At today's meeting John, Joanne, Tim, Diane, Tedd, Bill, Charlie, Jeanne, Bob, Marty, Jim, Thomas, Kay, Annie, erin, Vicky, Dave, Eunice, Stephanie, Betsy, Tracie Broughton (new), and me Celeste.
Today's suggested table topic: errors (or negative things that have happened) while painting ...and what you did about it or learned from it.
Comments are provided in random order and anonymously:
In a workshop I experimented with a completely different style of painting than the teacher was teaching. I was attempting to do something called fracturing. The teacher was not teaching fracturing! The teacher told me to stop fracturing! (Laughter)! In retrospect, I am not sorry I fractured, because it helped me stop making so many completed edges.
I really don't believe that there are any mistakes in art because at all times we are learning and going forward and mistakes are just a way of proceeding and progressing.
I went to workshop once that was somewhat experimental. The workshop teacher had us drip acrylic paint onto a surface and then we were to walk away from it, let it dry and return to it to paint something that we saw "in" it! I gave up...I saw nothing! (Laughter)! This approach was really wasn't for me.
I had a large canvas out in a windstorm. It blew over and there was paint everywhere. What I did about it was I started over!
I tried to make my plein air palette lighter. I changed palettes. The palette was so light it blew into my shirt! (Laughter)! I learned to secure it.
Well, I have never made any mistakes. (Laughter)! I took a workshop with Eric Jacobson and he said that painting was simply a series of mistakes and corrections.
I find that if I know someone is coming over I realize that I will have an "audience".... and I see things differently knowing that someone is going to look at my work! It is a challenge to keep the onlooker (who exists for real or in your imagination) at bay!
Not having good lighting actually works for me. (Laughter)! I intend to do a painting a day in the future with just neutrals. I have been going to the studio 30 sessions.
Haven't you ever just painted away and every stroke you put down you said yourself "well that's a mistake... well that's a mistake... well that's a mistake"? (As if every stroke you put down his mistake). (Laughter)! It may come as a surprise to you that I used to play jazz. And of course if you're playing jazz a person might not necessarily know whether or not what you're playing is correct. It's Jazz! If you play it twice people would think that you meant it. So that is a little bit too how I approach painting. I obliterate or I go with it! Some of the most successful things I've ever done have been with serendipity. I brought the wrong color palette for an area I was painting in. (A part of the country I hadn't painted in before). What I did about it was borrow paint from my friends (who DID bring the right colors). Just remember this... if you fall down on the dance floor... make a move out of it. (Laughter)!
If I make a mistake I seem to make it over and over and over again! (Laughter)! If you are painting figures you need to think at least three steps ahead. I try to do everything once. (Meaning....I don't want to go over something I have put down unless that is in my plan)! My biggest problem is overworking. I have been using a palette in the hand instead of in front of me on a table. That has made a big difference. I need a confident drawing for the foundation. This means I need to have everything with the right measurements. I will sometimes lean a finished painting against the wall to decide later if it needs something else or not. I do use black in my painting.
I have found out that dogs and watercolor paper don't mix! (Laughter)!
To me it's a lot like Groundhog's day.....or possibly playing the slot machines. (Laughter)! You know you put in a quarter and see what comes out or put another quarter and see what happens. (Laughter)!
So you want to talk about dogs.... I had a dog that came up to me, a great big dog and he put his paws directly into the paint on my palette. (Laughter)! I had barely recovered from that when yet another dog bit the leg of my pants and shook his head (rrrrrrrgrrrrrrr) (Laughter)!
I have better maturity now than I used to. I used to scrape away any mistakes. I used to scrape them completely off. A friend of mine said ...hey, keep working on... try to fix it. So sometimes I do stay with it and I try to fix it. Other times I step away from it ---I have to walk away from it to come back later. Sometimes I put MORE paint on it (like heaps of paint on it)! That seems to help sometimes.
My Dad used to say a good carpenter knows how to correct his mistakes! (Laughter)!
In a workshop last year I had all my paint laid out. The teacher asked me... is this paint old? It is not the right consistency. I learned from her that you have to get all of your paint the right consistency! I'm not sure this ever really occurred to me for in the field. I am now paying more attention to that.
This painting (that I am showing you) was originally twice as long as it is now. I reworked it and cut it down. That's how I corrected the error!
I was in Eric Jacobson's workshop. He had us paint from photographs as if we were painting outside. I also brought in some paintings I did in Eliz Tolley's workshop in California. I once went painting in a canyon at night. I discovered later I had come in contact with poison ivy! I vowed to not do that again!
I haven't touched oils in years. I brought in an oil painting today.
I think that an accident or some sort of spontaneous things on the canvas are often really good things. Maybe it's hard for me to take a break from reality..so I like to I like to sketch first before I actually sit down to paint. Sometimes when I photograph my finished painting I can really see the mistake better than when I'm just looking at it (without photographing it).
The wind blew my hat straight into the painting! (Laughter)! I had to seek shelter and go to a different place where the wind wasn't so strong. I wound up in a really nice area that I wouldn't of had the opportunity to find... if it hadn't been for the wind!
I consider myself a very experimental artist. I copy some things like Sorolla... and I wind up going down new paths (inspired by someone else's painting).
I have a great deal of excitement for fine detail. I'm probably even considered skillful at this....I can look at some of my own paintings and see the obvious skill.....but not really see the "mood". So, I am on a mission to find ways to paint more loose and with more emotion.
Other:
Tim Young showed us a new easel attachment that he made. Similar to the Coulter system....but able to accommodate a large canvas.
Joanne Kollman showed us a new wet canvas carrier made by her business partner, Sean. If you have an interest in one---contact her. joradart@comcast.net
Announcements.
Georgia O'Keeffe will be shown at the Tacoma Art Museum in May (the website seems incomplete about it...but it seems to be scheduled for May 2015) http://www.tacomaartmuseum.org/event/mothers-day-brunch-georgia-okeeffe/
Turner will be at the D Young and is currently at the Getty:
http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/turner/
The Turner show continues to the DeYoung
http://deyoung.famsf.org/exhibitions/j-m-w-turner-painting-set-free
Dick Blick is having some sort of a Mother's Day event although we have not been able to find much information on it. If you know about it...help us out!
The Beaverton Downtown Assn is seeking artists to participate in First Friday on May 1. Set up your easels and paint anywhere...There is no fee to participate and artists can sell directly to the public. Contact donnasansonartworks@comcast.net for details.
R Blooms invites artist to paint in their area June, July and August. Find out more from Bonnie B: bonnie@bonnieburlewart.com
Congratulations Joanne Kollman for receiving a recent Grant. She and Chris Haberman have been working with children and the results are shown tonight in a reception at Living Room Realty 5 to 8.
http://www.livingroomre.com
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is having an exhibit of John Singer Sargent in October
http://www.metmuseum.org
Congratulations to Thomas Kitts and other Portlanders...for a new show at the Brian Marki in Palm Springs (and some great sales).
http://www.brianmarki.com
David McBride recommends that you try the Pro Series of Fredrix Canvas it's 100% Belgian linen
http://www.dickblick.com/products/fredrix-pro-series-traditional-78-profile-belgian-linen-canvas/
There are only a few days left to make your submission for application to the Hood River Plein Air show. The Juror is Bryan Mark Taylor (great artist as well as inventor of the Strada easel): http://pleinairhoodriver.blogspot.com/2015/03/submit-by-march-31-2015.html
Make sure you check our Facebook page for all of the artist opportunities that have been coming up:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/222304114527014/
Studio 30 is all day, every other week. Find out more here: https://www.facebook.com/Studio30atCathedralParkPlace
The Thursday Drawing Club met at Medley tea for some sketching...see the results on the front page or direct link HERE.
Thanks to all for sharing your ideas and paintings today! (Editor's note....I think a few paintings got past me for photographing...apologies! Please send a photo to me if I missed you).
Next meeting Thursday April 2 suggested table topic....SIZE! What is your favorite size for painting? Have you stepped out of your comfort zone? Have you painted in sizes that you are not accustomed to? What has been your experience?
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