OPA - Oil Painters of America

Dedicated to the preservation of representational art

Archives for March 2016

My Favorite Things

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image005So here is one of my absolute favorite things… my “wine glass holder” ($15.00) from Open Box M (openboxm.com). I have had them overnight these for me when I lose one! No. I am not that desperate for wine.
Most of us have been through many of the sealable brush washers and had problems with leaking. On a recent trip, I decided to apply a little common sense to the problem.
Here I have placed a small, round, storage container (like Rubbermaid, ZipLoc, Gladware, etc.). This one cost $2.67.

Here it is shown with the lid on. This tiny OMS container NEVER leaks in my backpack. It is shown here with a small, 2 oz. sample bottle of Gamsol to give you an idea of the compact size.

The Value Of Value

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Mango 14×11 Oil
Mango 14×11 Oil

When teaching, the first thing I like to point out is that PAINTING IS HARD! So after 20 years or so it was interesting to try to break painting down into its essential parts in order to be a better instructor. Of course, there is nothing new here other than the way my brain has distilled my ongoing education. See if anything below resonates with you.
After much thinking and analyzing I realized that my seven steps are inspiration, composition, drawing, value, color, paint application (includes edges), and calling it done. It also seems that there is usually an element of contrast or balance to most steps; something dominant and supportive in the composition (not 50/50), some stuff drawn out or rendered out and some less so, some dark and some light, strong color and muted color, sharp edges and soft edges, thick paint in the light and thin darks… and usually not half and half or 100% or 0% in any of these aspects.
Truly one can spend the rest of one’s life in any of these steps or areas, and yet as artists we generally wield them simultaneously! This is why PAINTING IS HARD. I make the analogy to juggling or spinning plates. And just to make it more complicated, sometimes if we get too involved in process we somehow defeat the spark which inspired us to make art. To use a musical analogy, we don’t enjoy listening to musicians practicing scales. We want to hear creative melodies and stories. In painting this is ‘picture making’.
In terms of subjects, still life is a great way to hone the process. You don’t have to contend with changing weather and light as you do when painting landscape, and you don’t need the artistic anatomy understanding of the figurative or portrait artist. You can have your setup available for as long as you need, and you can even begin to introduce narrative or other kinds of inspiration; color, drawing; whatever is motivating you. Once you have a handle on your process and materials you can venture into other subjects with some confidence.
It became apparent after teaching a few workshops that folks were missing value, which is simply the range from light to dark with which we render form through light and shadow. It is a foundation for representational painting, and yet it seems that often we are seduced by color, and miss value. This can really create problems and frustration! So, I began starting still life classes with an exercise where everyone paints a simple object monochromatically, and then in color; the same size on the same canvas, side by side.

It’s quite a revelation. I will wager that nearly any painting that you love will look good in black and white. The values are like a great skeleton on which the painting hangs. And sadly the inverse is also true; when a painting isn’t rocking your world you’ll often find that it doesn’t hold up well in grayscale either.

So, try leaning into value a bit and you might make some quick progress! Just spend a little extra time trying to capture the accurate range of light and shadow before getting lost in color.
And don’t forget the secret eighth step: REPEAT OFTEN!

Is Representational Art Dead?

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New Shoots 30x31,

A look at representational art today

My wife and I flew from our hometown of Denver, Colorado to attend the American Impressionist Society National Art show at the Trailside Gallery in Scottsdale. As a representational painter, I was thrilled to be accepted to the show and even more thrilled to attend. I anticipated the wonderful paintings I would view, evaluate, study and enjoy. As we approached the gallery entrance, my excitement was palpable in my chest. But the heart thumping stopped, albeit briefly, when I saw a ‘for lease’ sign on the gallery exterior. Maybe my vivid imagination was too quick to jump to conclusions. I immediately thought, ‘Is this well-known gallery closing its doors? And if so, why? What does this say about the state of figurative and realistic art?’ And then I did dare think it. Blasphemy. ‘Is representational art dead?’
Although I create, buy and collect representational art, I still may not be the best judge of the genre’s status across America. If anything, I would likely overestimate its importance because it happens to be the art that I love the most. I know and follow many artists who create stunning artwork every day. I also believe they have loyal collectors who purchase and enjoy their pieces. This does reassure me. Although I wonder if these are more of the outliers rather than the norm.

A look at the Denver art scene

The Cirque, 30x40,Denver is a great case study to understand the general health of representational art. Several well-known galleries in the area including Saks Gallery and Abend Gallery have been in business for many years and are credible institutions with solid reputations. Their exhibition openings are well-attended and feature art that depicts realistic subject year-round. Knowing this, I feel reassured again that the state of representational art was alive and well. However, there are more than 100 art galleries in the Mile High City, and looking at the bigger picture, it seems that there are fewer galleries that promote representational works than those that promote other genres. For example, the River North Art District (RiNo) almost exclusively promotes non-representational works. Maybe it’s not about the quantity of representational art galleries that indicates whether or not the genre is dying. A deeper look into art history reveals some interesting trends too.

Art preferences ebb and flow

Colorado’s Commodity, 24x36(1)Art history tells us there are times when certain art forms and styles are more popular. In the late 1800’s, traditional artists had to eventually yield to newer impressionists. After this, post-impressionists dominated the art scene. Expressionists gained popularity, and later came the abstract expressionists… and so on. Judging by history, we know there are cycles in the styles of art and what appeals to society. But we also know that even with all the small changes and larger epochal shifts in artistic styles, representational art has never truly gone away. It may have been less popular during certain periods, but there is plenty of good evidence (in the form of very good paintings) that representational art is not dead.
But don’t take my word for it. You need only to go as far as your OPA catalog to see the magic, skill and beauty that is captured by its members. While it may be more difficult to find representational art now, its exclusivity may be the right springboard to launch it to a phase of popularity again. That said, I’m confident that representational art is here to stay.

A Painter's Desiderata

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A Painter's Desiderata
A Painter’s Desiderata

The blank canvas is there as a challenge, not to terrorize you • Paint like a locomotive • Don’t try to frost the cake before it is baked • A painter’s life is not for the faint of heart • You will learn more from one hundred starts than you will one hundred finishes • Begin with red, yellow, and blue and expand upon that • Nothing becomes more obvious in a painting than boredom • Don’t eat the paint • Inspiration is for amateurs • Beware of the workshop teacher who quotes too many maxims (ha!) • Painting is a verb, not a noun • Put enough paint down to be able to push it around • Painting isn’t hard: you just have to put the right color in the right place, in the right shape, at the right time • Art is a crazy way to make a living, so just deal with it • Acknowledge your inner child and encourage creative play, but ignore the tantrums • Painting is not like having an affair, it is more like being married with children • And speaking of children – your paintings are not your babies – Be willing to drown, strangle, or expose them to the elements should it become necessary • Mimesis is fancy art-speak for “Hey, it looks like a photograph” • Draw, draw, draw – then go draw some more • Ask yourself as you paint “Is it art yet?” If so, put the brush down • Be bold, be proud, be polite • It ain’t the paint, it ain’t the brushes, and it ain’t the canvas. It’s you • Look first, paint second • Check out an artist’s work before you let him go on too long about it • Don’t keep reworking the fun passages as they are certain to go downhill • When you attend another artist’s opening leave your business cards and portfolio at home • Paint is unpredictable so remain open to being surprised • Painting is not a race unless you are working under the sun or against the tide • The best way to preserve a brush is to never let it dry out • All art is abstract • Be a poet, not a reporter • For goodness sake, simplify! • The fewer the touches, the better the brushwork • A signature is not enough to justify a painting • Paint for the ages but don’t overlook the now • There is no “Secret Sauce of ye Olde Masters” guaranteed to transform your work • Search for the beauty in the ugly for it is often unpainted territory • When you are painting try to forget you are painting • Yes, you may be an artist but it is better to let others introduce you as such • Disconnect all ego from your work or life will become painful • The term ‘tortured artist’ is oxymoronic because painting should be a joy • Selling a painting does not mean it was good, and conversely, not selling a painting does not mean it was bad • Be sure to have fun while you paint because if that is all you get then at least you got that • Color can be irksome and idiosyncratic. Need proof? Mixing yellow and black does not make darker yellow, it makes green • Stop assaulting your viewers with too much detail • If you think you have ‘arrived’ as a painter then you haven’t • Every artist is emerging, no matter the age • Don’t paint just the cupcakes in life, paint the turds too • If you don’t know how to paint, but want to learn how, marry someone who can • Don’t overprice yourself because your work does nobody good stored in your closet • Be on the lookout for the crazy nut-bars in this business, and be polite when you run into them because some of them have money • If somebody insists upon telling you how great an artist your are, don’t argue • ‘Kontent is King’ so choose your subjects carefully as you may end up painting them over and over again • The key to success is remembering what you want and following through • If someone absolutely insists upon telling you what Art is supposed to be, begin nodding your head gently, take a slow step back, and then politely excuse yourself • Beautiful brushwork is like a fine cup of tea – something best served up fresh and consumed with appreciation • Leave the histrionics out as they seldom add much • A cynic is a failed romantic • Let me elaborate on that further: a cynic is a failed romantic and irony is a literary device with no place in a painting • Watching a video or reading a how-to-paint book is like watching or reading about sex – both can be instructive, but never a satisfying substitute • When critiquing your own work learn how to form your own conclusions – after all, the only opinion that counts is yours…

For more general craziness, and perhaps a few actual helpful painting tips, visit Thomas’s informative blog at www.thomaskitts.com.