(145) History of Art6 x 6, oil
As I painted this, I was thinking about how this brush cleaner is a much more inviting subject compared to "everything else" in the set-up because the wonderful reflections force me to see it as only abstract spots of color. Whereas, I tend to see the book as a preconceived idea of what a book is, which gets in the way of seeing it as a shape or a value. I've tried squinting at the subject, but it just doesn't accomplish the same goal for me. A lot of artists paint from upside-down photos for this reason, knowing that if the left brain can no longer label what is there, the shift to the right brain is easier--not possible if you are painting from life instead of a photo... So, short of standing on my head to paint, how can I reduce everything to spots of color? something to ponder...
"The airless studios grow stifling. Kick the door open--the hum of life turns into a roar!"....Feliks Topolski (one of my favorite quotes)
7 comments:
Very interesting. So, how long does it take for you to do these paintings? How long did it take for you to do this one and the sketchbooks below.
Paz
Well again, that pesky left brain is interested in time, whereas the right brain knows no such dimension. I tend to be
embarrassingly slow, so I have to admit that some paintings on the blog have taken as much as 4-5 hours to paint, although both of these were more in the 2-3 hour range. Hopefully, I'm getting more efficient with mixing the paint, setting up, etc. I think most artists will tell you that one of the most enticing things about creating art is that creation process takes you to a place where time and space do not exist (perhaps the true meaning of "zoning out"?)
Thanks for your thoughtful questions,
Faye
Hi Faye, I really like this one. That time seems about right to me. I worked about 3 hours on a 6x8 yesterday. If I am on location I try and keep it under two hours.
Wow! That's fast to me! Thanks for sharing your process with us.
Paz
Have enjoyed catching up on your last
posts - and found the insights relating to the studio giving space for imagination are a help - alongside the reminder to let the right brain kick in!
So lovely, esp the reflection in the silver.
embarressingly slow? It's not a race.
I'm truly in awe of the folks who can turn out a beautiful painting in two hours but I rarely hit that mark. I've spent hours and hours on some of them.
I've tried hard to simplify my setup time by being better prepared/organized and who isn't always trying to get smaller when going on site? it takes me a while to settle down.
I think your work is beautiful and every moment spent creating it is well spent!
Post a Comment