Technical Insights from “Not Far from Home” #13

Coffee

The work of the great pioneers in the art of photography have long been a true source of inspiration for me and have been a driving force in my design sensibilities.  Studying the simplicity and solidity of their compositions has had a profound impact on the way in which I view my subjects and played significant role in the composition of this painting,“Coffee”, (page 30) .

As I was surveying the subject while deeply squinting to prepare my approach to this work , I could almost see the veiled effect of light that the early photographers so keenly captured.  This “veil” softened the forms while pulling together the values, simplifying the shapes and created strength in the design that would have been lost had the shapes been broken up by more value transitions.

The challenge at hand was  to continue to see the elements in their simplest essence, so as not to disrupt the simple masses and to create a connected design with the lights as they weaved through the dark background.

While modeling the detail within the larger shapes, the photographs of Clarence White and Edward Steichen whose bold graphic shapes and simplified value patterns flashed through my mind as I continued the work to completion.

While ” Coffee” was the first of many works that had this influence, many more of the works within “Not Far from Home” were created in a similar fashion.  Some include, “Leica” (page 112) , “Scarlet” (page 99) and “A Simple Gift” (page 95).

Blessings…

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Adoration of the Christ Child by Carl Marr

The story goes that this magnificent work by Carl Marr was deteriorating in damp storage at the University of Berkeley, California before it was recently given the light of day and beautifully restored.  Now on permanent display at the Wisconsin Museum of Art, this painting (just guessing, roughly 8′ x 14′), is an excellent example of Mr. Marr’s incredible ability to capture light.  The artist’s lyrical arrangement of the heads of the numerous angels has also captivated me as I have studied the work.  The positive and negative interplay of shapes is exquisite as well as the warm and cool dance that was employed to turn the forms.  Notice the cooling of tone at the top and back of the heads which creates greater dimension by rounding the head with temperature.  This is truly a great work of Carl’s and will always be a favorite of mine.  However, his magnum opus, ” The Flagellants”, is an even greater achievement of design and scale, which I hope to share with you when I can photograph it upon re-installation in the new museum… until then, I am glad you are enjoying his work as much as I have.

♦

Carl’s Mother and Father

The following post continues to share the amazing work of Carl Von Marr.

This portrait of the artist’s mother has always been a mesmerizing work to me. The draftsmanship impeccable, her glance loving , yet still the look of a parent keeping watch and the palette colorful, but still reserved.

One aspect of this work that I noticed early on is the dark, rich value of the shadow pattern that starts in her left eye socket and is connected down along the nose to the mouth and chin.  This value is nearly as dark as the darkest dark. So often in teaching, I find that a students reticence to go that dark in the shadow on the face often kills the work before it gets off the ground.  It is so important to get the initial values accurate right from the start.  Squint and ask yourself, what is this value, and most importantly, how does  it compare to the extreme darks.

Another exquisite, tender work of Carl’s father.   Notice how the darkest darks of any given value range always end warmer than the adjacent tone. The photos above are details of the full paintings which I hope to show on a subsequent post.  These two works, perhaps more than any others, have been enormously inspiring to me over the years… I hope they resonate with you as well.   Thank you Carl.  Enjoy!

Spoon fed by Carl Von Marr…

As I promised a few posts back, I would like to share with you the work of Carl Von Marr (1858-1936), American artist born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who studied and spent most of his professional life in Munich, Germany.  Growing up 10 miles from the museum that had a grand collection of a hundred or so Marr’s had a significant impact on my sensibilities as an artist.  I have greatly admired his amazing draftsmanship as he displayed his talents in so many different styles from the highly realistic, academic approach to the more impressionistic works of late in his career.  Perhaps his greatest strength, in my opinion, was his ability to capture a convincing effect of light, whether it be the mysterious quality of twilight light,  the blazing sun, or the soft natural effect of descending, cool studio light.  In my formative years as all of this was new, I would spend hours in front Carl’s works, absorbing all I could of his dramatic compositions of multiple figures intertwined with sensitive tonal transitions.  I would copy them, draw them, or study them to see how he might handle an area in a painting that I was currently struggling with.  The Wisconsin Museum of Art, located in West Bend, Wisconsin, which houses this great collection is currently poised to rebuild its museum to display his works on an even grander scale.  If you are ever in the Midwest on travels, this museum is a “must see” for art lovers.

The following works are a few examples of Carl’s diverse group of works that spans several decades.  More works will follow in the weeks to come…Stay tuned.

Technical Insights from “Not Far from Home” #12

Inspiration and “Goodnight Moon”

Inspiration comes in many ways, through different sensory stimuli, and often when I least expect it . The first inkling of inspiration for “Goodnight Moon”, (page 72 from Not Far from Home),  came while reading a children’s book with the same title to our oldest son Nicolai.

What struck me in particular about the illustration on the last page of the book was that the night sky glowed more luminous than the room interior. This effect of light obviously happens in real life as well, but  it wasn’t until I saw it rendered this way that my interest was piqued. My painting in no way resembled the illustration that birthed this composition, but simply was the catalyst to get me started on a direction. With the singular goal of having the night sky brighter than the interior, I worked with the model and existing studio accessories to develop this idea.  Also, to achieve the nocturnal aspect I desired, several studies were made of the night sky.  I was careful to maintain a very simple palette and was also intentional about repeating the color of the night sky throughout the painting.
I am often surprised where the thread of inspiration takes me, particularly when the initial spark has such obscure beginnings. Clearly, that is one part of the process of painting that keeps the excitement alive and so fresh.
So live life and don’t be afraid to follow a lead of inspiration, no matter how unlikely its source.

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Technical Insights from “Not Far from Home” #11

To Copy or Not to Copy…

During the days of my preliminary studies in art, I seemed to remember hearing the notion that copying art was definitely frowned upon. I believed this mindset was birthed from the flawed misconception in the visual arts popularized in the early twentieth century that originality is the one and only virtue in art and that copying another’s work would only hamstring your attempt to be completely unique.

As I have taught through the years, it has been interesting to me that so many have heard the same and almost apologize when they have admitted to copying another’s work.

To me this has always seemed ridiculous.   Can you imagine an aspiring concert pianist never playing Mozart, Chopin, or Beethoven for fear of not being unique?

Clearly, in the visual arts one does not want to plagiarize another’s work and sell your copies, but what a loss to not learn from them.

I have copied many works for study and have seen exponential growth in my work as a result of understanding harmony, edge, and value control to name a few aspects.

Early on I had several tendencies in my work that lessened the quality of the overall image. One of them was hard, inappropriate edges on the lips that made them look like the wax lips we used to get at Halloween, pasted on the face.  I overcame this repeated error by spending days at the Metropolitan Museum in New York drawing and copying in pencil the delicate transitions of the lips Sargent achieved in his portraits.

The image above shows a copy I did of a Carl Von Marr painting which helped me understand the prismatic effect light has as the sunlight hit the ground.  As I studied this, I did not just take his harmonies and copy them into my work, but they taught me what to look for in a similar light effect to produce a more spectral sense in my own work.

(Speaking of Carl Von Marr, I will share more of his amazing work in weeks to come.  His paintings have had a major influence on me as I poured over them as a youngster.)

The image below shows one such work featured in “Not Far from Home” where the lessons learned from Marr proved fruitful.

Lastly, what do I mean to copy another’s work?  Again, it is not to simply steal ones harmonies, designs, etc, etc…, but rather to learn from them by studying paintings in part or full.  This can be by painting sections of or by executing drawings of tonal ranges or edge transitions, whatever your area of weakness may be.

So with a clean conscience go ahead and copy works to increase your understanding and bring your work to the next level.  There is so much to be learned from the Masters!!!

For more info on “Not Far from Home”, click book.  Thanks!

 

Technical Insights from “Not Far from Home” #10

This is the tenth installment from the series of posts that will describe my thoughts and technical insights from selected works included in our newly released book, “Not Far from Home”….Enjoy!

Variety…

As I assess the works of the artists that have had the greatest impact on my development, one common denominator they share is the noted variety in the surface quality of their canvases.  Their technique wasn’t just “variety for varieties sake” in brushwork, but rather a calculated means of creating dimension, providing balance, and achieving the greatest luminosity that the paint film can provide.

Early on in my studies, I was enamored by the thick rich brushstrokes of many of the broad brush painters.  The temptation was to apply those same qualities to my own work but without the knowledge of where those strokes belonged.  I was copying the technique without the understanding of what the dimension of their stroke was accomplishing.  Along the way, a good friend shared the familiar proverb, “Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise men of old. Seek what they sought.”  What this meant to me was that as I was studying the subject from life, I needed to look at the given visual textures and only employ the technique that would best represent what I was seeing.  Not the other way around, where I would impose the technique I saw in others work onto the subject, often violating the respective textural accuracy.  To say it again, the textural brushwork only belongs where you are seeing texture on the subject. THIS IS HUGE and seems so obvious, but it is a common stumbling block.

This principal holds true for many techniques, not just the broad brush enthusiasts.  Issac Levitan’s glassy skies offer a terrific foil to the impasto trees and foregrounds, Alma Tadema’s textural drapery is a beautiful contrast to the silken marble surfaces and Nicolai Fechin’s pearlescent skin texture and tone are an amazing contrast to the peripheral elements of hair and fabric, to name a few.

This painting, “Jennifer”, featured in great detail in “Not Far from Home”, proved successful as I began to see and understand the beauty of this concept.  Keep Squinting!!!

 

For more info on “Not Far from Home”, click book.  Thanks!

Technical Insights from “Not Far from Home” #9

This is the ninth installment from the series of posts that will describe my thoughts and technical insights from selected works included in our newly released book, “Not Far from Home”….Enjoy!
Working with models…
One of the peripheral joys of working from life for me, aside from the ability to witness the breathtaking light first hand as it descends on the model, is the privilege of enjoying the company of another human throughout the course of the day.
Part of that privilege has been the process of working with the same model over the course of many years, recording their lives from children into adulthood. Such is the case with several people from our community. The following photos show one such daughter of a dear friend who first sat for me at age nine and still poses for me today, years later.

There is a comfort and ease that works its way into the paintings that would not be present if the nervousness of the first sitting were always obvious on the models face. Nothing can be faked. I have tried to paint a relaxed mood that was not actually present on the models face many times only to wipe it out time after time. What I see is what will show in the end. While working with a familiar friend, I also find it somewhat of a relief not to have to make excuses for all of the idiosyncratic maneuvers I do as I prepare for the days work, whether it be the pacing, circling, sighing, designing and redesigning the set, or to once again answer the question, “Why are you squinting so much”?
Another bonus I have noticed in working with the same person repeatedly is the desire to avoid redundancy in the poses. As I am working with the same person, I am forced to come up with new concepts, whether it is in design, lighting or costume. During my studies of the masters, I often noticed the repetition of the same models as well.  John Waterhouse, John Singer Sargent, Carl Von Marr, Abbott Thayer,and of course Wyeth’s Helga to name a few.

This last photo is one of the latest paintings I have done of the same gal, almost 10 years later.  As you can see, she still loves cats!  As I scanned the pages of “Not Far from Home”, I noticed that there were 16 images of her…see if you can find them all!

For more info on “Not Far from Home”, click book.  Thanks!

Technical Insights from “Not Far from Home” #8

This is the eighth  installment from the series of posts that will describe my thoughts and  technical insights from selected works included in our newly released book, “Not Far from Home”….Enjoy!

Looking for the Abstract….

At the outset of a painting, the thread of inspiration comes and I begin by gathering the model and objects that will build the composition…

There have been times when setting up the pose, whether out of laziness, fear, or just because I have to start somewhere, I begin to arrange the elements in a predictable fashion that seems right at first, but when observed with a critical eye later, it is obvious that the attempt is lacking.  I have found that this is not the time to give up, grab the brushes and paint it anyway, hoping that some flashy brushstrokes will save the weak arrangement.  When I realize that my composition is too staged, or lacks the power I had initially envisioned, it is imperative that I find a way to get a fresh look at the elements in front of me before the brushes get wet.   Sometimes just a few minutes away from the model can help.  Then upon my return, I keep an eye on the model when they are not “posing”, looking for an unexpected turn or twist in their line that lifts me from the conventional start.  Richard Schmid gave us this hint many years ago. (Thank you Richard!)

Another sure way to shake up the composition and mood is to spin the model stand 180 degrees to a backlit approach, always being aware that the right combination of shapes may appear at any point.  Another would be to change the vantage point height, maybe higher, maybe lower… After all, the most important matter is that I end up with an interesting arrangement of abstract shapes that weave the eye around the canvas.

As I am surveying for a fresher look, I find it necessary to divorce myself from the literal subject to more effectively see the composition in the abstract.  I have found my best compositions have risen from such an approach.

The arrangement for “Backlit Peonies”, page 75 from “Not Far from Home”, came about by such a sequence of events.  The detail on the opposite page in the book further exemplifies the abstract nature of the piece… Enjoy!

 

“Not Far From Home”   click book for more info.  Thanks!

Technical Insights from “Not Far from Home” #7

This is the seventh  installment from the series of posts that will describe my thoughts and  technical insights from selected works included in our newly released book, “Not Far from Home”….Enjoy!

Inspiration and obedience…

Have you ever had the feeling that you needed to be painting a subject more grandiose than what lay presently before you in its simple, sensitive beauty.  I need to confess that I have and am amazed at my thick-headedness as I have ignored the profound, staggering elegance of the subject right before my eyes in hopes to find something “more important”.

I have found this hubris humbling as I have tried to deny the inspiration that has been given, picking and choosing, trying to squelch the “insignificant” ones to find a more profound “storyline”.  In the temptation to “tell a lofty story” in the literal sense with the subject, I have overlooked the grander message that the simple beauty is conveying.

The “Visit”, as Canadian composer Loreena McKennitt refers to the inspiration, should not be ignored.  I truly believe that it was given for a clear purpose and that my best works were completed when I have followed the initial spark.

I do not say this to advocate a lazy approach in looking for a subject that moves us deeply or to shirk the responsibility of developing more complex compositions, but too often I have let the temptation to paint something “profound and important” block the true inspiration God has given in the twist of a branch or the ever so subtle shift from red to green in the face of the model.

Certainly we should continue to strive toward greater heights as we develop our artistic abilities in whatever direction that leads us, but I for one, need to “obey”, for lack of a better word, and proceed as directed.  My greatest joy in painting has followed when I have.

In my opinion, no profounder message could have been told than that of which these cedar trees expressed.

My job was to absorb the beauty, convey the message and rejoice…

“Not Far from Home”