Artist Studio
In today’s blog , I am going to be demonstrating a tonalist painting, that being a painting of close values, soft edges, few details and nature in subject matter. That is a totally simplified definition but it will do for the time being. I like to paint from memory with just an idea or impression that I am looking to convey.
Today I want to show you a demonstration about editing and painting from a very complicated and unfocused image. This image of a harbor in Maine has a lot of interesting things to represent, the foggy atmosphere and distant islands, the lobster boats with terrific reflections, and the foreground with the weeds and textures.
I like to plan the painting with the end in mind: what do I want it to look like when it is finished? I never start a painting thinking, “Gee, I wonder if I can paint that tree? Or that surf?” That is too limiting!
This week, I am going to show you one of my favorite lessons for learning about complex and varied shapes. The shapes are made up of many objects but still read as one interesting passage of darks or lights. This will help you in getting past the idea of painting everything that is possible to paint about a subject. Editing and interpretation are essential for making personal and creative works of art.
I have been very busy with my painting and teaching, even though the Covid era, I have been teaching via email lessons. These lessons have been really exciting for those persons trapped inside their houses and without the ability to travel. This has been great for me and from their paintings I say it has been satisfying for them too. Today, I am going to post a few paintings from the last couple months and then next week I will start with posts that focus on the design fundamentals of making better paintings.