Jeffrey W. Phillips

What materials do you use?

2010-10-20T05:30:00.040-04:00

I was originally trained with traditional oils. I moved on to alkyd oils because I liked the fact that they dried more quickly but still provided me with the flexibility of a traditional oil. I finally transitioned to water-soluble oils years later after discovering them and doing some research on them.

I presently use Winsor & Newton Artisan paints. However, once I get through those, I will be switching full time to Holbein Duo Aqua and Royal Talens Cobra because of their handling. But, sometimes you just find the right color and gotta have it regardless of the brand!

I occasionally will use a medium, though presently, my heart is sold out to alla prima painting. (Though, artist and Chair of Painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Al Gury points out in Alla Prima: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Direct Painting that one-sitting paintings are but one facet of working in the alla prima tradition; glazing during and after completed is within it as well.)

I use synthetic brushes—Princeton and Artisan—because they are (relatively) inexpensive and get the job done. Plus, because I use water-soluble paints, I find that synthetics hold up in water better than natural hair brushes.

What is your process?

2010-10-17T05:30:00.044-04:00

Germination. Organization. Implementation.

Like most artists, ideas come to me at odd times. For me the struggle is remembering to bring a sketchbook—everywhere! After the idea(s) come, I let them simmer in my mind. During this germination process, I will refine ideas in my head or do a series of simple thumbnail sketches to explore compositions. If the piece is a still life and I don’t have the supplies to even do it, I continue on with this process. I may look for the objects or leave it as a thumbnail with notes for a later date.

Once I am ready to begin the actual painting, I organize my objects. If I determine that the idea in my head isn’t going to work, I modify it so that it does. This may mean simply removing objects, swapping one object for another or changing an object’s placement. Whatever way I need to make it work, I make it happen. I limit the time I spend doing this because it will consume the time I have alloted to paint.

Once that organizational component is complete, I tone my canvas with a wash of color. Then, using my brush as a pencil, I loosely sketch in my composition, working and reworking as necessary. Before I apply color, I will often block in at least three values, providing myself with a simple notan of lights, middles and darks. I then mix the colors I see and begin to paint. I would love to tell you that I cover my canvas before finishing an area but that doesn’t always happen. In fact, the application of the paint to the canvas takes a variety of forms but in the end it gets done.

While I have gone back and forth about varnishing, presently I do apply three coats of a quality spray-on varnish to my finished pieces.

Composition with Yellow and Red, alla prima oil painting

2010-10-15T05:30:00.013-04:00

Composition with Yellow and Red, 9 x 12 inches. Oil on canvas panel.
©2010, Jeffrey W. Phillips

During my August convalescence, I reworked an older oil painting. I am now looking forward to creating a few paintings featuring that copper pot of mine. I will have to look into getting some Fall fruit and/or veggies too. Gotta love how ideas spark other ideas.

Daddy Bear, alla prima oil painting

2010-10-12T05:30:00.016-04:00

Daddy Bear, 5 x 7 inches. Oil on canvas panel.
©2010, Jeffrey W. Phillips

A friend of mine gave my son this bear when he was born. Frankly, he never paid it much mind until he turned 4 and he transitioned to his big-boy bed. To complicate matters, I had started a new job and was working quite a bit acclimating myself to my new position. Needless to say, he missed me terribly.

During this time, he rediscovered this bear and gave it the name Daddy Bear. At 6 years old, he still sleeps with it and takes it on sleepovers. He was thrilled when he came home and saw it on my easel. (Of course, my daughter wants to know where her painting is!)

I painted it because it's a wonderful reminder of my son's love for me.

Ouch ...

2010-09-28T05:30:00.002-04:00

I know I have been delinquent in posting. My family and I were in an auto accident at the end of July. Fortunately, my wife and two kids were unharmed. Sadly, I suffered some internal bleeding and a lacerated spleen. After being in the hospital for four days (with my spleen intact!), I was discharged and homebound for three weeks. While homebound, I was hoping to get some painting done. Unfortunately, other accident-related issues came up that completely took the wind out of my sails.

The last week of August brought teacher orientation. The first day of school followed the week following. It was a long end of Summer to say the least. But, again, I remain so very thankful for the Lord's provision for me and my family during that time.

All of this being said, I did finish two small pieces and started another. I'll post them shortly. I wanted to simply put the word out that I did not drop off the face of the earth.

Framed: In Search of Framing Vendors

2010-06-24T05:30:00.158-04:00

With my friend opening her new counseling office, I have been thinking more about framing my work and what options are out there. Fleisher Art Memorial is offering a 6-week class in July called Framing Basics, but funds are short.

So, I'm going to go the way of purchasing ready-made frames. Anybody have recommendations regarding frame vendors? I've been using A.C. Moore (and their helpful little 40% off coupons) and Michaels for my short-term needs, but I'd like somewhere reasonable with bulk rate options.

The places I have looked into at one point or another include:

During a recent frame search for my high school art show, I also discovered the awesome values at Jerry's Artarama. A gold 8x10 Plein aire frame is $13.99 on sale right now (regularly $19.99). This frame style also comes in black, mahogany and silver.

Though not as good, Dick Blick does better than the online vendors above.

What ready-made frame sites do you use?

The Blessings of a Friend

2010-06-22T05:30:00.110-04:00

Friends are a blessing from the Lord.

Last week, Tricia Elliott, a therapist friend, opened a new office for her counseling practice and wanted to use my artwork to decorate it. She knows about my desire to paint more regularly and start selling my work. Plus, she admires and enjoys my art. How could I refuse such an offer, right?

So, I gathered together the following three pieces for right now:

Fruit with Vessels

Oil on Board

9x12

Yellow Speaks
Oil on Board
9x12

It's Not Easy Being Blue
Oil on Board
9x12

I have another 9x12 that I'm reworking and three 8x10 pieces that I'll post once I get frames.

The next things on my list include :

Mounting tags with title and price for each work
Printing a business card
Writing an artist statement

I have been reading up on artist statements online; however, I earned some Borders Bucks from Borders.com and purchased I'd Rather Be in the Studio by Alyson Stanfield for some more specific help with this and other art-sales strategies. It has gotten good reviews. Perhaps I'll do a review next month.

Naylor's Run Park, alla prima painting

2010-06-07T05:30:00.156-04:00

Naylor's Run Park, Lansdowne, PA

At left, is the last painting I did during my weekend en plein air oil painting workshop.

Unlike my previous two paintings, I decided to work like I normally do by starting with a loose value sketch. Since I was experimenting with the limited palette that Kevin Macpherson uses (i.e., ultramarine blue, permanent alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow light and white), I didn't know what to expect. I mixed the ultramarine and alizarin together to form a dark neutral value that I massed in the background. I used a towel to pull out lights and scumbled in more paint where middle values and shadows were needed.

As I tell my high school students, when you get a chance of seeing your work as a monochromatic composition, then your transition to color should be easier because you worked out key elements of the composition. Well, things progressed faster than my other two paintings.

When my instructor, Fred Kaplan, came around he recommended some changes which I was about finished with when he popped up again. He asked to work on my piece a moment. After he introduced some more middle values to the foliage in the back, we talked a few more minutes and then I readjusted areas where I didn't agree with him (nobody's perfect, right?).

My number one complaint? I wish I had taken photos with my cellphone so I could post more process-related pics; see things step-by-step. But, I didn't (duh, Phillips, right?) It would have been interesting to hear comments on what I started with versus what I ended with.

Therefore, I'm going to hold off with my additional commentary right now. I'd like to get some feedback on what you see.

Glenolden Park, Another View, alla prima oil painting

2010-06-05T05:30:00.115-04:00

Glenolden Park, Glenolden, PA

In my last blog post about plein air alla prima painting, I spoke of the frustration that I felt as I struggled with my initial experience painting outdoors. Fortunately, as the day went on, I felt my groove come back and this piece came together better.

Unlike my previous piece, this view has a much stronger sense of space with subtle yet definite demarcations leading your eye back into space. The colors aid that perspective as well, much more successfully than my first plein air painting.

The intensity of the pale green leaves on the bush in the front isn't as intense in this photo as it is in my original painting, but you get a sense of its "bushiness" which was my intent.

I also let go and explored more active brushstrokes as I rendered this piece. I think the top of the painting, where the brushwork is most active, is balanced well with the smooth grassy areas. It would have been interesting to see how the composition would "read" if I were to moderate my brushwork so that smaller brushstrokes detailed the background and larger, bolder ones were reserved for the foreground.

Lastly, I more earnestly pushed the use of cool colors in the background to moderate the sense of space as your eye moves from foreground to middle ground to background. As I rendered the overall composition, I became more aware of the importance of seeing what was in front of me and then tweaking specific areas of it to focus the viewer's attention.

When I submit my third (and final painting) from the weekend, I will also take time to address how this plein air experience will impact my teaching high school art. So, check back. I encourage your comments.

Glenolden Park, alla prima oil painting

2010-06-04T05:30:00.002-04:00

Glenolden Park, Glenolden, PA

As I indicated in my previous blog post, I took a plein air workshop over the Memorial Day weekend. The painting at right was my first of the weekend. I met the instructor, Fred Kaplan, and the rest of my fine group at Glenolden Park in Glenolden, PA.

This was my first foray into the outdoors to paint and I have to admit that I found it initially unnerving. I've been used to the controlled lighting within a studio environment. On top of that, I have not painted in months so I was resting on my previous experience to get me through. (That was a poor choice for many reasons which I'm not going to pursue at this moment.)

In addition to gaining some experience in outdoor landscape painting, the other primary purpose of this weekend for me was to rekindle my spirits after this month's difficulties at my high school teaching job. Sadly, I found myself bordering on despair as I struggled to find my grove while working on this painting.

Overall, this is not a successful piece for a few reasons. First, there is significant value confusion going on. The background doesn't recede properly and the shapes in the distance aren't resolved well. Part of the issue is that the middle ground is somewhat nebulous. The foreground fairs better though the tree on the left is too dark and lacking in interest. The piece was painted around 11:00 and I feel a sense of light but not the degree that I should (having been there and experienced it).

I'm going to rework this piece to experiment on strategies to resolve the tensions I see in the painting. I'll repost it after I make the changes.

I'll post my second painting (and commentary) tomorrow.

Plein Air Painting Workshop

2010-06-01T05:30:00.016-04:00

I took a plein air painting workshop this past weekend in Pennsylvania with local artist, Fred Kaplan. The class was offered through the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Sadly, I have been out of things for over a month. Go figure, you set up plans for yourself to schedule time to paint and e stablish short-term and long-term goals only to be sidelined right from the get-go. With the end of the year fast approaching, my responsibilities at school sapped much of my energies and when you add the wifey and kids, well, I just didn't have much of anything left for my art.

So, I had high hopes for this painting workshop. I'll be posting photos and discussing what transpired in my next post.

Classes for the Summer

2010-04-16T01:45:00.000-04:00

In my previous post, I listed some short-term goals. One of those goals was to find a class over the summer. Well, I believe I found two. I'm not sure if I'll be taking both, but we'll see. Educational funding is tight right now for schools in NJ. They're both weekend workshops running 9-5 and cost $195 which isn't bad.

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is offering an Introduction to Landscape Painting course towards the end of May with Frederic Kaplan that sounds interesting. I also like the looks of a Monotype Workshop with Lisa Hamilton that is in mid-June. I've not taken classes with either of these instructors so that will be a new experience.

Taking continuing education classes is one of my most favorite things. I wish I could do it more often.

Goals, Accountability and Progress

2010-04-05T05:00:00.040-04:00

I mentioned previously that I have been reading Eric Maisel's book Creativity for Life: Practical Advice on the Artist's Personality, and Career from America's Foremost Creativity Coach. Because of this and other readings, I have put together a simple list of short- and long-term goals for myself regarding my art production. I feel I needed to post this to be held accountable on some level and to provide an avenue of feedback from those of you who have traveled this path before.

Here's what I've developed so far. I think it's fair to say that I'll be moving additional goals (probably more short-term ones) onto my list as they get crossed off.

Short-Term Goals

Use sketchbook regularly to record thoughts, inspiration and painting ideas
This seems rather straightforward for an artist, but I know I need to be more disciplined about taking it with me everywhere.
Paint at least 3 times per week
This goal is a biggie and something I've been procrastinating about for far too long. I know once I get into the groove I'll exceed my 3 times per week. My suspicion is that I'm afraid of making this commitment, but I know it's essential to get where I want to be.
Collect/Purchase items for still life paintings
I have some things already planned. I just want to have more items on hand. I've taken a lot of stuff into school so I'll need to bring some of it home.
Gather personal photos for paintings
I have a few photos I want to use as resources for pieces I have been wanting to do for a while now. I'm going to start a filing system.
Find and attend local arts group
I need to research this some more for my locale.
Find and sign up for class over summer (funding permitting)
Funding is a big concern here. My hope is that I can get my school to foot the bill. Though, with the cuts made in State funding, purses are tight.

Long-Term Goals

Paint 50 small canvases by January 1, 2011 (39 weeks as of 04.04.10)
I think this is a manageable goal. Time will tell.
Post paintings for sale (ebay and etsy)
I believe I have these accounts set up. Does anybody have recommendations for which is better, easier, more reliable, etc.?
Sell at least 50% of my inventory by January 1, 2011
I can't comment on this one since I need to develop more of an inventory.
Find alternate venues for selling my inventory (art fairs, craft shows, community arts shows)
This goal requires research on what's available.

Instead of listing them as a straight list of 10 goals, I decided to break them out as short- and long-term so I could hang them up on my wall and cross them off as they are completed or sufficiently routinized. I want to avoid feeling overwhelmed since I'm given to that when I've got a schedule hanging over my head. I will post a progress report at the beginning of each month (again, for accountability).

Thoughts on my lists?

Christ the Lord is Risen Today

2010-04-04T05:00:00.014-04:00

The Resurrection, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1635

On this beautiful day when Christians celebrate the resurrection of their Savior, I'd like to recommend you take a moment and enjoy the wonderful works of art that have been created commemorating this event.

I recently heard a woman on the radio chastising Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias for believing in something like the resurrection when the four gospel accounts were so contradictory. The apologist amply answered her protest.

For those who have similar concerns about the validity of the resurrection accounts as recorded in the four Gospels, I encourage you to read this harmony of the resurrection accounts.

Book Review: Creative Time and Space, Making Room for Making Art by Rice Freeman-Zachery

2010-03-06T21:48:00.002-05:00

I was reading an interview on Empty Easel with Rice Freeman-Zachery and it prompted me to buy her book: Creative Time and Space. Visually, the book does a fabulous job of showcasing the featured artists’ work. As for the content, I found myself wanting more.

The author, Rice Freeman-Zachery, weaves her own thoughts amid the mish-mash of anecdotal references by the featured artists on the various chapter topics:

Exploring Time
Making Time
Corralling Time
Stuck in Time
Jumpstarting Time
Mental Space
Soul Space
Real Space
Creative Habits
Taking It on the Road

The book is for those who are struggling with “making room for making art.” Rice includes little exercises in the form of “Try This” boxes to help you explore your own ideas about why you are where you are artistically and how to jump-start your passion for your art to get your back on track.

There is so much about this book that I wanted to like but much of it I had heard before. Surely, there is quite a bit here that is grounded in practicality, which just goes to show you why the reviews on Amazon were all positive. The author’s style is very warm and engaging. You cannot help but feel her passion and desire to motivate you.

However, what disappointed me was the fact that the Empty Easel interview, 10+ Ways to Make Time for Your Art, more clearly addressed what I needed to hear than the 171-page book. I expect an article that references a book to whet my appetite for the full-course meal that the book will provide me when I read it.

My Top 10 From Creative Time and Space

Take a notebook/sketchbook with you everywhere. As Freeman-Zachery puts it so well, “Writing down ideas reinforces the value of creative thinking and encourages your brain to spend more time in creative mode.”
Set studio boundaries so my creative time is seen as important to me (and others)
Cut down on Web surfing and devote my time to painting
Stop (or severely cut back on) watching TV since it easily and needlessly sucks up my evenings
Consider implementing a schedule for myself (some of the featured artists’ schedules encouraged me, others were overwhelming)
Write out my goals (both short-term and long-term)
Make a studio-efficiency list as I work that could make my next studio experience more enjoyable
Make a list of things that inspire me and when a rut hits, revisit it
Make a list of what attracts me and/or scares me about my art; then take steps to work through that list
Use my head-space as well as my studio space to infuse both thoughtful and spontaneous creativity throughout as much of my day as possible

You’ll notice in my list, time management plays a key role (see #2-7 above). In fact, that is really the crux of the matter and so the first half of the book is devoted to giving the reader strategies.

Rice (and a few of her featured artists) strongly recommends journaling. I have not made time for this and haven’t felt it to be a detriment. Who knows, you may find it essential. There were other pieces of advice throughout the book but I just didn’t find them compelling. They seemed more fluffy than substantial. Of course, we are all individuals and such little bits of esoterica may inspire you towards productivity.

The chapter on your studio—Real Space—was probably one of my favorites because I loved hearing about the variety of places these professionals did their work. I found it very encouraging since I just cleaned out a small space in our bedroom to work. (I’ll try to post on how that is working out for me in the near future.)

Well, that’s my take on Rice Freeman-Zachery’s Creative Time and Space. I can’t say I would definitely purchase this book again BUT I would have taken it out of the library and documented what I found that was practical. (3 1/2 Stars out of 5)

The Importance of Attention and Practice in Creating Art

2009-12-02T23:05:00.000-05:00

I've started reading Creativity for Life by Eric Maisel. During the book's Introduction, the author touches upon the importance of attention and practice since they play are such integral pieces of living the creative life. I tell my high school students all the time that without practice they will always be frustrated in their attempts to get better at drawing what they see, mixing the colors that they want, molding the clay into the correct shape and manipulating the pen tool in Adobe Illustrator. Working hand-in-glove with skills practice, the art student must learn how to be mindful of the World around him/her.
Presently, I am teaching my Intro to Painting students some simple drawing skills before we launch into still life. So, we discuss simplifying images into basic shapes before rounding out corners and adding the details. We also address relationships: how does one object relate to another? Is it taller or shorter? Is it fatter or thinner? How can we use negative space to help us record what we see? The questions go on. It is initially overwhelming for them but I want to demonstrate to them the necessary self-talk to help them achieve their goals.
Truth be told, I didn't start reading the book for my students. Rather, I am reading it for myself. When Dr. Maisel talks about attention, he's not meaning a classroom setting per se. I've extrapolated his meaning because I do believe it speaks equally powerfully to students in a high school setting.
In the final analysis, Dr. Maisel wants to remind ME of the many ways I've allowed my art to be put off because of the many facets of my so-called busy life.

If your truth is that your life is out of control and creativity is just one of the many things that you aren't attending to, stand up and admit that to yourself, even if it means that you must change everything. Nor can you do this truth telling just once or twice: you need to do it today, tomorrow, and forever. (pg. xviii)

What I've read so far is just what the doctor ordered (no pun intended).

How do you keep student interest during a demonstration lesson?

2009-06-21T14:04:00.009-04:00

In my last blog post, I loosely reviewed a few assignments that I presently do in my painting class, commenting on the great suggestions from some other bloggers on additional exercises to offer. At the end of the post, I included a section under the heading of Demonstration difficulties. There I highlighted a few struggles I have had with my urban high schoolers.

After some reflection I wanted to inquire some more about a few things:

Student interest

I am hoping that next year my classes will provide a little more student interest. This past year gave me more of what I have experienced since coming to this high school: students who did not sign up for my class and resent the amount of effort they have to put into the work for me. Ironically, my classes aren't as difficult as others I've been exposed to through art education conferences. Go figure.

How do you teach skills when you don't have a willing class? Often, the things they want to paint require more skill than they have and that only drives up their potential for discouragement. Thoughts anyone?

Appropriate demo time

Another avenue I have considered playing with centers on in-class demonstration time. Frankly, I only do demos that are 15 (20, at most) minutes long. Often my students talk to one another during the demo leaving the on the outs when it comes to doing the work. The frustration level mounts once deadline for completion gets closer. At that point, I become inundated with "Mr. Phil, I need your help." In the end, I don't get to everybody and that frustrates my students as well.

Consequences

As I stated above, my students will often talk during my demonstrations. As such, I find myself giving one-on-one demos for those students. Otherwise, they won't work and I'm basically stuck in the water needing a means to see what the students have learned. My wife and I implement consequences for our kids at home but my students don't take authority well or the guidelines I provide as goals for them to think about and work through. Actually, I have a very good rapport with them but that becomes tested when dates are looming and they should recieve a gift, not an email or blog member.

I want to serve these kids well. So, any thoughts or recommendations based on what I have introduced would be greatly appreciated.

Using demonstration lessons to pique student interest

2009-06-19T22:00:00.006-04:00

My gourd post generated encouraging remarks from my readers while also eliciting helpful suggestions for presenting information for my students. For those of you who don't know, I am a high school art teacher in an urban school district. Generally speaking, most of my students did not ask to be in my class. They were put there out of necessity, namely to fill a slot in their schedule. As such, engaging them can be a challenge.

The consensus seems to be that demonstrations are the way to give students a sense of my expectations and visually illustrate how to go about using the media at hand. Well, no argument here.

Painting exercises

I plan on modifying my assignments for my painting (and, probably, drawing) class to allow for some of the suggestions given by some online friends: Cyndy Carstens, Susan Martin Spar, Liz Holm, Lee Claughton Taylor and Gary Keimig. I normally use white, gray and black geometric shapes. I plan to continue that practice but add other exercises preceding those as suggested from these fine contributors. Eggs, eggs in a bowl on a white cloth and a crumpled up piece of paper will probably make an appearance in some form. I plan to exploit the whole white-on-white composition to drive home the importance of value. It's the most important concept to get across to my students; more important than line or color in my mind.

I'll then move to my normal exposure of black and gray, using cubes and spheres. I next progress to small groupings using colored building blocks. So, while the concept of simple shape is there, the introduction of color with the irregular shape changes things up some. Eventually, I progress to flowers and the other detritus associated with still life compositions.

Demonstration difficulties

My struggle to reach the demographic I am working with poses the following problems:

My students see my class as not something meaningful to their future. Despite my efforts to let them know that this could, if nothing else, become a hobby that will provide great satisfaction if they would only give themselves over to the process and practice, they remain fixated on narrowly looking at art as non-essential. I think this will remain a point of tension for them and I'll need to find ways to simply cope with their discomfort and a certain level of frustration on my part.
Many of my students do not have the attention span to sit through a 15 demonstration. Even though I had read about this before I started teaching, I still found it disturbing when it actually manifested itself. Ironically, even though many students comment on the end product of the demo, they still talk to one another instead of paying attention (and then ask me for help leaving me little recourse accept to give them a one-on-one demonstration).

I am hoping to work on streamlining my demos but that poses problems simply because if I go too fast they will miss the application I address while I dialogue during the demo. I coming back to the reality I keep hearing from others--demos are essential to most learners. As such, my students need the exposure and I, in turn, need to press them to pay attention and find a consequence for when they choose not to listen. However, is that going to mean I tell those students I can't help them because the made a choice not to participate in the learning process as I've laid it out? I may need to speak with my administration to get their feedback since I will need their support should more students choose to fail because of their stubborness.

Then again, I have to give these students credit when they draw such a hard line in the sand and then stick to it. It's sad they don't apply that stick-to-it'iveness to actually learning what I'm trying to teach them.
Need to be tested on the bare essentials of the painting process so I know they get certain foundational principles. Presently, I don't test them at all except to verbally check for understanding during class time when I walk from student to student.

I know such a thought will sound sacrilegious to some art educators. Having been to both regional and national art education conferences, I know I'm on the outs on the concept of testing. For the classes I've sat in at those conferences, I've found the concept of testing in art classes--specifically for application-related knowledge--to be frowned upon.

Generally, I haven't tested much at all. My classes consist of project grades and in-class assignments. However, moving into my third year I believe more strongly on the importance of testing certain information. My students need to have some concepts committed to memory so they can begin building bridges with each painting project. I see now how so many remain ignorant as to why they are doing what they are doing. Sadly, they do not see the importance of linking together what they've learned. It's something I'm going to have to attend to.

Thanks go out again, to those who've provided me with feedback on the whole demonstration process. Any additional suggestions is always appreciated.

Gourd, Alla Prima oil painting

2009-05-15T18:00:00.001-04:00

I'm not sure where my head has been. I should have posted this last week with the other oil painting demonstrations. This gourd elicited great consternation from my students who struggled with getting the undulating surface and transitions between the two colors correct. In some ways like the pumpkin and other ways not, my students failed to appreciate the color variations in the peaks and valleys of the surface. I told them it was not going to be easy but to look for the shapes of the colors and block them in as best they could. A few did well.

We've moved on to a small still life featuring a putty colored vase and a few more simple pieces of fruit. I did not do a demonstration this time around. Instead I did direct instruction and sketched on the whiteboard how they were to proceed, step-by-step. For some of my students this worked well, for others less so. So, I'll probably do a physical demonstration on Monday. A few were determined to do what they wanted while others--focused on getting it "right"--fell behind leaving me to dash back and forth.

Thoughts anyone on how to walk a class through the beginning painting process without doing a demonstration?

Pear, alla prima oil painting

2009-05-04T21:20:00.000-04:00

Here is the third in a series of still life demonstrations that I did for my students in Introduction to Painting, my alla prima painting class. Unlike Apple, I was able to complete this painting in the 15-20 minutes I allotted for my demo.

The three students who sat in on this demonstration saw the key point I have been reminding all of my students of from the beginning of this course. Namely, alla prima is meant to be immediate--it's direct painting. Most of my students struggle with over mixing, over blending and, generally, over doing it. That often translates into muddy colors and edges that are too sharp.

This particular fruit example was made particularly challenging for two reasons: there were two green, speckled "stripes" running down either side and two splashes of orangy-red on the other two sides. I showed them that this was merely an opportunity for alla prima to shine. I could have done the green "stripe" a bit more speckled with a broken line effect but I opted to focus more on the blending between the green and yellow underneath. The splashy orangy-red was more easy to achieve and gave my students what they needed seeing the blending happen in front of them.

For those particular students, it was important for them to see the blending happen in front of them. Surprisingly, this wasn't the first time they saw it but it helped two of the three with what they delivered in their own rendering of this composition.

Apple, alla prima oil painting

2009-04-29T21:53:00.002-04:00

Here is the second in a series of still life demonstrations that I did for my students in Introduction to Painting, my alla prima painting class. As I stated in my last post, I've been trying to get through as much as I can in the 20 minutes that I'm doing the demonstration and then finishing the piece for my own satisfaction during my lunch.

This one I all but finished during the demonstration. That particular day I found it easy to enter the "zone." Unfortunately, I didn't fully complete the curved background at the top. I think I got sidetracked by a student coming in during my lunch to speak with me and then the period ended preventing me from getting back to it. But, I wanted to post it anyway.

I was particularly happy with this piece. I'll definitely need to go back and complete the background. Thoughts anyone?

Pumpkin, alla prima oil painting

2009-04-28T10:00:00.000-04:00

After doing monochromatic paintings of cubes, spheres and a geometric still life, I had my students move on to colored building blocks. I'll post those shortly, but I wanted to first post my own demonstration painting for their next lesson: a pumpkin. Actually, they'll also do a gourd, an apple and a pear. I thought these simple pieces of fruit would be a fitting next step for their efforts. I may be wrong, but we'll see.

I'm going to post all four of these demonstration pieces. I just finished my fourth so I'll post them over the next few nights. I start the piece during class for those students who are ready to watch and then finish it during my lunch. The focus for my Introduction to Painting class is on direct, or alla prima, painting. So, I'm pushing myself to finish the paintings that day to keep my approach fresh. I consider it an object lesson since many of them are struggling with overblending and generally overworking their paintings. But, that's a common mistake so I'm not wringing my hands over it. I simply remind them with each demo how to work with the paint before it dries. I have them work with water-soluble oil paints so they are dry to the touch by the next day.

Your feedback to this piece would be appreciated. I have more involved paintings if you'd like to review those, as well. I was taking my class over at Fleisher Art Memorial in Philadelphia; Yellow Speaks, Composition with Yellow and Red and It's Not Easy Begin Blue being a few of my better pieces from the last class I took at Fleisher under Giovanni Casadei.

Again, I'd enjoy hearing from you.

When does a student become an artist?

2009-04-23T23:30:00.006-04:00

(This post is an aside I'd like to share with you; something that's been brewing in my head after reading a few things.)

How important is it for students--particularly elementary, middle and high school students--to consider themselves artists?

In my class, this perception/misperception usually manifests itself as protestations of unfairness for criticizing their personal expression. Their complaint centers less on receiving a grade for their work and more on receiving anything other than an "A" for it. And, you see, that's the crux of the matter.

Some of my students are under the delusion that I'm somehow obligated to give them an "A" regardless of what they hand in. When I ask what other class they have that operates like that, they don't have an answer. After all, even a creative writing assignment has to have some structure and follow grammatical guidelines in order to be understood.

Having attended conferences for art educators, I have found those holding to both sides of this debate to be rather vocal. Some teachers think it meaningless for them to "grade" a student's creative output. For them, grades are hurtful, even harmful, to the development of the child and her artistic growth. On the other side of the aisle, they believe that art education is like any other field of study where effective grading serves the student as skills are taught and craftsmanship is nurtured.

So, what are your thoughts on this topic?

If you're a parent, what are your attitudes towards your son/daughter's artistic production? Have you had run-ins with your child's art teacher? What was the issue?

If you're an art educator, what is your philosophy about grading your elementary, middle or high school students' creative output? What does your rubric look like?

I appreciate your feedback!

Spotlight: Tom Brown, plein air painter

2009-04-23T00:50:00.002-04:00

Back in January, I posted my first artist spotlight by highlighting Joyce Washor and her wonderful work. This time around, I am choosing California plein air oil painter Tom Brown.

American impressionist and television host, Tom Brown also teaches "artists how to paint through oil painting workshops and art instruction CDs and DVDs." My experience from visiting his blog is that his primary subject is the landscape (which he encourages artists to record en plein air); however, on Tom's studio site you see still life done with equal aplomb. There's also an occasional figurative work as well, such as the playful A Little Bird Told Me.

Regarding his blog, Tom's paintings stand out well on the black background; rather glowing thanks to his deft handling of light and vibrant brushwork. Each work is often accompanied by an anecdotal listing of appropriate length. Tom's email address is listed under his work's associated information if you wish to purchase any of the pieces listed on his blog. He paints exclusively in oils. What I love about his oil paintings is his brushwork; so confident and expressive. But, you should expect that from a plein air painter, right? True, but it doesn't stop there.

His artwork has a freshness to it that I enjoy so much. So much so, that I purchased a painting from him in February! Tom Brown understands light and its affect upon his subject, as seen in another favorite of mine, Light Across the Water from March of 2009. In addition, he is a most adept draftsman as you'll see in the series of sketches, Palm Trees & Workshop Studies. These drawings are wonderful notans that capture a spontaneity consistent with Tom's paintings. I think you'll agree.

I encourage you to take a moment and visit Tom Brown's art blog and congratulate him on his contributions to the artist community. You leave refreshed and wanting to get outside and paint. Enjoy!

Painting values from life: black and white geometric grouping, student work

2009-04-16T16:00:00.000-04:00

So far, over the past two posts, I've highlighted four students and their paintings of cubes and spheres. The third project my Introduction to Painting students worked on was a grouping of geometric solids.

I have to admit that I over-extended my students with this particular exercise. Though I'm a firm believer in challenging people so they can grow, this project was too much of a leap for them. Neither I nor my students were particularly happy with the results. What I ended up doing with them individually was to look at snapshots within their work that showed me they were building upon and applying the skills and techniques they've been developing from the beginning. Having said that, here are the two student pieces ...

Student #1
What he did well:

Rendering some of the values and shadows effectively (see left side of piece)
Determining the perspective of the boxes well
Maintaining the proportional relationship between the objects
Centering the grouping well considering its complexity

What he needs to work on:

Rendering his shapes crisply so they look substantive, less fuzzy
Completing each object equally so no one element is left as seemingly unfinished
Ensuring that the shadows (both on and between the objects) clearly communicate the position of the light source
Comparing the value relationships in his painting with those on the still life to ensure the composition coheres
Understanding how layering operates within a painting so that objects communicate a believable sense of space

Student #2
What she did well:

Rendering her edges crisply so objects don't look fuzzy
Maintaining the proportional relationship between the objects
Centering the grouping well considering its complexity

What she needs to work on:

Rendering her shadows effectively
Completing each object equally so no one element is left as seemingly unfinished
Maintaining proper perspective within the composition so some shapes don't appear distorted
Ensuring that the shadows (both on and between the objects) clearly communicate the position of the light source
Understanding how layering operates within a painting so that objects communicate a believable sense of space

Project Overview
As I stated at the beginning of this post, I made an error in judgment with this assignment. I should have set up a couple of small geometric groupings instead of one large one. It would have made for a less frustrating assignment for them. As such, no one really rendered the grouping well. At least, the concepts from the first and second assignments that were difficult for my newbie painters provided opportunity for practice and reinforcement with this :

Composing your painted space
Rendering shapes effectively by maintaining consistent angles (i.e., perspective) for each form
Translating the effects of light as they pass across a three dimensional solid
Using value (instead of line) to delineate edges
Achieving a sense of space through proper placement and effective use of shadow

Space Planning
Centering objects or composing objects within a painting is forever the headache regardless of your skill level. It takes practice and know-how to make judgment calls on what to include and not include. As with the other two assignments, the issue was centering the objects and not making them too big or too small. The students were not permitted to remove or ignore objects at this time. Laziness reared its ugly head again as many students refused to redraw their work once they got far enough along to realize it was off center or that the elements weren't going to work.

Perspective
I reminded the students of the simple formula for rendering a solid. Namely, you begin with the bottom angle--double checking the lines of your angle using your paint brush--and then fill in the rest of the form using lines that are perpendicular and parallel to the bottom angle you started with. While this technique is not 100% foolproof it provided them with something tangible to get them started and help them achieve more naturalistic results.

As with the first two students, student #2 got the bottom angle correct but when she rendered the top of the square in the center she opened up the shape making it appear she could see more of the top than she actually could.

Value
Ensuring a sense of continuity between values and shapes within the composition by asking oneself "Does the value I just painted appear elsewhere in the composition?" was something I brought up and tried to hammer home with my students. A couple "got" it and implemented it but only to a small degree because they stopped remembering to ask themselves that question as their work progresses.

Many of the students stopped looking at the real-world still life and started making up values they thought should be there only to realize that sections of their paintings no longer looked coherent. As I walked around observing their work, I found myself reminding them that value is a tough concept because it's not only about seeing the value but putting it on canvas.

Overall, lesson learned ... by the student and the teacher!

Painting values from life: black and white spheres, student work

2009-04-14T20:30:00.005-04:00

Yesterday's post highlighted two of my Introduction to Painting students. The classes first project was to render cubes in black, gray and white that were set up in the center of the room. The goal was to teach them to painting values from life. None of my students had painted before so the outcome was a good one; most of them did well. Today's post reinforces this as I focus on two other pieces of work from two other students.

The second project was to introduce another geometric shape, this time a sphere. If you have recommendations for additional projects to teach these concepts or you have changes to these projects please let me know.

Student #1
What he did well:

Seeing the value changes as light passed over each form
Rendering the forms' values with paint
Maintaining a circular shape
Spacing his objects consistently (both on canvas and between his objects)

What he needs to work on:

Communicating space through the effective use of shadows (he simply didn't put them in)
Rendering his shapes so edges are crisp and the gray underpainting isn't visible

Student #2
What she did well:

Seeing the value changes as light passed over each form
Rendering the forms' values with paint (though her forms look a little lumpy in spots)
Spacing his objects consistently (both on canvas and between his objects)
Integrating the shapes with the space using shadow

What she needs to work on:

Maintaining a circular shape (when reviewing her work, we both agreed that her shapes were a little sloppy)
Communicating space through the effective use of shadows (he simply didn't put them in)
Shaping shadows so they are more naturalistic given the light source's location

Project Overview
As I indicated earlier, this lesson is deceptive due to the many layers and concepts students have to integrate into applicable skills. These can be difficult to "get" all at once:

Composing your painted space
Rendering shapes effectively
Translating the effects of light as they pass across a three dimensional solid
Using value (instead of line) to delineate edges
Achieving a sense of space through effective use of shadow

Space Planning
For this exercise, the issue was centering the objects and not making them too big or too small. So, it wasn't too complicated and the issue for many of my students was laziness in not wanting to make changes or start over it once they did it once. Making judgment calls about possibly excluding objects for to increase focus or add interest didn't come into play for this exercise.

Shape and Perspective
Integrating objects into a believable environment for this type of exercise centered on creating believable circular shapes, rendering the light passing across the form so that the shapes look hard and not lumpy and placing naturalistic shadows relevant to the light source. In my demonstration, I showed students how to adjust the shape and size of their circular form. You'll notice in that demonstration, the black sphere still remained rather un-circular while the other two were corrected.

For most of the students, the shadows proved challenging; getting their shape and perspective took some time and individual teaching. I'm sure I'll need to reinforce that lesson when circular shapes are reintroduced in a full still life setup in a few of weeks.

Value
Value has got to be one of the toughest concepts to master because it's not merely about seeing (which is problem #1) but also about translating it to canvas now that you know what you're looking at.

When I first taught this lesson last semester, I had the students do a color chart and simple value scale. I didn't have this semester's students do that because of the time involved. That was a mistake. I was surprised that I had a couple of students who didn't see the differences in dark and light at all; they were completely baffled. While they somewhat get it now, I think doing a simple value scale would help.

To get my students started, I have them "sketch" on the canvas using thinned-out paint. This is hardly new or revolutionary. However, in starting this way many of my students got stuck in "coloring book mode." You know, outline it and then fill it in. I had to remind them that the real world doesn't have edges (i.e., it isn't outlined) and that outlining is merely a convention artists use to talk about changes in value, color or space. Seeing things three dimensionally is something we take for granted until we have to take the 3-D world and translate it on a 2-D surface.

Recommendations Anyone?
Overall, I think these two particular students did real well with this second exercise. In an upcoming post, you'll see how others managed the follow-up exercise rendering a geometric grouping. As always, your feedback and thoughts are coveted--especially if you have recommendations for additional exercises or modifications to my approach outlined above to teach these basic painting principles.

Black and White Geometric Shapes: My High School Student's Work

2009-04-14T02:00:00.006-04:00

As promised (okay, maybe a little late), I'm posting a couple of my student's pieces from last month's projects in my Introduction to Painting class. The first assignment was to render three cubes in black, gray and white. The objects were set up in the center of the room with appropriate lighting. Overall, most of my students did well considering none of them had ever painted before. I'm going to highlight two students who did particularly well.

The students' work that I'm highlight today shows a few issues that were prevalent in the class that caused performance hiccups here and there. If you have recommendations how I might better teach these principles, please don't hesitate to let me know!

Student #1
What he did well:

Seeing the value changes as light passed over each form
Rendering the forms' values with paint

What he needs to work on:

Spacing his objects, both on the canvas and from one cube to the next
Maintaining consistent perspective (notice how you can see too much of the tops of his boxes because the back angle/edges of the white and gray boxes do not match the bottom angle/edges; the form ends up looking distorted)
Rendering shadows consistently (notice the shadow for the white box is hard while the other two are more naturalistic)
Communicating space (the backdrop was right up against the cubes so their shadow should be traveling up the backdrop and not giving the impression they are going off the edge of a table)

Student #2
What she did well:

Seeing the value changes as light passed over each form
Rendering the forms' values with paint
Spacing her objects consistently (both on canvas and between her objects)
Maintaining proper perspective for each cube
Translating the shadows consistently

What she needs to work on:

Communicating space (as with student #1, she didn't notice that the shadows interacting with the backdrop so it appears that they travel off the edge of the table; also, her horizon line places her shapes into the backdrop)
Defining edges using value instead of an outline
Rendering her shapes so edges are crisp and the forms look hard versus soft

Project Overview
This lesson is deceptive: there are many layers and concepts contained in it that make it very difficult to carry off effectively for the first-time painter:

Composing your painted space
Rendering shapes effectively by maintaining consistent angles (i.e., perspective) for each form
Translating the effects of light as they pass across a three dimensional solid
Using value (instead of line) to delineate edges
Achieving a sense of space through effective use of shadow

Space Planning
Centering objects or composing objects within a painting is forever the headache whether you're a newbie or an old hat at painting (or drawing). It takes practice and know-how to make judgment calls on what to include and not include. For this exercise, the issue was centering the objects and not making them too big or too small. So, it wasn't too complicated and the issue for many of my students was laziness in not wanting to make changes or start over it once they did it once.

Perspective
In the beginning of the lesson when I did my demonstration lesson, I gave them a simple formula for rendering a solid. Namely, you begin with the bottom angle--double checking the lines of your angle using your paint brush--and then fill in the rest of the form using lines that are perpendicular and parallel to the bottom angle you started with. While this technique is not 100% foolproof it provided them with something tangible to get them started and help them achieve more naturalistic results.

Many of my students (just like student #1) made the mistake that I find many first-time painters (as well as draftsmen) make: he got the bottom angle correct but when he rendered the top of the solid he opened up the shape making it appear he could see more of the top than he actually could. All of my students could see when they got the angle incorrect but, ironically, none of them could fix it without direction.

Value
Value has got to be one of the toughest concepts to master because it's not merely about seeing (which is problem #1) but also about translating it to canvas now that you know what you're looking at.

When I first taught this lesson last semester, I had the students do a color chart and simple value scale. I didn't have this semester's students do that because of the time involved. That was a mistake. I was surprised that I had a couple of students who didn't see the differences in dark and light at all; they were completely baffled. While they somewhat get it now, I think doing a simple value scale would help.

To get my students started, I have them "sketch" on the canvas using thinned-out paint. This is hardly new or revolutionary. However, in starting this way many of my students got stuck in "coloring book mode." You know, outline it and then fill it in. I had to remind them that the real world doesn't have edges (i.e., it isn't outlined) and that outlining is merely a convention artists use to talk about changes in value, color or space. Seeing things three dimensionally is something we take for granted until we have to take the 3-D world and translate it on a 2-D surface.

Recommendations Anyone?
Overall, I think these two particular students did real well with this first exercise. In upcoming posts, you'll see how others managed the follow-up exercises using a sphere and a geometric grouping. As always, your feedback and thoughts are coveted--especially if you have recommendations for additional exercises or modifications to my approach outlined above to teach these basic painting principles.

Black and White In-Class Studies (Part 2)

2009-04-08T21:58:00.007-04:00

I wanted to post another simple demonstration lesson today so you have some context for the student work you'll see tomorrow.

Much like yesterday's painting, this one also focuses on noticing and recording light passing across simple geometric forms. The goal wasn't to fully complete it but to render the three spheres against the foreground and background. While this demonstration didn't illustrate the nuances of each surface--dull or shiny--of the three spheres as well as I'd like. It did provide guidance on painting a three dimensional sphere and showed how foreground and background color impact the perception of values. One of the primary purposes for this demo was to illustrate how to correct the shape and size of their spheres. You'll notice the black remains, um, un-circular. The other two were corrected.

I felt rushed during this one. I can't say this isn't the case for most demos I do. Since nearly all of my students have no prior knowledge of art or its practice, they are not given to sitting still and gleaning insight from someone while he paints--even though I talk them through the what and why I'm doing what I do. They want to jump in and start despite the fact they don't know what they are doing. While I try to nurture their push to get started it rarely reaps the rewards I seek for them and I find myself doing mini-demonstrations for many students to help them "get it."

Today, I used direct instruction as I started a simple color still life of one object. So, I did something and then they followed after me. I monitored their work accordingly. I'll be curious to see it's long term benefit, if any. I feel I must keep trying different approaches to getting them to attend.

I'll be curious what your thoughts are as you see a few pieces they've done.

Black and White In-Class Studies (Part 1)

2009-04-07T22:06:00.007-04:00

Sorry I've been away so long. Things have been rather challenging at school, plus my kids and I have been playing dueling illnesses. But, I'm back and purpose to post more regularly. To that end, let me share what has been going on at school with my high school painting students.

I start my students out with basic exercises: studying simple geometric forms and translating them in black, gray and white (first) and color (second). The first image presented here actually records two different in-class demonstrations I quickly did prior to the students beginning their work. I'll post student samples tomorrow.

Despite the extreme difficulty in helping my students see and successfully record a believable black and white value scale, I have to admit some of them did the first assignment well. None of these students has ever painted so please bear that in mind when I show you a couple student examples tomorrow.

My classroom setup includes a large rectangular table in the center of the room. I cover this table with one of my felt cloths. I have a 1/2" pvc pipe that I clip another piece of felt to and suspend it the length of the table. It works well in permitting me to set up an additional still life on the other side of the table. I'll try to include a picture of this table setup for you tomorrow, as well.

Aging Well: Permanence and Water Soluble Oils (Water Soluble Oils, Part 3)

2009-01-28T09:30:00.004-05:00

Aging well for an artist is a double-edged sword, isn't it? On the one hand, we ourselves experience the fullness of time; our eyesight weakens, our hands don't always catch on to what our brains tell them to do and so on. With the other hand--and more relevant to this discussion--comes the bittersweet reality that what we create here on earth will also suffer at the hands of time.

I call it bittersweet because many of the finer things in life become better with age--just like we hope our work will do. And, that is our expectation more often than not. We expect fancy restaurants to present us with a wine list befitting their three- and four-star ratings. We expect older homes to have a charm that newer constructions simply don't possess. Though in the US we don't see this as much, but elsewhere in the World, the elderly are looked on as vessels with something meaningful to impart from their well-lived years on this planet.

And so it is with the works of artists. My students are often aghast at the prices fetched for masterworks. In an effort to pull them out of their consumable- and entertainment-driven stupor, I like to point out most ancient civilizations aren't remembered for their dignitaries or sports; rather it is the art and literature they created that stands the test of time.

Suffice it to say, the paintings that artists create will undergo changes because of time. The important issue to be discussed presently is how will water soluble oil paints stand up to those imminent changes? On the whole, the evidence would indicate very well.

In a previous post, I introduced the major players and their water soluble brands. Standing behind these players looms the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and their tests form the benchmark of light fastness, or how much exposure it take before colors begin to degrade. Their work is essential because it helps ensure the artwork that I have in my living room will look the same when it is handed down to my great-great-granddaughter in 75-100 years.

There are several factors that affect permanency. One is application. It doesn't matter how good you think you are; if you don't follow time-honored rules of painting then your work will suffer. Winsor & Newton sums up those rules well (emphasis mine):

Fat over lean (flexible over less flexible). When oil painting in layers, each successive layer must be more flexible than the one underneath. This rule is maintained by adding more medium to each successive layer.
Thick over thin. Thick layers of oil colour are best applied over thin under layers. Thin layers on impasto paintings are likely to crack.
Slow drying colours should not form continuous under layers as any faster drying layers on top may crack.

Another issue affecting permanence is lighting. UV lighting damages paint. Period. Thus, we have museums with special lights, darkened rooms for more sensitive mediums such as pastel, UV glazes and special UV glass covering up priceless artworks. It's impossible to oversee where and in what light your work will be seen after it's purchased. However, informing your clients of the effects of UV light on painted surfaces would be a kind way for them to protect their investment . After all, most buyers aren't conservationists so any advice you give them may get you more sales. In essence, you caring for your client is also you caring for your artwork. (Can you hear it? It's Elton John singing "Circle Of Life.")

The following have specifications which either specifically mentions ASTM ratings or utilizes internal testing protocols based off of the ASTM standards. Click the links below to visit the technical specifications and color charts. (You may find the color charts helpful before you try one of these brands:

Grumbacher MAX: Specs and Color Chart (Download problems? Click here)
Holbein Aqua Duo: Specs and Color Chart
LUKAS Berlin: Use the top-level navigation, go to Leaflets > LUKAS Berlin
Van Gogh H2Oils: Color Chart
Winsor & Newton Artisan: Specs and Color Chart (Permanence and ASTM compliance)

The fact that a company may choose to conduct its own tests based on ASTM guidelines shouldn't necessarily raise red flags for an artist. Why? First, these companies have been around for a long time. This means they have spent time creating processes to make their business better. Secondly, you can do what I did and cross-reference the information on the manufacturer's primary product. If those products use the same rating system as their professional-quality oil colors then you know their water soluble line is equally important to them. And, thirdly, we're dealing with companies with reputations they need to uphold. They can't afford to mislead the public and thereby destroy the brand they've spent millions of dollars trying to build.

So, there you have it. I hope that this gives you a springboard upon which to learn more on your own about these companies and their fine products. Any questions or comments, please let me know.

Still Think Oil and Water Don't Mix? Think Again. (Water Soluble Oils, Part 2)

2009-01-25T23:40:00.007-05:00

Sorry I've been remiss in posting. My wife and I got sick concurrently with two different things. Then our 4-year old got sick. Ah, such is the life of a parent.

As I indicated in my first post about water-soluble oils, I discovered a book by Sean Dye called Painting with Water-Soluble Oils that introduced me to a new product, transformed my understanding of oil paints and revealed a practical way for me to return to painting.

Water soluble (water-mixable or water miscible) oils are similar in composition to traditional oil paints except that the oil medium in these paints has been altered on the molecular level to allow for water dilution and clean-up. So, the old axiom of water and oil not mixing isn’t true in this case. I’ve read a few online posts that the manufacturers use detergent to make the water solubility occur, but I was not able to confirm this through any legitimate source. Therefore, I would list such claims as questionable. Collateral I was able to find from the different manufacturers points to the chemically-altered makeup of the paints and not a simple additive formula (though additives do play a role). While not the definitive authority on the subject, Wikipedia concisely ascribes it to "the use of an oil medium in which one end of the molecule has been altered to bind loosely to water molecules...."

I found six (sorry, Wikipedia) manufacturers and their respective water soluble oil paint brand. I've listed them below alphabetically:

Grumbacher (site unavailable due to redesign, try grumbacherart.com) produces MAX
HK Holbein produces Duo Aqua
LUKAS (be warned, poor site) produces Berlin
Maimeri produces Classico Acqua (distributors unknown at this time)
Royal Talens produces Van Gogh H2Oil
Winsor & Newton produces Artisan

You might be thinking, "Jeff, are these professional artist paints?" I searched literature and here's what their sites or representatives say:

Grumbacher refers to MAX as their "professional line of water miscible oil colors." (Note: MAX2, which has been discontinued, was their student-grade.")
Similarly, Holbein speaks of their Duo Aqua brand as "an artist quality pigment in water-soluble linseed oil."
LUKAS' Berlin brand is listed as "professional quality."
Winsor & Newton's Artisan brand is a curious case. Their well-designed website doesn't specifically list the paints as professional-grade; however, when I emailed W&N's customer service I received the following email back from them (bolding mine, for emphasis):

Thank you for your enquiry. Artisan currently does not quite match our
Artists' Oil Colour range in terms of size of range and pigment loading (in
certain cases). However, in terms of permanence and colours included in the
range it definitely meets the stringent requirements of professional
artists. For example, it contains "genuine" cadmium colours, cerulean blue
and cobalt blue.

The Artisan range is for professional artists and is used successfully by a
large number of professional artists worldwide.
Van Gogh H2Oil paints are not listed anywhere (either manufacturer or retail sites) as being professional.

As Wikipedia conventiently points out, "The Royal Talens and Holbein paints do not use the traditional pigments that are based on cadmium and other heavy metals, which further reduces the toxicity risks of working with them."

Well, that concludes the discussion for now. I encourage you to check out the manufacturer websites. There's a wealth of information out there on these paints. I've linked to the retailers selling some of the paints. I believe all of them offer starter sets if you'd like to experiment which I'd encourage you to do.

Up next, I'll specifically address the feel of those paint brands I've worked with and what my results were when using them. If you've worked with water soluble oil paints, please let me know about your experience and what brand you used. I would love to hear from you!

That Pink Thing, alla prima oil painting

2009-01-12T22:32:00.008-05:00

That Pink Thing was the last alla prima oil painting I did for my still life class I started in October. I have to say this was also one of the paintings I liked least from my class. While I liked the composition and a few of the components (e.g., the tablecloth and acorn squash, in particular), I made poor choices in the execution of this piece.

I zoomed in some on the objects versus working smaller including more of the space surrounding the piece. While the colors harmonized overall, my application of the copper bowl wasn't as successful as I had done previously (e.g., It's Not Easy Being Blue and Fruit with Vessels. I'm probably reacting to the softness of the edge which makes the bowl feel more ceramic than metal. The white vessel next to the copper bowl proved the most disappointing because I screwed up the perspective of the blue stripe. I may go back and simply paint over the area to make the stripe nonexistent; you know, blend it in more. We'll see. Oh, and did I mention "that pink thing" in the back drove me nuts because I simply hated it. I'm sure most of my disdain stems from my not doing fabric well. But, as I posted previously, I'm going to make that something to work on in 2009.

It saddened me to realize that the new art classes will be starting at Fleisher in another couple of weeks. I had considered signing up again with Giovanni Casadei, but decided to hold off and do some work on my own at home. I am reviewing my goals for this year and I'll probably post something related to that as I've become more intentional about those musings as of late.

On a final note, I will do a better job at photographing my work. Susan Martin Spar over at her art blog The Daily Muse recommended that I include close-ups of the surface to highlight my brushwork. I'll be more diligent with either doing such close-ups or making certain that when you click on the painting itself the enlargement sufficiently displays the surface texture. Thanks for your recommendation Susan!

Spotlight: Joyce Washor, Small Oil and Watercolor Paintings

2009-01-08T23:07:00.002-05:00

I've decided to take time on my blog to occasionally highlight a particular artist whose work I appreciate. It's my way of giving back to those who don't know me but have inspired me with their work and dedication to our craft.

Joyce Washor has a new painting up on her art blog simply titled, Flower Composition. First, I love the painting. Second, it's actually a mini-tutorial detailing her style of working. Washor wrote a book called Big Art, Small Canvas which details how to compose and produce postcard-sized paintings.

When you visit Joyce's website, you'll notice a few things. Joyce's paintings are 3"x4" in size. Though small, I think they are potent. She does an excellent job of bringing expression to her subjects with minimal strokes. Washor modulates form with a wonderful play of light and color. Her subjects include florals like Floral Arrangements, still lifes such as Still Life with Honey Jar and Sunflower and landscapes like Landscape Interiors with Steps.

Please take a moment, visit Joyce Washor's art blog and look at what she has contributed and continues to bring to the artist community at large. She has another website that includes About, Resume, Workshops and a few other sections. Enjoy!

It's Not Easy Being Blue, alla prima oil painting

2008-12-30T20:52:00.007-05:00

This painting, featuring a blue glass vase, a brown ceramic jug holding a bunch of pink flowers, bronze urn, a maroon ceramic tea pot, a copper kettle, a glass bowl with a white onion inside, a couple of lemons and Macintosh apples, and an acorn squash, was my eighth that I completed for my alla prima oil painting class offered at Fleisher Art Memorial in Philadelphia, PA.

This is probably my most complete painting to date from this class. This composition my teacher, Giovanni Casadei, set up is one of my favorites.

One of the things I like best is the large shadow that is cast across the urn and acorn squash. I made sure I finished the cast shadows for this painting since it's something I always leave til last. I know it's one thing I want to work on. I want to paint them in when I do the table surface; it seems the logical thing to do though I have overlooked it consistently. Everything in time, right?

I believe the white cloth is the weakest part of the composition; not horrible, but I'd like it to be more defined. As I stated before, I really want to work on painting drapery. The pink flowers could also use a little more depth that a stronger shadow would provide. In that same area, a stronger highlight on a couple of leaves might have increased the sense of light shining from the left.

Giovanni made the point in this work, my last painting and my final piece--which has yet to be posted--that I need to work on varying my brushstrokes. Again, everything in time.

Recommendations anyone?

Using Water Soluble Oil Paints

2008-12-17T00:29:00.007-05:00

I have to take pictures of my last couple of paintings from my a la prima oil painting class at Fleisher Art Memorial and instead of allowing the time to pass without comment, I decided to introduce the first in a series of posts about my experiences with water soluble oil paints.

I've been using water soluble oil paints for about a year. I transitioned from regular oil paints early on in college and took up with alkyd oil paints because I wanted faster drying times. I learned about water soluble oil paints before I used them. I purchased Painting with Water-Soluble Oils by Sean Dye after wanting to get back into painting but realizing that I had no true (or, more to the point, safe) studio space so I needed to consider something that wouldn't ruin our carpets.

To start things off, let me begin this intermittent series of posts with my brief review listed on Amazon.com of the book which I'll go into more in-depth later:

I have owned this book for quite some time and just recently re-read it. It does a fine job providing an overview of water soluble oils (WSO) and how they differ from regular oils. The write-ups for each include a listing of paints offered by each manufacturer and their light-fastness (i.e., longevity after sustained exposure to light). The information covered is more than enough to help you select one of them to begin painting.

I've used them in the past and am now taking a class where I'm using them and others are using traditional oils. I have to say that cleaning up with soap and water is awesome. I use the Artisan brand and have a couple of the MAX brand too. I'm going to try the other brands to see how they handle.

The write-ups by artists about WSOs, their comparison/contrast with traditional oils and the demonstration "lessons" provide for light reading. The pictures throughout give you a fine overview of what other artists do/did with these paints.

Having said all of this, though, I have to note that this isn't a strict how-to book. You'll need to look elsewhere for that. One person recommended the "Water Soluble Oils" section of a book called "The Oil Painting Book" by Bill Creevy. Another is "No Experience Required! - Water-Soluble Oils" by Mary Deutschman. From the reviews this last book sounds it is more about hands-on technique.

Overall, I'd say buy this book to help you get a sense about this medium.

Some of my thoughts have changed since writing this review in June 2008. I'll cover these thoughts and more beginning with my next post about water soluble oil paints.

Please feel free to share your own experiences about this medium.

Composition with Yellow and Red, a la prima oil painting

2008-12-15T01:10:00.016-05:00

This painting, featuring yellow and red flowers, apples, oranges and pomegranates, was the sixth that I completed for my a la prima oil painting class offered at Fleisher Art Memorial in Philadelphia, PA. Giovanni Casadei, the instructor, wanted me to experiment by not mapping out anything but simply to put a primary color down as a starting (and focal) point.

Much like Yellow Speaks and Fruit with Vessels, this painting is missing something. For this particular a la prima oil painting, I didn't finish in the requisite 2 1/2 - 3 hours to complete the painting. Can you guess what's missing?

If you said, "the cast shadows are missing," then you'd receive full marks! That's the most glaring issue in my mind. I think the colors balance well and there's a successful feeling of space.

If I had grayed the background more it may have allowed more "voice" to the fore- and middle grounds. While the existing blue background works, my hunch is that it would have been more successful if I added a color to neutralize the saturation. Nevertheless, that's another component of the composition I wish I had redone. Who knows, perhaps I will adjust it since I did take a photo before class officially began.

I'd appreciate hearing some of your thoughts.

Yellow Speaks, new a la prima oil painting

2008-12-11T23:44:00.025-05:00

Fear not, I have been painting. I'll post the work over the next few days. This posting and the upcoming pieces are the final paintings from my a la prima painting class at Fleisher Art Memorial in Philly. The timeline for each was between 2 1/2 and 3 hours.

The above a la prima oil painting was the fifth piece from my oil painting still life class with Giovanni Casadei. As you can see I slipped a little in my pacing and didn't finish it. I've improved greatly as has been shown elsewhere on this oil painting art journal. The green drape needs highlights. My hope is to return to this painting and finish it over the Christmas break.

People in the class complained about that brown jug. Ironically, I really enjoyed painting it. I enjoyed painting this piece even though I'm still working on my brushstrokes. Giovanni continued to drive home his new age montra-ish talk about the importance of experiential painting and "feeling" the process while painting.

On a more earthly level, I think the colors and lighting balance well; the sense of space strong. The table covering is one of the more effective I've done. I put painting drapery as high on my list of things to practice.

Thoughts anyone?

Autumn colds, a missed class and stupid tv

2008-11-09T14:03:00.012-05:00

Sadly, my family's corporate illness caught up with me. It hit me on Monday afternoon so I was quite tired and simply chose not to go to my class that night at Fleisher Art Memorial. As such, I don't have a new painting to post this week, but tomorrow night's class will find me painting away.

I'm hoping that my week off won't affect my ability to cover the canvas like I did the previous week. I'm expecting that it'll be a bit of a challenge just from having the week off.

This past week flew by and it brought some resolution to my cold, but completely. Last night, however, my wife and I planned on going out with friends to The Melting Pot. My wife and I had eaten there before, but this was the first time our friends had been there. We got through out salads and our cheese course when suddenly the lights went out. Long story short, we stayed there for an hour before they decided they were going to close down the place. I ended up sending them an email indicating out disappointment and displeasure with the fact that:

We planned on our evening but the company never planned on a contingency plan for when their power goes out which apparently had happened a few times last year.
They offered us complimentary alcoholic drinks, but since we don't drink that was meaningless for us. They didn't offer anything else as a consolation after I mentioned we weren't drinkers.
They charged us full price for our meal when it wasn't our fault that our evening was incomplete and ruined.
They gave us bogus parking validation. We still ended up paying full price for parking.

All of the area Melting Pots were booked so we couldn't simply find another one to finish our evening out. We ended up coming back to our house and playing cards after stopping to get ice cream and some other snacks. We also watched Yeti on the Sci-Fi Channel.

All I have to say is that you know it's bad when you're hoping the cast gets eaten!

Why did we watch the whole thing? Well, it was horrendously stupid while ALSO being incredibly funny. It's funny, that is, if you like leap-frogging abominable snow monsters who can get burned, shot and impaled but never seem to die until they're thrown off a cliff. But, there, I don't want to give TOO much away in case you plan on watching it.

Let me just leave you with this additional tidbit ... one of the main characters gets both his legs broken, uses one of his dead friend's forearms as a splint, walks through knee-high snow drifts and then, later, tumbles down a hill while trying to escape the yeti only to have another friend shoot him in the eye with a flare gun after arriving back at camp. BUT, he turns out NOT to be dead -- which you don't find out until the end of the movie when he crawls disoriented from the hold of the aircraft that had been pushed off of a CLIFF by a yeti.

Fortunately, though, we need not fear that that guy's character will further pollute the gene pool because the hand of one of the yetis that had been IMPALED by stakes and covered by tons of snow from an avalanche thrusts his three-digit hand through the snow ominously ending this horrendously stupid horror movie. (Hey, I got to use my description again!)

So I guess one can't complain about spending time with your spouse and good friends even if that means an insipid movie sucks you in and leaves you laughing as its foolishness, right?

Fruit with vessels, a la prima painting

2008-11-02T21:48:00.005-05:00

Ok, here's the painting I completed last Monday during my a la prima still life class. As I indicated in my last post, I completed the entire painting. Of course, it's not all as developed as it should be. But, I was happy that I covered the whole canvas. I kinda pulled it together during the eleventh hour, I guess you could say.

For those of you new to my blog, I'm taking an a la prima painting class. Each painting for the class must be completed within the three hour class period. It's been a challenging process; learning to paint in one sitting. There are many pieces that need to be brought together to make it happen at all, let alone successfully. LOL!

There are obvious components that I'm not happy with. The chair is slightly off on the top left of the chair back. I can't believe I missed that. There are some tonal variations with the chair as well that could make it appear more solidified. The spatial relationships between the area directly behind the table and those peripheral elements (i.e., chair, end of black platform the table and chair are on). I am also wanting to work on rendering drapery to appear more solid.

Oh, and by the way, my 2-year old is responsible for the finger prints and occasional smudges. I shouldn't have had it where it was, but she picked it up and moved it. In the process, she put dark marks on the white canvas drape and smudged a couple of other areas. No biggie though.

I'd like to try, at some point, toning the background so it melts into the gray value I have been using for this class. Then with that established I can pull out the more saturated values of the focal point.

Let me know what you think!

I beat my estimate

2008-10-28T20:45:00.003-04:00

Well, I did it -- AND, I did ahead of schedule.

I covered the whole canvas during class on Monday night. Whoo hoo!

Of course, that could all change next week because the painting I ended with wasn't exactly complete in that the drape had stripes which I edited out because of time. so, I made it but barely.

I'll be posting it when I get a chance to take a photo of it. I leave too early in the morning so taking a pic at that time isn't going to work. Also, the painting goes to the edges so I can't easily carry it around. I'll check it tomorrow to see how wet the surface is. If it works that I can carry it, I'll take it to school and photograph it there. Otherwise, I'll have to wait until the weekend.

I'm curious to hear comments, so stop back!

Vases with gourds, a la prima painting

2008-10-24T21:37:00.009-04:00

As you can see from this most recent painting from my Monday night still life class at Fleisher, I'm still struggling with speed and economy in the a la prima approach to oil painting. I think I'm making progress, though.

I feel much more confident in handling large compositions such as this. My previous efforts usually would have me focusing on a section of a larger composition. Opening myself up to seeing in new ways and experiencing this new way of recording what I see have already positively affected me. I'm excited about that. I wish I had the opportunity to paint between my Monday sessions. I'll have to speak to the wifey about making the time for that to happen (either inside or outside). Or, I'll have to do something about it at night.

Regardless, I hope within the next four classes, I'll have things more clearly worked out regarding the speed at which I work. Of course, increasing the speed at which I work must coincide with a growing economy of my technique. If I can't combine speed with economy then, without doubt, I'll become increasingly frustrated (though I won't be giving up any time soon.)

But, who knows, this growth may simply take more time. That's not my plan, but you've heard of the best laid plans of mice and men, right?

A la Prima, the joys and frustrations

2008-10-20T23:24:00.003-04:00

I had class again tonight at Fleisher. Overall, it went well. I'll post the painting in another day or so (I need time to take a good pic of it).

One of the great frustrations for me is that I'm not working fast enough. In an effort to challenge myself, I've been choosing to paint the ENTIRE still life. That means I'm not finishing things up before the end of class (thus, my last painting isn't complete).

One of the great joys for me is that I'm enjoying this new style of working (a la prima). Overall, I'm finding it challenging but also very rewarding. I've got a lot of issues to work through as I push to embrace a la prima painting but I'm confident that I'll get there. Actually, I'm quite excited to get there!

So, tomorrow or Wednesday, I'll post my painting from tonight. I look forward to your comments.

Vase with fruit, a la prima painting

2008-10-16T20:20:00.006-04:00

The above painting was my most recent work from my a la Prima Still-Life in Oils class over at Fleisher in Philly. As indicated in my post on October 13th, I had a much more enjoyable experience in class than during my first class.

The teacher, Giovanni Casadei, spoke to me repeatedly during the 3 hour class about what I was doing. It proved helpful and I appreciated that attention. Ocassionally, he waxed eloquent on the importance of feeling connected to your subject which does resonate with me as an art educator though the way he talks about it sounds more like new age religion than art education. LOL!

Overall, I really enjoyed painting this still life (particularly the fruit). My only regret is not having the opportunity to finish it. The background is missing and that destroys the unity of the piece. I made the mistake of getting too detailed in the beginning and didn't pace myself well. This coming Monday, I'm going to push to block in everything. As I indicated in my October 13th post, I am finding this approach to working (i.e., a la prima) a real challenge and that's primarily because of a fear of failure which surprises me because I tell my students that if you're not willing to make mistakes you're not going to progress and art will always be a frustration for you. Hmmm, I'll have to post on that.

Comments on the painting anyone?

Vase of Flowers, a la prima

2008-10-15T11:00:00.004-04:00

This is my first painting from my A la Prima Still-Life in Oils painting class at Fleisher. I wasn't happy with it; so much is wrong with it. As you'll see in my second painting, I tackled more of the whole still life which made me happier.

I think it is just a new way of thinking and working that completely threw me. I have to say that I like working on a gray ground. The canvas texture gave me some issues. I'll have to look into getting some smooth panels to work with.

The biggest issue from the first class was my frustration at the teacher not making all positions manageable since it was a still life class. (I'm happy to report that the second class he did just that and all angles were workable.)

Better experience this time around

2008-10-13T22:48:00.009-04:00

I came home from my second class at Fleisher last night and I have to say that tonight's class was SO much better an experience for me than last week's session. Giovanni came over and spoke to me almost immediately after class began. I'm sure he realized that I wasn't happy last week.

He encouraged me to not look at the act of painting as a rote script to follow; technique being a stale end in itself. He also spoke quite passionately about "feeling" what you paint and loving the experience of painting.

The act of learning to see is critical to my way of thinking. It's the foundation of what I'm trying to accomplish with my students at school. That's the reason I took this class at Fleisher in the first place. I want practice in capturing what I see in the moment of seeing it. I'm excited about next week's class. Let's hope I can reinforce what I took away from last night's class.

New class disappointment

2008-10-11T08:13:00.006-04:00

Well, I started my new class this past Monday over at Fleisher Art Memorial. It's the a la Prima Still Life in Oils class with Giovanni Casadei. I really like his work, but his teaching style during the first class wasn't what I expected.

I had hoped for a little demonstration, but Giovanni says he really can't do that because his working practice requires him to get into the zone. He also seemed to think it would interfere with me expressing myself and "feeling" my way through my work. I can appreciate what he is saying, but I figured he would at least give a simple demonstration of technique. So that was disappointing.

I arrived on time, but that was apparently a little too late because I ended up having to take a position that was less than optimal considering how he had things set up. Frankly, I don't think this should ever be the case. If you're going to have a painting class with a still life then make sure you set it up so all members of the class will have a reliable angle to work. Of course, every angle may not be equal but they should all be workable. According to Giovanni my angle really wasn't and he recommended that I get there earlier to get a better spot. Okay, I can do that, but doesn't that mean that someone will always get a poor angle and will have to get there earlier?

In my mind, he as the teacher should ensure that everyone has a place to sit that he can help them manage their composition and their approach to the subject. If he can't constructively provide feedback beyond "come earlier and get a better spot" then he needs to adjust how he has things set up.

Of course, I'm not counting the class out. This is simply a report after my first class. I'll post more (and my first painting) from last week later this weekend.

Finished cherries painting

2008-08-06T08:44:00.008-04:00

My wonderful wife gave me a few hours yesterday (my birthday) to finish the painting I started (but didn't finish) in my Still Life class at Fleisher. I painted the background, reworked the bowl and touched up the cherries. Oh, and I fixed the stem on the big cherry in the back and removed the stem on the one cherry outside of the bowl.

I think it turned out well. I pushed myself to be more loose with my brushstrokes. I'm going to think up a few simple still life setups so I can practice that. Any thoughts?

I'm signed up to take an A la Prima Still Life class at Fleisher in the Fall with Giovanni Casadei. I am so looking forward to this class and hope it helps me loosen up and look at paint application in a new way. We'll see.

My last painting for my class

2008-07-31T09:46:00.009-04:00

Last night I completed my final painting in my seven-week summer Still Life Painting class at Fleisher. I started out on a different subject than what I ended up with. Frankly, I was not feeling very engaged when I first got there. I think it had a lot to do with the fact it was my last class (i.e., disappointment) AND we were doing a one-session painting (i.e., anxiety).

I had not done a one-session painting in many, many years so I was nervous how I was going to begin. Now, what artists did as a preliminary sketches to determine value and work out compositional problems are hot items on the Internet. On Google or ebay, all you have to do is type in "postcard paintings" or "painting a day" and you'll get overloaded with results of varying degrees of quality.

So, the final product is unfinished. I plan on returning to it this week to finish it up. The issues I want to tackle are the background and, in the process, refine the shape of the bowl. I think I can also go in and take care of the thickness of the tallest stem. Once I define the foreground and background and add some cast shadows the piece will be stronger (and I'll be happier with it). Overall, it's not horrid or even half bad considering where I am with my skills.

Thoughts anyone?

Art teachers and artist teachers

2008-07-30T01:36:00.009-04:00

I've been asked about the "art teacher versus artist teacher" dichotomy on interviews within the past few months. My answer always remains conditional as it relates to me; for others it may be more monolithic. The distinction strikes me as subtle but profound. Obviously, the education of children is paramount. What I discuss below has that as the foundation; however, the outcome may be vastly different.

Let's discuss categories. When I refer to "art teachers," I'm speaking about a specific brand of art teacher, someone focusing on breadth versus depth. Namely, those who believe they should know a little about everything and be master (or, near-master) of no particular discipline. Of course, that doesn't mean they don't prefer one discipline to another. Their focus is on broad exposure, or breadth, so they don't believe it's necessary to take regular classes to refine or update their skills. And, so, they don't. The reasons for their attitude will run the gambit from lack of funds (either personal or district reimbursement) to indifference.

When I speak of "artist teachers," I'm referring those art teachers who teach but believe it is incumbent upon them to push forward in their own artistic development. Or, they already have gallery representation or simply sell their work regularly but privately. In the end, though, their attitude is on personal growth and development. Their own artistic development is part conduit, part bridge to helping their students move forward in the beginnings of their own artistic journey.

Some districts for all grade levels believe that exposure is paramount. Period. Personally, I don't believe art should be the subject where kids are encouraged to dabble. I think it's a poor message to send; at least, a poor one for high school. What other subject is that the norm? As the school years progress, exposure should shift to a more mature expression and approach. I'm sure some would disagree with me. So, personally, if a district is looking for an art teacher whose focus is on breadth versus depth then I may not be the person for them.

If a district is looking for someone who believes it's important to continually practice and grow in his own art, then I'm their man. To me, this is foundational. Mind you, the practice of this will look different for me than someone else because of where I am in my life.

For instance, I have a four year old and a two year old. My art was--for all intents and purposes--put on hold because being a father for me was (and is) paramount. That, of course, isn't where I want to be. I want to be taking classes and working on my art at home. It's just hasn't been possible until now. Thus, my class at Fleisher.

Since I'm coming from the private sector and not specifically from an education background, I was doing non-classroom work. During that time, I do my best to remain creatively engaged but this wasn't in the artistic output I would have chosen for myself. Namely, I was last working in the Internet industry as a creative director and project manager. As such, I worked with clients and provided them with my creative output and guidance. There were other outlets for me creatively as well, but none were on par with the work I so deeply desired to be doing: representational painting.

But, like I said, I've been able to start taking classes; the first was Still Life Painting with David Berger at Fleisher Art Memorial.

I'd like to hear from those who agree or disagree with me on the two categories I've laid out above. What are your thoughts?

Water-soluble oil paints

2008-07-25T14:48:00.020-04:00

Someone in my class noticed me cleaning out my brushes with water the other week. She had never heard of water-soluble oil paints which is the type of oil paints I use.

When I went to Rutgers University, I had used both regular and alkyd oils. Even while in school I had occasional bouts of outbreaks of small blisters that would itch; almost like a fungus. I tried gloves but that only made my hands more itchy. I thought I'd have to give up painting forever.

It wasn't until much later that I first heard about water-soluble oil paints. What a surprise it was! Here was a medium that I could reintroduce into my life. I found a book on Amazon called Painting with Water-Soluble Oils by Sean Dye. I really enjoyed this book. It had plenty of examples and feedback from other artists. I'd recommend it. You'll have to purchase it from resellers via Amazon since it's no longer carried by Amazon.

I'll provide some additional thoughts in another post.

2nd painting from still life class

2008-07-25T12:40:00.001-04:00

After three weeks (9 hours of class time), we got another still life set up. I overworked the pitcher, but overall this painting has a more consistent rendering across the piece than my first painting for this class. I'm not happy with the shadow behind the pitcher either. The lights moved so this shadow wasn't the same as when I first blocked it in. It's not a show-stopper but I notice it more than I'd like to.

Since this summer class only has seven classes, our last painting will be al a prima. That should be interesting! Perhaps it will help me loosen up even more. I seem to run into the issue of being somewhat painterly in some areas and tighter in others. It's something I'm hoping to work on as I try some pieces at home on my own. I may try to do compositions of one or two pieces. We'll see.

1st painting from my still life class

2008-07-24T09:44:00.007-04:00

As I indicated in my previous post, I have been taking Still Life Painting at Fleisher Art Memorial in Philadelphia. David Berger is my instructor and it's been highly enjoyable and beneficial to me as well. David is a great instructor; honest, informative, attentive.

This was the first still life we worked on. It was part of a larger grouping each member of the class was responsible for isolating elements for their composition (without moving them, obviously).

Overall, I'm pretty happy with it since this is the first painting I've done in about four years. The background object ends up looking more like a tree and less like a vase, primarily because of the palm tree-like shadow. I should have scaled it down or changed the orientation so you could see the flowers in it. I suppose I also could have made the shadow look like a flower, too.

I also found myself loosening up the more I got into the painting. As such, the bowl is tighter than many of the other components. I'm also not that happy with the lime though it was as dark as that. It dominates a bit too much in my mind.

But, I'm still happy with it. After all, if you're not willing to make mistakes then you're not going to make improvements.

And so it begins ...

2008-07-24T00:44:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile. Shamefully, too many years. I graduated in 1990 with my art degree. I painted for a bit after college. As I got older though, I found that other aspects of my life had overshadowed any artistic goals I harbored. Now, one house, one wife and two kids later I look back and wonder where did all of that time go.t

So, this is my journey back. I am just about finished taking classes at Fleisher Art Memorial in Philadelphia, PA. I happened upon their website and was intrigued by the course offerings and the reasonable prices.

I'll be posting pics of the two paintings I've done up to this point.