The Secret Life of the Artist, part 7

Along with the Rembrandt and Rubens paintings I had in the "Influences" show at The Next Picture Show Gallery, I had this painting which is my copy of Frank Tenney Johnson's (no relation) "Somewhere on the Range". I apologize if it's not totally in focus. This is 30" X 36", a large canvas which I did back around 1977 or so. Now, here comes the "Secret Life" connection: Why does one do this copying anyhow? While I was in art school I wanted to make up for years of not doing much art. When I was a kid I would draw, but didn't keep that up. As a result I felt like I was behind and needed to make up for years of neglect. How to learn a lot in a short time. As I said before, Mr. Eugene Hall, my oil painting teacher, told me to copy the masters. I took it to another level. Besides copying Rembrandt, Rubens, Vermeer and others, I wanted to learn additional techinques that you don't really see in a Vermeer (although you do in Rembrandt). So I started copying FT Johnson for his thick paint and scumbling. I think you can see in the lower right especially, the thick paint scumbled that opens up another dimension on the canvas, kind of a sculptural look. Art school began me on a plan: I worked with the portrait and figure at school. At home I worked on portraits, then figures, multiple figures, figures with animals and finally maany figures and many animals --- see Frederik Remington's "Cavalry Charge on the Southern Plains" which I also copied --- always trying to get more complication and challenge. So now all these many years later I have found my own place: a portrait and Midwest landscape painter, watercolorist, pastellist and pencil artist. My last show, Barns & Farms, at The Next Picture Show Gallery garnered me a 3rd place ribbon and some nice compliments from the judge -- "painting mastery".

The Secret Life of the Artist part 6

As I mentioned in the last posting, I have three paintings in the "Farms & Barns" show. If you, as a painter, enter a show, know who the judge is. Is your judge a painter or an "Art Major"? It takes a painter to understand what a painter is getting at in their work. Some art history people can paint, but painters have their own knowledge of art history -- and painting. Now, I appreciate art history and educators, but a painter is one who learns to "see" and create in a way that sitting at a desk behind a book doesn't. A painter learns to read, study and process painting by painting, artist by artist. What comes out on a canvas has a whole history of study behind it: looking at artists of every period asking how did they paint this, what colors did they use in this situation or that, what brushwork expressed their thought and seeing, what composition did they use? Anyhow ----- I did receive a ribbon and a check for my painting "Farm at Honey Creek". The judge/painter knew what I was getting at in my work. And, yes, I've been skunked several times when the judge was not a painter -- and I'm not the only one who thought that they had picked amateur work over better work. All that being said, this entry has a picture of my palette that I use at home as a way of saying that this is where it all begins: this is where the artist works with his colors and his brushwork to bring the thoughts and feelings out on the canvas after hours and hours of study and practice.

copies of Rubens and Rembrandt

The "Influences" show ended at The Next Picture Show Gallery last week. Before I loaded these and two others into my car I took this photo of my Rubens "Two Satyrs" and Rembrandt's "Saskia" as they were hung on the wall. My old oil painting instructor, Eugene Hall, encouraged me to do some copies of the Masters to learn. And learn I did. I've done a good number of copies, but stopped doing that about 25 years ago. Now I just do my own thing of course, but the lessons I learned doing these and learning to really look were all important. By the way....Eugene Hall is the person who tagged me with the nickname "Slim". It comes from a mutual interest in all things Cowboy. Unfortunately these did not sell, so they will go back into the studio, perhaps never to see the light of day again. On to the next show which is another Farms and Barns show at NPS Gallery for the month of September and part of October.

Old Train Station at Berkley Springs, WV

Train stations.....there are a lot of interesting old ones out there. (Not here...they tear down all the good old ones in the big city.) I remember a lot of really nice ones taking a train trip from Boston through Connecticut and New York on the way to Washington, DC. This particular station I found on a trip to Virginia. My wife and I stopped for the night after a particularly long drive. We used the GPS to find a motel. The GPS sent us back a few miles out of Maryland and into West Virginia to a small town, Berkley Springs. We looked at their antique stores and had dinner. Getting up the next morning and on the road, this was the scene I saw about 7 AM -- the light cutting across the scene at a low angle. I goofed up the picture I shot of the movie theater in the town "The Star" or I'd have drawn that too. This is graphite -- 6B pencil -- on paper. If I remember right, I did a watercolor of this scene but didn't like it. I've done several scenes in oil or watercolor, even pastel and done them again in another medium. Try it -- you'll like it. I will be trying to get this into a show called "Shades of Gray" coming up in November.

Down time

This is a pencil drawing (or am I supposed to say "graphite" to sound more professional) I did in a small art class I teach while the others are busy. It's done with a 6B, my favorite. Sometimes I like to go back and not have to deal with color and surface texture and just draw. This is a scene from along the road in Wisconsin on Highway 12 near Cambridge (east of Madison). I've done a large painting of this marsh and these are just a stand of trees near the road just a few feet from the water's edge.

Gas Depot

This is a little watercolor study (that looks a lot better in person) that I did the day after the Superdawg picture. The gas station sits across the street from the woods at the edge of the city. I spent less than an hour on it and sat in the car as I worked.

Superdawg

This is a small plein air watercolor I did this morning. The place is Superdawg, and has been at Milwaukee Avenue and Devon for many years. The two hot dogs are the main feature, although they do have service that will bring your hot dogs to the car. There may be other places you prefer to get hot dogs, but this one has the edge in architecture. I spent about 30 minutes or less on this -- although I did not check the clock. The scene was lit from behind by the morning sun. On another tack....I have four paintings in the "Influences" show at The Next Picture Show Gallery in Dixon, Illinois. There was (disappointingly) a small turnout. The four paintings I did in the late 1970s and literally had to blow the dust off of them. I've never had any of them in a show before and it was good to see them hanging on a wall -- gave the gallery a museum-like look of the old masters. I will try to remember to take pictures later -- I fogot to bring the camera to the show. I am getting ready for two upcoming shows -- so matting and framing and creating some new work too.