Artist Daily

Take Advantage of Our Plein Air Expertise

cjordan — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 05:15:00 GMT

I’ve never heard of a painting marathon or an Iron Man competition for artists, but if there were such a thing, Kevin Macpherson would be a title contender. In 1996, Macpherson decided to challenge himself by creating a painting from one vantage point—overlooking the pond just outside his home in Taos, New Mexico—for every day of an entire year.

A renowned artist and instructor with 30 years of plein air painting experience, Macpherson spent five years completing his Reflections on a Pond series, and his work is featured in American Artist’s latest special issue, Plein Air Painting. For newcomers, painting en plein air means literally, painting “in the open air,” and is more commonly known as painting outdoors.


11.25.98, 6:40 a.m. by Kevin Macpherson, oil, 6" x 8"		10.3.97, 5:05-6 p.m. by Kevin Macpherson, oil, 6" x 8"

I recently spoke with Kevin about the series and his motivation to capture a sense of a place that he truly loves. Here are some highlights from our conversation:

Artist Daily: Many might consider the choice to paint from one vantage point an extreme limitation, but you were of the opposite mind—that there were so many visual elements to choose from. How so?

Kevin Macpherson: If you approach your subject as just a subject, a tree or a person, you can see it one way in your mind. If you approach it as a vehicle for light, the reflection of light, and take your response to the subject into consideration, then the subject changes constantly. When you put aside preconceived values and observations and the memories of the last time you painted a certain subject, the opportunities for a fresh look are endless.

AD: You often had to be ready to paint at a moment’s notice, and sometimes had only a few minutes to witness the visual effects you were trying to capture. How did you adapt your painting methods and materials to do this?

KM: I had my little easel set up by the window for five years, basically. Having it ready at all times was really important. Size was also key—all of the paintings were 6” x 8”. If they had been any larger than that, I wouldn’t have been able to capture the totality of the effects I was seeing. I painted as quickly and as intuitively as possible, aiming to capture the effects in color notes with relationships of value next to one another. After I got that down, I would go back in and enhance the painting with the accuracy of drawing.

AD: Painting en plein air is strongly associated with Impressionism and the artists who worked during that period. Do you have an affinity to that movement and how has that influenced your philosophy and how you work?

KM: For me, it was a natural thing. I became a member of the Plein Air Painters of America in 1986 and was the president of the organization from 1996-2000. When I started out, not many people knew the term plein air, or how to use it. But there has been a nice resurgence of that school of thought that considers it to be painting from direct observation. The benefit of that for painters just starting out is growing and improving so much more than staying in the studio. I highly recommend it.

AD: How does the pond affect you differently now that you’ve steeped yourself in it artistically?

KM: I was lured to the pond from the start; something about it touched me, and I became very possessive of it. After I completed the series, there was a sense of completion. But now I have the feeling that I am not paying it as much attention to it, as though I’m neglecting it. Like a kid that goes off to college, the pond is still “there,” but does not get as much attention in the day-to-day.

AD: Would you embark on another prolonged series similar to Reflections on a Pond?

KM: Yes, I think it’s very likely. I don’t know what the subject would necessarily be, and I don’t know if I’d do it for the same length of time, but I could see it happening if I found an inspiring subject. To see something every day and to always be able to see something different—maybe that is true success.

AD: Do you think there are other vistas on the horizon that you might be equally inspired by?

KM: Choosing a subject has a lot to do with what you are exposed to. The pond is outside my window. I can see it everyday. If I moved to a big city, I could see myself being drawn to the architecture and light patterns on buildings. I travel a lot, too, and that gives me the opportunity to look at subjects with a curious newness. Seeing something fresh, and the beauty of that newness, is inspiring. But on the other hand, looking beyond the surface and really seeing something—that is the deeper challenge.

For more insights on Macpherson and other notable plein air painters of the past and present, pick up a copy of American Artist’s special issue of Plein Air Painting. And stop by the Reflections on a Pond series' website to learn more about the series and it's creator.

A New Take on Still Life Painting

cjordan — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:15:00 GMT

A still life changed my life. It sounds corny, but it’s a little bit true! It was Francisco de Zurbarán’s Still Life With Lemons, Oranges and a Rose. He was a Spanish Baroque painter and I was a freshman searching for a major. Bliss and art history degrees followed.

Although my infatuation has tempered itself in the years since graduation, still lifes continue to hold incredible appeal. It is a genre that has been around for centuries and yet artists continue to find new and interesting approaches to it.

The Mighty Goldfish Cracker
by Philip R. Jackson, 2004, oil, 8 x 10. Private collection.

One such artist is Philip R. Jackson, whose work was featured in the July/August 2007 issue of American Artist, now available on the new 2007 American Artist CD Collection. Philip brings a touch of whimsy to his still life oil paintings by creating fanciful and imaginative compositions—a Goldfish cracker playing seesaw with a Delftware vase; a levitating eggshell; a cupcake that refuses to be cut in half by a kitchen knife.

But a sense of play is not Jackson’s only motivator. Creating atmosphere or an illusion of space is key. The artist starts with a background layer that has a strong color contrast to the dominant color of one of the objects in the painting. For instance, in a finished painting featuring bright green grapes, Philip used a base coat of intense red-violet.

This initial layer is only the beginning of an intense process of mixing color on his surface. “After developing a full monochromatic study, I begin scumbling many layers of complementary tones and rotating layers of warms and cool shifts to describe both the objects and background,” the artist says. He continues to monitor and adjust paint application and color contrast throughout the process until the painting is finished.

What resonated most with me in this article is that Jackson is an advocate and practitioner of close observation and study, but he believes in balancing these practices with creating an illusion and exercising one’s artistic freedom. His works go beyond observation, and that’s where an artist’s greatest skill and creative insight are often found.

If you’d like to see for yourself what Philip Jackson’s work is all about, you can find it and much more on the 2007 American Artist CD Collection. You’ll have all 11 issues of American Artist on one easy-to-use CD!

Talk to you soon,

Free Tips and Techniques for Painting Oil Landscapes

cjordan — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:30:00 GMT

I was an impatient little girl. My favorite word was “now.” My favorite question was “Now?” And my favorite answer … you get the picture. But I’ve grown older and wiser (sort of!), and this maturity is mainly the result of realizing that instant gratification is a rarity in life. Most of the time we take baby steps, sometimes we backtrack, and we may even have to off-road completely to get what we want. But it’s the false starts and detours that can teach us valuable lessons.

Artist Chris McHenry knows a good bit about patience. He spent a decade working as a billboard painter under the grueling Texas sun. During the evenings and weekends he pursued his art at home on a decidedly smaller scale, producing easel paintings in oil. Looking back, Chris doesn’t regret a moment of his time on the billboard scaffolds. There, he honed his fine-art painting techniques and gained insight on how to paint the illusion of detail, light, and shadow in his artwork. I want to share Chris’ hard-won oil painting instruction with you in this free eBook, 8 Tips to Help You Paint Light and Shadow in an Oil Landscape Painting.

With Chris’ oil painting tips and techniques, you’ll start to understand how to create a realistic sense of contrast for objects in your paintings, establish depth and focus in a landscape painting with a balance of warm and cool colors, and more. Attending painting workshops is great, but this eBook gives you an oil-painting lesson in your very own home—instead of out in the scorching heat, on the scaffold with Chris!

Download your free eBook and you will be well on your way to mastering key oil painting techniques. Let me know how it is coming along on your next stop off at Artist Daily.

Courtney Jordan
Editor
Artist Daily

Fresh Face at Artist Daily

cjordan — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:30:00 GMT

Good morning, Artists!

I'm so glad to be here! I've been behind the scenes for a few weeks, getting to know the ins and outs of Artist Daily and getting to know you (and your work!) through the forums and galleries. And while I may be the newcomer, I'm pretty quick on the uptake. It didn’t take me any time at all to realize that we’ve got a great thing going here! Artist Daily is the place to be if you are into art—a growing community that is creative, savvy, and supportive.

For me (and I'm guessing for a lot of you), art is just one of life's essentials. Hands down, can't live without it. I've been lucky enough to explore and experience art throughout my career—as an academic studying the Old Masters of Italy and Spain, in front of the classroom (those poor art-history students!), in the studio, as a writer and reporter, in the museum and gallery, and now as the editor of Artist Daily—and the common denominator in all of these situations is the passion so many of us have for art and the process of creating art.

At Artist Daily, that passion has morphed into a thriving arts community that rivals any I've seen—online or in any metropolitan hotspot for that matter! Add to that the expertise of the editors and contributors of American Artist and Artist Daily is an irresistible stomping ground for artists of all skill levels.

And there are great things ahead for Artist Daily! We're evolving the site to include new video tutorials, and we are just months away from launching our book imprint, American Artist Books, which will deliver the same expert instruction and advice we've all come to expect from the magazine—and Artist Daily is where you'll get a sneak peek inside those pages!

Thanks go to the staff members of American Artist, who are a key presence on the site (and will continue to be!), and to Karyn Meyer-Berthel, who has helped create this dynamic community for all of us.

Going forward, I'll be a consistent presence here on the Artist Daily blog, keeping you posted about what's on my art radar and bringing you insights on how to enhance your technical abilities and invigorate your creative process. You'll hear from me via our eNewsletters, too, and I'm sure to meet up with you on the forums.

But this is a two-way street—let me know what's going on in your art world! We’ve pulled out all the stops to make Artist Daily the one-stop source for the artistically inclined, so come on in and make your presence felt! Show off your latest artwork in the galleries, or get a few pointers from watching clips in the video gallery. Check out the upcoming events and competitions that we have in store. If you are facing new challenges in your artistic process or just saw an exhibition that is pulling you in a brand new direction, let’s hear about it in the forums. And drop in and leave a comment for me anytime. Give me your take on what’s working, what’s not, and what you want to see in the future!

The best way for the Artist Daily community to grow is if you are a part of it, so see you there. Cheers to you and to the continued conversation!

Courtney Jordan
Editor
Artist Daily

American Artist: Everything You Need to Know About Plein Air Painting

Brian Riley — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:00:00 GMT

On the Cover:
Deb Painting Spring Creek (detail)
by Edward Martinez, 2006, oil, 22 x 14.
Collection the artist.

Jim Wilcox: Western Landscapes

Using Plein Air Sketches, Photographs,
Research, & Imagination to Create
Studio Paintings

Plein Air Past: From Europe to America

The History of the Plein Air Movement
by Allison Malafronte

Plein Air Pioneers
by John A. Parks

The Arrival of French Impressionism in America: California’s Golden Years
by Jean Stern

Plein Air Present: American Artists & Their Regional Subject Matter

Lynn Gertenbach: California Landscapes & Seascapes
 by Molly Siple

Kevin Macpherson: A New Mexico Series
by Allison Malafronte

Jim Wilcox: Western Landscapes
by Bob Bahr

Calvin Liang: California Harbor Scenes
by Molly Siple

Jacob Collins, Nicolas Hiltner, Edward Minoff, & Travis Schlaht: Hudson Valley Landscapes
by M. Stephen Doherty

American Plein Air Painters Abroad: Educational Excursions

Gerald F. Brommer: Capture a Sense of Place With On-Site Travel Sketches
by Gerald F. Brommer

Rob Liberace: Learning From the Masters in Ireland
by M. Stephen Doherty

Ross Merrill: In the Steps of Winslow Homer
by M. Stephen Doherty

Andy Evansen: Plein Air in China
by Andy Evansen

Timeless Plein Air Approaches: Using On-Site Studies & Sketches for Studio Work

From the Site to the Studio With PAPA Members
by Bob Bahr

Using Plein Air Sketches, Photographs, Research, & Imagination to Create Studio Paintings
by Steve Armes

Take the Outdoors Into the Studio
by M. Stephen Doherty

American Artist, April 2010

Brian Riley — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:27:00 GMT

On the Cover:
Turquoise Eyes (detail)
by Kenneth Cadwallader, 2009, oil on linen,
18 x 24. Collection the artist.

Maintain a Beginner’s Sense of Adventure

DEPARTMENTS

Editor’s Note
What’s New at ArtistDaily.com
Art Mart
Quick Sketches
Exhibitions
Bulletin Board

FEATURES

Painting in Oil With Spontaneity and Insight
by Collin Fry
Michigan artist Kenneth Cadwallader seeks to reveal the individual character of his subjects through a fresh alla prima technique and by emphasizing the essentials—composition, values, edges, and color.

Maintain a Beginner’s Sense of Adventure
by M. Stephen Doherty
Madeleine Kelly had to postpone her art career while she earned a living, but now that she is a full-time artist, she remains open to exploring new materials and techniques, including painting pastels over textured acrylic paint.

Watercolors as Drawings Brought to Life
by M. Stephen Doherty
In his personal work and architectural presentations, Thomas W. Schaller treats watercolor as an extension of the drawing process in that the painting medium brings vibrancy, energy, and expressiveness to  accurate representations of what he observes.

Approaching Art With the Intensity of an Athelete
by Linda S. Price
Oil painter Sonya Sklaroff considers herself an artistic athlete and works hard to keep her skills up by constantly drawing and painting.

Control Means Freedom
by John A. Parks
Virginia artist Elizabeth Geiger understands that successful open brushwork and direct handling are the result of careful preparation.

The Challenges & Triumphs of Creating a Large-Scale Mural
by Allison Malafronte
California artist Ron DiCianni used his many years of experience as an illustrator and painter to imbue a recently completed mural with larger-than-life impact.

Watercolor Paintings & Silverpoint Drawings by Stephen Scott Young

sdoherty — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT

Stephen Scott Young is one of the most successful, talented, and humble artists I know, and I was delighted to write about his recent work for the spring 2010 issue of Watercolor. His watercolors are currently on view at Adelson Galleries, in New York City, where they are priced at $250,000; in 2007, one of his signature paintings of a young Bahamian girl sold at Sotheby's for $348,000. Young went though a number of professional and personal changes last year, and the most positive development was that he made two trips to Venice to create graphite drawings, watercolor paintings, and silverpoint drawings.

Iron and Brick
by Stephen Scott Young, 2009, watercolor, 19 1/4 x 22 1/2.
Courtesy Adelson Galleries, New York, New York.

Silverpoint has been used by artists for centuries and involves drawing on a prepared surface with a strand of sterling silver held in a mechanical pencil or hollow piece of wood. At first the thin lines are faint and shimmering, but in time the silver tarnishes to become a warm gray. Because the silver will only register on a surface covered with traditional gesso, casein, or gouache, it is impossible to erase the metallic lines. Even trying to cover up stray lines winds up making the prepared surface looked patched. Most of Young's silverpoint drawings were done on sheets of Fabriano Uno paper coated with traditional gesso (a warm mixture of powdered whiting and rabbit-skin glue).

Narrow Canal, Venice
by Stephen Scott Young, 2009, silverpoint on tinted, coated paper,
9 x 7 1/4. Coutesy Adelson Galleries, New York, New York.

The artist spent hundreds of hours developing the small drawings (no larger than 14" x 10") by laying down slightly tilted parallel lines in one direction, and then in another direction so as to create diamond or triangular shapes where the hatched lines crossed. In some places he also added stippled dots and horizontal lines to create a rich dark gray. Silverpoint does not allow for the kinds of deep blacks one can achieve with graphite or charcoal.

Young did dozens of graphite drawings and used those as the basis of watercolors once he returned to his Florida studio. One of the paintings shows a model posing in a gondola along one of the narrow canals, and another (shown here) offers an interpretation of one of the doorways along the canal. His palette was limited to Winsor red, Winsor yellow, ultramarine blue, and white casein paint, which differs from the one he uses to paint the black citizens of the Bahamian island of Eleuthera (where he maintains one of three studios). For those paintings, he uses are painted with French ultramarine, burnt sienna, yellow ochre, brown madder, and white casein paint.

Young will be teaching and demonstrating during American Artist's Weekend With the Masters conference taking place from September 23 through 26, 2010 at the Laguna Cliffs Resort & Spa, in Dana Point, California.

M. Stephen Doherty
Editor-in-chief

Finding Your Personal Style

Lori Woodward — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:00:00 GMT

It’s often said that artists don’t find their personal style—it finds them. Although I agree with this statement, I found in my experience that individual style develops only after a number of other tasks are accomplished.

All professional artists began as novices, and for many the first step to becoming proficient was receiving instruction in basic artistic principles, and learning how to handle their chosen medium. After I learned the basics of watercolor, I began to experiment with a variety of subject matter. At first, my painting efforts were quite clumsy, but I was determined to hang in there for at least five years before giving up on "getting good". After several years of working with watercolor transparently, my confidence with watermedia grew, eventually leading to my experimenting with opaque media (acrylic and gouache) on paper.

A signature style can’t be forced; it develops naturally over time. This development, however, usually begins with knowledge, followed by practice, and finally, experimentation. Some artists seem to find their style after just a few years. It took me more than 10 years, but I'm a slow learner. My own style started to emerge once I focused on one subject matter. At that time, it was still life. Now I’ve added landscape and figurative subjects to my repertoire, and work in acrylic and oil, in addition transparent watercolor. Regardless of the subject, there is a thread of similarity throughout my body of work. This only appeared after I learned the principles of light, shadow, color and edges; then spent several years of employing these principles in my work; and finally after adapting and using techniques I’d learned in new and exciting ways.

Even after reaching a professional level, some artists continue to seek advice from more experienced peers throughout their careers. I have always been a willing art student and plan to continue learning the principles of art from those who are more experienced than I am. The wonderful thing about developing my skills while I paint full-time is that I've not only gained a recognizable style but also continue to learn new painting techniques. Whenever I’m faced with a challenge, I always keep in mind that every artist, no matter how advanced, started out as a beginner.

Lori Woodward earned a bachelor’s degree in art education from University of Arizona. She has studied watercolor and composition extensively with Sondra Freckelton and Jack Beal. Woodword’s work has appeared in several issues of Watercolor, and she is a co-author of the Walter Foster book Watercolor Step by Step. She is a member of The Putney Painters, an invitational group in Vermont. She resides in New Hampshire with her husband, Brian Simons, a software engineer. Visit her website at www.loriwords.com and follow her on Twitter here.

Drawings by Old Masters: Lasting Influences

sdoherty — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT

Two exhibitions of Old Master drawings that are currently on view in New York City—Rome After Raphael, at the Morgan Library & Museum, and The Drawings of Bronzino, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art—explore several interesting issues, including the influences of two of the most important figures in the history of art, Raphael and Michelangelo, and the changing opinions about their bodies of work. The Morgan show "takes Raphael’s art as its starting point and ends with the dawn of a new era, as seen in the innovations of Annibale Carracci," while the exhibition on Bronzino (through April 18, 2010) presents "nearly all the known drawings by, or attributed to, this leading Italian Mannerist artist."

Study of Male Nude
by Michelangelo, ca. 1504, black chalk
highlighted with white gouache, 10 5/8 x 7 3/4.
Collection the Graphische Sammlung
Albertina, Vienna, Austria.

Even though Raphael lived a relatively short life (1483–1520), his elegant, sweet representations of biblical figures and monumental compositions had a profound influence on generations of painters. Michelangelo lived a long and productive life (1475–1564), and his depictions of muscular, powerful figures changed the way artists presented the human form—even into modern times.

Joseph with Jacob and His Brothers
(fragment of modello from the tapestry,
Joseph Recounting his Dream of the
Sun, Moon, and Stars)

by Agnolo Bronzino, ca. 1546-48, black chalk,
traces of squaring in black chalk on off-white
paper glued onto secondary paper support,
17 1/4 x 13 1/16. Collection the Ashmolean
Museum, Oxford, England.

Even though generations of artists found inspiration in the work of Raphael and Michelangelo, critics were not nearly as impressed with the way their influence played out. Bronzino's reputation seems to have suffered greatly from the changing opinions about figurative art based on the Renaissance example, and it wasn't until the 1960s that scholars developed a sincere appreciation of Bronzino's talents.

So what insights can we gain from reviewing the work in these two exhibitions? One is that there is great value in looking at the way Old Masters presented the human figure; composed paintings of figures within architectural spaces and in the landscape; and used drawings as a way of defining the images they would expand in paintings, tapestries, and frescoes. Another is that it is prudent and valuable to copy some of the poses and compositional schemes worked out by great artists such Raphael and Michelangelo. Finally, it is important to remember that critics will love something one day and hate it the next. Artists must lead and critics must follow, not the other way around, because artists search for a truth while critics deal with a reflection of that truth.

M. Stephen Doherty
Editor-in-chief

Oil Critique: "Hillside of Poppies"

Brian Riley — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:00:00 GMT

Hillside of Poppies 2008, oil, 24 x 30. I have a few suggestions to offer for this painting. The artist may want to consider showing some cast shadows across the path. These shadows would have the same direction as the shadows of the trees, bushes, and house. I would also change the shape of the cast shadows of the round trees in the left background; they could be curved instead of linear. The color of the blue mountain in the background can be much grayer; this would move the mountain back in space...(read more)

Taking Advantage of Free Instruction

Brian Riley — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:00:00 GMT

I recently joined a gym in my neighborhood, with the hopes of working off some of those extra holiday pounds that seem to wear out their welcome around this time every year. My schedule is pretty busy, so I try to streamline my visits, making a beeline for the treadmill as soon as I arrive. Occasionally I’ll use a couple of exercise machines, I never really bothered to check out any of the other offerings. Recently, however, I had time to spare and I took a few extra minutes to walk around the place. I noticed some pretty great features I’d never seen before, including free exercise classes offered by the gym. I don’t know about you, but I find anything free hard to pass up, so I grabbed a flyer, signed up for a class, and voila!—I’m taking Yoga.

Artist Daily can be just like that for you. Maybe when you visit our site, you head right to the forums to share ideas with fellow artists, or you visit the gallery to see the new works that have been posted by our members. Well, next time you visit, spend a little time checking out the site, and you’re likely to find useful information, such as the free art instruction in the form of our downloadable eBooks. We’ve got something for everyone, whether you’re interested in improving your drawing skills (Drawing Basics: 15 Beginner Drawing Tips on Learning to Draw People the Classical Way or Draw People From a Photograph), working on painting still lifes in oil (Painting Techniques in Still Life Oil Painting), working in watercolor (23 Free Watercolor Lessons for Portrait Painting or How To Paint Landscapes With Watercolor) or painting en plein air (24 Tips to Learn How to Paint Plein Air Landscapes). Our free eBooks can give you the information you need to improve your art skills, so check them out now.

Group Dynamics

Naomi Ekperigin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:00:00 GMT

They always say that two heads are better than one. But as an only child, I tended to stick to myself, and I hated group projects and asking for help. Luckily, as I got older, I became more comfortable working with others and recognizing when I needed an outside perspective. Most artists already know the value of collaboration, and for hundreds of years painters have gathered together to share ideas. Little has changed, and today art workshops are a wonderful opportunity for painters of all levels to improve their skills, meet likeminded creative types, and in some instances, work with their idols.

At American Artist we know how important it is for artists to have a sense of community, which is why, long before we began our online forums, we created the Workshop and Art School Directory, which appears every year in the March issue of American Artist. Covering workshops from all over America, and even some in Europe, our comprehensive list provides hundreds of opportunities for artists all over the world to come together and pursue their passion.

Artist Susannah Hart Thomer, whom I spoke to recently for the summer 2010 issue of Watercolor, is a big fan of workshops, and she finds that no matter how far along she is in her career, they never lose value. “Workshops are one avenue in the lifelong journey of learning to create works of art,” she says. “And for me, it can be motivating to see how others perceive their work processes and discoveries. Then those questions that pop up in your mind that you can't quite figure out the answers to are solved by watching and listening to that particular artist whose work you admire, and there's a communal ‘Aha!’ from the other students in the workshop.”

For those of you who are faced with creative questions that seem to have no answer, pick up a copy of the March 2010 issue of American Artist, and find artists near you who are also working to find the answers.

Oil Critique: "Portrait of an Old Man"

Brian Riley — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:48:00 GMT

Portrait of an Old Man by Roger Burch, 2009, oil on linen, 20 x 16. The artist of this painting may want to consider lightening the irises of the eyes—especially the man’s right eye, since it is farther away from the viewer. Some edges of the hat could be lost into the background, so too could the man’s right shoulder. The drawing of the ear could be changed a bit to show some narrowing. This perspective change would make the ear go back in space instead of reading flat. (Unless...(read more)

Workshop, Spring 2010

Brian Riley — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:14:00 GMT

On the Cover:
John Morra teaching still life painting in
New York City.

Photo by Nathan Kraxberger

Michelle Dunaway:
Painting From the Center

FEATURES

Paul DeLorenzo: Learn the Basics of Academic Figure Painting
by M. Stephen Doherty
Having been trained by two of the most important American academic artists, Paul DeLorenzo was in a unique position to introduce workshop participants to techniques based on 19th-century educational programs.

Burton Silverman: Learn a Complete Language, Not Just Phrases
by M. Stephen Doherty
One of the most venerated artists working today, Burton Silverman offers students a language of art they can use to express ideas and emotions. “I try to help people develop a broad understanding of the creative process so that they can draw and paint more than what they superficially observe,” he explained during a recent workshop in New York City.

Sherrie McGraw: How to Capture a Life Force in Artwork
by M. Stephen Doherty
In a recent two-part workshop, Sherrie McGraw showed students how to create drawings and paintings that respond to the feeling of vitality in a model’s pose or in a still life arrangement.

Charles Harrington: Discover the Best Qualities and Potential of Acrylics
by M. Stephen Doherty
During a three-day workshop, Charles Harrington taught participants how to take full advantage of acrylic paints and mediums and how to avoid problems with the fast-drying, water-soluble paints.

Thomas V. Nash: Improving Overall by Focusing on Your Biggest Weakness
by Bob Bahr
This successful portrait painter suggests that oil painters consider their progress in terms of their entire process, both to ensure consistency in approach and to eliminate problems that may be holding them back.

John Morra: Explore the Many Potentials of Still Life Painting
by M. Stephen Doherty
Because a still life is a flexible and inventive subject for painting, John Morra asks workshop participants to try a variety of approaches, some of which are quick exercises and others that are carefully planned, detailed explorations.

Michelle Dunaway: Painting From the Center
by Michael Zakian
This New Mexico artist believes that truly great art results from an honest approach to painting, centered on responding to what moves you as a painter and making that the focal point of the work. In a recent workshop in Southern California, she showed students how she applies this approach to her figurative and portrait subjects.

Sight-Size Drawing and Painting

sdoherty — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT

I've written a number of articles on artists who use the sight-size approach to painting, but the method became clearer to me while I was writing an article on Paul DeLorenzo for the spring 2010 issue of Workshop. The procedure is to stand a measured distance away from both the easel and the subject being painted so that both appear to be exactly the same. That is, from 10 or 12 feet away from a painting, the image appears to be exactly the same size as the person or object being painted.

Steve Smith's photograph of Paul DeLorenzo
(center) teaching a workshop at the Long
Island Academy of Fine Art.

There are two principle reasons to use the sight-size approach. One is to train artists to draw and paint what they actually see rather than what they know about a subject; and the second is to impart "certain aesthetic and technical attributes to a painting, notably the broad handling that comes into focus when seen at the proper viewing distance," according to artist Nicholas Beer. In other words, the goal of the sight-size approach is to increase an artist's skill to a level at which he or she is able to eliminate unintended distortions in drawing or painting, and to create convincing illusions of reality on a two-dimensional surface.

DeLorenzo showing a student how to stand
a measured distance from her easel so
both the model and the image on the
canvas appear to be the same size.

Beer points out that great artists of the past (Titian, Hals, and Sargent to name a few) used a variation of the sight-size method in that they all walked back and forth from their easels to judge how to paint a portrait subject exactly as he or she appeared when the canvas and sitter were in view. He quotes one contemporary account of Sargent's methods that says that he "placed his canvas on a level with the model, walked back until the canvas and sitter where equal before his eye, and was thus able to estimate the construction and values of his representation."

A student squinting and holding a brush in
front of her eyes while she makes decisions
from a measured distance about the
development of her painting.

Darren R. Rousar has written a book that provides specific details about the approach (Cast Painting Using the Sight-Size Approach, Velatura Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota), and he maintains two websites on the subject (www.Sight-Size.com and www.christianchurchart.com). Rousar includes diagrams of how to position the model, easel, and lights, and also recommends ways of progressing through a drawing or painting.

What I believe is valuable about considering this approach is that it can lead to the development of new ways of looking objectively at one's drawings and paintings--something we all struggle with as we try to determine ways of improving our artwork.

M. Stephen Doherty
Editor-in-chief

Drawing, Winter 2010

Brian Riley — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:45:00 GMT

On the Cover: Untitled (detail) by Mark Tennant, 2009, charcoal, 24 x 18. Collection the artist. DEPARTMENTS Editor's Note Contributors Sketchbook Where to Study Drawing: A Sponsored Guide to Some of the Best Educational Programs Learning From the Sketchbooks of a Modern-Day Leonardo FEATURES Add and Subtract Charcoal for Painterly Drawings by M. Stephen Doherty Pennsylvania artist Jen Hagen uses medium vine charcoal to build up and refine layers of tone in her drawings, and then she wipes away...(read more)

Paint Landscapes From Sketches, Memory, and Photographs

sdoherty — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT

Ever since my trip to Venice, Italy, last year, I have been looking at paintings of the city by 19th-century artists such as Sargent and Whistler, as well as contemporary artists such as Steve Rogers and Leonard Mizerek. I've become more aware of how these artists exaggerated color relationships, simplified complicated spaces, and composed shapes and values. I decided to respond to this new awareness by painting a studio picture using the oil sketch I did on location, photographs taken on-site, and my imagination. I created the sketch near San Stae, one of the many Venetian churches that Sargent painted.


Photograph of the location I painted.	9" x 12" oil sketch done on location near San Stae church in Venice, Italy.	The preliminary sketch done with diluted transparent oxide red oil paint on a 20" x 20" canvas.

I wanted to emphasize the abstract relationship of shapes, and my final painting deviates from the plein air sketch in many ways. Most noticeably, I changed the format from the horizontal shape of the sketch to a square for the final painting. I also increased the contrast between the cool and warm colors, heightened the bright colors, muted the dark- and middle-value colors, and used a palette knife to apply thick layers of paint that would emulate the texture of the ancient walls. I found that the palette knife really transformed the painting, and I plan to use it more often in the future. My friend Urania Christy Tarbet is sending me a set of palette knives she is now marketing because I told her how much I liked the effects I was able to achieve.

The finished 20" x 20" painting done from the plein air
sketch, the photograph, and my memory.

For more landscape painting instruction, check out our free ebook “24 Tips to Learn How to Paint a Plein Air Landscape.”

M. Stephen Doherty
Editor-in-Chief

Free Watercolor Painting Tips and Techniques

Brian Riley — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 10:00:00 GMT

Lady in White—Profile
by Janet Rogers, 2004, watercolor, 27 x 22.
Collection Gregory Valentine.

It’s often said in sports circles that the best players often make the worst coaches. That’s because it is hard for naturally gifted athletes to relate to players who are not so innately talented. A perfect example of this is former Boston Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams. He is regarded as one of the finest hitters in baseball history, but his short-lived managerial career is considered by most to be largely unsuccessful, due in large part to his admitted impatience with players whose abilities didn’t match his own.

The same issues can arise when exceptionally talented painters find it hard to empathize with struggling art students. Fortunately, Florida artist Janet Rogers is both a top professional artist and an inspiring, compassionate teacher—just ask anyone who has participated in one of her lively, informative workshops. That’s why I am delighted to tell you about a detailed article about Janet’s working methods that you can access for free.

In our most recent free eBook, “23 Free Watercolor Lessons for Portrait Painting,” we highlight some of Janet’s most vital tips on watercolor painting technique. Though she often makes the process of painting figures in watercolor seem almost effortless, she still has the ability to convey the important lessons needed to help almost anyone improve his or her watercolor-painting skills. In this free download, you can learn about her recommended warm-up exercises and what steps artists can take during the painting process to help them create a more successful watercolor painting. The 23 tips presented range from practical points such as the use of quick watercolor sketches and palette organization to more general observations such as the importance of keeping things simple and making a personal connection to the image you’re painting.

Download the free eBook now, and get the expert advice you need to start making more successful watercolor portrait paintings today.

Brian Riley
Managing Editor

How To Hang Your Show Like A Pro

Lori Woodward — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:42:00 GMT

When I moved to New Hampshire in the mid-1990s, I joined a local art association where the members were a mixture of "newbies" as well as seasoned professionals. In many cases the "old pros" helped us newbies learn, not only how to improve our painting but also how to run our businesses efficiently. One of the most helpful pieces of advice came from artists that regularly worked in the outdoor, art-in-the-park show circuit. As I strolled around the grounds visiting their booths, I noticed that their work was exhibited in a similar fashion. Here's what I learned from them, and it has certainly worked well for me over the years.

Display Your Work as a Cohesive Unit

Whether you're preparing to show in a restaurant, outdoor show, or even a gallery setting, how you frame and display your work can make a huge difference in the final appearance and the way viewers respond. Choose similar frames for your paintings so that when they hang side-by-side they look like a unit rather than a patchwork of disparate pieces. For example, if your body of work looks best in gold frames, select similar gold frames for all of your work. Likewise, if dark or black frames are more fitting, use those for all your paintings. At the very least, this makes buying frames an easier task.

Grab The Viewer's Attention

Now that you've created a sense of cohesion in your body of work, you'll want to grab your viewer's attention by placing your largest painting (which is hopefully your best) in the middle of your display at eye level. No matter what the size, it's important that you hang your best pieces at eye level to draw people into your art booth or to your gallery wall; placing your largest painting in the middle creates a visual pattern that draws in the viewer’s eye. Conversely, if all your paintings are the same size, when they are hung side-by-side it becomes difficult for passersby to focus on any single piece in the group.

Group Paintings of Similar Color

Just as interior decorators use color themes to harmonize a room area, hanging paintings that contain similar colors next to one another creates a harmony in your display area. This garners attention because it implies an overall statement to your collection, one that a viewer would want to learn more about.

Don't Trap Your Viewers

Clear the area around your paintings of chairs, tables and other obstacles that might make your viewers feel trapped. People like to feel like they can get away easily at any time (ironically, this also makes them more likely to stay near your collection). When I've tried to keep viewers in my booth by placing a table right in the middle--so that they'd have to walk beyond the table to see my paintings--the result was that they seemed reluctant to move beyond the table and therefore never got a closer look. After I removed the table, folks eagerly approached the paintings and comfortably spent time with them.

Keep these suggestions in mind the next time you display a number of your works, no matter what the venue. Hang your work like the pros do and you’ll draw in potential collectors like a magnet. And next time you visit a commercial gallery, notice how they display groups of paintings by each artist. It'll be a real eye-opener.

Looking at the Drawings of a Master

Austin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 10:00:00 GMT

A few days ago I was lucky enough to head uptown to The Metropolitan Museum of Art for a preview of their new exhibition, “The Drawings of Bronzino .” The show (which runs through April 28) comprises almost all of the extant drawings by Agnolo Bronzino (1503–1572), one of the masters of Mannerism—the artistic style that flourished in Italy in the wake of the High Renaissance. Incredibly, this is the first-ever exhibition of this size devoted to the artist. “After 500 years, Bronzino is finally getting his solo show,” joked the curator, Carmen Bambach.

It’s not often that you get to see this many drawings by one master on display in the same place, and it’s even rarer when the artist is someone like Bronzino, few of whose drawings survive. Bronzino was likely a prolific draftsman, but he usually drew in preparation for finished paintings, tapestries, or frescoes. Because his drawings weren’t considered finished works, most of them (thousands, probably) were discarded or lost. Only about 60 are known to exist today, and nearly all of them are on view in The Met’s exhibition. Many are on loan from the Uffizi, in Florence, and from other European institutions, so they won’t be together as a group for long.

I was especially excited to see this exhibition because John Parks—an artist, teacher, and one of our veteran writers—recently wrote an informative article for Drawing about Bronzino and the current show. In the article, which will appear in the winter 2010 issue of Drawing, Parks profiles this Old Master and analyzes several elements of his drawing technique.

Parks’ article helped me to see much of what makes Bronzino such a masterful draftsman (one whom aspiring artists would do well to study). Bronzino was an incredibly precise modeler—the subtle tones in some of his early chalk drawings are astounding. The Met displayed pages from the artist’s sketchbook in double-sided frames in the middle of the galleries, allowing viewers to see both sides of the page. Some of the works were done in preparation for paintings and others just for practice, but I could see the expressive, often distorted figures typical of Bronzino’s drawings and the Mannerist style.

Bronzino’s art was greatly influenced by his mentor and friend Jacopo Pontormo (1494–1557), but Bronzino grew to use more precise line work and modeling than his teacher, who drew with a comparatively loose, impressionistic hand. Works by Pontormo are also on view, allowing viewers to see how the teacher and student influenced each other.

To learn more about Bronzino and his drawings, check out the new issue of Drawing. More information about the exhibition is available on The Met’s website.

Austin R. Williams
Associate Editor

"Greening" the Studio

Karyn — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 10:00:00 GMT

In December, I had the opportunity to meet quite a few art material retailers from around the country and Canada as I mentioned in the post on Dragon Art.

We had some interesting discussion about what materials artists are gravitating towards these days, both representational artists and those that are on the fringe of contemporary art. Whether an artist is looking for hobby or professional materials, people are thinking differently about what they purchase, and more artists are getting interested in unique materials and subject matter. Some artists are trending towards safer materials, archival materials, or completely original materials to create their pieces. With the ever growing material industry, there is more to choose from, too.

From the conversation, I gained a better understanding of what artists want these days. And for those of you that helped me out via Twitter, thanks for the input. Hearing from you so quickly, learning about your favorite goods, and how you buy them went a long way with the retailers in the room. I think it is vitally important that artists connect with both manufacturers and retailers to let them know what is needed in the market, what can be improved and what material characteristics are important to the work of art making. I'm sure you'll be seeing more of them online in social networks so you can connect with them yourself and let them know your needs and concerns.

In all the conversation, I was brought back to my own art practice and material interests. As a material collector myself, I can't begin to try everything that I want to dig into, but my studio continues to enlarge with baskets and drawers of materials that will eventually make it into a new piece. Lately, I've been interested in making my own paper and ink, using recycled products for my paper. And recently, I bought an old architect file for my paper, brushes and canvas at an antique show. I continue to look for more ways to develop a greener practice in all this, whether it be the materials themselves, or the studio design. On my wish list is a book for such greening, "The Green Guide for Artist." Did I mention that I'm a book collector, too?

If you have recently made changes to green your studio or practice, or you have ideas on how to create a more environmentally friendly studio space, let us know!

What makes art original?

Karyn — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 10:00:00 GMT

David Leffel and Jeremy Lipking painting the same model at the same time at 2009 Weekend with the Masters

I saw a very interesting post on our site this week about what makes art original, or possibly what defines a piece as original art versus not original. It could just be semantics, who is to define what original in the art world is? Is it more about whether a piece is completely new from the artist, or whether in some way the piece has been created before? Is unique art different than original art?

In this instance, the poster explained that her art was deemed not original because she painted a model in a group with other people painting the same model. So, each piece was just a painting and not an original idea because everyone was painting the same subject matter. To share your opinions about this and read the details click here in the "Outside the Studio" forum.

Is an idea only original because the model has never been painted in that pose, or the landscape has never been painted from that view, or the cityscape wasn't shot from that one perspective? Or is having one's work created in a group considered collaborative work? Isn't art also the artists' perspective of the subject matter not to mention, the artist's particular style of portrayal alone with their use of the medium?

It's an interesting thing to decide that some art is not original because it was painted at the same time of the same person.

These kinds of questions come up frequently on Artist Daily. If you haven't already participated on the site, in the Galleries and forums, now is the time to share your work and your thoughts.

Reflections on a Pond Exhibition at the Salmagundi Club

Allison — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:00:00 GMT

8.4.00, 7:45 p.m. by Kevin Macpherson, 2000, oil, 6 x 8. Collection the artist. Internationally celebrated landscape painter Kevin Macpherson’s Reflections on a Pond series—which debuted at the Pasadena Museum of California Art—will be on display in New York City at the historic Salmagundi Club from February 15 through 26. There are several exciting educational events complementing the exhibition, including a painting demonstration, a weekend workshop, and a conversation with Macpherson...(read more)

American Artist, March 2010

Brian Riley — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 13:00:00 GMT

On the Cover:
The Painter (detail, reversed)
by Nancy Guzik, 1990, oil, 36 x 20.
Private collection.

Interpreting Reality Through Colored-Pencil
Paintings

Finding Inspiration in a Diverse Range of
Master Artists

DEPARTMENTS

Editor’s Note
What’s New at artistdaily.com
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FEATURES

Combine & Enhance Images in Acrylic Paintings
by M. Stephen Doherty
Misty Martin works from photographs in developing her detailed acrylic paintings, but she combines images and adjusts the intensity and balance of the colors to make stronger compositions and more interesting pictures.

Nancy Guzik: Finding an Authentic Voice in Today’s Art World
by Allison Malafronte
Through a lot of soul searching and introspection, this New Hampshire painter found her own unique artistic voice and uses her subject matter to shed light on the beauty all around us.

Finding Inspiration in a Diverse Range of Master Artists
by Dean Dalfonzo
Michael Peery combines influences from a wide-ranging group of historical and contemporary artists to create small oil portraits that use scale, repetition, and chroma to make powerful, painterly impacts.

Interpreting Reality Through Colored-Pencil Paintings
by Alyona Nickelsen
By following an exacting but creative process, simple reference photographs can be transformed into beautiful still lifes.

A Professional Portraitist Offers Her Best Advice
Interview by Allison Malafronte
In the span of seven years Michele Rushworth has gone from having little to no commission work to being one of the most reputable professional portraitists today. Here she offers readers advice on the steps she took to improve her skills, market her work, and increase visibility among important clients.

2010 Workshop & Art School Directory
Our annual compilation of domestic and foreign workshops and art schools.

Watercolors by Architects

sdoherty — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:00:00 GMT

Greek Steps, Sifnos
by Thomas W. Schaller, 2008,
watercolor, 12 x 9.

I just finished writing an article on Thomas W. Schaller's watercolor paintings for the April 2010 issue of American Artist, and it occurred to me that Thomas is the third licensed architect whose watercolors I have written about in the past year. I described Stephen Harby's art in the May 2009 issue of the magazine, and Stephan Hoffpauir's in the January 2010 issue.

I’m sure that if I were to search through issues published over the past 20 to 30 years, I could come up with three dozen other architects whose watercolors were featured in American Artist or Watercolor.

Why do so many architects paint watercolors? For generations, architects were trained to make drawings and paintings from their schematic plans so that clients could visualize how their completed buildings would look. When the fine-art departments in colleges and universities discontinued their drawing and watercolor painting courses, the schools of architecture were still teaching students to use graphite, colored pencil, gouache, and watercolor to create believable visualizations. Harby, Hoffpauir, and Schaller enjoyed drawing and painting so much as students that they continued to develop their talents after joining the profession. Hoffpauir and Schaller wound up writing books for architects on watercolor techniques, and all three men taught courses and workshops on the subject.

I've been attracted to watercolors by architects because they often show the medium to its best advantage. There is usually a strong, accurate drawing underneath the flowing blends of transparent color, and the white of the paper is expertly used to bring the viewer's attention through the picture and directly into the center of interest.

Another reason these three architects now focus so much of their time and attention on fine-art painting is that computers have all but eliminated the market for handmade renderings. Most architects are now trained to use computer software to create visualizations of their designs, and only a small number of high-end architectural firms commission original drawings or paintings for their clients. Schaller is fortunate to still have a thriving business working for some of the most renowned architects in the world.

All three of these artists create studio paintings from sketches and photographs, but they also enjoy finding subject matter when they travel. Hoffpauir is inclined to rely on his camera when scouting subjects, while Harby and Schaller prefer painting small watercolors on location. Not surprisingly, buildings often figure into most all of the watercolors.

Attention Watermedia Artists!

The deadline for entering the California Watercolor Association’s (CWA) 41st National Exhibition is February 20. If you want to compete for as much as $15,000 in prize money, have your work included in a show at the Presidio Officers’ Club Exhibition Hall, in San Francisco, and see your painting reproduced in the exhibition catalogue, then visit the CWA’s website at www.californiawatercolor.org and download the prospectus. The juror is Christopher Schink, and the show runs July 14 to September 19. Entries must be digital photographs of your artwork sent as e-mail attachments or mailed on a CD. For more information, visit the website, send an e-mail message to 41stnational@californiawatercolor.org, or call Christine Dougherty (510-530-7522), Desmond Elder (925-254-5447), or Emi Beifuss (925-699-8671).