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| "Apple Bouquet" Oil on Canvas 12x12x1.5" Available Here |
I was happy that the class wanted to see me paint using my "color wash technique' and "the sauce". This technique was adapted from what I learned studying with Ovanes Barbarian. I washed in the underpainting with this thin wash, and followed with the opaque layer while leaving a lot of the underpainting showing through. This makes for a loose and glowy painting.
For this piece, I textured the canvas with gesso and then varnished it. The varnish helps a little to keep the paint from being sucked into the gesso, leaving a nice surface for the brush.
The Concept
I spent a lot of time the day before the demo setting up the still life. I started with a lot more flowers and fruit. I kept moving things around and ended up removing most everything until I could find inspiration. I also changed the lighting around a lot. After each change I used my view catcher to see if there was something special about what I seeing.
It wasn't until I removed most everything and simplified the set up that I found the concept. The concept is what the painting will be about. It is what you want to say. This is an important part of painting, but it takes time.
For me it was years really, until I understood this. My brain just wanted to see things. A concept is not usually a thing. It is an idea that you are attracted to. It is what you love about what is in front of you. It can be about the time of day, the mood or a story, balance, imbalance or almost anything. It is the emotional content of the painting. Perhaps it will help to read a few quotes:
A painting is good not because it looks like something but rather because it feels like something. (Phil Dike)
Never lose the first impression which has moved you. (Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot)
A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art. (Paul Cezanne)
I want to touch people with my art. I want them to say, 'he feels deeply, he feels tenderly.' (Vincent Van Gogh)
For this piece, by the time I finally saw something that I liked a lot, I had removed a lot of the clutter. Once you feel inspired you know you have a concept. Then, you must identify it and name it. So here I wanted to describe the beautiful shadow shapes in front of me. The concept was the simple and lyrical shape of the middle value shadow shapes. I went into it hoping to communicate this idea. The idea came while I was looking through the view catcher.
Although I rarely get the result that I imagine through my visual inspiration, I feel good about the fact that I can now find inspiration through "concept". It's progress right? I will just keep at it, that's all we can do. It's the journey ya know?
So, go ahead and give this idea a try. Ruminate on what your concept will be, and what you want to say. Keep at it and you are bound to get good at getting closer to saying what inspires you, and the viewer will know it when this happens. The painting will communicate to the viewer and he/she will get the concept, even if it is subliminal. This is a good thing!
