Kathy Anderson is a very accomplished artist, represented by many respected galleries and the recipient of too many awards to count, including 2 awards received at this year’s OPA National Exhibition. Kathy also received her OPA Master Signature status this year.
After studying advertising art and design at college for one and a half years, Kathy worked as a watercolorist. She sold her work in outdoor shows. Other interesting notes on Kathy’s resume include helping paint large backdrops for her son’s high school theater class, and conducting a mural business for about 7 years.
Stuart: What kind of murals were you painting?
Kathy: Crazy, unbelievable things. Anything… I was painting paintings on people’s walls, basically.
Stuart: So, internal wall paintings?
Kathy: (nodding) I did an entire ceiling once of sky, just sky and clouds; working on a scaffold.
Kathy: Anyway, from there, I was still doing the outdoor shows. And I used to do this show in Sherman, Connecticut. And one time I went to pick my work up and the ladies there were like, “Guess who bought one of your paintings?!”… It was Richard Schmid!
Stuart: Wow!
Kathy knew of Richard Schmid and admired his work. Richard had previously lived in Sherman, Connecticut, and he would loyally return each year to give a demonstration.
Kathy: I went back the following year to see his demo. He was walking down the path and my girlfriend was like, “Go say hello.” So I went up to him and said, “You probably don’t know who I am, but you bought my painting last year.” I was like, “You probably threw it out when you got home and saw you’d made a big mistake.” (Laughter) He was so sweet.
While doing his demonstration, Richard Schmid had talked about painting with a group in Vermont. Kathy, assuming that this group was a work shop, asked if it would be possible for her to sign up.
Kathy: He (Richard) said, “Oh no, it’s not a class, just come up and paint with us in Vermont.” Which was 2 hours 15 minutes from my house in Connecticut. So I went up there. I didn’t even know what we were painting. Turns out we were painting a model. I’d never painted a model from life before. And I thought, “I can’t believe I’m doing this!” …And he asked me to continue coming.
That began a meaningful relationship Kathy has enjoyed with the Putnam Painters. Kathy gave us a little insight as to what the group is like.
Kathy For Richard he always looked for, not so much ability, as passion; and …somebody that he knew would be totally compatible. That’s one thing we’ve always said about the Putney Painters that’s so incredible, there’s no competition between us, we’re just all like a family. It’s a great group of people. We’ve painted together for 18 years.
Stuart: How often would the Putney painters meet?
Kathy: We would meet 8 times in the spring and 8 times in the fall. Everything from life. It wasn’t a teaching environment, except Richard always taught. He would walk around and help each person. He’s so generous and wonderful, and Nancy (Guzik) too.
Kathy: (speaking of Richard Schmid) He loves problem solving. Everyone has problems with their paintings, even Richard Schmid. He’ll say, “The joy of problem solving… you just stop and you figure it out, and you go to your books, or you go to another artist, or you wait on the painting” …. allow yourself the time to let that painting rest a while, so you can go back and look at it with fresh eyes… Many years ago Nancy Guzik said to me, “When you do a really good painting, try not to just put it out there to sell it. If you know this is a good painting, save it for Oil Painters of America, or save it for your big gallery that is having a great show.”
Kathy spoke very highly of Richard Schmid and his wife Nancy Guzik, and the impact they have had on her. She even told us, light heartedly, the difference between Richard and Nancy.
Kathy: Richard loves what he paints, and Nancy paints what she loves. Everything Richard paints turns out to be so gorgeous, and he’s just in love with the paint. He loves the challenge of taking the craziest things and turning it into a painting.
Stuart: And where are you on that scale?
Kathy: I’m like Nancy, I have to be madly in love with what I’m painting.
In addition to drawing inspiration from Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik, Kathy has many other artists who have influenced her.
Kathy: I’m very lucky that I have a very close friendship with Richard and also with Everett Raymond Kinstler.
Stuart: He’s known as a portrait artist.
Kathy: Yes, he’s painted presidents and movie stars… I never was fortunate enough to study under him, but I’ve had a very close friendship with him for about 10 years… He’s been a huge influence on me… He’s 92 years old and he will aways go and support another artist or a friend because he knows how important it is for him to be there, at someone’s opening. He’s such a loyal person. My favorite Woody Allen quote is “80% of success is showing up.” Well, Everett knows that for sure… he just knows the importance of supporting other people and keeping yourself out there.
In addition to being an accomplished exhibiting artist, Kathy also teaches workshops around the country and has taught many students over the years. Here are some of the things she frequently teaches her students:
Kathy: The main thing is drawing, drawing, drawing! You have to start with your basic knowledge of drawing. It stops you dead if you’re struggling with your drawing. In jazz they say, “Through knowledge comes freedom.” Know all your scales, know your chords, know how to read music, and when that’s like second nature to you, then you’re free to create what’s important, the essence of your painting. So drawing’s the most important.
Kathy: And also painting from life. I mostly paint from life.
Other tid bits Kathy finds worth repeating to her students:
-keep organized
-keep clean
-know your equipment
Kathy’s sentiment was “you can’t be free to do a beautiful painting when you have other obstacles hindering you.”
As the audience enjoyed seeing several of Kathy’s paintings projected on the large screens, we heard more about Kathy’s process of creating a painting.
Kathy: (referring to her paintings) All this is started from life… maybe I go back twice. And then take really good photos. What I try to capture from life is my values and my temperature. Color is not that important to me from life, because I know my colors. And I’ll have color on there anyway. As long as they’re pretty colors… What I use photos mostly for, is drawing. (Kathy walked us through her extensive process of finishing up a painting of daffodils in her studio) I had my full photo of the whole set up, and then I had individual photos of each flower so I could see where each petal was and if I had to fix a drawing or something like that.
Stuart asked Kathy how she begins a painting from life. Especially paintings which come from scenes that are naturally more chaotic and wild.
Kathy: First of all I’m an avid gardener so I know my subject really well… But I really stress design, and to me that’s the foremost thing I think of when I’m starting a painting, is the design of the painting… When I go out and paint from life with flowers, I carry little bungee cords with me. I bungee things where I want them… I did a 30 by 40 plein air painting up in Putney. What was there in life was this beautiful quince bush, giant quince in bloom. And my painting had daffodils, tulips, and pansies in it too. I picked all of that. I bought little 6 packs of pansies, took them out, and arranged them on the ground… You know the little flower tubes you get when you buy roses? I carry them everywhere and I stuck all the daffodils and tulips in the little tubes. And I stuck them in the ground underneath. So I composed the whole painting. And for the end of the painting, I had a dead Baltimore Oriole in my freezer, thanks to my little cats.
Stuart: Who doesn’t have a dead Baltimore Oriole in their freezer?
Kathy: Everybody has that right?
Stuart: (Joking) I believe they’re available on Amazon.
Kathy: I actually right now have a chipmunk, and 3 or 4 birds including a woodpecker.
Stuart: Ok, chipmunks, that’s available on the Dark Web.
The audience had a good laugh with this banter. Kathy assured us that she is very protective of wildlife and tries to rescue small animals whenever possible but occasionally her cats bring her offerings or a bird doesn’t survive after flying into a window. These are the animals Kathy would use for a painting.
Stuart: This is interesting, the flower tubes, the bungee cords, dead animals. Any other tips (laughter), things that would fall into the category of bits and bobs, you would use in composing your floral paintings? Do you ever have to stake the flowers?
Kathy: Oh yeah! I do everything. Anything to make the painting right. In someone else’s garden I’m a little more respectful though.
Stuart: So by whatever means necessary?
Kathy: Yes, what ever means necessary. In other words you don’t have to paint what’s exactly there, is the point.
Stuart: (speaking to the audience) When I look at Kathy’s paintings, what I see reflects her personality. This sort of exquisite sensibility, of gorgeous paintings, of color and composition and technique. But I think what you get a sense of here today is that there’s a real sense of gaiety, of joy and humor in her work. It’s charming, it’s beautiful. That’s hard to do, to express yourself in that way.
Kathy: I think you see people’s personalities in their paintings. Thank you for saying that. That was very nice.
Stuart: Do people paint who they are, in a way?
Kathy: I think so. I see people’s personality in their paintings.
Stuart: In their choice of subject? Or in the manner of execution?
Kathy: Or their pallet. Their color choices. We all see color differently. One of the things I think is lacking in my work is I think I don’t use enough cool colors. Sometimes when I’m trying to balance the cools and the warms, which is the most beautiful pallet for me to look at, and yet it’s harder for me to do that because I respond so much to warm colors. I think you just have to be true to yourself.
As this delightful 60 minute interview wrapped up, Kathy left us with a couple of pieces of wisdom:
Kathy: If you have the passion for painting, then you’ve got to put your hours in, study with someone you really respect, and then meticulously evaluate your work.
Finally, we ended with one of Kathy’s favorite quotes:
“The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried.”
– Stephen McCranie
Stuart spoke for us all as he closed:
“Thank you very much Kathy Anderson! We really appreciate you coming out!”
Archives for July 2018
For the Love of It
I have a deep love for painting, as I’m sure most of you do as well. It is that passion and sense of discovery that pushes me forward to paint for paintings sake. However, I have gone through struggles of self doubt. I find truth to this quote, “I don’t think there’s any artist of any value who doesn’t doubt what they are doing” -Francis Ford Coppola. This self doubt often occurs when my known or sub-conscious intentions are headed in the wrong direction. What do I mean? Well, for the most part, my paintings are not as successful when created to please others. They may not ring true to my authentic voice. I’m coming to understand that this may be a universal condition for artists, no matter what stage of mastery they fall.
For me this “self doubt” and inclination to paint to appeal to others seems to have the potential to increase during plein air competitions. Don’t get me wrong, I believe I have painted some of my best work at these events! For many reason I enjoy these events, and hope to continue to paint in them. I love to overcome obstacles and challenges, and find avoidance is not the answer. These events require much preparation behind the scenes by the artists attending. Ordering frames, organizing flights, shipping etc…and once on location, it can be a time of pushing one’s abilities and endurance. It becomes not optional to paint in less than ideal weather, or if you are lagging physically or mentally. But I still choose to take part. As an artist, it’s awesome to paint in new locations and meet some wonderful people! Yes, plein air events may seem at odds with an artists philosophy… to make it a competition, yet I think the competition has the potential to be a good thing. It can bring recognition to a previously less known artist. Artists push their abilities and collectors may get some of the artist’s best work this way. In addition, the organizers of the event are able to connect collectors with artists and at the same time generate funding for their particular cause.
During one plein air event this year, I once again found myself trying to achieve work that would fit the mold that I thought might be expected of me as a “returning artist”. My work had recently been evolving, and I worried that perhaps collectors would not respond positively to my direction. I was open with the other artists about my doubts and struggles. I had a few scrapers, and felt at odds with what I was producing. Stepping back, I realized I wasn’t painting for “me”, I had lost the spark of passion for the process. I was trying to fill a canvas with a painting that might please others, fit a norm, or would be more likely to sell. In the process I lost the “why” of why I was painting. I began to dive back into my work, painting exclusively for myself. By the end of the event, I had produced pieces I was quite pleased with, not knowing if anyone else would be. Because I was painting with my original passion, unencumbered by other’s expectations, I was able to produce paintings that pleased me, and in turn, pleased the collectors and judges. The work I produced did not perhaps fit the pre-conceived notion of what I would paint, perhaps not fitting the mold, but painting for myself without being fearful.
It really is a very simple concept, but one that I seem to need to come back to during each plein air event I participate in. Three words. Paint For Myself. PFM. It’s now written with a Sharpie on the inside of my pochade box, so as to give me a little nudge back on the road, my road. It’s not that I don’t have concern for other’s response to my work. I do! My ultimate hope is that other’s find joy and meaning in what I am producing. My work will be that much more authentic, and bear my true emotions for the scene I am working to describe, if I PFM. Another event is just around the corner, and I will aim to put my full effort into creating solid work. I am aware that doubt and temporarily misguided intentions will cause me to refer back to PFM. In the end I hope to create something that has an emotional impact.
I encourage others to push forward and paint with passion and conviction, whether in a competition or not. Paint for yourself, paint with your soul, paint with fearlessness, paint for the love of it.
Becoming A Better Realist Painter Through Abstraction
I’ve heard it said by more than a few realist artists that they have no connection to abstract art. It’s not their thing, they don’t get it, it’s not real art, etc. Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I believe that some of these artists are missing out on addressing a key component of individuality in painting; trust. I teach abstract painting for this very reason.
The goal is not to convert realist painters into abstract ones but to help the artists think about what paint can do if you let it by employing dynamic symmetry, hierarchy, division of space, edge, paint handling and color relationships without basing it on a source. Painting abstractly has helped my realist work grow in leaps and bounds. And to date, after 25 plus years of teaching, no one has jumped ship from their existing path, they expand their visual language and take the lessons to fold back into their process.
To build trust in one’s own process is to enable the unique voice of the artist. This voice is comprised of some combination of the key characteristics of painting; intent, drawing, value, color, edge, paint handling, mark making, composition, line, narrative and about 10 other devices in the painter’s tool kit. It’s why there are so many wings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Lots of unique voices in art equal lots of wings in lots of museums. And who do we go to see when visiting such places? Those artists who exhibit that trust, that faith in their own vision, the pioneers, the masters of hand and medium. We seek those who are empowered by authenticity.
I mean, let’s face it, if everyone painted the exact same way, it’d be pretty dang boring.
Key to trust building is to venture out past the comfortable known areas of process and concept and hang out on the thin branches for a while. You’d think it would be easy for artists to do this, because what’s the worst that could happen? But, surprisingly, it’s not. The realist regimen incorporates a series of control measures to ensure a fair amount of accuracy: Get your drawing right, get your values right, put something on the thirds cross-hairs, mix the paints just so… all to beautiful effect. Control on the front end.
Abstract painting is that only backwards, the control is on the back end. Which means higher risk and higher failure rates and that can be uncomfortable. But the process of doing, even on a small scale, teaches an enormous amount about what paint can do independent of subject or content in a painting. As part of a healthy aesthetic training program, it’s sort of like taking a day to do Argentine Tango if you are more of a Viennese waltz kind of a person.
I could rattle off a ton of realist deities whose work dances with the abstract: N. Fechin, C. Anderson, J. Sorolla, C. Monet, J. Twachtman, E.C. Fortune, G. Klimt, E. Dickenson, T. H. Benton, T. Thompson, B. Dugarzhapov and so on. If you put realist painting on the same spectrum as abstract painting, some of these artists are just a little closer to one end than the other.
So, what’s to be gained from this kind of exploration?
• It gets you unstuck in a hurry.
• Enhances creative thinking skills.
• Enhances critical thinking skills.
• More paint handling ideas.
• A better understanding of what the components of painting can do.
• More adventurous compositional ideas.
• Your significant other will find you more attractive.
• You will loosen up just a little bit.
• Your back won’t hurt as much.
Don’t hold me to all of those but at least a few will happen.
Let’s say that you are at least moderately intrigued. What next? How does one do this kind of playful study? The doing it part is pretty easy, it’s the brain part that you have to deal with. There are several secrets to getting your brain to go along with the plan because we are creatures of habit and change is not always easy.
• Give yourself permission to play.
• Spend a few hours making shapes on canvas with a brush and one color. Make compositional shape ideas.
• Change your approach. Change your materials, your brushes, tape canvases into quarters to disable the perfectionist feature.
• Work out from a reference source (see ink and wash sketches), put the reference source away and paint from the sketches. Repeat.
• Mix up some large piles of color that you love and just start moving it around. Come back in an hour or two and work on refining the paint into interesting compositions.
• Hide them away for a while. Just be like Dr. Frankenstein and keep your creations in the cellar.
If you ever feel a little stuck or bored with yourself, this is as good a cure as I’ve found. And don’t worry, you won’t suddenly start wearing a rainbow wig or anything weird. But, trust me, you will learn something new about yourself. If you want to know more about really digging deeper, I can recommend a darn good book.
About Larry Moore
Artist, author, instructor, illustrator.
Larry has been a college and workshop instructor for nearly 30 years. From winning a Gold Medal at the Society of Illustrators in New York, to winning Best of Show in national plein air invitationals, inclusion in Society of Illustrators annuals, and Communication Arts design and illustration annuals, he’s employed and refined the essential creative process you’ll read about in his book on creative thinking, Fishing for Elephants. Insights and exercises to develop authentic creativity. Available on Amazon.com.
Building Art Communities – Creating Collaborative Circles
I am fascinated by group dynamics and how being a part of a group can lead you to accomplish more, feel more connected, and be more successful. Why do groups of ordinary people create a performance far beyond the sum of their individual skills? How can we as artists create collaborative groups to help us further our skill level and improve our mental outlook? How do we build art communities?
What is a collaborative circle? In Michael Farrell’s book Collaborative Circles, he states that collaborative circles usually begin as a casual association among acquaintances working in the same discipline. Members of a social network meet and find they enjoy one another’s company. Most circles consist of a core group that meet frequently, and a peripheral extended group who vary in their degree of involvement. Some examples of these successful groups are: Kandisky and the Bleu Rider Group, Freud and his early collaborators, John Steinbeck and his Pacific Grove circle and C.S. Lewis, J. R.R Tolkien and the Inklings.
One of the collaborative groups that strikes me is the group of impressionists that included Monet, Renoir, Bazille & Sisley. Monet was the leader of this group. This core group interacted more frequently, and they began to piece together the insights that crystalized a new vision of what art should be. Peripheral members of this group were Degas, Cezzane, Manet, and Pissarro. Berthe Morisot was considered part of this group, but was not allowed to attend meetings due to her gender. Each member of the group had their strengths and all were willing to share their expertise with each other. One of the incredible benefits of this collaborative group was the start of plein air painting.
In 1894, Monet’s working studio was closed and he persuaded the group to paint plein air. Outdoor painting was not approved by the academy members, and Monet, the most rebellious member, encouraged the group to try this forbidden activity. This core group went through many trials and many rejections from the Salons and the Academy, but stayed together to share an artistic vision. Farrell explains that “towards the end of their group’s life together, Monet and Renoir ended up painting alongside each other the most. They painted boats and swimmers and began to experiment with using sharply contrasting, unmixed color to give the effect of shimmering life on the water that no one else had achieved before. It enabled them to portray the transitory effects of light and atmosphere–goals they had been pursuing for years. These men arrived at their artistic vision by commenting on each other’s work, experimenting, making mistakes –it is unlikely that they would have discovered this new style alone.”
How incredible would it be to be part of a group like this?! What are the characteristics that make a great group? In Daniel Coyle’s book “The Culture Code,” he talks about three primary attributes that make strong groups:
1. Building safety–exploring how signals of connection generate bonds of belonging and identity
2. Sharing vulnerability–how mutual risk drives trusting cooperation
3. Establishing purpose–creating shared goals and values.
Monet, Renoir, Bazille and Silsey had all three of these attributes working in their group.
Successful groups also view themselves as a family, and have distinct patterns of interactions. These interactions include a profuse amount of eye contact, physical touch (handshakes, hugs), high level mixing–everyone talks to everyone–lots of questions, humor & laughter, and intensive active listening, in essence, chemistry. Where can we find these types of groups in our own communities?
I just finished teaching a 3 day workshop in Mendocino at the Mendocino Art Center, and as I reflect back on this experience I can see that my group shared these three attributes for our short time together–we had chemistry. My class had 12 students, all coming from vastly different backgrounds, ages, and skill levels. The first day we did introductions and talked about our background and art experience. My focus was on building common knowledge to start creating the groundwork for a sense of safety. I also showed many examples of my Mendocino sketches and paintings to the class. I was very open and showed them not only my successful sketches and paintings, but also my unsuccessful work. In an attempt to build vulnerability, I tried to explain why one sketch/painting turned out more successfully than another. Lastly, I stressed to the group what our three goals in the workshop were: drawing a thumbnail sketch before each painting, connecting the lights and darks in the composition, and concentrating on their focal point. Focusing on these three goals helped to establish the group’s purpose. I sensed my group of students felt safe, were willing to be vulnerable with each other, and strive for these mutual goals. It was amazing to me how much laughter and comradery we shared in such a short amount of time. When I look at the list of attributes of successful groups I can see my group scored high on mixing, asking lots of questions, and enjoying humor and laughter. I believe that because of these things, each of my students painted better, and felt like a member of a connected group. It is my hope that this class may cause some ‘spin off’ collaborative circles, much as a pebble creates multiple rings in water.
Another way to be a part of a collaborative circle is through an art organization. I am very lucky to be part of a collaborative team with the California Art Club (CAC). Paul Kratter and I are the co-chairs for the San Francisco Chapter of CAC, but the Club, its Executive Team, the other Chapter Chairs, and large number of Artist members make up this wonderful group. Like many other art organizations, CAC promotes exhibition opportunities, paint outs, demos, and workshops where artists can come together and share their knowledge. I could see the benefits of our collaborative circle at our last two SF Chapter paint outs. We had very senior artists and brand new artists both in attendance. I could see the excitement of the new artists as they met some of the more established artists they admired, and I could also see the pleasure and new energy the seasoned artists felt. The energy and chemistry in a good group is tangible, and can lead you to develop new ideas and techniques in your work, and most importantly, can help establish new friendships.
For the last 14 years Paul Kratter and Bill Cone have organized a pack trip to the Sierras. This group has its core group of artists, but has extended invitations to many other artists over the years. For a week you belong to the Sierra pack group. You share the same backpacking and painting experience, and are able to work alongside your fellow artists and exchange ideas and insights. It is a collaborative group!
Another benefit of being in a group is helping to maintain a healthy social life, which is essential to our well-being. This has been documented in countless sociological studies. People need to feel a sense of bonding – like belonging and connectedness. People frequently bond through common experiences and interests. According to Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, “socializing over creative acts promotes more than happiness; studies indicate it promotes health, too.” The study reports that socially active elders experience a slower rate of memory loss than those who aren’t; “in fact, memory decline among the most integrated was less than half the rate among the least integrated.”
Art has significant psychological and social benefits, which can contribute to quality of life. So in addition to sharing your art expertise and experiencing a higher skill level, you gain a broader sense of well-being by being in a creative group.
You don’t have to teach a workshop, help lead an art organization, or participate in a backpacking trip to be in a collaborative group — you can begin with just one other artist who shares a common goal with you. When starting out, try and pick someone with similar goals who compliments your strengths and weaknesses. Borrowing from JFK, “always ask yourself what you can bring to a group instead of asking what the group can do for you.” Try to establish a set meeting time – like once a month – and stick to it. Your group could start out as a small plein air painting group with a focus on enjoying the outdoors and improving your ability to see colors more correctly outdoors. Be patient, have fun, be open to new ideas, and be flexible! You never know if history will write about your group like Monet’s.