> I just looked at your students' work, and the subsequent critiques.
> I was impressed with the paintings. Although the students spent
> much time on them, they appeared more energetic and free than
> the high school work I am used to seeing. You really are a good
> teacher, to be able to help students have the courage to use color,
> and avoid the tight rendering that can kill a painting.
Leah...
Thanks for your taking time to look, and comments. I appreciate your
observations. It is difficult to convince young people that a work can be
awesome painted loose. To see my own personal work for the first 15 of 21
years, you'd be surprised to think I would advocate such. I was a fairly
known wildlife artist for those years, having shown with Wild Wings, and
some of the biggies. Over the past six years I've almost exclusively
painted plein air landscapes. I have learned a great deal these past six
years, and that mainly is "how to paint!"
I laugh at that thought now...because all my awards and kudos declaring me a
good "wildlife" artist prepared me little to stand in front of nature and
paint...instead of sitting comfortable in my studio.
Most of my time painting now..is spent "squinting" my eyes. If some of you
get a chance, I'll invite you to catch my latest "how-to" plein air painting
demo, where I explain the value of squinting and many other processes....and
you can see quite a few photos-
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Articles/Larry_Seiler/102/
I have discovered over the years one major distinction that separates mature
painters from amateurs. That main distinction being that the young artist
paints everything he/she sees, seeking to prove their ability. The mature
artist is very selective, choosing the least necessary to support the energy
and focus needed to manipulate the viewer's eye to see what he wants them to
see. I call that one or two necessary elements the "ah-HAH!" , and readers
of my how-to's find I talk about that much. Knowing what NOT to paint, is
perhaps more important than what to paint.
For young people, this is very hard. It helps to have a number of my
razzle-and-dazzle award winning wildlife paintings on hand for the kids to
see...and then let the kids know that what I know about painting now makes
me personally, "not impressed!" I talk much about the "game" of painting,
the fun of it. I let them know that what we are going to study is what it
is like to paint out of doors. When you do that...you build a foundation by
which the kids will be able to give themselves permission to paint
loose...or in their words, "messy!" Yet later, by their own admissions they
are surprised with themselves, and quite proud!
It is all in how you set it up for the kids...and then, you take on the role
of a cheerleader once the game begins!
I tell them that plein air painters are literally taking on the sun, which
is really the rotation of the earth...as well as unpredictable cloud cover.
The scene that perhaps caught them by their jugular might at ANY moment
change. The painter knows he has perhaps 20-30 minutes max to catch the
spirit or "ah-HAH!" of the scene that said, "PAINT ME!!!" Such restrictions
call for great economy of time and the painter's attack. NO time to worry
about insignificant details.
You must show them many many pictures, and I have Southwest Art magazines,
as well as quite a few American Art Reviews. They have no history of their
own as a painter to have built faith in the eventual outcome of a work, so
let them see the success of others that have gone on before them. Make
sense? You must supply the faith for those that do not have it. That's the
cheerleading I spoke of.
Point out how loose brushwork is like the story of a parable told, where
listeners pick up the moral being taught by reading between the lines the
orator is speaking. The mind of the viewer will out of their own
experience, read more detail into the work than you have actually painted.
I really emphasize that the students have to "trust me on this one!"
Much is being learned thru this exercise...successful contrasts using- warm
colors versus cool, texture versus lack of, dark values versus light, detail
versus lack of, etc; Composition and leading of the eye. A block-in of
masses, and use of negative space to suggest form, suggest detail. They
need someone to have confidence for where they lack. "Trust me...it'll
work!" as I pat them on the shoulder.
Like a cake that is becoming a cake, it only appears a cake once the
frosting is on. The painting will come off as a painting only when
finished, so some destructive paralyzing judgments need to be suspended and
kept at bay.
Finally....students need to know that whether or not "they" are a painter or
have succeeded is not to be judged upon one work. That's the problem with
most adults that try painting. They do one or two...and decide based on how
the work turned out that they aren't meant to be painters. Hahaha...what a
joke! I tell the kids up front that dues need to be paid, and that it takes
doing 120 bad paintings to learn something about how to paint. I have Edgar
Degas's statement in bold letters in front of my room on the wall which
reads, "Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when
you do!"
I have table top easels...and force kids to stand. Use long handle brushes
and a diamond shaped painting knife. Believe it or not...I get them to use
and like the knife! Like a coach barking out, "bend your knees!".....kids
hear me constantly reminding them to judge their work and their resource by
squinting their eyes. This equates to the inconvenience of backing up
several paces to see if something is working.
Lastly...we can't all load up on a bus and go paint outdoors....so, I
provide an Igloo cooler filled with photos of scenes from my own excursions,
or they can choose a scene from a magazine. I let them work on this work
with an "in-studio" pace...because there is much to learn, to critique, to
get across. I tell them in time...they would be equipped to take on the
sun!
Finally....I am building up a pretty good art history video library, and
every Friday is video day! Impressionists, Baroque...etc; This
monday...I'm taking 30 students for an all day field trip two hours away to
see a Carl Runguis exhibit. Wonderful it will be to see students "get it!"
For those that did not see any of those kids paintings we are speaking of
here, and the critiques from artists they received, I'll repost a few from
the original May 7th thread...
