Alla Prima Portland: Meeting Notes, Dec 1, 2016

Meeting Notes, Dec 1, 2016

At today’s meeting: Loretta U, Peggie, Tim, Susan, Diane, Loretta L, Lisa, Bill, Stephanie, Ward, Vicki, Tom, Kristina, Jerry, Mike, Dave, Sharon (new!), Eunice, Annie, David, Jeanie, Nancy, Kay, John, Joanne T, Joanne K, and me Celeste.

Today’s suggested table topic “half tone” do you understand half tone and do you employ halftones clearly in your paintings?

Celeste: I found a paragraph about this in a Charles Reid book. He says that a better term for half tone would be transitional tone (because it describes the area where light and shadow meet). Some people use the term mid tone and half tone interchangeably. I’m not sure what’s right. Richard Schmid doesn’t seem to refer to mid tone or half tone at all in his book. I am showing several recent paintings.

Dave: Let me introduce Sharon. (welcome Sharon)! I know the term half tone from printing industry. In the printing industry it means dots that make up the picture you see. You have to use a magnifier to see the dots. I don’t know how it relates to painting. I am showing two paintings from Colorado.

Mike: Well as usual this seems like some sort of oil term (laughter)! I have taken watercolor classes with Steve Kleier and he teaches that you must always know whether you are in the light family or the shadow family. He also recommends the discipline of doing a value sketch before any painting. I have been doing “Painting November” a challenge to paint every day (of November). I did it! I did this as my final (30^th) painting for the challenge. With watercolor (especially a floral) you really only get one go at it! (You can’t usually “go over” anything to correct).

Jerry: I didn't understand this question! To me tone has to do with grays. I got an honorable mention at Oregon society of artist for a Mount Hood painting (applause)! The judge told me that he appreciated how the grays in my painting supported the subtle colors. He really got it (even though he is an abstract painter, not a representational one). I am showing a recent painting.

Kristina: I think of mid-tone rather than half tone. And when I think of mid-tone I remember Za’s class --how she taught about “mama, papa and baby”. She taught us that we must decide which value (dark, medium or light) will have the most emphasis in a painting. I’m showing a painting …a recent plein air painting. I was painting it when a woman said to me “What you were painting is ugly”! She wasn’t even looking at my painting …she was looking at the scene I was painting. Hey, too bad lady, I win-- because I like this painting a lot. (Applause! Laughter!)

Tom: I'm just a caveman-- because I look at values and colors and not half tones (Laughter)! I did read a Wikipedia page about half tone and I’m feeling educated by it. I have been accused of being a mid tone painter (but I stand by how I see things and represent them). I am showing two paintings one is from Kaneeta and the other is of my wife. I sketched her before I painted her. I made her look a little bit younger than she is (It does look like her though).

Vicki: I pass on the topic. I bought some persimmons and they are fun to paint. I recently visited with my son in Florida. It made me appreciate where we live because I tried to paint plein air there and I had hardly started when I got bitten by mosquitoes and so badly that my eye swelled up and swelled shut! (laughter)!

I had to go inside to finish this painting.

Loretta: I texted one of my friends to ask them what is a halftone laughter! I am showing a recent painting that I did in my PCC class.

Halftone or midtone is important in figure painting because you need to get the figure or face dark enough.

Ward: Because of circumstances I have missed a few of these meetings. I don't like to miss these because this is like my church! (Laughter)! Seriously it is hard on my heart when I can't get here. This topic reminds me of a book I read by Ray Brooks. The name of the book is “Blowing Zen”. It has to do with how he played the flute every day to become masterful.

https://www.amazon.com/Blowing-Zen-Finding-Authentic-Life/dp/0915811855

All the time I relate things about art to music and also to my hair salon business. There are so many similarities between all of them. There are times where everything is quiet and in the middle and there are other times when things are loud—you can’t have one without the other and I think it’s all related. I am showing a recent painting of a polar bear. This is probably my final painting in a series. It is a real challenge to paint white things!

Joanne: I was at Stormy weather art event and I started talking a little bit about brusho when the person who was demonstrating spun around and said oh you know Ward! (Laughter)! I looked up half tone and I found this in my book from Kevin McPherson. Half tone is part of the light family. I am showing two recent paintings.

Stephanie: I looked up half tone--it is light that is striking the object where it is “parallel” to the light. Then as the object turns away it becomes shadow. This would be important to note for figure painting. But it also can become an artistic choice --if you decide to ignore rules associated with all this. I am showing some small paintings that I did as well as some others that I am doing for the 500 show.

Bill: I also googled this and I found a illustration of a sphere and it showed a transition line between the light side and the shadows side that was called the bedbug line. I have never heard that term before. I am going to be taking Thomas Kitts plein air workshop. I am showing you a recent painting that I did of my granddaughter. I had her holding a paper lantern.

I am also showing a painting that I have finished up from a reference.

Lisa: I wanted to let you know that I now have a new knee! (Applause)! I haven’t been here because of all of that. I haven’t been painting. I came today to be educated. Laughter!

Diane: I will pass on this topic.

Susan: I teach young people art and I simplify it as much as I can. Teaching them, of course, teaches me. I teach them to tone the paper with charcoal and then pull out lights and add darks. This seems to teach them about mid-tone (or half tone). I have an adult student and she reads so many technical books it is really messing her up! As you know I did study with Richard Schmid and it is true I never heard him talk about mid-tone (per se). However, I have seen him paint and he does put down a medium tone to indicate the overall before he gets into the accents and highlights! In my classes I have been teaching about underpainting. I think people should just do starts instead of noodling around endlessly trying to “finish” things. Their time would be better spent getting a good handle on simplifying first. I am showing a demonstration I did in class.

Tim: A couple weeks ago I did this plein air at Chinook landing. I did this painting in the studio. I am showing also this black and white painting where there are lights and darks and everything else is halftone! (applause)!

Peggie: I have just returned from Albert Handel’s workshop. He taught a workshop that was “paint-along mentoring”. He said: “Paint what the painting needs”! and that was the big takeaway for me. Sometimes what the painting needs is something different from what is (literally) there. Halftones are a challenge. Especially something like flowers. They are so delicate it is hard to understand and really see and observe what is the middle tone of a flower! These other paintings of fountains are from the Handel workshop also.

Loretta: I have understood halftone to be the true color of the object.

Joanne K: I still don't really understand what a big bed bug line is either (laughter)! I understand halftone represents the transition of the light into the dark. The brightest color of the skin is where the light side and the shadow meet (especially like on a cheek). Max Ginsberg taught us to paint through the painting instead of painting up to things. I am showing a painting from the workshop where I got a good transition on the cheek but other places were not as well attended to. I am showing two other figure paintings.

Nancy: I need to Google this. I was going to say something but now I won’t laughter! I am showing two paintings that I’m doing for the big 500. I really love working from photographs because nothing changes laughter!

Jeanie: I went to art school. I went a long time ago. I found my old notes. I started reading all of this and I thought to myself--- did I know this?! It’s in my hand writing! (Laughter)! Here’s what it says in my notebook “half tones are required for a believable volume”! (Applause applause laughter)!

John: My granddaughter is 15 years old and she is going to high school. She's working with clay. I think that all of these things are related to other disciplines. I played the trumpet. Too many trumpets in a small room playing loud will be overwhelming. You have to think about where you are.. in what room are you? We need a middle in order to establish the bigger sense. On a side note, I have decided I’m going to plant more time you know like you plant a plant and it grows! That’s what I need. (Laughter)!

Annie: if there are halftones there is the mood. That is where you see the color. I’m showing four recent paintings. Two of them are small. I like to paint from small to big and from big to small.

Dottie: I googled it --it has to do with transition. Stay in the same family—don’t let anything in the shadow side jump out as if it is in the light side and visa versa. I am showing a recent pastel.

Kay: I have just got back from Cuba. What a trip that was and what a humbling experience to be with great artists like Timothy Horn and Terry Miura and all of the others. It was wonderful at the end of the trip how we all got together around the pool and sat in chairs to look at everyone’s art.

In New York recently I got to visit the Vasari paint company -- it was fascinating! And also I wanted to show you this catalog from a NYC gallery. Some of these paintings had huge price tags…like $30,000 I mean they had red dots on $30,000 paintings! I am showing recent studio paintings.

Announcements

Demo tomorrow Friday at OSA with William Park

11:00 am OSA

Figure painting (Fine art Friday) 1-4 model Danielle OSA

http://oregonsocietyofartists.blogspot.com/2016/11/draw-from-model-with-us.html

Saturday Monoprinting at OSA

Saturday, Oct 3, Schedule of Events:

7 am – 5pm: Watch artists create Monotypes in the OSA Studio. Open to the public. (No sales prior to 6pm).

6pm - 8pm: Reception and Fund Raiser. Purchased prints go home with buyers. Friends, family, collectors, everyone is welcome!

Oregon Society of Artists

2185 SW Park Place

Portland, Oregon 97205