Diana K. Gibson

A Recent trip to the Museum - The Sorolla Experience, Part I

2011-03-02T02:12:00.002-05:00

There is always so much enjoyment visiting a museum and gazing into the works of masters. How often I have looked into the paintings, peering in trying to decipher the colors, application of pigments, techniques and approaches that the artist employed. And each time I am filled with great inspiration and long to understand much more about the paintings. Recently I was afforded an opportunity to do more than just glimpse at genius, instead I had the chance to immerse myself into a masterwork by Sorolla.

I had always wanted to paint at a museum and copy a master work, but something seemed to just get in the way. Perhaps it was just timing issues or conflicts of one sort or another. Poor excuses really. Thanks to a friend, my procrastination was replaced with action. She was very kind to bring me to the museum and she showed me just how simple it was to step through the door into another realm. An epiphany occurred the moment I walked into a large room and was greeted by a pantheon of masterpieces. A whole new world opened up to me. I felt like a kid again, gazing upwards at the magnificent murals upon the walls, awestruck completely unaware of anything but the splendor of color and light. How huge the murals were. I felt small in their presence. Drawn to the paintings, I looked the work over very closely paying attention to certain details. The paintings revealed quite some interesting things.

Some areas were painted thinly or the tone of the canvas showed through. Quick brushstrokes, drips and dribbles of paint appeared often.

I do not profess to be an expert in the analysis of paintings however when I viewed some of Sorolla's work, it did appear at least to me, that he repainted some passages. It got me thinking about how reworking or repainting a passage within a picture has its benefits.

And then of course, the colors, wow the colors of Sorolla's murals. Simply divine. The life that emanated from the color, wonderful, vigorous and exciting.

After having several turns, pacing about looking at the murals, I was fired up and ready to work from one of Sorolla's paintings. After the Bath looked decidedly like a good lesson in painting white. And indeed it proved to be an invaluable lesson. It is still in fact a lesson that is continuing to evolve. As I continue to return to the museum to work on the copy I learn more about Sorolla, more about painting white and more about myself. This I will relay in a later post. But this I can state concretely, the value of working from a masterpiece cannot ever be underestimated. It should be practiced when possible and encouraged to those who thirst for knowledge and who wish to surround themselves with greatness. I cannot say enough as to how grateful I am to Julie for bringing me to such a treasure trove of beauty and genius. Because of my experience my spirit soars and I am filled with inspiration and I feel invigorated. I look forward to returning to the museum and continuing my painting journey.

Portrait Oil Painting Workshop

2010-09-12T03:17:00.004-04:00

Sample of the artist's work

Portrait Oil Painting Workshop - November 7, 2010 at the Ridgewood Art Institute, Ridgewood, NJ from 10AM - 4PM in the West Studio.

Working from a live model under north light students will be taught to simplify and compose a portrait painting through the usage of form, composition, color, perspective, planes and light. How to use a prismatic palette will be discussed. Study of massing, values, relationships, edges, progression, atmosphere, mood and prismatic light effects will be strongly emphasized. Beginning and advanced students will benefit from individualized attention. This one-day workshop is appropriate for painters of all levels. Those new to oil painting are especially welcome. A brief portrait painting demonstration will be offered at the beginning of the workshop. For more information please visit www.dianakgibson.com

Landscape Plein Air Workshop - Oil Painting with the DuMond Palette

2010-04-02T09:52:00.009-04:00

Landscape Plein Air Workshop
Oil Painting with the DuMond Palette

Instructor - Diana K. Gibson

Saturday, May 1, 2010
(alternate rain date: May 15, 2010)

8AM to 12PM

Location: The Skylands NJ Botanical Gardens, Ringwood, NJ.

Workshop Description:
This workshop is ideal for those familiar with the DuMond landscape palette and for those who wish to be introduced to a prismatic landscape palette. Students will paint on location in the plein air tradition at the scenic beautiful gardens of the Skylands NJBG. Study of the progression of light, creating depth, massing, values, planes, atmospheric and prismatic light effects will be strongly emphasized. A brief demonstration will be offered. A one on one concise lecture of the philosophies behind the DuMond landscape palette will be available to those interested. Beginning and advanced students will benefit from individualized attention. This half-day workshop is appropriate for painters of all levels of skill. Those new to oil painting are especially welcome. For more information please visit www.dianakgibson.com

Oil Painting Workshop - Painting Brass & Copper

2010-02-25T10:22:00.021-05:00

Diana K. Gibson- Oil Painting Workshop

Painting Brass and Copper

Sunday, March 14, 2010 10AM to 4PM
Snow date, March 21, 2010

Ridgewood Art Institute
12 East Glen Ave.
Ridgewood, NJ 07450

The workshop will take place in the north lit west studio of the RAI. The class will start with a brief discussion about how to approach the north lit subjects. How to use a prismatic palette will be discussed in detail. Students will have their choice of several different brass and copper still life setups to paint from. Study of massing, values, edges, atmosphere, mood and prismatic light effects will be strongly emphasized. A brief demonstration will be offered. Bring your lunch. Kitchen facilities are located on site.

More details:
Learn how to make metal luminous! Working from life, students will be taught to simplify and compose a still life painting through the usage of form, composition, color, perspective, planes, and light. How to use a prismatic palette will be discussed in detail. Study of massing, values, relationships, edges, progression, atmosphere, mood and prismatic light effects will be strongly emphasized. Students will have their choice of several different north-lit brass and copper still life setups to paint from. Beginning and advanced students will benefit from individualized attention. This one day workshop is appropriate for painters of all levels of skill. Those new to oil painting are especially welcome. A supply list is available.

For more information visit the artist's website: www.dianakgibson.com

Recent Projects

2009-10-15T15:48:00.014-04:00

This is a photo of my latest endeavor, a still life. It took quite a bit of time to arrange the objects but it took much longer to set up the lighting.

Artist's Model

2009-10-06T01:29:00.005-04:00

Just recently I had the pleasure to sit for a portrait painting class. Sitting for the class reminded me of my beginnings in the art field. Before I began painting I was a portrait model. The transition from portrait model to art student to artist seemed only natural. This transition ultimately changed my life and enriched it beyond measure. Here are some pictures taken after the portrait painting class. The garb that I am wearing is a dress that was picked up by a relative who was on a business trip in Sinai, Egypt. I was told that the dress was made by one woman who constructed the dress and embroidered it by hand. The estimated time frame to complete such a dress was approximately two weeks. The dress is rare and is over 20 years old. The jewelry pieces are antiques from the Sinai and India.

Quick Tips to Push Depth in a Painting

2009-08-24T22:47:00.001-04:00

Some quick tips that I offer to my students in regard to creating further distance in their landscape paintings are as follows:

COMPOSITION:

*Look for the ellipses in the landscape and translate them upon the canvas. The ellipses help to create movement and draws the viewers' eye through the picture.

*Be aware of scale and perspective. Contrast and compare the shape and scale of the objects. Things get smaller as they recede into the distance. Think about how much of the sky will appear in the picture. By merely raising or lowering the horizon line, one can shift the perspective creating more or less depth within the painting.

*Be cognizant of any kind of repetition that maybe occurring within the painting. We may sometimes be unaware of the consistent repetitive shapes or equally spaced out items we are creating. Shapes and spacing are quite varied in nature and are not as systematic as we sometimes unconsciously portray them. Constantly observe, compare your work to the landscape and be honest about what you see in your work by comparison to the landscape.

*Determine where the point of focus will be. Consider positioning the highest light a third in and a third up on the canvas.

TO PUSH THE DISTANCE:

*Reserve the foreground for the darkest accent. By having a dark in the immediate foreground it will help to push the distance in the picture. A dark accent in the middle or far picture plane will instantly collapse the illusion of depth.

*Sunlight values remain consistent through out the picture however as sunlight objects recede into the distance they lose their local color.

*Shadow values vary. Shadows in the immediate foreground are darker and generally have more local color. As shadows recede into the distance they get lighter and bluer (blue-gray or blue violet.)

*Be mindful of the illuminating source, the sky. The sky may exhibit variations in color and is not always one solid color of blue. Skies are prone to having atmosphere therefore should be examined for subtle differences of the spectrum. The sky nearest to the sun will be brightest and perhaps lightest. The atmospheric sky furthest away in the distance may have subtle variations and may appear less blue. Look to see if you can see the spectrum and indicate as such. Always examine that sky!

*Pushing the distance in the sky is also about the clouds. Sunlight clouds in the furthest picture plane may appear to have a touch of red in their "white tops" and their shadow bottoms may appear at times to blend into the background sky.

*Emphasis of texture generally is placed upon the objects in the foreground while texture generally becomes more subtle and less noticeable in objects in the distance.

*Treatment of edges and line. The more solid the edges and lines appear, the more the objects appear closer. The softer edges and lines appear, the more the objects appear to recede.

*Lastly, never give up. Be indefatigable. Landscape painting is humbling and unquestionably it presents its challenges. It is not always easy to paint and perhaps it is not meant to be easy. It is the struggle that makes us better painters. In time with much practice and direct observation from nature, one shall improve and ultimately triumph.

Recent Plein Aire works from Maine

2009-08-19T18:55:00.003-04:00

A Sunrise Painting Tale

2009-08-18T10:40:00.012-04:00

Above are pictures depicting mixing colors. These colors were pre-mixed with the intent to paint a sunrise. The palette was prepared the night before and a dark toned panel was selected. My gear was readied and awaited the morning. The start to my day went a little differently than planned. At 4:30 AM the house woke to two cats hissing and growling outside in the yard below. Being up earlier than planned afforded time to watch the very early dawn of the day. The sky was still dark but there were tell tale signs that the sun was soon to rise. Quick preparations and a short walk down the road, my gear was set up and I stood waiting for the magical moment for when the sun would break over the horizon. Knowing speed is critical for painting a sunrise, the land masses were massed in and I anticipated the sky to burst into color. I glanced over my shoulder to track the progress of the sun in the sky when I noticed a cloud bank moving up towards the sun. In the distance a large bank of fog was visible. The first light of the day started to illuminate the sky overhead and a very very faint glow of rosy pink touched upon the wispy clouds in the distance. Then it happened. The fog moved inland and shrouded the sun. The plan to paint a sunrise was disappearing in the fog! I frantically painted in the water and the sky before everything was lost behind a veil of moisture. In a matter of minutes the fog enveloped the bay and obscured everything from view. The painting session was probably about 20 minutes or so and I was thankful that I had taken the time to prepare my palette etc. The preparation helped me to paint quickly. To be candid I was a bit disappointed to not have painted a glowing sunrise but on the other hand I was happy to have experienced such a unique moment something that I may have not seen otherwise. It is moments like these that stay with you and make for an interesting tale. An image of the painting from that morning is below.

Recent Landscape en plein aire

2009-08-06T17:10:00.006-04:00

Getting outside to paint en plein aire this summer has really been a challenge since the majority of this summer has been subject to much heavy rainfall. This piece was actually started on a misty rainy day and was worked on over a period of a few days. In the past my plein aire work was completed in one session however lately I have taken a different approach and have started to work on the same piece over a span of a few days. That means I start a picture and then return to the same site at the same time of day under the same lighting conditions until I consider the painting finished. This new approach has been beneficial for me because I have learned considerably more through intensive direct observation. I have also taken a new approach in modifying my palette in hopes to create more saturated naturalistic vibrant colors.

Recent Work in Progress

2009-08-06T16:43:00.005-04:00

This still life is currently in progress and it is my first endeavor to truly break away and do something quite different from my past work. Instead of pounding away at a piece and trying to finish it alla prima, I have slowed down considerably on this one and have taken much more time to analyze the subject and painting. The finished painting turned out pretty well if I may say so myself. :)

Essential don't forget items for Plein Air Artists

2009-07-02T17:18:00.009-04:00

Ever become a tasty snack for a swarm of hungry biting insects and wish you had some bug spray? Ouch! How about having a sopping brush and realizing you forgot your roll of towels or rags or better yet you set up your pochade box and go for your paints only to realize you left them next to your easel at home? Maybe some of you are nodding your head and chuckling and know too well what I am relating. Sometimes forgetting supplies can be just down right frustrating though the forgetfulness does make for some good jokes and story telling. But the lack of efficiency can take away from constructive painting time, which is no joke. Through years of plein air painting experience I have learned to carry some extra supplies on hand because I have had those days where I in my haste I forgot something at the house or left it along the side of the driveway. So to prepare for those inevitable opps duh moments, I keep the following plein air staples in the trunk of my car:

Bug repellant (seasonal)

Hat (Wide brimmed-Summer & knit-Winter)

Gloves (seasonal)

Bag of cut up rags

Extra canvas panels

Small box of spare paints/palette

Spare brushes

These supplies have come in hand quite a few times and I can definitely say they have saved me time, energy and sanity. :) If you have some interesting fun tales to tell about your oops duh moments, I would love to hear them! Happy painting!

Recent Work

2009-06-19T15:36:00.004-04:00

Here are some images of some work that I have on my easels. The majority are finished with the exception of the painting of the garden statue. I hope to finish it soon, perhaps when it stops raining and steady sunshine prevails!!!

Follow up.....JCAS Cranford Artist Studio Tour

2009-06-19T14:03:00.008-04:00

Well it has been a little while since I participated in the Cranford Artist Studio Tour and it would be remiss of me not to chat about my experience! I must say I had an awesome time! Many cheerful and supportive patrons of the arts poured out onto the streets to check out what Cranford had to offer. The drizzly rain did not hinder the fans of the fine arts nor we visiting plein air painters! Myself and Eleinne Basa were the plein air painters demonstrating plein air painting techniques, explaining about the easels we used, the colors on our palettes, and explaining exactly what is plein air painting, etc. I was absolutely delighted to meet the public and to meet fellow artists. I was extremely touched by the support of my students who showed up and remained with me for the entirety of the event. There was an energy that was positive and supportive and the buzz that was created from this event left me feeling very happy. I would like to recognize Deborah Leber and Paul Casale for inviting me to participate in the Cranford Artist Studio Tour. They did a fabulous professional job and I thank them so much for offering this opportunity to me! I would also like to recognize the super team of volunteers who were so helpful and polite to us visiting plein air artists. They set up a wonderful sheltered area for Eleinne and myself to display our work and to retreat to from the rain. Many many thanks! I wish them the best of success in launching their vision of locating a building in downtown Cranford to house artist working studios. Their hope is to have such a place for artists to work, sell, teach and interact with each other. This is for many artists a dream and I hope they succeed! Cheers JCAS!

More updates soon!

2009-06-16T22:20:00.013-04:00

Hi out there to you all in blogger world! It has been quite a long time since I have updated my blog and I promise to get some new images uploaded as soon as possible! This Spring has proved to be a rainy one and the Summer looks to be a continuation of the Spring, wet and rainy. The rain has been an hinderance to plein air painting, however I have managed to get out there and do some work. So please check back soon to view my latest work and read some of my painting tales! Cheers!

Paint in the Date - Cranford, NJ!

2009-04-14T17:02:00.015-04:00

This Spring offers exciting events which I am happy to share with you! This year I was invited to participate in the Cranford's Artist Open Studio Tour 2009! Artists' home studios together with local businesses hosting visiting artists will provide the venues for exhibitions of painting, photography, stain glass and more! Between the hours of 12 and 5 PM some of Cranford NJ's very best fine artists as well as visiting artists will welcome you into their studios and work locations. Whether it is a Cranford artist or a visiting artist, they will guide you through their creative process. See works in progress, finished pieces and demonstrations during this self guided tour. Artwork will be available for purchase. Please come join me at the Cranford Artists' Open Studio tour scheduled for Sunday, May 17 12 to 5 PM! Advance ticket purchases are available. For further information please visit Cranford Artists' Open Studio Tour.

"Bold as Brass"

2009-04-06T15:14:00.007-04:00

This painting is done, finally! :) "Bold as Brass" 16 x 12. It needs a good frame and soon will be ready to take to the gallery. Another all brass painting will be executed shortly, so stay tuned for new images!

Works in Progress

2009-04-01T13:03:00.006-04:00

These are a few pieces that are in different stages of completion. The top plein air piece needs another afternoon out in the field. The weather lately has been overcast and rainy. I am hopeful that the weather will break this weekend and I am crossing my fingers that similar if not identical lighting conditions will return!

Drawing-Returning to the Basics

2009-03-16T17:50:00.008-04:00

Recently I rediscovered drawing and it has been a delight to return to the basics! As of late plaster life casts have been the focus of study and they are wonderful to learn from. If anything that I have learned from my drawing foray and I say foray cheekily, is that one must really understand not only how to create linear elements but also know how to model and shape through a multitude of black and white values. I now have a broader understanding and a greater appreciation of just how difficult drawing can be and in some cases some drawings can require as much time to execute as a painting!

American Artist Showcase Your State NJ Winners

2009-03-03T20:24:00.022-05:00

The results are in and I am happy to announce that I am one of five finalists for the American Artist Showcase Your State: New Jersey plein air competition! To view the American Artist on-line article just click on this link -> "Showcase Your State: New Jersey Winners." Thanks to all of you for your support and vote of confidence! :) Congrats to the other finalists! You rock!

FINALIST #5: DIANA K. GIBSON (from Ringwood, New Jersey)

Springtime in the NJ Highlands

by Diana K. Gibson, 2006, oil, 18 x 14

In the Words of the Artist: "The New Jersey Botanical Garden (NJBG), in Ringwood, New Jersey, is one of my favorite places to paint in the spring. Each spring a week prior to the bloom, I drive through the NJBG observing the buds on the cherry blossom trees. Often, the buds show no signs of blooming. Then, as if by magic, the buds burst into flower overnight and within a week drop their petals. I was walking about the gardens looking for a subject to paint when I spied the blossom tree. The backlighting was simply captivating and was a perfect study of light. For this painting I used a medium-gray-toned panel. I began by massing in the shadows strategically, allowing for some of the tone of the panel to show through. Next the sky was blocked in, and then the light areas were massed. I then applied the tree trunks and added the silvery highlights on the shrubs and grass. After adding the darkest shadow accent and finishing the highlights on the cherry blossom tree the painting's atmospheric light effect was solidified."

Stretching Canvas

2009-02-21T23:34:00.015-05:00

Stretching your own canvas has its benefits. You are able to create unusual sizes that you would not find elsewhere as most pre-stretched canvases are standard sizes. You also have the luxury of stripping your canvas from the stretchers and recycling the stretcher bars for another painting. Stretching canvas takes a little time, some patience a wee bit of hand strength. To stretch your own canvas you will need some supplies such as a roll of canvas, stretcher bars, canvas pliers, staple gun, staples, sharp pair of scissors and a small awl. Start by putting together your wooden stretcher bars being sure that they are aligned perfectly. A T-square can be used to check this. Once the stretcher bars are assembled, lay out your roll of canvas on a flat clean surface. It is rather important that you do not crease or wrinkle the canvas. With a sharp pair of scissors cut around the stretcher bars giving yourself at least two inch border from the bars to the edge of the canvas.

Lay your canvas primed side down and place your stretchers on the back of the canvas. Take one side of the canvas with your canvas pliers, pull and staple the canvas to the stretcher bar. Rotate and do the same to the opposite side. Then systematically pull and staple the canvas to the stretchers. Be sure to keep the canvas taut as you staple. Before long you will have a nicely taut stretched canvas.

If for any reason you see some buckling in the canvas you can take your small awl and extract some of the staples and re-stretch and staple again. Finishing the corners is a nice touch. It helps to keep the corners nice and neat and prevents any excess canvas from bunching up under a frame.

Tubing Your Own Colors

2009-02-14T23:31:00.014-05:00

When I first started painting my teacher introduced me to tubing colors. Being a new student I did not quite understand the benefits of tubing my own colors and thought the mixing and tubing process to be fun while being labor intensive. Later on when I put those tubed colors to use did I realized just how beneficial it was to have an abundant supply of color on hand readily available. There was no longer the need to be constantly mixing up color hither and thither. All I had to do was reach into my paint box, open a tube of color, squeeze out some paint onto my palette and start painting. Now I am introducing the concept of tubing colors to my students. It is a great kick to watch them take out their supply of empty paint tubes, pigments, palette knives and see the amazement on their faces as the pigments get swirled together into large toffee colored mounds of paint that morph into flesh tones that rival makeup foundation products.

When I proposed the idea of mixing and tubing flesh tones to my student Kay, she jumped right at the opportunity. The series of photographs show her mixing and tubing and occasionally yours truly is shown giving a hand with the work.

Toning Canvas-Simple Steps

2009-02-14T23:14:00.006-05:00

Over the years many of my students have asked me how to tone a canvas. Often I would verbally explain how to prepare the canvas but found it was simply better to actually physically take a canvas, prepare the tone and demonstrate the process. Today my student Kay was at the studio and had some canvas she wanted to tone. I took the opportunity to show her the process and thankfully I had my camera on hand to document the simple steps of toning a canvas.

Start with clean stretched canvas. Lay it on a flat steady surface be it a floor or a large table. Using your palette or taboret, mix up a batch of neutral color. The amount of paint mixed will depend on the size of your canvas or the quantity of canvas you are planning to prepare.

Taking your palette knife, scoop up some of the mixed paint and gently smear it across the canvas. Then taking a clean rag, pour some odorless turpenoid onto the rag and gently push the rag over the surface of the canvas making sure not to push too hard on the canvas.

If the paint is not thinning out enough, add a little bit of the turpenoid directly to the canvas surface. The paint should thin out quickly and will become very fluid. Continue to gently sweep across the canvas with your rag in circular motions paying mind to cover the white of the canvas with the tone. The final product will be a canvas that is "stained" with a wash of color. Allow it to dry and use as needed.

Understanding the DuMond palette-A brief tutorial

2009-02-12T14:28:00.039-05:00

Many of my students ask me, "what is this palette that you are teaching me?" To which I reply "a palette that my teacher's teacher's teacher developed some time ago long before you and I were born." Of course this explanation fetches some curious looks, but in truth, the palette has been handed down through the generations from teacher to student. Fortunately it was handed down to me and happily I am handing it down to a future generation of aspiring artists.

At first glance, the prismatic palette appears to be of a complex nature with many colors. As shown above it proffers an array of a multitude of manufactured and premixed colors laid out in strings according to values. The top string of colors are manufactured pigments ranging from white, yellow, orange, red, blue, and black. The rest of the palette is comprised of pre-mixed colors in eight equal steps of light gray to dark gray, eight equal steps of light blue to dark blue and eight equal steps of light yellow green to dark neutral green. When I first started painting I was immediately introduced to the palette and to be quite frank, I was unsure as to how to use it. But when it was explained to me that the steps correlate to the values seen outdoors was I then able to begin to understand the palette. Perhaps you are wondering about the steps and their usage, therefore allow me to briefly explain. Mind you I will only be chipping at the surface of an iceberg of information.

Looking at the palette identify the first several light steps be it within the gray, blue or green string. These light steps will fall immediately below the yellow colors on the top row. In theory, the first several steps could be utilized to convey flat plane sunlight and upright sunlight values. These light values are also known as "high key." Now locate the darker steps located immediately beneath the red colors. In theory, these steps could be utilized to convey flat plane shadow and upright shadow values. These darker values are also known as "low key." Those steps that lay between the "high key" and "low key" are known as the "middle key" and can be used in proximity to the lights or shadows and even perhaps worked into the light or shadow values. Often times when teaching my students the palette, I use the analogy of a music scale. There are notes and octaves. Individual steps are likened to notes. The "high key" is comparable to the octave above middle C, the "middle key" is comparable to middle C and the "low key" is comparable to the octave below middle C. In essence, the palette is set up in such a way to facilitate the student to target the steps thus giving the student the advantage of studying not only the appropriate controlled color values but also the key of a picture.

Perhaps aside from values one of the most important lessons that I try to impress upon my students is the study of prismatic light. Frank Vincent DuMond was purported to have said, "Silently glowing over this whole landscape is a rainbow. You must learn to see it. It is there always, and if you can get hold of that, you have something worth going after." Essentially he is saying that for the keen eye of the artist, the colors of the rainbow are everywhere and it is our job to find them and use them. And believe me, the colors are there.

Another truly exciting facet of the DuMond palette is its ability to aid the artist to create atmospheric prismatic paintings. I could go on further to elaborate however in order for one to truly comprehend and appreciate the beauty of the palette one really should study it under the guidance of a painting teacher who is knowledgeable of DuMond's painting principles and theories.

In summary, I have found the palette to be a great tool because it helps to simplify the understanding of value and color relationships especially for those new students studying landscape painting. The palette may seem like a formula however it is not but instead offers controls where a student can start and return to as needed. Those of us who study this palette are very fortunate to be bestowed with such a gift.

Published in AMERICAN ARTIST magazine

2009-02-12T10:37:00.011-05:00

AMERICAN ARTIST magazine showcased one of my works to announce their on-line plein air painting contest Showcase Your State. The painting "Springtime in the NJ Highlands" can be found in the February 2009 edition of AMERICAN ARTIST magazine.

Alla Prima Preparation Demonstration

2009-02-10T22:46:00.016-05:00

Sometimes I find that setting up a still life is the most complicated part of painting. Trying to find the right combination of textures, colors, surfaces etc. can drive me bats. Then there is the composition. For whatever reason I have a tendency to keep my compositions simple. Perhaps there is beauty in simplicity, who knows. Well once all of the still life objects are set up and a pleasing composition is arrived upon, I work to set up the easel. A toned linen canvas is placed upon the easel and the palette is prepared. Time is taken to prepare the palette and as you can see in the pictures, lots of paint is mixed. After the palette is prepped, a rough sketch is made upon the canvas and once the drawing is place then the painting process begins.

Still Life Alla Prima Demonstration

2009-02-10T20:58:00.004-05:00

Alla prima is a painting technique that means "at first." An artist completes a painting in one sitting. This grouping of photos shows how I start an alla prima painting. I first prepare my palette by laying out the colors according to their value (degree of lightness or darkness.) Once the colors are laid out I start to mix piles of colors. These piles of color help me to cover the canvas quickly. I always make it a point to take the ten minutes to prepare my palette ensuring that I always have enough prepared mixed pigment available. Time is of the essence and I find more time is lost trying to remix or reclaim a particular mixture of colors. Ergo, the desire for a prepared palette. The painting is started with a rudimentary drawing. Thereafter with a loaded brush, the shadows are massed followed by the addition of the light masses. I am extremely careful to keep my shadow brushes separate from my light brushes. That is a few brushes are strictly designated for painting the lights (bright values) and several brushes are solely for painting the shadows (dark values.) The separation of the brushes helps to prevent any cross contamination that may occur from dark colored values going into light colored values and vice versa. This strategy almost guarantees that the lights and darks remain pure and clean giving the painting that "juicy, rich" quality. The painting is developed further by merging the shadow areas with the light areas or half-toning. A clean soft bristle brush is used for this. Careful blending creates an atmospheric appearance within the background and within the objects. After the light masses and shadow masses are completed, more details are added and ultimately the painting is finished within a few hours. Before the picture is "complete" I check up on the values of the painting making sure that the darkest darks are applied and that the highest light is at the appropriate value. After a final check on the symmetry of the vase I smooth out and soften edges in strategic areas while tightening up in other areas. This I call the lost edge-found edge game. Once all of this appears to be in place then do I call the painting "finished."