending a ton of time reading books and taking workshops, etc with the goal being to find the one true secret ingredient which will immediately result in our paintings being sought after by major galleries, or whatever our definition is of success. "Oh, if I could only paint like whatisname, I would be famous", etc etc etc.
The truth is there is no secret for success in your art. There is only the tried and true path which all successful artists have trod: the path of Hard Work.
I know of not one successful, well recognized artist living or dead who has not paid his/her dues by hard work. There is not a thing wrong with being a casual painter, but if your goal is to achieve a high level of recognition and success, then you must be prepared to strive hard to achieve your goals.
So the next time you pick up a book or take a workshop, please treat the process for what it truly is intended to be: an enjoyable learning experience from which you will benefit in many ways that can enrich your personal artistic journey, and let's forget about searching for the painter's version of the eternal fountain of youth.
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Doing The Homework |
How many of you plan for failure in your work? Right, I didn't think so! However, how many of you consciously plan for success? (and even though we then plan for success, how many of our paintings do we consider successful?) Here are some tips which will help lower the number of failures, help move towards enhancing your style of work, make you happier painters and lower the stress level in your lives.
More often then not, I find that artists that I work with and/or observe race to the paper, canvas or whatever without a real great plan in place for the objective ahead; i.e., a successful painting. Just because we have a sketch, or photograph or even a passing idea to base the painting on doesn't mean the painting will be a good one. What if we had used that information as a basis for 5 sketches, or 10 sketches or 20 sketches, all exploring the original concept from different points of design (values, shapes, line, composition, simplification, etc, etc, etc.) I'll bet that if time were taken to do this kind of homework, the painting that would have resulted from just one sketch, and the painting resulting from the homework would look altogether different, and 99% of the time, the latter would be a far better piece than the former. Even in the event that the finished piece was still based on the original source material after all the legwork was done, it is almost certain to be a better quality piece because of your confident approach having done your homework.
Happy Painting!
Merv Richardson CSPWC |
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