Using the Old Masters for Composition

As an abstract painting teacher, I am often asked by my students "what should I paint?" I like to use the world around me as source material and in particular the Old Masters. Old Master paintings by Rembrandt or Titan or Vermeer can provide a wealth of composition exercises to get your brain working. Here's an example of how I use these. First, take the beautiful painting "Saskia" by Rembrandt.

Now, I've cropped a piece out.

Then after manipulating it in Photoshop this is what it looks like. Now granted this isn't the best abstract painting I've ever done, but it gives me something to work with. I could use this painting and build an entire series from it, doing several paintings as an homage, if you will, to Rembrandt. Try this for yourself and see. Pick any artist you admire and crop small pieces out of their painting. Then manipulate it and work on it to make your own vision from it. This is an old and honored tradition among artists, re-interpreting their ancestors.

Take the work below by Picasso "Portrait of a Young Girl" Now look at the inspiration for this piece by Cranach the Younger. The possibilities are really unlimited. Find your inspiriation wherever you need to!

Using the Old Masters for Composition

As an abstract painting teacher, I am often asked by my students "what should I paint?" I like to use the world around me as source material and in particular the Old Masters. Old Master paintings by Rembrandt or Titan or Vermeer can provide a wealth of composition exercises to get your brain working. Here's an example of how I use these. First, take the beautiful painting "Saskia" by Rembrandt.

Now, I've cropped a piece out.

Then after manipulating it in Photoshop this is what it looks like. Now granted this isn't the best abstract painting I've ever done, but it gives me something to work with. I could use this painting and build an entire series from it, doing several paintings as an homage, if you will, to Rembrandt. Try this for yourself and see. Pick any artist you admire and crop small pieces out of their painting. Then manipulate it and work on it to make your own vision from it. This is an old and honored tradition among artists, re-interpreting their ancestors.

Take the work below by Picasso "Portrait of a Young Girl" Now look at the inspiration for this piece by Cranach the Younger. The possibilities are really unlimited. Find your inspiriation wherever you need to!

Mixing Clean Color

The key to mixing clean color is to know your pigments. Inorganic pigments (ultramarine blue, the cadmiums, chromiums, cobalt blue, etc.) tend to make muted mixtures. Organic pigments (quinacridones, phthalocyanines, dioxizines, etc.) tend to make brilliant mixtures.

Try this head to head comparison to understand this issue better:

Take equal parts of Cadmium Red and Cobalt Blue and mix. Expected purple? Nah, you get a brownish purple...a designer might call it eggplant or mauve or something....

Now take equal parts of Quinacridone Red and Phthalo Blue and mix. Voila! A beautiful clean purple that you can tint with white and still keep brilliant.

Does this mean that one type of pigment is better than another? Of course not. Just that if you know what to expect from the pigment, you will save yourself frustration. This will also save you money becuase you will be able to mix the color you want without wasting paint.

Mixing Clean Color

The key to mixing clean color is to know your pigments. Inorganic pigments (ultramarine blue, the cadmiums, chromiums, cobalt blue, etc.) tend to make muted mixtures. Organic pigments (quinacridones, phthalocyanines, dioxizines, etc.) tend to make brilliant mixtures.

Try this head to head comparison to understand this issue better:

Take equal parts of Cadmium Red and Cobalt Blue and mix. Expected purple? Nah, you get a brownish purple...a designer might call it eggplant or mauve or something....

Now take equal parts of Quinacridone Red and Phthalo Blue and mix. Voila! A beautiful clean purple that you can tint with white and still keep brilliant.

Does this mean that one type of pigment is better than another? Of course not. Just that if you know what to expect from the pigment, you will save yourself frustration. This will also save you money becuase you will be able to mix the color you want without wasting paint.

Making a clean hard edged shape or line

This comes up again and again in my classes. Students want to tape off a shape and make a nice, crisp hard edge. Too often after they've taped the shape off, painted it and pulled up the tape, they have a messy edge where the paint has crept under the tape.

Here's the trick to making a perfect, clean hard edged line or shape every time.

1. Use blue painter's tape and tape off your shape or line, burnish lightly with your thumb.
2. Paint over the taped edge with clear polymer medium or matte medium.
3. Let dry!
4. Paint back over the taped edge with your paint.
5. Let dry!
6. Peel up the tape and voila! you will have a nice clean edge.

The polymer medium acts as a seal to prevent the paint from creeping under the tape. No more fuzzy lines or shapes! Be patient and let the polymer dry before you paint on it and let the paint dry before you peel up the tape and you will have perfect shapes and lines every time.

Making a clean hard edged shape or line

This comes up again and again in my classes. Students want to tape off a shape and make a nice, crisp hard edge. Too often after they've taped the shape off, painted it and pulled up the tape, they have a messy edge where the paint has crept under the tape.

Here's the trick to making a perfect, clean hard edged line or shape every time.

1. Use blue painter's tape and tape off your shape or line, burnish lightly with your thumb.
2. Paint over the taped edge with clear polymer medium or matte medium.
3. Let dry!
4. Paint back over the taped edge with your paint.
5. Let dry!
6. Peel up the tape and voila! you will have a nice clean edge.

The polymer medium acts as a seal to prevent the paint from creeping under the tape. No more fuzzy lines or shapes! Be patient and let the polymer dry before you paint on it and let the paint dry before you peel up the tape and you will have perfect shapes and lines every time.

Damien Hirst and the Big Hoo Haa

Yep, I'm doing it too. Bashing ol' Damien Hirst for being a sell out, commercialized, "bad art" artist. But I got to thinking.... isn't he just doing what we all really want to do? Make tons of money from his art? Well, actually I'd like the art to be worthwhile also, but that's another can of worms (or tank of sharks). As Fugitive Ink's blog puts it, it's opened up yet another dialogue about the commercial aspects of art, art as product, bad art, bad artists, and Robert Hughes weight. Of course the last item, Mr. Hughes' weight, is just as important according to some writers, as him (ahem) weighing in on the topic of Mr. Hirst's talent (or lack thereof).

So what does all this hoo haa mean to those of us slaving away in the trenches for our daily bread? Not a whole heck of a lot really. It has no bearing whatsoever for those of us still working in that, some would say, quaint, tradition of easel painting. Gee, and all this time I thought I was a revolutionary! What's your take?

Damien Hirst and the Big Hoo Haa

Yep, I'm doing it too. Bashing ol' Damien Hirst for being a sell out, commercialized, "bad art" artist. But I got to thinking.... isn't he just doing what we all really want to do? Make tons of money from his art? Well, actually I'd like the art to be worthwhile also, but that's another can of worms (or tank of sharks). As Fugitive Ink's blog puts it, it's opened up yet another dialogue about the commercial aspects of art, art as product, bad art, bad artists, and Robert Hughes weight. Of course the last item, Mr. Hughes' weight, is just as important according to some writers, as him (ahem) weighing in on the topic of Mr. Hirst's talent (or lack thereof).

So what does all this hoo haa mean to those of us slaving away in the trenches for our daily bread? Not a whole heck of a lot really. It has no bearing whatsoever for those of us still working in that, some would say, quaint, tradition of easel painting. Gee, and all this time I thought I was a revolutionary! What's your take?

Looking for the "look"

Having made it thru the summer with a couple of big curves thrown at me from the Universe... family member's really serious medical stuff, moving Mom in to live with me.... I'm now back in the studio and painting. Not as much as I should but it's happening. And the object has completely disappeared from my work. I knew it would happen but I just didn't expect it so soon. I've been moving into color field work at a snail's pace really. I spent several years working on the Big Street Series and all of a sudden...poof! no more object on the picture plane.

It reminds me of when I made the final leap from abstract landscape a la Diebenkorn to abstract flattened space. The horizon line starting creeping up the canvas and eventually disappeared entirely, so there was no more reference to a landscape on the painting It really surprised the heck out of me. That darn horizon line just fell right off the canvas. Now all the objects have fallen off the canvas. It's a little disconcerting actually. Once again I'm faced with that bugaboo about a "style" or a "look". If you look at the work I was doing last year this time, it bears no resemblance whatsoever to the three paintings I'm working on currently. So I have to wonder, what the heck does that mean? Do I have a short attention span? Am I "stylistically" challenged? Do I get bored easily?

What I really think is...I'm restless and curious. Or at least I hope that's the reason. I feel as though I always have a new path to explore and I get a big kick out of finding out what's around the next bend. What if I did this? What if I started painting by piling loads of paint onto the canvas and dragging it around and over and beneath?

What I'm finding out is: first, it's a lot harder to paint without an object reference than it looks. How do you hold the interest of the viewer? Heck, how do I hold my own interest just moving paint around. Actually I'm fascinated by it. The way it blends and the colors moving into one another. I have to really stay on top of my color game when working this way. There is no accident happening here. It's thoroughly planned out. And I have to use a very tight palette, two maybe three colors, no more. Of course, the layers are key. One color on top of another and blending into the one beneath. It's actually an exciting way to work because it requires so much concentration and so much technical thinking. I can't just fling paint around and expect it to work.

So, I guess I'm just a formalist after all. Ha! And all this time I thought it was about process. ;-)

Looking for the "look"

Having made it thru the summer with a couple of big curves thrown at me from the Universe... family member's really serious medical stuff, moving Mom in to live with me.... I'm now back in the studio and painting. Not as much as I should but it's happening. And the object has completely disappeared from my work. I knew it would happen but I just didn't expect it so soon. I've been moving into color field work at a snail's pace really. I spent several years working on the Big Street Series and all of a sudden...poof! no more object on the picture plane.

It reminds me of when I made the final leap from abstract landscape a la Diebenkorn to abstract flattened space. The horizon line starting creeping up the canvas and eventually disappeared entirely, so there was no more reference to a landscape on the painting It really surprised the heck out of me. That darn horizon line just fell right off the canvas. Now all the objects have fallen off the canvas. It's a little disconcerting actually. Once again I'm faced with that bugaboo about a "style" or a "look". If you look at the work I was doing last year this time, it bears no resemblance whatsoever to the three paintings I'm working on currently. So I have to wonder, what the heck does that mean? Do I have a short attention span? Am I "stylistically" challenged? Do I get bored easily?

What I really think is...I'm restless and curious. Or at least I hope that's the reason. I feel as though I always have a new path to explore and I get a big kick out of finding out what's around the next bend. What if I did this? What if I started painting by piling loads of paint onto the canvas and dragging it around and over and beneath?

What I'm finding out is: first, it's a lot harder to paint without an object reference than it looks. How do you hold the interest of the viewer? Heck, how do I hold my own interest just moving paint around. Actually I'm fascinated by it. The way it blends and the colors moving into one another. I have to really stay on top of my color game when working this way. There is no accident happening here. It's thoroughly planned out. And I have to use a very tight palette, two maybe three colors, no more. Of course, the layers are key. One color on top of another and blending into the one beneath. It's actually an exciting way to work because it requires so much concentration and so much technical thinking. I can't just fling paint around and expect it to work.

So, I guess I'm just a formalist after all. Ha! And all this time I thought it was about process. ;-)

Life...as I know it

One thing I know for sure. Just when you think you have it figured out, the universe comes along and throws you a really big curve ball. I recently had to move my frail, elderly mother in with me. This has changed my life in ways I had not imagined. Not the least of which is studio time being severly curtailed while I figure all of this out. I also have commissions and shows to finish and classes to teach. Which leads me to the question, once again, how does art impact life and vice versa? The last couple of years have been a real rollercoaster ride in my career and personal life. Now I'm entering another chapter with my mom and it will be interesting to see how it goes. I know for sure it won't be dull! And, since I am supposed to be one of those creative types, I'll probably come up with some fancy solutions to some strange problems! Art school never prepared me for this!

Life...as I know it

One thing I know for sure. Just when you think you have it figured out, the universe comes along and throws you a really big curve ball. I recently had to move my frail, elderly mother in with me. This has changed my life in ways I had not imagined. Not the least of which is studio time being severly curtailed while I figure all of this out. I also have commissions and shows to finish and classes to teach. Which leads me to the question, once again, how does art impact life and vice versa? The last couple of years have been a real rollercoaster ride in my career and personal life. Now I'm entering another chapter with my mom and it will be interesting to see how it goes. I know for sure it won't be dull! And, since I am supposed to be one of those creative types, I'll probably come up with some fancy solutions to some strange problems! Art school never prepared me for this!

Less is More

I was checking out artslant.com the other day and I saw an ad by an artist, Paul Russo. I was intrigued so I visited his site. WOW! He is painting 1000 black paintings. They're beautiful, elegant, simple, complex, funny, exciting.....they run the gamut of expressions and THEY'RE ALL BLACK! Now I have proof in (ahem) black and white, that you don't need a lot of color to create fabulous, glorious work that has depth and soul. Of course there is Ad Reinhardt, Yves Klein, Robert Mangold and others, but Paul Russo seems to have brought a juicier element to the game. His work strikes me as more interactive, almost. There is lots of texture, usage of strange elements and it seems to me, a very well rounded sense of humor. "Manly Augustus Buchanan" just cracks me up. I'm not sure why but it seems to me that it's a bearded man, and that strikes me as hilarious. Maybe I've had too much coffee, or not enough. Whether it's supposed to be funny or not, it's certainly intriguing and that for me, is the mark of a good painting. Give me my nickel's worth and I'm happy!

At any rate, for a long time I've been telling my students to pare down their palette. Just one or two colors and a dark and light. I've been doing this for awhile myself. It allows me to work within a tight framework colorwise, and integrates the color in the painting. Could be I'm just lazy...but no! I really believe this technique is worthwhile and really, really hones my sense of color. It helps me see color in a new way too. In relationship to other colors, rather than each color individually. It helps me see the painting as a whole. And that can't be bad.

So thank you, Paul Russo, for giving me the opportunity to revisit this idea of "less is more" - less color is better color it seems. And it's certainly working for Paul.

Less is More

I was checking out artslant.com the other day and I saw an ad by an artist, Paul Russo. I was intrigued so I visited his site. WOW! He is painting 1000 black paintings. They're beautiful, elegant, simple, complex, funny, exciting.....they run the gamut of expressions and THEY'RE ALL BLACK! Now I have proof in (ahem) black and white, that you don't need a lot of color to create fabulous, glorious work that has depth and soul. Of course there is Ad Reinhardt, Yves Klein, Robert Mangold and others, but Paul Russo seems to have brought a juicier element to the game. His work strikes me as more interactive, almost. There is lots of texture, usage of strange elements and it seems to me, a very well rounded sense of humor. "Manly Augustus Buchanan" just cracks me up. I'm not sure why but it seems to me that it's a bearded man, and that strikes me as hilarious. Maybe I've had too much coffee, or not enough. Whether it's supposed to be funny or not, it's certainly intriguing and that for me, is the mark of a good painting. Give me my nickel's worth and I'm happy!

At any rate, for a long time I've been telling my students to pare down their palette. Just one or two colors and a dark and light. I've been doing this for awhile myself. It allows me to work within a tight framework colorwise, and integrates the color in the painting. Could be I'm just lazy...but no! I really believe this technique is worthwhile and really, really hones my sense of color. It helps me see color in a new way too. In relationship to other colors, rather than each color individually. It helps me see the painting as a whole. And that can't be bad.

So thank you, Paul Russo, for giving me the opportunity to revisit this idea of "less is more" - less color is better color it seems. And it's certainly working for Paul.

In the Zone... sorta

Under intense pressure to meet a deadline, I managed to amaze myself recently. I was cooking in the studio, working 10-12 hours. Painting like a real fiend. Then I hit the wall. Oh, I got all the paintings out on time and they looked damn fine, if I do say so myself, but I blew a really important meeting. Just completely mixed up the day, time, everything. Hit the wall doing 90 miles an hour. Ouch.

So, now I have picked myself up, dusted myself off, and started painting again. When you hit the wall going that fast, you have to get up and check for bruises. So far, so good.

Being a working artist is not for sissies!

In the Zone... sorta

Under intense pressure to meet a deadline, I managed to amaze myself recently. I was cooking in the studio, working 10-12 hours. Painting like a real fiend. Then I hit the wall. Oh, I got all the paintings out on time and they looked damn fine, if I do say so myself, but I blew a really important meeting. Just completely mixed up the day, time, everything. Hit the wall doing 90 miles an hour. Ouch.

So, now I have picked myself up, dusted myself off, and started painting again. When you hit the wall going that fast, you have to get up and check for bruises. So far, so good.

Being a working artist is not for sissies!

Surprise is good

Leave it all at the studio door! All of your preconceptions about color, form, content, whatever...just play a game with yourself and try to work in the moment....wait for a surprise. My most recent foray into the workings of the studio led me down a new path and I'm challenged and excited by it.

Isn't that what it's all about anyway? The exploration, the sense of wonder, the anticipation of the finished painting.

Rock on.

Surprise is good

Leave it all at the studio door! All of your preconceptions about color, form, content, whatever...just play a game with yourself and try to work in the moment....wait for a surprise. My most recent foray into the workings of the studio led me down a new path and I'm challenged and excited by it.

Isn't that what it's all about anyway? The exploration, the sense of wonder, the anticipation of the finished painting.

Rock on.

New tools from Golden Artist Colors

I'm just back from the NAMTA show in Reno, Nevada. What a great time! The NAMTA show brings together art manufacturers from all over the country. I was invited by Golden to come up and check out the scene as well as get some advanced training in two new and exciting products Golden has out.

I'm blown away by both of these new products. OPEN is going to change the way acrylic painters work, hands down. It's amazing and unbelievable! I was literally speechless. And for those of you who know me personally, you know I'm not without words very often! I can only say that it takes me back to my years of oil painting and really satisfies that oil-like feel I wanted in acrylic.

The other new product - Digital Topcoats or Mix More Media is equally stunning to me from a printmaker's point of view. I have already been working with mixed media in digital and traditional prints. But this is going to blow the lid off of mixed media.

You know that old saying, "the one with the most toys wins"? Well I feel like I've just been given two of the shiniest toys on the block. All the other kids will be jealous! Stay tuned for these two new toys to blow up in my studio and my work. Workshops will be forthcoming so you can come and play with my new toys!

New tools from Golden Artist Colors

I'm just back from the NAMTA show in Reno, Nevada. What a great time! The NAMTA show brings together art manufacturers from all over the country. I was invited by Golden to come up and check out the scene as well as get some advanced training in two new and exciting products Golden has out.

I'm blown away by both of these new products. OPEN is going to change the way acrylic painters work, hands down. It's amazing and unbelievable! I was literally speechless. And for those of you who know me personally, you know I'm not without words very often! I can only say that it takes me back to my years of oil painting and really satisfies that oil-like feel I wanted in acrylic.

The other new product - Digital Topcoats or Mix More Media is equally stunning to me from a printmaker's point of view. I have already been working with mixed media in digital and traditional prints. But this is going to blow the lid off of mixed media.

You know that old saying, "the one with the most toys wins"? Well I feel like I've just been given two of the shiniest toys on the block. All the other kids will be jealous! Stay tuned for these two new toys to blow up in my studio and my work. Workshops will be forthcoming so you can come and play with my new toys!

Art and Fear

Life interferes with art sometimes, or is it the other way around? After a very long dry spell, seven or eight months, I've embarked on a radical new series. Floating. These look nothing like my Big Street Series that has engrossed me for the past 5-6 years. This is a scary proposition. This is a complete departure from my current body of work. All the demons I've had over the years have reared their ugly heads. They're saying thinkgs like: "you should stick to a "look""; "galleries and dealers want a body of work that's cohesive" etc, etc. Blah, blah, blah. The only thing I truly know is that I am enjoying this exploration. I feel energized and excited again. I am banishing the fear and demons by giving them the big "I don't care" look. Back to the studio, look at the new paintings, oooooh, aaaaah. Love them. Demons? Kiss my butt.

Art and Fear

Life interferes with art sometimes, or is it the other way around? After a very long dry spell, seven or eight months, I've embarked on a radical new series. Floating. These look nothing like my Big Street Series that has engrossed me for the past 5-6 years. This is a scary proposition. This is a complete departure from my current body of work. All the demons I've had over the years have reared their ugly heads. They're saying thinkgs like: "you should stick to a "look""; "galleries and dealers want a body of work that's cohesive" etc, etc. Blah, blah, blah. The only thing I truly know is that I am enjoying this exploration. I feel energized and excited again. I am banishing the fear and demons by giving them the big "I don't care" look. Back to the studio, look at the new paintings, oooooh, aaaaah. Love them. Demons? Kiss my butt.

Art: The Great Communicator

I received a comment from a painter, Julian about my post on the Myth of the Artist (see below). Julian lives and works in Texas and in my opinion, is a talented painter. Julian and I are about as different as you can get, yet we are corresponding simply because we are both artists. Art has the power to transcend boundaries of gender, geography, age, religion, race, you name it. It can even transcend fear. Here's how I know:

Back when I was in grad school, one of my teachers told me I had to do an internship as a teacher in the community, some sort of community based program. I ended up at the old Letterman Army Hospital in the Presidio of San Francisco. Somehow I got into the Radiation/Chemotherapy Program for cancer patients.
All sorts of people were there; women and men, children with their parents, husbands waiting for wives. The same folks showed up for chemo or radiation on a regular basis. Some of them didn't come back after awhile and I would find out that they had died. It was hard to keep going to the clinic, but I was determined to complete the internship.

I diligently schlepped all my art supplies into the clinic every week and set up a table for the patients to paint at. No one came to my table. Every once in awhile some brave soul would sit down and doodle on a piece of paper. I started schelpping less and less stuff each week. Finally, I showed up with nothing but a sketch pad and a pencil. I sat in the plastic patient chairs, next to the folks getting radiation or chemotherapy and I sketched the nurses' station, over and over again. The same computer monitor and potted plant.

The people sitting next to me would invariably ask me what I was drawing, looking over my shoulder. And we would chat about my drawing at first, then they would talk to me about their wife or husband, or their child, getting treatment. They spoke about their fears, their anger, their frustrations. I just kept drawing, the same plant and computer over and over again. They told me about their anniversary party, their kid's baseball team. All sorts of little intimate stories. And me, a complete stranger, a safe ear, I just listened and drew. Would they have talked to me if I had been reading a book? Probably not. That's a closed door. But the drawing was an open conduit and they just talked and talked.

Try it for yourself. Take a sketchpad and pencil to a coffeeshop or a park, see if someone doesn't come up to you and strike up a conversation about your drawing or painting. It happens all the time to painters who paint on location. Why? I think it's because art is the great communicator. What do you think?

Art: The Great Communicator

I received a comment from a painter, Julian about my post on the Myth of the Artist (see below). Julian lives and works in Texas and in my opinion, is a talented painter. Julian and I are about as different as you can get, yet we are corresponding simply because we are both artists. Art has the power to transcend boundaries of gender, geography, age, religion, race, you name it. It can even transcend fear. Here's how I know:

Back when I was in grad school, one of my teachers told me I had to do an internship as a teacher in the community, some sort of community based program. I ended up at the old Letterman Army Hospital in the Presidio of San Francisco. Somehow I got into the Radiation/Chemotherapy Program for cancer patients.
All sorts of people were there; women and men, children with their parents, husbands waiting for wives. The same folks showed up for chemo or radiation on a regular basis. Some of them didn't come back after awhile and I would find out that they had died. It was hard to keep going to the clinic, but I was determined to complete the internship.

I diligently schlepped all my art supplies into the clinic every week and set up a table for the patients to paint at. No one came to my table. Every once in awhile some brave soul would sit down and doodle on a piece of paper. I started schelpping less and less stuff each week. Finally, I showed up with nothing but a sketch pad and a pencil. I sat in the plastic patient chairs, next to the folks getting radiation or chemotherapy and I sketched the nurses' station, over and over again. The same computer monitor and potted plant.

The people sitting next to me would invariably ask me what I was drawing, looking over my shoulder. And we would chat about my drawing at first, then they would talk to me about their wife or husband, or their child, getting treatment. They spoke about their fears, their anger, their frustrations. I just kept drawing, the same plant and computer over and over again. They told me about their anniversary party, their kid's baseball team. All sorts of little intimate stories. And me, a complete stranger, a safe ear, I just listened and drew. Would they have talked to me if I had been reading a book? Probably not. That's a closed door. But the drawing was an open conduit and they just talked and talked.

Try it for yourself. Take a sketchpad and pencil to a coffeeshop or a park, see if someone doesn't come up to you and strike up a conversation about your drawing or painting. It happens all the time to painters who paint on location. Why? I think it's because art is the great communicator. What do you think?

Smorgasbord, Google, Digital Photos

Updating my blog has been last on my list lately because of major life concerns. However, I'm jumping in here quickly to offer a smorgasbord of things for consideration, no particular rhyme or reason just ad hoc thoughts floating in my head...scary, huh?

Good online photo tool http://www.webresizer.com/ so you can resize your digital images to attach to email and send to galleries, etc.

Do you have Google alerts set up yet? You can set up a Google alert for just about anything you're interested in; labradors, sailing in San Francisco Bay, recipes for chocolate cake, you name it. It's fun and it can be very useful, too. One of my students has a Google alert set up in her daughter's name so she knows whenever anyone posts anything about her daughter. Wow!

On that note, is Google taking over the earth? And if so, is that a bad thing? Check out Google Earth

So now that you have the whole world in your hands, what do you plan to do with it? Me? I'm going for a walk.

Smorgasbord, Google, Digital Photos

Updating my blog has been last on my list lately because of major life concerns. However, I'm jumping in here quickly to offer a smorgasbord of things for consideration, no particular rhyme or reason just ad hoc thoughts floating in my head...scary, huh?

Good online photo tool http://www.webresizer.com/ so you can resize your digital images to attach to email and send to galleries, etc.

Do you have Google alerts set up yet? You can set up a Google alert for just about anything you're interested in; labradors, sailing in San Francisco Bay, recipes for chocolate cake, you name it. It's fun and it can be very useful, too. One of my students has a Google alert set up in her daughter's name so she knows whenever anyone posts anything about her daughter. Wow!

On that note, is Google taking over the earth? And if so, is that a bad thing? Check out Google Earth

So now that you have the whole world in your hands, what do you plan to do with it? Me? I'm going for a walk.

Multitasking Makes You Stupid

Doesn't it? Just a small rant on my part here, but bear with me. Talking on the cell phone while driving (okay I do that but with a headphone!) but I draw the line at reading, putting on makeup, or doing the crossword puzzle while driving. I've seen all of those things being done while driving.

When did it become fashionable to multitask? Our lives are so fast paced, so over-scheduled, so technology driven that I'm all for slowing down a bit. So join me in a small boycott will you? Pick two things you ordinarily do together, (reading and eating? driving and eating? talking on the phone and watching t.v.?) and for one whole week, do them separately! Wahoooo!

Multitasking Makes You Stupid

Doesn't it? Just a small rant on my part here, but bear with me. Talking on the cell phone while driving (okay I do that but with a headphone!) but I draw the line at reading, putting on makeup, or doing the crossword puzzle while driving. I've seen all of those things being done while driving.

When did it become fashionable to multitask? Our lives are so fast paced, so over-scheduled, so technology driven that I'm all for slowing down a bit. So join me in a small boycott will you? Pick two things you ordinarily do together, (reading and eating? driving and eating? talking on the phone and watching t.v.?) and for one whole week, do them separately! Wahoooo!

Vincent Van Gogh - Consistent Passion

I was just listening to the audio of the Met's exhibit from a couple of years ago of Vincent's drawings. Check out the full 16 min audio at this link. Vincent Page It doesn't hurt that it's read by Kevin Bacon. At any rate, it never ceases to amaze me that Vincent had such passion and consistency of vision. He had a goal and he worked tirelessly to reach it. I think that's admirable. Setting oneself a goal and then taking the baby steps every day to reach it is a surefire way to succeed at just about anything.

Consistency isn't glamorous or sexy but it does work. Vincent proves this again and again. He says in a letter to Theo "I cannot stop drawing because I have a draughtman's fist"..."I pushed on and I gradually grew stronger in the battle." Because he kept at it, day in and day out, year in and year out, his drawings are full of vigor and a surety of hand that does not come from a day or two of sketching.

And they are beautiful.

Vincent Van Gogh - Consistent Passion

I was just listening to the audio of the Met's exhibit from a couple of years ago of Vincent's drawings. Check out the full 16 min audio at this link. Vincent Page It doesn't hurt that it's read by Kevin Bacon. At any rate, it never ceases to amaze me that Vincent had such passion and consistency of vision. He had a goal and he worked tirelessly to reach it. I think that's admirable. Setting oneself a goal and then taking the baby steps every day to reach it is a surefire way to succeed at just about anything.

Consistency isn't glamorous or sexy but it does work. Vincent proves this again and again. He says in a letter to Theo "I cannot stop drawing because I have a draughtman's fist"..."I pushed on and I gradually grew stronger in the battle." Because he kept at it, day in and day out, year in and year out, his drawings are full of vigor and a surety of hand that does not come from a day or two of sketching.

And they are beautiful.

The Myth of the Artist

I'm sitting here reading all the information I have in my inbox. Blogs from the NY Times Art and Design Section, the Philadelphia Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Biz Blog my own incoming email about classes and shows, etc. I am anxious to get to the studio and paint, but my work ethic says I have to answer all of my email, read all of the information in my inbox and update my blog before I can go paint. I really, really want to paint. So I'm wondering, what if I don't do any of these things? What if I just paint all day every day? What will happen?

You know I can't do that, I know I can't do that. The Myth of the Artist rears it's ugly head again. Do you know that myth? It goes like this: I will go to my studio and do wonderful, meaningful work, all day every day. I will just work as an artist in my studio and some how, some way, someone will discover me and give me a big show in a prestigious New York Gallery. The show will sell out. I will make thousands (maybe millions?) of dollars and live happily ever after, collectors and dealers banging my door down as I sit blissfully painting every day, all day.

Sounds ridiculous when I read it in black and white. But so many of us (me included) begrudge the non-painting work we need to do to make our careers viable. For a moment, imagine you are making tennis shoes instead of paintings. They're wonderful, whacky, colorful, comfortable tennis shoes. Your mom really likes them. You just know if Big 5 Sporting Goods carried them you'd be set for life. But you never call Big 5, never send them a sample, never visit the store. You keep your job at Denny's, just waiting for Big 5 to discover you. But they never do. Your tennis shoes never grace the feet of Beyonce or Michael Jordan. You get promoted to Manager at Denny's.

Now I have nothing against working at Denny's. I love breakfast! But if you are working at Denny's or temping at Bank of America, or fill in the blank somewhere when you could be making fabulous art and promoting it, you are doing yourself and the world a disservice. No it's not easy, yes it will take sacrifice but it's worth it! Your vision and your talent deserve to be shared.

So now what? Go to the studio and make art. Even if it's ten minutes at the end of a long day of working somewhere else. You will love yourself afterwards. And the world will be better for it. Keep doing those ten minutes, twenty minutes here and there. Eventually you will have a body of work. Then you can promote it.

Send me an announcement for your show.

The Myth of the Artist

I'm sitting here reading all the information I have in my inbox. Blogs from the NY Times Art and Design Section, the Philadelphia Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Biz Blog my own incoming email about classes and shows, etc. I am anxious to get to the studio and paint, but my work ethic says I have to answer all of my email, read all of the information in my inbox and update my blog before I can go paint. I really, really want to paint. So I'm wondering, what if I don't do any of these things? What if I just paint all day every day? What will happen?

You know I can't do that, I know I can't do that. The Myth of the Artist rears it's ugly head again. Do you know that myth? It goes like this: I will go to my studio and do wonderful, meaningful work, all day every day. I will just work as an artist in my studio and some how, some way, someone will discover me and give me a big show in a prestigious New York Gallery. The show will sell out. I will make thousands (maybe millions?) of dollars and live happily ever after, collectors and dealers banging my door down as I sit blissfully painting every day, all day.

Sounds ridiculous when I read it in black and white. But so many of us (me included) begrudge the non-painting work we need to do to make our careers viable. For a moment, imagine you are making tennis shoes instead of paintings. They're wonderful, whacky, colorful, comfortable tennis shoes. Your mom really likes them. You just know if Big 5 Sporting Goods carried them you'd be set for life. But you never call Big 5, never send them a sample, never visit the store. You keep your job at Denny's, just waiting for Big 5 to discover you. But they never do. Your tennis shoes never grace the feet of Beyonce or Michael Jordan. You get promoted to Manager at Denny's.

Now I have nothing against working at Denny's. I love breakfast! But if you are working at Denny's or temping at Bank of America, or fill in the blank somewhere when you could be making fabulous art and promoting it, you are doing yourself and the world a disservice. No it's not easy, yes it will take sacrifice but it's worth it! Your vision and your talent deserve to be shared.

So now what? Go to the studio and make art. Even if it's ten minutes at the end of a long day of working somewhere else. You will love yourself afterwards. And the world will be better for it. Keep doing those ten minutes, twenty minutes here and there. Eventually you will have a body of work. Then you can promote it.

Send me an announcement for your show.

Looking for the finished painting...

There is a moment when the painting is finished and I recognize it. I'm not sure I can put it into words - but it's a recognizable feeling. Like finishing a good meal. There is a sense of satisfaction. In order to catch the moment though, you have to be watching for it, looking for it.



Too often I see students painting for the entire three hours of a class. Layer after layer of paint, putting it on, scraping it off, putting more on. I'm sure that many good paintings get painted over in this fashion. Because after all, as painters we like to paint! I love moving the paint around, getting excited about getting just the right color, the right shape. But, unless I'm very careful and watch for it, I will miss the completion point of the painting and paint right over it.



So, my recommendation (to myself and anyone else who cares to listen) is paint less and look more. Spend at least as much time looking as you do painting, and probably more. More time looking, less painting. Seems strange for a painter to look more than paint, but really, if we don't slow down, we could just miss the end of the painting.

Looking for the finished painting...

There is a moment when the painting is finished and I recognize it. I'm not sure I can put it into words - but it's a recognizable feeling. Like finishing a good meal. There is a sense of satisfaction. In order to catch the moment though, you have to be watching for it, looking for it.



Too often I see students painting for the entire three hours of a class. Layer after layer of paint, putting it on, scraping it off, putting more on. I'm sure that many good paintings get painted over in this fashion. Because after all, as painters we like to paint! I love moving the paint around, getting excited about getting just the right color, the right shape. But, unless I'm very careful and watch for it, I will miss the completion point of the painting and paint right over it.



So, my recommendation (to myself and anyone else who cares to listen) is paint less and look more. Spend at least as much time looking as you do painting, and probably more. More time looking, less painting. Seems strange for a painter to look more than paint, but really, if we don't slow down, we could just miss the end of the painting.

Art and Surrender

I teach a class called "Painting from the Soul" it is my favorite class to teach. It's a 3-5 day boot camp for creativity and I have seen it change peoples lives. I get fan mail and love letters after people take this class. And I'm only the gate keeper. I just open the door. You can do this for yourself if you have the courage to surrender. Isn't it funny that surrendering requires courage? It really does though. What is it about us as artists that makes us so afraid of failure? After all, it's only paint on canvas. It can always be painted over, gessoed over, cut up and thrown away.

So I'm asking you to play along with me, suspend your judge and jury and go into the studio and dance yourself silly and play with your paint and brushes, lie down on the floor and paint with your toes. Whatever makes you happy. Just surrender.

Let me know how it goes.

Art and Surrender

I teach a class called "Painting from the Soul" it is my favorite class to teach. It's a 3-5 day boot camp for creativity and I have seen it change peoples lives. I get fan mail and love letters after people take this class. And I'm only the gate keeper. I just open the door. You can do this for yourself if you have the courage to surrender. Isn't it funny that surrendering requires courage? It really does though. What is it about us as artists that makes us so afraid of failure? After all, it's only paint on canvas. It can always be painted over, gessoed over, cut up and thrown away.

So I'm asking you to play along with me, suspend your judge and jury and go into the studio and dance yourself silly and play with your paint and brushes, lie down on the floor and paint with your toes. Whatever makes you happy. Just surrender.

Let me know how it goes.

Water and Acrylic Paint

There is a myth out there that it's okay to thin acrylic paint with water. Well it's not the best idea. Here's why:

Water is not a binder. Duh, right? Well if you use too much water in your acrylic paint mixture, you will overthin the binder in the paint (polymer) and weaken the paint film, lessening its adhesion to your canvas (or the paint layer beneath it). If you want to thin the paint, use a polymer medium. This will maintain the adhesive qualities of the paint and the paint film will maintain its integrity.

If you want to thin the paint and retard the drying time, try using Acrylic Glazing Liquid (Golden). This will allow you to make a thin glaze and slow down the drying time.

Party on!

Water and Acrylic Paint

There is a myth out there that it's okay to thin acrylic paint with water. Well it's not the best idea. Here's why:

Water is not a binder. Duh, right? Well if you use too much water in your acrylic paint mixture, you will overthin the binder in the paint (polymer) and weaken the paint film, lessening its adhesion to your canvas (or the paint layer beneath it). If you want to thin the paint, use a polymer medium. This will maintain the adhesive qualities of the paint and the paint film will maintain its integrity.

If you want to thin the paint and retard the drying time, try using Acrylic Glazing Liquid (Golden). This will allow you to make a thin glaze and slow down the drying time.

Party on!

Welcome to my new blog

I'm setting off on this new blog and will copy some of my posts from my old blog. This particular blog is more user friendly and has a nice layout. (I hope you agree!). Stay tuned for updates, subscribe if you like and let me know what you think.

Welcome to my new blog

I'm setting off on this new blog and will copy some of my posts from my old blog. This particular blog is more user friendly and has a nice layout. (I hope you agree!). Stay tuned for updates, subscribe if you like and let me know what you think.