Reflections on Design

   One of the most interesting yet challenging things to me is to get interesting shapes(a good design), when we are working in the workshops we do some things to see what each students particular struggle is, design value or color. We all struggle with one,my real tough one is shapes, color is my easiest. I wish it was reversed, why? Because people see the shapes first, and I have always tried to convince myself, that isn't true. It is amazing how we will avoid the truth, even when we know it. Abad design and the painting will almost always fail.
   If you think you are good at shapes, do some value studies and redesign the shapes several times, try to paint an interesting tree, rock pile, or set of clouds. Make them up if you are used to copying from photos. High level artists seem to paint in shapes from shadow, light and mid tones, so subject matter becomes almost irrelevant, that keeps everything exciting no matter what you are painting. Which keeps you motivated, thus painting, thus you are always getting better.
   Here is a painting I painted a while back. because I love yellow trees.  I would change a few things now( mostly shapes), but I would do that in all my paintings. Be grateful you can see the changes you would make now and don't cringe at your earlier paintings. Revel in your learning. Heading to teach in St Simons, the plein air season really begins, exciting.

   Next time more comparisons of paintings trying to make them better I hope. There is one thing I think would be helpful for sure. Will explain next week after this workshop.
 

Creativity , Being Loose, Latest Research

Wow, We always try to work hard in our workshops yet, break, play music, and have joy in the workshops, even paint for the trashcan, now the latest research supports all of this, please check out this article in the Wall Street Journal "THE SATURDAY ESSAY March 9, 2012, 7:07 p.m. ET How To Be Creative
The image of the 'creative type' is a myth. Jonah Lehrer on why anyone can innovate—and why a hot shower, a cold beer or a trip to your colleague's desk might be the key to your next big idea."

   
     I love all my students and some are achieving really great things, and others seem to be really growing, it is important to revel in the learning and not become too frustrated. Here are a few pictures of a few of my workshop classes this past year, sorry I don't have all of you. Check out the Oil Painters of the South, with their fake mustaches. Martha Lynne has great skits and Daly is the one pretending like he is my brother. Gaze at the hysterical painting they said I painted of the Tetons. My very best to ALL my students.
     Two great lines for us all "You are where you are, and you will only get more when you are ready." "Small incremental growth is better than great failure."
   

Clouds From Small to Large

     One of the things we try to work on in the Advanced Accelerated Growth Workshops is being able to creatively design , so you can handle moving clouds when outside and rearrange nature into a better design. This is one of the advantages of painting anything moving in plein air. It forces you to leave your photo or any other crutch behind. Eventually you will be able to paint anything while the subject matter is moving.
     I usually try to improve on the larger painting in design, values and color transitions, hopefully these decisions improve the painting.
     The pieces above went from a 12 by 16 to a 24 by 36. You will see I completely redesigned the lower beach, dunes and water. In addition I softened values in the clouds to get them to float better and also redesigned them. The color I lowered the separation between cools and warms to try to create a stronger harmony. Hopefully the painting got better. So you know by now which is the 24 by 36. The smaller piece has a nice home and the larger one heads to a gallery this week.
   I am in the process of preparing for my St. Simons Island Workshop through Andersen Gallery so I am working on lots of skies. My next posts will involve these and some plein air from the workshop and the trip.
   I am also looking at scheduling some mentoring sessions in my studio in Atlanta.
It is important to me to revel in the learning, to make it an enjoyable learning process, I have learned making learning enjoyable is a key to learning more regularly and being more creative, thus growing and stretching. Over stretching creates frustration and under stretching creates boredom.

     My very best, Bill
   

KEEPING FRUSTRATION AT BAY

   I love the seriousness of entering tough national competitions and real striving to get better all the time, but I also notice too much of anything tears down desire, joy to live and creativity. You need leisure to enjoy life, have energy , be at your best and be creative. I just watched three different workshop classes and the hardest thing to get them to do was to break from their paintings, yet when they did the always saw better and made better decisions.
   What great artists and students I always seem lucky to have, and when I notice a dip in attitude, we have a 1.5 hour session where we just go for it. I call it "painting for the trash can" , cause the result is unpredictable yet you  loosen up feel joy and feel freer.
  I read somewhere "An emotional response is what will give a piece of art a unique quality." It never ceases to amaze me how different one paints after a painting trip to a new area or a workshop. Being technically good is needed, adding the emotion, that moved you to paint in the first place makes them sing. I love energy and texture in paintings. Some brush, some palette knife , a combo of both, a freedom to use all the tools. Most artists also seem to love a fresh , energetic painting, that just seemed as if it just flowed off the brush.
 Maybe more will be in our future, till than I try to appreciate the love of paints and their application, although it doesn't always work. Here are a couple of fun pieces I enjoyed. I would always change a few things, but it may kill the energy.
   My many thanks to all my workshop attendees.

Plein Air to Finished Piece

This is the finished piece, I think it is better than the below piece, I primarily made the foreground rocks simpler and stronger, I think this really helped. Shifted the rock values between the front and mountains to create more depth. Eliminated some of the rock holes between the trees, shifted the upper mountains and did I think better work in the clouds. To me seeing the progression explains the thought process, regardless of the rightness of the decision.

This was my plein air piece, not my best effort and I found it in my pile of not so goods, but on second look the concept and arrangement of shapes looked interesting so my jumping off point.

We will start looking at some simpler scenes in other blogs that don't have such grandeur, hope this is of some benefit to someone, my best , Bill

Small to Larger Paintings

                    40 by 30

                    16 by 12

 

   I just finished the 40 by 30 and am too close to it, and it may need some shifts. But I am curious if any of you have a preference and why?  Please feel free to email if you like at bdstudios@mac.com. This is the situation where the study was gone , something not advisable. It always seems easier with the study to match to the colors and values. I believe the shape, separation, and atmospheric recession are better in the larger one. The color of the real paintings is not as different as in these photos. It seems you resolve 80% of issues in the smaller, yet logically we should than be able to improve in the larger. Better thought out shapes, more transitions, and resolution of some of the remaining 20% hopefully but we all know we crash and burn sometimes, cest la vie.

   Art is challenging yet the process should also give pleasure and meaning. Thanks to all no matter where you are in your process. I heard a great quote unfortunately I can't quote the source, sorry. An advanced artist said "I thought it would get easier", and the reply was "it did , you just raised your expectations." 

   Maybe we should realize we must be joyful where we are, as we will never arrive fully, we are always in growth. 

   Will be comparing 2 paintings of the same scene and what maybe helped improve one over the other in the next few posts . Thank You

BEST MOTIVATING ART QUESTIONS FOR 2012

  

               Some of the Kelleys

     FIRST, my thanks and gratefulness for the beauty of art, and all artists that create for the benefit of us all, past teachers and those who have advanced or helped, great friends, wonderful students, and warm family. 

     My greatest teachers always helped me kindle my joy fire for what makes me feel alive and living in awe. Too much discipline is rigidity and stifles creation.

     The greatest motivating questions for all artists: WHAT DO YOU REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, LOVE TO PAINT AND HOW WOULD YOU REALLY LOVE FOR YOUR PAINTINGS TO LOOK?

     Play with these questions throughout the year and get a little better every week. All real change occurs in small increments most of the time. Find your joy in life and art and enjoy your advances only by measuring against yourself. Wishing all a joyful New Year.