Technique

A Week Painting at Scottsdale Art School with Milt Kobayashi

May 13, 2013 by Nancy Boren 3 Comments

Nancy Boren was the proud winner of the $500 Shirl Smithson Scholarship. Click here to learn more about the Shirl Smithson Scholarship.

Last December, I was fortunate to be selected for a $500 scholarship from OPA to use toward attending a workshop of my choosing. Since I’ve long admired the rich, evocative figure paintings of Milt Kobayashi I elected to sign up for his recent class at the Scottsdale Artists School. The ocotillo and palo verde trees were blooming red-orange and yellow making April in Arizona a real joy.

“Stay attuned to opportunities and be open to change” was the advice we received throughout the week. Kobayashi views his once a year class in Scottsdale as a valuable experimental time for himself as well as his students, painting new models, trying new compositions, hearing ideas from his class. He also enjoys the opportunity for creative freedom — no thinking about producing work for galleries or shows. Back home in New York he paints late into the night, the solitary work time often giving his paintings an introspective quality. Every year he says he takes something valuable back to his studio from his workshop experience; maybe something tangible, like a new color combination or maybe simply a creative spirit rejuvenated by the wide open southwest and the bonhomie of simpatico painters in the lively class. He certainly doesn’t take home the actual demos he does — the class participants were avid collectors and there was good natured rivalry on Friday when names were drawn for the chance to purchase the five new Kobayashis.

The emphasis for the week was on composition and he encouraged the 18 students to try new arrangements of objects, repeating several times that there are no rules about placement except try to avoid aligning edges. He enjoys pushing the figure to the far edge of a painting, sometimes even looking straight out to the side, an arrangement few artists use. He painted with various color schemes: dark blue (Egyptian blue by Doak) and brownish orange (Mars orange and Mars Yellow he likes for their rich opacity), orangey red-green-lavender, black with a host of grays, and the last day, medium blue and rusty red punctuated by a large area of black. He loves black and is not afraid to make the commitment to use it boldly.

: Tuesday’s Model

: Tuesday’s Demo – In Progress

: Tuesday’s Demo – Final

He paints things how he thinks they should be, not exactly the way they look. Nothing is set in stone. He urges you to understand the form and why light is hitting it the way it is.

As he started to paint each morning, beginning with a tone of a warm gray, he seemed to let the design present itself to him. On occasion it was suggested by the shape and strokes of the initial tone, other times, it evolved from pencil lines over the tone as he played with placement of the objects he had in mind. On Tuesday, he decided to place the figure dead center with arms out stretched, making a cross composition. He further emphasized the centrality of the figure by placing a deliberate rectangle of blue right behind her face. He committed himself to his decision. When it came time to paint the mouth, he said with a laugh he was going to make it green, “just because I can.” He added a couple more touches of green so the color of the mouth would be repeated. The girl in the painting echoed his attitude of being attuned to possibilities and celebrating who she was.

In Kobayashi’s discussion of painting with cool and warm grays of similar values, he made a statement that distilled his decades of experience working in subtle tones: it won’t look muddy if you make the strokes crisp. When a painter starts to over blend it is easy for it to turn to mush.

Each afternoon for student painting time, there were three complex model set ups to choose from. These were orchestrated by artist Nancy Chaboun, who also participated in the workshop. Gorgeous fabrics, kimonos, fresh flowers, pillows, vases—if you couldn’t get inspired there, you couldn’t inspired anywhere.

Besides the great class at SAS, there was so much to take advantage of while in Scottsdale. I painted Monday evening in the open studio with a wonderful model, at no charge since I was enrolled in a workshop. Wednesday evening, one of the class members invited everyone to her lovely home for dinner where we also enjoyed her art collection which has an impressive number of Milt’s paintings. Thursday afternoon is Thirsty Thursday, put on by the Friends of SAS — great hors d’oeuvres and wine. Thursday evening is gallery walk for the Main Street galleries and the rest of my free time I spent plein air painting or photographing dramatic Arizona scenery. It was a fabulous art week.

After some hit or miss work the first three days, finally on Thursday I felt I did a painting that incorporated some of Milt’s advice.

In case I forget in the future to embolden my compositions, use lots of neutrals in the skin, or throw in a surprising color choice now and then, I only have to look back at Tuesday’s dead-center girl with the green lipstick to remind me–and that’s easy, because she hangs on my wall.

Filed Under: Education, Oil Painting Tagged With: Demos, Shirl Smithson Scholarship, Style, Technique, Workshops

Dianne Massey Dunbar Interview

February 4, 2013 by John Pototschnik OPA 2 Comments

Diane Massey Dunbar Headshot

“I paint ordinary objects and scenes from everyday life. While I have the highest respect for artists who paint vistas and exquisite nudes and the like, I believe that there is a great deal of beauty in the world that often goes unnoticed. The amazing color in raindrops, the variety in fallen autumn leaves, the interesting greens one finds in a stack of French fries, there are endless opportunity for paintings. My hope is that people view the world just a little bit differently after seeing my paintings.”

“Red” by Diane Massey Dunbar OPA – 4×4 Oil

I’m a huge fan of Dianne Massey Dunbar. Her work is exciting and joyful. It reminds me somewhat of Wayne Thiebaud’s work, but I find Dunbar’s work every bit as exhilarating. Thiebaud speaks of painting as celebrating the joy of living, the thrill of experimentation and expectation, I think Dianne would fully agree with that. Her works ooze with enthusiasm and controlled recklessness.

What is so amazing to me is her fabulous ability to take the most mundane of objects and transform them into delectable treats. How can someone take a simple tube of lipstick, or plain glass bottles, or even raindrops on a windshield, and transform those things into objects of desire…paintings sought after and cherished? Dunbar does it and makes it look easy. How she does it is what this interview is about.

“Driving Through A Downpour” by Diane Massey Dunbar OPA – 12×16

“Driving Through A Downpour (Detail)” by Diane Massey Dunbar OPA – 12×16

Not only is Dianne extremely thorough, even fastidious in her preliminary work for each painting, but what is so admirable is her ability to take risks…to try new things. I talk to my students about not being afraid to fail, but Dianne lives in that world with every painting. Just examining a “simple” raindrop she has painted, I can only shake my head and ask, “How does she do it?” Each individual drop is not only a masterwork of texture but is also full of reflected color. Paralyzing fear must be thoroughly conquered when attempting a painting such as Driving Through a Downpour. Quite amazing.

Mark Smith, co-owner of the Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art in San Antonio, said, “To view one of Dianne’s paintings is to experience complexity in its most artistic form. Most often, her choice of subject matter is quite complex, challenging and can be categorized as “crazy”. However, this type of complexity is the stage that most accurately reveals Dianne’s stunning sense of color and expert brushwork. Dianne is a master of articulating her inspiration and the “story” that she finds in the most mundane and overlooked objects and moments.”

“Gumdrops” by Diane Massey Dunbar OPA – 10×18

I wondered how she went about selecting her subjects…”I try to remain open to what I consider interesting subject matter. If I am not interested in the subject before I paint it, I have found the resulting painting looks flat. I carry a small camera with me wherever I go, and when I see something that catches my eye. I photograph it. I may or may not decide to paint the subject matter, but at least I have a subject to consider. My still life’s are painted from the objects; the other material is painted from photos. When I take photos I don’t limit myself to one or two. I may take twenty or thirty of the same subject, from different angles, cropping them, expanding them and bracketing them. Once I have an idea that I like, I then take the photos or the objects and work on designing the painting. So, I would say the composition or design of the painting is very important when selecting a subject. If the shapes and composition are not strong to begin with, it will not matter how fancy the brushwork, or sophisticated the color scheme or values. The painting will not work.”

“Cans” – 12×12 – Diane Massey Dunbar OPA

I will not be featuring Dianne’s complete interview here since it is quite lengthy. Her thoughtful answers have actually sparked topic ideas for future blogs, so you’ll be hearing more from her in the future.

Visit John Pototschnik’s Blog for more articles.

And now more from Dianne Massey Dunbar…

“I want to thank John Pototschnik, whose work I have been watching for some time now and greatly admire, for asking me to answer a few questions. I have tried to answer these questions honestly and openly and I truly hope that my comments are helpful.”

“Cityscape In Green” – 8×8 – Diane Massey Dunbar OPA

How would you define your role as an artist? I think we all have an important place in the world at large and are equipped with unique skills and resources. Some of us are called to be doctors, others to be lawmakers or dancers or carpenters or electricians or teachers or florists. My world, my role, is to paint; to use my training and whatever talent I have to create images that are meaningful to me and hopefully have an impact on others. In a way it is like storytelling but my paintings are my voice. There are other aspects to the role of an artist beyond painting that may include encouraging fellow artists, leadership, teaching and involvement. Primarily through, I need to show up at the easel.

“Fire Engine” by Diane Massey Dunbar OPA – 5×7

How much of your work is intellectual vs. emotional…and how would you define the difference? I would define intellectual as rational, deliberate, thoughtful and thought out, planned and intentional. I believe it includes problem solving that in turn fuels creativity. I would define emotional as one’s personal likes and dislikes, opinions, sentimentality, excitement, spontaneity, responsiveness and our relational selves. As for those rare moments of inspiration, well I think they are largely emotional, but I also believe they result from an intellectual process. In my work, it takes both the intellectual and the emotional to create a painting.

For me, the intellectual part of painting is the process of designing the painting, the drawing involved, and the problem solving along the way. It is not sentimental and it frequently is not much fun. There is skill and experience that an artist draws on, and every painting, no matter how well it has been thought out, has an area somewhere that is troublesome. There are times when work is tedious or even boring. The emotional part of painting is for me what I like and don’t like, the subject matter that I paint, the thinness or thickness of paint, the “play” time I have with a painting, and the colors I may choose. And for good or for bad, I emotionally invest in my paintings.

Finding subject matter that is exciting is personal. I am drawn to simple common images: candy bars, cupcakes, rain on my windshield, jars, dishes, road crews, and reflections. After that, almost all of my preparation for each painting is intellectual and frankly a little tiresome. I study various compositions and value arrangements for my chosen subject matter long before I put brush to canvas. I tape the value studies upside down in my kitchen and study them to see if the design and the shapes are working. Once I have a design, only then do I begin painting. And for me, the beginning and early stages of a painting tend to be thoughtful and deliberate and even a little intimidating.

However, I absolutely love to play with paint, so when I have a painting far enough along, I can then begin to have fun with it. I might decide to smear paint, or flick it. I use any number of implements to play with paint, from the jagged edge of gum wrappers to torn pieces of paper towel rolls to palette knives to inexpensive brushes that I have cut gaps in. Today I experimented with my rubber kitchen spatula (I had fun but unfortunately was not happy with the result!).

I think non-artists have a notion that art is the result of “inspiration”. Well, there are times of inspiration, when instinct takes over and something happens on a canvas that I probably can never do again but I look at it in wonder. However, those times are few and far between for me. Being an artist is very much like other careers, there is leaning and thinking and hard work involved.

“From The Outside Looking In (Photo Reference)”

“From The Outside Looking In (Value Study)”

“From The Outside Looking In” by Diane Massey Dunbar OPA – 20×20

Describe your typical block-in technique, the thoroughness of your initial drawing, and the part photography plays in your work? I have more than one process that I use, depending on my subject matter. If I am doing a relatively simple still life, between one and three objects, I will do one or two quick thumbnails on a piece of inexpensive canvas board, and if I am happy with the shapes, I will begin to sketch those shapes in on my canvas. On the canvas, I may do a very simple sketch, or a more complete sketch, either very lightly with pencil or with a small brush. I then paint, working from background to foreground, massing in the large areas of a single value without much regard to detail. Once I have the large value shapes in, I can begin to break them down into smaller shapes, etc. I try to work on gradation and edges as I go along.

On the more complex paintings, I generally use photographs and work with a grid system. I might start with 20 or more digital images that I study. I look at the overall design, and see what happens when I zoom in or crop the images. I narrow these down to maybe the top five and I have those printed at my local camera shop. Then I make black and white Xerox copies of the color photographs. After the copies are made, I use inexpensive poster paint in white, gray and black and paint directly on the copies exactly where I think I want the light value, the medium value and the dark value. For each photograph I might do two different value studies, to see what the resultant design is. I do this by hand instead of computer because I can make all kinds of decisions when I work by hand that might go unnoticed otherwise.

Value Study For A Possible Future Work

Every part of that image needs to fall into one of those three values (I have been known to work with four values, but that gets very complicated). I then tape them up in my condo and live with them for a day or two, turning them upside down and sideways to see if the design is satisfactory. It is tedious, but I have found this process works for me and I have more successful paintings. After I have a design I like, then I have that photograph enlarged. However, I keep the value study because that is my “roadmap” for the painting. So, I paint the image that I have chosen, using the values of my value study. If I am working on a square canvas, I might work from an 8″x 8″ photograph, and work on a 16″x 16″ canvas, or 20″x 20″ canvas or even a 24″ square canvas. The photograph is taped to lightweight cardboard and I use a sewing needle and thread to grid the photograph so that if necessary I can move the thread aside to see what’s underneath. I usually use 1″ squares on the photograph. I grid the canvas (the canvas must be the same proportion as the photo you are working from) with very light pencil lines, usually in two or three inch squares. I then paint each square, starting from the upper left hand corner and working to the right. After my canvas is painted, then I go back and make necessary corrections, work on edges, simplifying, etc.

“Late Afternoon” by Diane Massey Dunbar OPA – 24×18

What colors are most often found on your palette? I love color! So, you would find a great many colors on my palette. My ‘stock’ colors are: Titanium White, Cadmium Lemon, Cadmium Yellow Light or Medium, Cadmium Orange, Cadmium Red Light, Alizarin Crimson (permanent), Dioxazine Purple, Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue Deep, Permanent Green Light, Cadmium Green, Sap Green (permanent), Phthalo Green, Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Torrit Grey (Gamblin).

I use other colors in different situations, especially Zinc or Transparent or Flake White Replacement. There are times I really need Indian Yellow. Caucasian Flesh is a very useful color in a number of situations. I also use Venetian Red or Naphol Red and a number of other greens, especially Emerald Green Nova. I mix my blacks, but I do have a tube of black that I use if needed.

Some of these are quite transparent in nature, and some opaque. An artist needs to know the tinting power of different colors and use the intense colors sparingly (Alizarin Crimson and the Phthalos immediately come to mind). However, a lot of wonderful effects can be achieved with a more limited palette, so you do not need all these colors to produce wonderful paintings. Indeed, if you are new to painting, you would probably be best served by using a more limited palette.

“Ten” by Diane Massey Dunbar OPA – 20×20

“Nancy” by Diane Massey Dunbar OPA – 27×23

“Cups And Saucers” by Diane Massey Dunbar OPA – 10×10

How do you decide on a dominating color key for a painting, and how do you maintain it? I use the subject matter to guide this decision. If it is an overcast cloudy day, then much of my painting will be grayish. If I am painting toys, obviously the colors wil be much brighter. However, too much pure color is overwhelming. I mix almost all of my color. I reserve pure or intense color only for small splashes or small areas.

You have entered a number of significant art competitions. Why are art competitions important to you and how do you go about selecting the paintings for these shows? I usually enter two to three art competitions per year. I started by entering local and state competitions, and when I was comfortable with those, I started entering regional and national competitions. There are two main reasons that I enter art competitions. The first one is to see how I stack up against other artists. Secondly, I enter competitions to hopefully have my work seen by other artists, collectors, galleries, and even magazines. There are other good reasons as well: meeting other artists, being inspired, and being challenged. Some art competitions have seminars that an artist can attend to learn and expand their knowledge on any number of topics. And, let’s face it, competitions can be fun! As far as selecting a painting, when I have what I feel is a good to exceptional painting and a deadline for a show that I want to enter is approaching, I will try to put the painting aside and keep it to enter in the show. Be aware that competitions can be expensive, there are entry fees, shipping and storage fees, and perhaps travel fees if you decide to attend the opening.

“Ketchup, Mustard and Relish” by Diane Massey Dunbar OPA – 11×14

What advice do you have for a first-time collector? Speaking as an artist, it is my hope that my paintings find homes where they are loved. So, I suggest that you buy a painting that you love and respond to. Also, trust your instincts. You will hopefully have it in your home for years; you will look at it over and over, perhaps seeing something different every time. So, before your worry about who the artist is, or how the colors might work in your home, look at the painting and see how you feel about it. Does the painting interest you? Do you want to get close to it and see all the beauty in the brush strokes and splashes of paint and even fingerprints? Do you find yourself thinking about a particular painting you have seen but have not yet purchased? You will know it when the right one comes along.

“City Sidewalk” -18×36 – Diane Massey Dunbar OPA

If you could spend the day with any three artists, past or present, whom would they be? Every artist brings something different to the viewer. I admire so many artists, from Rembrandt to Wyeth, Monet to Van Gogh to Fechin. And, there are many current artists that I greatly esteem. I cannot begin to choose one over another, as they are each brilliant in their own individual way. However, I will state that for many years I struggled to appreciate the work of Vincent Van Gogh. Then, on a trip to New York, almost twenty years ago, I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was there that I saw my first Van Gogh in person. I could ‘feel’ the passion and the painting just by looking at it. I remember standing there for a very long time, with tears running down my face, finally getting it. I have never forgotten that experience. It was profound.

“Shopping Cart” by Diane Massey Dunbar OPA – 20×30

What do you think of that amazing interview, folks? Personally, I so appreciate Diane’s willingness to submit to this interview…and being so thorough in her answers. I hope you do also.

Here are important links to see more of OPA Signature Member Diane Massey Dunbar’s work:

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Filed Under: Education Tagged With: Diane Massey Dunbar OPA, Interview, Oil Painting, Paints, Selection, Self Improvement, Signature Membership, Style, Subjects, Technique

Importance of the Canvas

January 28, 2013 by Alan Wolton OPAM 9 Comments

“The Dinghy” by Alan Wolton OPAM

When asked how I paint, what is my approach, I tend to be quiet for a moment. I have no regimen, no rules. Each painting in its process is unique. There is one absolute, however, in every one of my paintings. And that is the power of the canvas.

I always use a very high quality, pre-primed, heavy-duty linen canvas by a leading manufacturer. I also choose a very coarse linen. Why? When observed very closely, the surface of such canvas is a series of round bumps linear in both directions.

Once I have suggested the drawing, or perhaps more correctly the positioning of my masses, I like to color the canvas with a wash of chosen color. I never use pure turpentine, only because it denies any body in the pigment in places on the canvas where no other paint will cover this wash which, without the addition of oil, will not survive time.

At this point in the procedure, I have no white or opaque colors on my palette. The result is an effect as pure in color as a watercolor on white paper. Often the most gorgeous colors are dark and intense. Here I might bypass the wash and apply the pigment without medium. Then because I require a lift in the tone or lightness of an area, I use a knife to scrape off most of the paint. Now because the canvas has all its multiple mini-projectories, the paint will be left only in the recesses of the canvas. So, actually what happens is that the white of the canvas bumps is seen through the applied pigment. From very close, it appears spotty, but from afar, the eye reads a lighter value of a delightful dark pigment which has in no way lost its transparency or luminosity. Also because the paint is so recessed in the canvas texture, one can apply either a scumble or impasto without drying time.

At this point, I normally choose to scumble, also because being so thin and adhering to the canvas projectories only it will harden quickly. Until I really have my picture talking to me, I don’t choose to paint wet in wet.

What I’m describing is more for large canvasses in one’s studio. Plein air small works don’t belong to this category. Small plein air, one tends to go in fully loaded. There is too much wind and way too many bugs to do anything else.

Scumble over transparent wash (as seen in the lower quarter of this detail) never totally covers the original. It is such a delicate touch as to barely release paint from the bristles of the brush. Yet the same stroke with additional pressure will release an impasto load.

In “The Dinghy” (50×60”), the transparent wash was used over most of the canvas. If the wash includes Stand oil (pre-oxidized linseed oil), it will become satisfactorily sticky in half an hour or less, depending how much warm air it can be subjected to. Then a certain amount of darker tube texture pigment is added, followed by a lot of knife scratching. A smooth canvas or the smooth side of a board will not suffice here.

Scumbling, a very light touch to the canvas with a large flat brush using undiluted paint, will offer numerous effects but never totally cover the wash or the scratched areas. Otherwise, why bother to put them in, in the first place. Every stage is part of the finished painting.

Now comes the impasto. For some reason or another, lumpy paintings have become the vogue. The idea of a lump on a canvas is that under angular lighting, a lump will catch the beam of light and visually leap off the canvas. Now this is great for highlights in high-toned colors. If the painting is ultimately varnished, your lumps will “shine” as well under spotlights. If you don’t want shine or glitter, don’t lump. Lumps in a dark area glisten and totally destroy the intensity of the dark. Recently, I saw a show where the whole painting was lumps. Wonderful for the manufacturer but a disaster to the painting – and the viewer!

The broad area of brilliant bright red is pure tube color applied with a latex gloved thumb. Latex gloves were used on the petals only.

Impasto? There are many ways of applying paint. I personally dislike knife application. Although in some situations, it makes a clean simplicity as in colored continental houses. Applying loaded paint with a brush, not necessarily small, is effective. A brush round or otherwise can be turned or rolled so that it either releases an impasto or scumbles depending on the pressure applied.

Painting florals is interesting. A knife is good, but it tends to lose the delicacy and femininity of a petal. As petals of a rose, for example, are so perfect a non-textural finish is needed. No shadows are required in a petal under the sun. A brush stroke will leave fiber striations, which cast minute shadows. A latex gloved finger will give you a petal beyond your expectations. But use a new finger for every application. Otherwise, you will have the most devastating mud pie!

There is no need at any stage of a painting to apply any pigment which will not be seen in the finished work. One can, of course, rub color over another color to create a secondary value – but let’s not get too complicated!

Filed Under: Oil Painting Tagged With: Canvas, Oil Painting, Scumbling, Style, Technique

Marc Hanson Interview

January 7, 2013 by John Pototschnik OPA 9 Comments

“Painting from life, plein air if outside, is critical and necessary to me for what I want out of myself and out of my Art”.

Marc Hanson OPA

This Marc Hanson guy is a pretty interesting fellow. Not only is he a really good artist but he expresses his creativity in other areas as well. He’s an instrument rated pilot, so what’s he doing? Well, he’s building an airplane. It’s a two-seat, all aluminum, tricycle landing gear baby, capable of 200 knots (roughly 230mph). The plane’s not totally built yet, but the tail section and wing spars are. During the process he has learned to rivet and to be very meticulous with measurements and finish.

Besides the airplane, he’s also building a boat…a 12′ flat bottom rowing skiff…and it’s all done except for sanding and painting. Add to that his landscape painting and I think he’s pretty much got it all covered…land, sea, and air.

Right or Left? – 24″x 30″ – Oil (2011 Oil Painters of America National- Bronze Medal)

When you talk about Marc Hanson though, you’re really talking about a man who is absolutely dedicated to the craft of painting. He is most at home outdoors in the open air, brush in hand, capturing on canvas his excitement about the natural world. He feels most confident expressing himself in this way, visually, through painting and drawing as opposed to writing and speaking. That’s probably not uncommon for us visual artists, but believe me, Hanson is no slouch when it comes to writing. As you will see in this interview, his answers are seriously considered and clearly stated.

Marc’s primarily a plein air painter and he’s out there rain or shine every season of the year. He works mostly in oil, but also in pastel…and sometimes even in qouache. Because of the hundreds of paintings he’s done on-site, there is an absolute authentic reality associated with his work whether the paintings were conceived in the studio or outside.

I had the pleasure of meeting him at a plein air event we both participated in last year in Kansas. Organized by Kim Casebeer, a group of us spent several days painting in the Flint Hills and Steve Doherty, editor of Plein Air magazine, reported on the event in the Feb/Mar 2012 issue.

It was a challenge selecting images for this blog. It’s like being forced to choose just one M&M candy from a large bag of many colorful, delectable possibilities. They all taste the same, but oh, so many choices…which one to choose? I wanted to take them all, but…

River Silence – 18″x 36″ – Oil

What would be your definition of art?
That’s a big question, one that much deeper thinkers than me have pondered and explored. But…my take is that Art is the expression humans use that incorporates a skill other than communicative speech, to show others what they feel about the world around them. Music, Dance, Visual Art, Poetry, Prose…these are all ways that we humans use to talk about the world around us, in an intelligent way, based on our emotional reaction to our world, that is unique to our species. Other creatures build amazing structures, have incredibly beautiful song and sound, and they communicate with their own kind. But we are the only species that can ‘create’ beauty, ART, as an expression of our emotional existence.

How do you define your role as an artist?
My role as an artist is to be honest with myself, so that I make Art that is solely mine. I have no illusions that what I do does or will matter to anyone other than me in the end. Not to slight those who collect it, and compliment me on it, that’s an honor that I never discount. When Art is your life, however, you live it, breath it, are up and down with it. If I stay true to myself and honestly evaluate what and how I’m creating it, then all of the other factors will fall into the place that they belong, whatever that may be.

Vineyard Near Ceres – 11″x 14″ – Oil

Abandoned #2 – 8″x 10″ – Pastel

How does one find their individuality as an artist?
Paint, paint, paint! That sounds simple, but it’s the key. Once one has the skills in hand to be able to self evaluate, with occasional help from your peers, diving deep into your own creative space and working hard is the best way to see who you are as an Artist. Style, or individuality, will come out of you, it can’t be held back, if you’re really working hard at your art.

Sunday Morning Frost – 16″x 20″ – Oil (John Marion Pardy Landscape Award of Excellence – 2010 OPA National)

Your paintings are uniquely yours because of the many paintings you have done. I suppose your personality is reflected in your work?
I’m all over my work. My background as having always been interested in bugs, birds, things that bite and slither, large furry things, and where they live, has made me pretty sensitive to Nature and her color and mood. I’m fine being with myself, with being in a quiet place and state, and my work reflects that I think. I’m pretty happy about life. I don’t paint dark and tragic, unless I’m painting a severe thunder cloud…and that’s fun to me.

Plein air painting is pretty important to you, just how important is it?
Painting from life, plein air if outside, is critical and necessary to me for what I want out of myself and out of my Art. Life is where the truth lies, the truth in color, in spacial relationships, in texture, in shape and all other visual aspects of the subject. Photographs are a hollow substitute, one that I am always hesitant to use, but do. Painting from life is a joy, painting from photographs is pure drudgery in my opinion.

What is the major thing you look for when selecting a subject?
I look for something that makes my ‘painting eye’ light up and begin seeing the possibility for a painting in it. I’m not looking for a thing, I’m looking for a combination of the elements that make a painting, first the light followed by how that is affecting the color, edges and design. What is the impact on me and what is it that caused me to be interested in painting the subject in the first place.

Osealia – 24″x 20″ – Oil

3/10/12 ‘ATV Trail’ – 6″x 8″ – Oil

Low Tide Silence – 12″x 16″ – Oil

Do you consider the process of painting more important than the result?
No…Every part of painting, starting with what I feel is most critical…the Concept…is important to the Art. The Result is the product of all parts of the process, the Concept, and the implementation of ones techniques and skills. The quality of the Result is tied to the level of skill and maturity of the artist, meaning that they are both as important in the end.

You speak of the importance of having a concept in mind before painting. Do you let the subject determine that concept or do you create the concept and use the subject only as the starting point?
The subject is raw material for a concept. Concept is #1numero uno to me. A concept has to at least be thought of before any other element or design principle can have a purpose in a painting. If you don’t know what you are going to do, what your concept for the painting is, how do you use those elements? I’ve painted paintings to music, emptied my head, had no concept whatsoever other than to listen to the music and apply paint according to how I felt about it…almost concept free painting. I see many students, who until I harp on it, have no concept when they begin…and they usually flounder until they decide ‘why’ they’re painting the painting. That does not mean that a concept locks you into anything, it only means that you have a reason to proceed.

Monday Morning – 16″x 20″ – Oil (Best of Show and Artist’s Choice Award – Door County Plein Air Festival 2012)

How do you decide on a dominating color key for a painting, and how do you maintain it?
I let the color harmony of the scene determine that for me. I will squint, turn my head nearly upside down or sideways to try to get a sense of what the color of the light is in the scene. Then I am very careful to pay close attention to my color mixtures so that they are in that harmony as I put them up. I test each color on the painting each time, several times, before I commit to it. Another reason for painting from life, the color harmony or ‘key’ is already there. The problem is how not to destroy that if it’s what you want in the painting.

Moonstruck Dinghy – 20″x 24″ – Oil

What is your major consideration when composing a painting?
I look for a way to set the stage so that I can talk about what it is I have to say. It’s about that simple to say, though complicated to implement.

How thorough is your initial drawing?
That depends on the complexity of the situation. But I’m more of a ‘large shape’ kind of painter now. I get the big proportions going, simple shapes as possible, and then refine down to the details from there. So, a complex drawing would be counterproductive. That’s the way I paint today. I came out of the ‘tracing paper overlay’ world as a younger artist/illustrator…and am happy to let that go.

Chisago County Dusk – 18″x 24″ – Oil

Campfires and Moonlight – 16″x 20″ – Oil

What colors are most often found on your palette?
Titanium white, Naples yellow (light version), Cadmium lemon yellow, Cadmium yellow deep, Yellow ochre (lighter version), Cadmium red light, an Earth red (Venetian, Terra Rosa, English red light, etc), Alizarin crimson, Transparent oxide red, Viridian, Cobalt blue, Ultramarine blue deep, and often now a blue like Manganese blue…and sometimes Chromatic black.

Block-in Techniques

Block-in techniques

Describe your typical block-in technique.
One way is that I get a cheap 1-1/2″ or 2″ bristle varnishing brush (hardware store variety $1.79) and start knocking in big blocks of color pretty fast. Usually using a colored block-in that gives me an idea of what the large masses of color will look like in the composition. Then I lightly wipe out most of that and begin to restate the drawing or just begin applying areas of color.

Do you paint in layers?
In the studio, yes I do. And on multi-session plein air landscapes I also do.

What are the key points one needs to know when creating a true sense of atmosphere?
I might just answer that by saying that if you just pay attention to the relative color and value relationships, you’ll be fine. However, having just taught a class, I know that’s my experience talking. Studying recessive situations from life, understanding recessive color theory, then going out and trying to make your color recede and reflect the atmosphere that you’re painting is a way to improve that in your work. Every situation is different outside. Unless an artist wants to paint a generic reflection of the landscape, studying and painting from life is the only good way to create the atmosphere that you’re seeing.

How much of your work is intellectual vs. emotional…and how would you define the difference?
I would say that it takes the intellectual to produce the emotional. The process is intellectual, although as time goes on, some of painting is almost intuitive…things like mixing and applying paint (that comes up as I’ve just come off of teaching a workshop. It’s not automatic to students, still in the low end of the learning curve, how to physically make a painting…things like how to mix and apply paint is a big deal to them). The quality of the end result has to be full of the emotional or it will be but a rendering of a ‘thing’. When the masters reach that place where the two mesh…the intellectual and emotional are working in harmony…they produce poetry…Art.

Winter Solstice Nocturne – 20″x 24″ – Oil

What part does photography play in your work?
It plays a big part when I’m in the studio, along with field studies. Especially if I’m needing to paint Cape Cod when I’m in my Minnesota studio. One reason I just relocated to Colorado is to be able to be outside painting more often and not stuck in the studio so much. I always try to only paint an area that I have first painted from life, or at least where I’ve done some work from life to be able to know how the light in that area looks. If I need to pull out the photos on the computer, I use the photo as a starting point and let the painting emerge and grow into it’s own thing, away from the photo usually. At that point, I barely look at the computer.

What are the major problems encountered when translating a field study to a large studio painting?
I would say that if you expect to recreate the field study, you’re bucking up against a big wave. I realized that the field study is there as a starting point into a different voyage, to give you some notes that you can use to create a brand new image with it’s own inherent qualities that were not in the field study. Trying to replicate the 4″ swish of an emotional brushstroke at a scale that is 3 or 4 times larger in all dimensions…is nearly impossible. The field study is a ‘note’, maybe a pretty finished one able to stand on it’s own, but as far as a larger studio painting goes, it’s just a reminder for me.

I notice you work in both oil and pastel, why do you do that, and what are the significant differences?
I started pastels many years ago because I had a show coming up and needed more work, faster. I took to it immediately. They have the sensitivity for me that is attractive for rendering natures’ textures. I like the broken color that is achievable with pastel, and it’s taught me a bunch about color and using color in the oil paintings that I wouldn’t have thought to mix on my own. Otherwise I paint with pastels in the same basic way that I paint with oils…dark to light, thin to thick. I break the pastels into brushstroke sizes and use it as sweeping strokes. I don’t draw linear strokes with it. I think it’s always good to switch mediums from time to time. I also use gouache for field studies pretty often. That’s my third favorite medium.

What advice would you have for a young artist/painter?
I like what Henri said…to the effect…paraphrasing…’Discourage and dissuade any child who wants to become a painter and if they still want to, then they may have the fortitude to withstand it all, and succeed’. Wish I had the quote at hand on that one, but that’s basically the idea. I’d tell them that they need to seek out good advice and training, learn to draw first and foremost. I’d also tell them to try every medium, technique and style that they can. Learn about all of the materials and techniques that they can. Too many painters I run into today start with a workshop, learn about one kind of brush, one palette, one kind of canvas board. Materials are like musical instruments or dance shoes…every artist finds the ones that work best for them. If all they use is the ‘one’ that their first instructor told them to use, they may be missing out on the ones that take them to a higher level of creating art. Young artists are in a great place right now. There are academies, ateliers, workshops and schools all over the country from which to pick either a designed curriculum program, or in an a la carte way.

What advice would you have for a first-time collector?
I would have to say that is really dependent on the level of the spending the collector can do. If it’s a few hundred dollars, local galleries and art shows would be a way to begin to follow the artists and art that appeals to them. Also, educate themselves by looking at magazines like American Art Collector, American Art Review, Southwest Art, etc. I’m sure that gallery owners would be the best ones to answer this question, so I’ll leave it at that.

If you could spend the day with any three artists, past or present, which would they be?
Sorolla, Levitan and Monet.

Hex River Valley – 30″x 40″ – Oil

Who has had the most influence on your career, and why?
My Dad. He was a part-time artist and always my biggest supporter and encourager to become an artist or anything for that matter. He shared all of his knowledge with me about art materials, from crowquill pens and India ink, to woodcuts, oil pastels and oil paints. He even did scrimshaw later on in his life. I would not be doing this today if it were not for the hours of his life he gave me.

How important are art competitions and how do you decide which piece to enter?
I like to enter some, OPA is my main competition. I use it as a yearly barometer for my progress. Nothing like seeing your work amidst the work of your peers, year in and year out, to see how you’re doing. It’s an awakener.

Thanks Marc for a great interview and your willingness to share your thoughts with our readers.

Here are important links to see more of Hanson’s work:

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Filed Under: Education Tagged With: Colors, Concepts, Interview, John Pototschnik OPA, Mark Hanson OPA, Photography, Selection, Style, Subjects, Technique

Stylistic Unity

December 31, 2012 by Laura Lewis 2 Comments

Two years ago I had my work critiqued through Oil Painters of America. Todd Williams was the Signature Member who looked at images of ten of my current paintings. He gave me some very helpful insight into my work and useful suggestions. One particular idea he proposed to me was very surprising and has resulted in unexpected changes in the direction of my work.

This is the painting he was discussing. He said something like this: “I notice that you have stylized the clay in the riverbed at the foreground, but you have not stylized the bluffs or sky in the same way. So I am suggesting that you consider the idea of whether you would wish to have stylistic unity in your painting.”

I had never heard anyone talk about stylistic unity, nor had I considered such an idea when making this painting. I knew that somewhere in this suggestion was a powerful catalyst for change in my work. I could not accept the idea of stylizing this entire image in the same way that the clay was treated. So I did not really know where to go with it. But what became clear to me was that the patterned clay was a big part of the reason that I keep returning to this part of the Brazos River for imagery. So in some of my next paintings I gave pattern a stronger voice in my work.

Then I did get back to painting the Brazos again, and here is the evidence of the power of this idea.

So here I am back at the Brazos River. This painting has more stylistic unity than Miller’s Bend. I am happy with the painting. The water is mostly realistic and I have had more fun with the patterns on the right. The concept of stylistic unity is still driving change in my work and is a challenge I am enjoying wrestling with.

OPA Critiques

Are you interested in having your work critiqued by OPA Signature and Master Signature members? OPA offers this service for a minimal $25 fee that goes to support the preservation of representational art, and you receive expert advice enabling you to become the best painter you can become. Click here to learn more about OPA Critiques.

Filed Under: Oil Painting Tagged With: Critiques, Oil Painting, Self Improvement, Style, Stylistic Unity, Subjects, Technique

Challenging Painter’s Block

December 10, 2012 by Susan Abma 6 Comments

“Plans for Christmas” by Susan Abma

Here’s a few ideas to think about whenever you get a creative block and find you ‘just can’t paint right now.’ There’s no guarantees, but they just might work, so it could be worth a try…

1. Paint your favorite drink – whether it’s a cup of tea, a pina colada, a steaming latte with lots of foam, or an ice cold beer – paint it in such a way that would show the viewer why it’s your favorite and how much you love it.

2. Go through the newspaper and find a photo – the first one that catches your eye – and paint your version of it – it could be abstract, realistic, finger-painted, or painted any way that might get your creative juices flowing for the next project.

“Eyes in Mirror by Candle Light” by Susan Abma

3. Look in the mirror at yourself in this painter’s block mood and paint just your eyes, so that it shows how you feel and why you can’t paint right now. In doing so, you’re already on your way to stifling the creative block.

4. Paint yourself as a person with the occupation you wanted as a child – did you want to be a fireman, a hairdresser, a bungee jumper, a police officer, a dancer? Give yourself a day as the person of your childhood dreams.

5. Do you love spaghetti? Eggs benedict? Chocolate Mousse? Strawberries? Your secret recipe? Paint it so everyone can taste it with you.

6. Repaint the first thing you ever painted. Just knowing that you now have a greater technical knowledge will help you paint that image with confidence.

7. Paint your worst habit – do you smoke, drink, eat too much chocolate? Paint in a way that will show how bad this habit is. Perhaps your painting, over time, will actually even help you quit your habit – if you even want to.

8. Paint about conformity – peas in a pod, ducks in a row, bananas in a bunch, etc. Make sure that part of your group doesn’t conform – for instance, leave one of the peas out of the pod.

9. Paint yours or your child’s favorite toy. Show some of the worn areas that clearly display how much it has been loved.

10. If you’re really hoping for some particular thing in life – paint it – maybe a cottage at the lake? A diamond ring? A new tool box? A particular make and model of vehicle? A child? Live your dreams through your painting.

Remember that at one time you only dreamed you could paint – now you truly can paint your dreams. Just make those first strokes that will put you back on your way – you can do it – you just need a little motivation. Hopefully you’ll find it here.

Filed Under: Oil Painting Tagged With: Oil Painting, Overcoming Adversity, Painter's Block, Positive Thinking, Selection, Self Improvement, Success, Technique, temperament

The Spirit Forges Ahead While the Brain Has To Figure It Out

November 26, 2012 by Nancy Boren 2 Comments

“Stepping Out” by Nancy Boren

A few years ago, I was fortunate to be involved in an unexpected conversation one day at my studio with an artist friend. I didn’t know when we started talking that the next few minutes would so significantly sharpen my understanding of one aspect of my painting. We casually looked through a group of my paintings while she offered her observations.

“San Patricio Church” by Nancy Boren

After much discussion, we both simultaneously realized we had stumbled upon a truth about much of my work. A common abstract thread that made sense of my varied subjects: it wasn’t so much the crisp white sail boats moving over dark blue water, big puffy clouds in turquoise skies, or white houses surrounded by greenery, but rather it was large white objects in a colorful settingthat I was painting over and over again. What an awakening! I thought I liked painting those different subjects and I do, but now I can see that they are all variations on a theme. It’s almost like looking through a kaleidoscope; different shapes and patterns emerge, but there are always large chunks of white and scattered backgrounds of saturated color.

“House of the Little Old Lady” by Nancy Boren

That may not sound very revolutionary, but in the blink of an eye, I suddenly owned two new possessions:

1.) An answer for countless viewers who have remarked that I certainly painted a lot of different subjects. Now I had a way to tie many of them together.

2.) A better understanding of my artistic hard-wiring, which

a.) I can use on occasion to find what I want to paint faster and more easily

b.) In a purely narcissistic way—a fascinating (to me) fact about myself, of which, after all these decades I had been unaware.

Every piece I do does not feature white on a color field, but now when it happens, I smile to myself and recognize it as another chapter in my love affair with this combination.

“Sailing” by Nancy Boren

Painters speak in the language of paint; it doesn’t seem fair that every artist should also be required to speak eloquently in the English language about painting. But language and thought are so intertwined that verbalizing and analyzing your artistic visions, as difficult as that may be, can actually illuminate them.

“Princess Zazu and Pip” by Nancy Boren

Maybe Henry David Thoreau had an experience similar to mine that caused him to say, “So we saunter toward the Holy Land, till one day the sun shall shine more brightly than ever he has done, shall perchance shine into our minds and hearts, and light up our whole lives with a great awakening light, as warm and serene and golden as on a bankside in autumn.” And who can resist the colorful image this conjures up—maybe a white horse in a grove of yellow cottonwoods?

If you feel there may be a hidden theme in your work, or some unrecognized essence, or you wonder how all your painting threads connect, I have a suggestion: block out some time for a lunch with a savvy artist friend and leisurely peruse each other’s portfolios. A fresh eye and a frank discussion may uncover a powerful current flowing just under the surface of your paintings.

Filed Under: Oil Painting Tagged With: Colors, Oil Painting, Paints, Style, Subjects, Technique

American Tonalism – A Poetic Approach to Painting

September 24, 2012 by James W. Bruce Jr. OPA 1 Comment

Henry Ward Ranger –Fall Landscape (Spanierman Gallery)

This artistic movement was basically focused on landscape painting (though not completely) and flourished from about 1880 to 1915 or so. This also was during the time when American Impressionism was flourishing. After about 1915, the tonalist movement was virtually forgotten although many of the artists who were involved in the movement continued to practice the stylistic mode essentially unchanged. I have been drawn to “tonalism” and the art of the artists who were influential in this movement since first learning about it when I attended an exhibition at Grand Central Galleries of New York. The paintings in the exhibition were sensitive, reserved in the use of color and evoked a wonderful and poetic vision of the landscape subjects being portrayed. Grand Central published a book/catalogue which is now long since out of print; but Spanierman Galleries of New York has recently published a wonderful book on this subject – The Poetic Vision: American Tonalism – which is worthy for every artist and collector’s library. The concepts and facts about American Tonalism contained in Spanierman’s book are gratefully acknowledged and we certainly applaud Spanierman Galleries’ contribution to illuminating information about this important artistic movement and the art of the artists who pursued it. In addition, David A Cleveland has written an extensive book about tonalism entitled A History of American Tonalism: 1880 – 1920 which also merits consideration for any artist’s library.

Henry Ward Ranger was one of the leaders of Tonalist painting. Ranger said that “Tonality to us means just one thing and but one thing. If you were to give it an arbitrary definition you might say, harmonious modulations of colour.” Others might say that you see the landscape through coloured atmosphere or mist to get an evenness of tone. The Tonalists focused on (or perhaps preferred) an overall gray tone, blue evening and night scenes were particularly prevalent. The French Impressionists laid down colour against each other to gain a vibrancy without making any attempt to blend them. American Tonalists usually mixed colors after applying them on the canvas – working to gain a harmonious paint surface rich with a variety of edges. As noted by Dr. Lisa Peters of Spanierman Gallery: “Although the Tonalist movement was established essentially as a reaction against impressionism – in the perception that it was overly scientific and a foreign import – many American artists felt free to combine aspects of the two styles.”

John Henry Twachtman – “Windmill in the Dutch Countryside” (Spanierman Gallery)

Tonalist painters usually also sought intimate segments of sometime flat and marshy (and at most gentle hilly scenes). Fragment bits of nature devoid of human activity. The favorite time of day might be dawn, early morning, dusk, twilight or evening – and the seasons most often depicted were later autumn, winter or at the latest early spring. Seasons of emptiness and bareness – all designed to create a mood…a poetic vision of the landscape.

So, the Tonalist artists were concerned primarily with creating a “poetic vision” – suggesting in pure landscape the feelings of reverie and nostalgia. They generally did plein air sketches or studies and then painted larger studio versions – often these larger painting might be “from memory” (the studies having been discarded).

Birge Harrison – “Fifth Avenue at Twilight” (Spanierman Gallery)

Artists often associated with tonalism include Henry Ward Ranger, Ralph Blakelock, George Bogert, Bruce Crane, Charles Melville Dewey, Charles Warren Eaton, Arthur Hoeber, William Lathrop, Robert Minor, J. Francis Murphy, George Inness, Alexander Wyant, Homer Dodge Martin, Leon Dabo, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Dwight Tryon, J. Alden Weir and John Henry Twachtman. Clearly there was a link between the early-nineteenth century Romanticism and the poetic mode of Tonalism. Twachtman’s painting of the Dutch windmill scene demonstrates the use of reserved color and tonal characteristics so strong in many of his paintings.

Birge Harrison and Arthur Hoeber both were tonalist related. Harrison wrote a book “Landscape Painting” (published in 1909) taught at the Art Students League in New York City and the League’s summer program at Woodstock where he perpetuated his own “moonlight and mist” atheistic. A good example of Harrison’s work is his nocturnal painting of Fifth Avenue in New York. His student and friend, John Fabian Carlson continued his focus at Woodstock and his book on landscape painting has been widely used by student artists. The concept of being reserved in the use of color is not only a concept of tonalism. Sir Winston Churchill, in his book, Painting as a Pastime, is very clear on the benefits of maintaining a strong reserve of color.

James Abbot McNeill Whistler – “Nocturne in Gray and Gold, Westminster Bridge”

James Abbott McNeill Whistler – “Nocturne: Blue and Gold, Southampton Water”

The nocturnal paintings of James Abbott McNeill Whistler are among the most beautiful – and influential – paintings of any genre. For example, the Nocturne in Gray and Gold, Westminster Bridge evokes such poetry in art. Adding any additional color notes would simply detract from the visual impact and the effect captured by Whistler. The series of these nocturne paintings are stunning and should capture the attention (and the imagination) of any artist wishing to learn from a master!

Alfred Stieglitz – “The Hand of Man” (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Eduard Steichen and his friend and mentor, Alfred Stieglitz, were also “tonalists” in many ways. Stieglitz’s photograph, The Hand of Man, shows the poetry of his photography – of its soft edges and composition. Though Steichen ultimately focused his artistic effort on photography, his paintings in the early 1900s were evocative and very tonal in nature. Early in his life, Steichen was very interested in painting and he adapted much of his focus on edges and tonal qualities in his photography into his paintings. Soft edges, mysterious and evocative ideas and subtle tonal values formed the core of Steichen’s approach – both in his paintings and in his early photography.

Eduard Steichen – “Landscape with Avenue of Trees” (Private Collection)

Steichen’s painting “Landscape with Avenue of Trees” is a wonderful example of Tonalism at its finest. It is one of my favorite paintings – and one which has not only been an influence to me but a number of my artist friends who seek to achieve the same sense of mastery of the craft. Another nocturnal painting which exhibits Steichen’s mastery of the art form is shown below. Unfortunately, there are only a few of Steichen’s paintings which survived his decision to focus entirely on photography – but those which did have are wonderful artist efforts worthy of study.

Eduard Steichen – “Balcony, Nocturne, Lake George” (Private Collection)

At the end of the day, the Tonalism movement was relatively short lived but had an important influence on American art. Its subtleness, poetic feeling, reserved color palette – all combined to make a wonderful and powerful artistic vision. For me, it is the essence of poetic art and truly a “poetic vision” as the title of the Spanierman book proclaims. You may check out more images by visiting the Spanierman website which contains their past exhibitions. It’s worth your time.

Filed Under: Education, Oil Painting Tagged With: Technique, Tonalism

Keep It Simple! Using a Limited Palette

September 10, 2012 by Kathleen Dunphy OPA 19 Comments

"Garapatta Spring" by Kathleen Dunphy OPA 24x18

“Garapatta Spring” by Kathleen Dunphy OPA 24×18

When I first started painting, I’d walk into art supply stores and spend hours looking at all the different pigments and brands of oil paints available, and drool over all those luscious colors: aureolin yellow, cinnabar green, quinocradone rose (just the names alone made me buy them). I’d load up my basket with dozens of tubes of paint and head home thinking that at last I had found the color that would make me a better painter. Age and experience are wonderful teachers, and I finally came to the conclusion that no special pigment would be the key to my success. In fact, the more choices I had on my palette, the gaudier and less-realistic my paintings looked.

In 2003, I had the good fortune to study with Scott Christensen, who at the time was using a very limited palette that he had his students use in his workshops. At first, I was baffled: how could I get a true yellow ochre using only 3 primaries and a couple of grays? How could I get a wide variety of greens when there were no green tube pigments on my palette? But after sticking with this limited palette for a while and experimenting with these colors, I came to see that I could mix just about every color in nature using only 6 tubes of paint. Using this palette also helped me to see and understand color temperature better by simplifying my choices: if the color needed to be warmer, I added yellow; for cooler, I added blue. And I found that the colors I was mixing were so much closer to the reality I was seeing than when I used a broader palette. When there are 20 choices on the palette, I find it’s much easier to just say “oh, that’s close enough” and dip into a color straight out of the tube , but when I have to mix my colors from the primaries, I get a more accurate representation of my subject matter. Of course, there are certain local colors that I can’t duplicate exactly with this palette, especially if I’m painting man-made objects. But I can always get the correct value and the correct temperature, and when those are right, the color reads correctly.

“Tahoe Bliss” by Kathleen Dunphy OPA

For example, the color of the water at Lake Tahoe is an incredibly intense blue-green. I may not be able to get that exact local color, but I can mix the right temperature and value, then surround that color with more muted grays and the color of the water will feel more intense and believable.

Over time, I experimented with adding and subtracting pigments from my palette and settled on the selection of paints that I’ve been using since about 2005. This is the palette that I use for all of my paintings, both plein air and in the studio:

Titanium White (any brand)
Cadmium Yellow Lemon (Utrecht)
Permanent Red Medium (Rembrandt)
Ultramarine Blue (any brand)
Naples Yellow Deep (Rembrandt)
Cold Gray (Rembrandt)

(Please note that the brands of the paints are very important as colors vary widely between manufacturers)

Although I use a limited palette for my paintings, I always start out by mixing puddles of several colors before I start the actual painting. Doing this accomplishes two things: it helps me to slow down and analyze the color before I dive headlong into painting, and it allows me to have an expanded choice of colors when I begin to paint. I always mix the secondary colors (orange, green, and violet) regardless of what I’m painting, and the rest of the puddles of color are close approximations to what I’m seeing in the subject matter. Pre-mixing takes some time at the beginning of the painting, but it really saves time once I start to paint: I already have so many colors figured out and can concentrate on the subtle shifts in temperature and value that I’m seeing. Also, I don’t break the rhythm of painting to drop my brush, get out my palette knife and mix new color.

Here’s a shot of my palette before I start a painting:

And here’s the finished painting from that palette:

"The Italian Store" by Kathleen Dunphy OPA 12x12

“The Italian Store” by Kathleen Dunphy OPA 12×12

There are certainly countless artists out there who use extensive palettes and get beautiful results, and my selection of pigments is just one way to approach painting. But if you have never used a limited palette, give this a try- you might be surprised with the results and be able to bypass all those rows of paint next time you’re in the art store.

Filed Under: Oil Painting Tagged With: Oil Painting, Paints, Technique

Some Thoughts On Plein Air And Photos

September 3, 2012 by Charles Cox OPA 5 Comments

Charles Cox OPA Sketching in Venice

The photo shows me sketching in the Dorsoduro section of Venice. In my time I have sketched and painted from the subject, from imagination, and from photos. There are advantages and disadvantages to each. If you are interested in very accurate realism, then working from imagination is probably not a good option. There have been artists who had the ability to work realistically from imagination up to a point, but even Michelangelo, Velasquez, Titian and Rembrandt worked from models. And with the invention of photography, many artists, including more well-known artists than you might suppose, used photographs as aids.

Take Monet’s large water lily murals for example. There are photos showing these paintings being executed in his studio at Giverny. There are also photos in existence which he took of the water lily pond, and since the pond isn’t visible from the studio it’s likely that he used them as reference for the murals.

The American Impressionist, Theodore Robinson, left photos with grid marks on them which are used in transferring more accurately the photo to the canvas, and also left paintings which are almost exact replicas of the photos.

And in some of Corot’s later work figures appear which could only have been arrived at through the use of photographic reference. For instance, there is a horse and rider which appears in more than one of his later paintings. It is a small figure, but it is photographically accurate, even though the horse is in motion and could only have been in that pose for a fraction of a second. And we know both from his sketches and from his own admission that he could not capture such details in so limited a time working from the subject.

So, well-known artists have worked from different types of sources, but which is best?

Working directly from the subject out-of-doors is called “plein air”. It is good practice, especially for beginners, because it forces you to work rapidly under less than favorable conditions, and this brings your instincts into play and causes you to learn more rapidly and to paint more spontaneously. It has the disadvantage of lighting which is always changing, bugs in your paint and comments from curious passersby. Most artists who paint this way solve the first problem by taking a photo early on which they later use in the studio to make corrections and apply finishing touches.

If you do want to use photos, here are some pointers: Use only your own photos. Photography is an art form and the photos you take represent your personal knowledge concerning what makes a good picture. Never use published professional photos. These were not your ideas, and in some places there are laws against their use. Don’t slavishly copy the photo. All good artists develop their own ideas about color, composition, etc., which they impose on the subject.

Filed Under: Oil Painting Tagged With: Photo, Plein Air, Technique

A Week Painting at Scottsdale Art School with Milt Kobayashi

Dianne Massey Dunbar Interview

And now more from Dianne Massey Dunbar…

Importance of the Canvas

Marc Hanson Interview

Stylistic Unity

OPA Critiques

Challenging Painter’s Block

The Spirit Forges Ahead While the Brain Has To Figure It Out

American Tonalism – A Poetic Approach to Painting

Keep It Simple! Using a Limited Palette

Some Thoughts On Plein Air And Photos

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