Almost the same setup and same intention to layer. Here I wanted to
position all items in the center so there'd be more space around them,
so less attention would be paid to the objects and more to the painting
as a whole. As I painted, the objects grew larger and again became the
focal point! Aargh!!!
I've spent what time I could looking at and reading about artists online and
realized that I am committed to working representationally but I'm not sure
if I want to paint exactly what I see. I'm wondering if "paint what you see" is
some kind of code? In looking at Stuart Shils' work, there are photos of him
painting outdoors with his rural or urban landscape in front of him. What
could he possibly be seeing that would miraculously translate into his
beautiful paintings? Stanley Bielen, too, transforms what he sees.
Catherine Kehoe, in an interview, stresses painting what one sees, and says
it takes her a long time to assess what something really looks like. And then,
looking at her work (which is wonderful), I wondered if she has some powerful
psychedelics we should get our hands on? Obviously, these artists have some
inner vision, an aesthetic sensibility that informs and transforms what they see.
In spite of my questioning, they must have started in the same humble way---
with simple observation. Just keep working, right?
Thanks to Susan Nally for pointing me to Bielen and Kehoe. And many many
thanks to everybody who checks in with this blog and comments!
9 comments:
Bonjour Lorraine,
Le choix de couleurs est habile. Le travail de votre tasse accompagnée de la petite languette du sachet de thé est remarquable... Cependant dites-moi, thé vert ou thé russe ? Sourire... Bisous
terrific mug, Lorraine, this red is fabulous!
They're great paintings. I like the composition, especially Endearment 2. I think the brushwork, technique and color make the objects stand out, but make it a stronger painting, and don't detract from the painting as a whole.
Lorraine, Very good point about "painting what you see". Wish I had the answer for you. Maybe we must paint what we see and then paint what we WANT to see, to enhance the scene and take it a level higher????
Ta composition en rouge et jaune est remarquable, la touche verte fait un lien et un contrepoint réussi ! J'aime tellement ta façon de traiter la matière !
Kiss
I like the way the tea tag and string play off the leaning fruit. It really keeps your attention focused.
I think painting what you see, means to see and capture the tonal value, colour temperature, light, reflections, the colour in the shadows, all the things that make a painting from life beautiful. From there, how we make our marks, whether we want to blend the paint into refined realism, or create a more abstracted version of what we see, is what makes the painting ours. It's our signature. In response to your thoughts on my post Lorraine, I think your mark making is gorgeous and lively and and the thing that makes your paintings unique. Keep making those marks and beautiful edges. The composition or viewpoint can be experimented with while maintaining your style. Keep them coming!
Both of these painting are wonderful! The brush strokes in the lemon and pear make me want to look and look to see how you did that! Your works are uniquely you, and what you can see in a simple lemon or pear amazes me!
I don't think it's a "code", or at least it's certainly not a universal code. How boring would the art world be if that were the case!
Kehoe is a great resource, and Stuart Shils has a tremendous amount of insight to offer. Are you familiar with http://paintingperceptions.com/ ? I'm helping Larry organize a Stuart Shils workshop here in San Diego at the end of April, and am really looking forward to that time with him. Here's a link to info on that workshop: http://paintingperceptions.com/3-day-outdoor-masterclass-intensive-with-stuart-shils
You're doing great work here, asking all the right questions. And according to Duane Keiser, that is what the journey is all about.
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