Pondering

 Anonymous asked about the difference between whatI did before and what I do now and I have been pondering the answer. There are some technical differences, but most of the difference is mental, I think.

Alla Prima painting is an old technique that is defined as" at one time"  or painting "wet into wet." It is usually done with oils for the simple reason that acrylics dry very quickly. However, new OPEN acrylics have a longer drying time so some Alla Prima painting is being done in that medium.

My before painting were usually begun with pouring diluted paint on a canvas or paper , playing around with it in various ways then waiting for it to dry before "finding" an image to develop. Once painting began I could go back into any area to darken, lighten, or in amy other way further define it, deciding as I went what it was to be. People who do this well, make lovey and interesting paintings this way. I did not, for the most part.

The technique I am learning, begins with a subset -  still life, landscape, a person, an object - whatever I choose. Then from with a still-life setup, a photograph, or from life, I study the colors, values, shadows, etc., and plan my "attack." I sketch out the painting to be on a panel that has been underpainted with a medium color and begin painting, trying to be sure that each stroke is the right value, and in the right place.

Beautiful, fascinating, intense, moving paintings can be and have been made either way. Cezanne, Manet, and John Singer Sargeant used this technique. 

I am going to try a small landscape today and then go the the grocery store for some apples!

All will b well, 
XOXOXO
Caroline 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Painting

Image
Last week I painted four(4) canvases and I like them. I won't say that they are finished because as long as they are in my possession they are open to more work. You might have seen this one on FB although I have added the little circle near the bottom left. I painted the background that wonderful orangey yellow thinking that I would paint marigolds, using the yellow and painting in the other colors and leaves. In fact, I chalked in the flowers to see how they would fit but then decided that I really wanted to do an abstract so I made the line on the left and smeared it out. After that I made that shape to the right, added the shape at the bottom and then added lines wherever they seemed to belong. The drips were made by spraying the paint when it was wet. It didn't seem quite finished so , the next day after thinking about what was lacking, I added the circle (it is a kind of greenish and metallic color) and I am finished. It has not been named as of yet.  This was
Read more

Rain, lovely rain

Image
We are having a long slow, soft rain and it is wonderful. We have lately had our share of hard winds, hard, rain, and hard heat.  Gentle is a nice change. So far the ground isn't saturated, but it is getting a good soak. The leaves on the redbud outside the dining room, gather drops. The leaves are huge and heart shaped and the effect is lovely. There is no breeze so the drops cling until the rain is harder or gravity finally pulls them to the ground. Out the front door the street is all shiny and the air is clean. The porch could stand some paint but that will have to wait for another, drier day. What you can't see here is a stack of newspapers that accumulated while we were gone and forgot to stop delivery and which I put off dealing with while it was so hot. They have to be freed from the plastic bag and rubber band , flattened and put with the recycling. Maybe I should just stop taking the paper, but It is good to keep up with the local happenings. All of you w
Read more

The things we do

Image
The things we do, whether for love or not. The sink in the downstairs bathroom has been draining ever more slowly and, as you know, we have no kitchen sink right now. Yesterday it took nearly an hour for the water from washing my hands to drain and I told Dean that something had to be done NOW. "Okay, " said Dean," I will cut a hole in the closet in our room and check the pipes". "Wait", said I, "Didn't you tell me that there is a clean out in the basement?Why not check that first." So putting aside his hats as airline pilot, attorney,  contractor and chef, Dean put on his plumbing hat and tackled the clean-out. I forgot my roles as artist, sewist, and became assist-ant to the plumber. Scene I, the basement. Ugh. Dean checks the clean-out and finds no clog there. Scene II, the bathroom. The snake is not budging any clogs.     C: What about a coat hanger?     D: That won't be strong enough.     C: Just a minute.   (I get a coat h
Read more