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| Delphinium by Sherrie McGraw, oil painting, 8 x 10. |
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Sherrie McGraw's work always surprises me because she
doesn't allow the objects she is painting to dictate
how she paints. Instead,
McGraw paints to articulate form, masses,
and her own ideas or concepts. The result of this approach is a painting that
stirs the mind, because no matter what it is you are looking at, the artist
brings something more to the objects that makes the work worthwhile.
For example, when McGraw begins a still life oil painting,
she starts with her concept. The concept isn't about the objects—or at least it
doesn't have to be. It's more about the idea you want to communicate or the
abstract visual interpretation you make of the objects in front of you. This is
crucial because in that concept are all the answers to the questions an artist
is going to be faced with during the process of painting. Questions that I
often ask myself include:
What objects tell the story I want to tell?
How do I incorporate
the way I paint into my message?
Where do I want quiet passages and where do I want the visual intense
ones?
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Ranunculas and Lilacs
by Sherrie McGraw,
oil painting, 18 x 14. |
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McGraw pushes herself to answer her own questions from the
start of a painting, essentially knowing the end result and doing everything
she can along the way to get there. In a way, working like this gives you focus.
You can remind yourself of your concept when you feel bogged down or uncertain
about the next step. And with oil paintings, a still life can teach you a lot
about how to get what you want as an artist. You can explore color, negative
and positive space, texture, and lights and darks. If you take it to the next
level and approach still life painting as McGraw does, you are setting yourself
on the path of a real artist. It has nothing to do with the objects you choose
to paint, but the skill and focus to paint them the way you want to.
This is exactly why I'm thrilled that Sherrie has decided to
give all of us her knowledge and instruction in her latest DVD, Visual Concepts in Still Life Painting.
It is a winner on all fronts. Visual
Concepts in Still Life Painting gives you access to this amazingly skilled
and articulate artist and you get to see her work unfold from concept to actual
paint on canvas. I'm betting you will find McGraw's
approach and process as inspiring as I do. Enjoy!
