How To Succeed As An Artist
July 15, 2008
How To Succeed As An Artist
The meaning of “success as an artist” is probably as varied as the number of people who consider themselves artists. While not every artist would define success as gaining a foothold in the market I think it’s safe to say that every artist’s definition of success includes “doing their best work”. We all want to succeed at doing our best work, don’t we?
Whether we are beginning, intermediate, advanced or master; each time we sit at our easel with a blank canvas there is gulf between us and what we envision as our best work. Our vision is usually rooted in our understanding. The gulf represents the disparity between that understanding and our ability. Our reach often exceeds our grasp, as well it should. Our brush will, over time, gain ground. It doesn’t always happen as quickly as we’d like. Painting can be frustrating and painful when don’t see some progress. We may think we lack the talent. We may even stop for a time. When the pain of not working exceeds the pain of working, we start again. And there in lies the seed of success. We have to keep working. It helps to realize that the vast majority of our work is done learning how to do our best work. Viewed in this light failed paintings are learning experiences. They are not meant for show. Each failed painting puts us one step closer to our best. It is common knowledge that Thomas Edison conducted thousands of experiments making the light bulb before he found one way that worked. Why should it be any different for artists? I recently read that a certain well known landscape painter has ritual bonfires twice a year to get rid of his failed field studies. He’s at the top of his game and has enough failed compositions to burn them twice a year!
The fact of the matter is as the late Edgar Payne said, “Nature does not capriciously scatter her secrets as golden gifts to lazy poets and luxurious darlings, but imposes tasks when she presents opportunities.” Payne also wisely pointed out, “Knowledge always precedes execution. No one can paint better than he knows how.” He recommended that we accumulate knowledge, study nature often and practice continually. I guarantee if you employ this strategy growth will happen. You will do your best work. Your best work will find it’s place in the market.
Proceed with Purpose in Your Oil Paintings
July 7, 2008
Whether you paint portraits, landscapes or still life it is important to have a method of proceeding that maintains a sense of purpose and direction. Most, if not all, of the best artists do this in the context of the light which describes form. John Singer Sargent put forth five types of light:
- Light
- Midtone
- Shadow
- Accents
- Reflected Light
Some instructors separate shadow into two types: body shadow and cast shadow. Others may separate accents into two types: darks and hightlights. Whichever explanation you prefer the facts are virtually the same. I like Sargent’s for the purposes of discussion because his name carries an imprimatur which makes students want to listen.
I recently watched a Daniel Greene video entitled , Oil Portrait: Bernard, in which this brilliant artist makes a ritual out of working from shadow to light. After completing his drawing he emphasizes the dark accents, masses in the shadows, paints the midtones and then the lights. And that was just the first of three sittings. In the subsequent sittings he re-emphasizes the dark accents, masses the shadows and paints the midtones then lights, eventually working his way up to the light accents (highlights) and reflected lights. During the video Mr. Greene’s narration and procedure remain fully integrated with the type of light in which he is working.
In a video entitled Three Landscape Studies prominent landscape painter, Scott L. Christensen, makes it a point to emphasize Sargent’s Five Types of Light . Scott says that you are always painting in one of the five. He suggests that if you don’t know which one of the five you are working in your painting will suffer. He says you will end up dabbling on it in an effort to get it to go where you want and it usually won’t end up there.
This point couldn’t be truer if I had said it myself. Indeed, in teaching workshops and classes I witness that very phenomenon. Students lose their sense of direction in a painting and start daubing away aimlessly. As a result their work and their enjoyment suffers. As soon as they are reminded to focus on painting one of the five types of light their sense of purpose and direction returns.
So, from a fundamental standpoint, a good general procedure is to:
- State your dark accents.
- Mass in your shadows.
- Paint your midtones.
- Paint your lights.
- Paint your highlights and reflected lights.
Remember to keep your dark accents and shadows thin and transparent. Make your lights and hightlights thick and opaque. Try to stay aware of the five types of light. In so doing, you will have more successes and more fun painting.
