Back again

Back on the blog again. It's been some time but life has been super hectic and I forgot that this site even existed. I wanted to write a post to help me construct ideas about my fine art journey and things that I like. You know, the classic idea of 'steal' art in order to create something that is original. Nothing is unique its all stolen, yet holds the appearance of originality. I'm going to insert into this post a few artists that I love right now and my analysis about what I particularly enjoy looking at and creating. Maybe by the end, I'll be able to see how to navigate my journey. 

Things I already note about myself and what I'm drawn to

• I love paintings that tell a story. You know the ones with a moody atmosphere and the sitter is conveying strong emotion. Whilst the portrait itself could be considered 'plain' it still leaves you with questions. Why was the sitter reacting like this? What character does the sitter have? That being said, I will note that I do find paintings with a plain background rather dull. I regard them more as displays of technical ability rather than creative ones. 
• I love the style of the old masters, especially John Singer Sargent. He is the GOAT of fine art. A master of color and light. I'll insert some photos later and go into a deeper analysis but his buttery brushstrokes are exactly the way of painting I'm obsessed with.
• Movies! Film and television stills are so beautiful. I think there's a lot to be learnt from the colors and tones that directors use. There's a lot of film theory out there that could be used to really tap into this and use various film techniques when constructing a painting.

Onto the painters and paintings, I love currently...

Jeremy Lipking

This painting on the left is a great show of color and light. The colors are a range of muted, complementary blues and greens. The extra element of a mighty mountain range in the background adds an extra dimension to the portrait. The lights lays gently on the sitter's dress and there is a level of luminosity to it all.  

This close-up shot allows us to look in greater detail at the brush strokes Lipking uses. The dress has quite blocky, unblended, square brushstrokes, complementing the similarly painted landscape. I think this ensures that the face is the focal point of the painting; it's what the viewer is immediately drawn to. 

How did Lipking do this? I imagine he blocked in the major shadows and then began to build up the detail and color. As for the face itself, note how Lipking mixes a blue into the shadow of the eye, to complement the shades of blue seen in the rest of the painting. Similarly, the pink flush of the cheeks complements the pinks we can see in the mountains. 

KEY THINGS LEARNT FROM THIS PAINTING: 

• Make sure to really think about how the lighting in a painting affects the overall atmosphere. 
• Ensure that the colors of your palette complement one another
• Pick a focal point of a painting (normally the face) and elevate the detail of that section. The rest is still detailed, but with freer, more blocky strokes. 

John Singer Sargent

RESEARCH ON SARGENT'S TECHNIQUE

• Think about everything in terms of shadow and light (this is key when painting)- don't think "the side of the head finishes at this point", rather notice how there is a shadow behind the head and the left side is lighter. You get the gist. Its not lines, its shadows and lighter areas. 
• Lay in the mass of the hair, and the shape of the head. Basically, go from larger shapes and slowly work your way into blocking in the smaller shapes. Squint at your reference to make it easier to see this. 
• Sargent recommends fusing the face into the hair and the hair into the background. 
• Finally paint the highlights and accents.

WHAT TO TAKE FROM THIS

• Personally, the thought of going into a painting without a good graphite base drawing is daunting and unnecessary to me. That being said, I think I will (and have successfully used this method before) block in the major shadows and go from larger forms to smaller ones. I have the consistent problem of going too detailed immediately. I need to stand back from the painting and stop focusing so anally on detail.

Colleen Barry

Whilst Barry trained in the techniques of the masters like Lipking did, there appears to be a more modern, contemporary element to her work. The colours she uses seem to be a mixture of high-chroma and dull tones but they are harmoniously interwoven on the canvas. For example, the painting on the left has two major colours- brown and green. Yet Colleen has varied and contrasted different tones and hues of these two primary colours. There is a vivid, almost neon green behind the sitter, illuminating her from behind. But it is starkly contrasted with a dark, dull green to its right. This same tone of green is then reproduced on the jacket, to ensure that colors in the painting are harmonic. 
Regarding browns, the brown of her hair is contrasted with a vivid more yellowish-brown on the jacket. The 'neon' green of the background and the 'neon' brown is almost opposite one another on the painting. It is a clever way of creating a more intriguing composition through the use of color. 

This can be seen again in the painting on the right. This time Barry uses blue and yellow as the two primary colors. It is important to mention here that the tones sit in contrast to one another on the color wheel. Same with the colors used in the previous painting. Barry's paintings truly are a great study of color theory and how it can truly elevate a painting. 

KEY THINGS I'VE LEARNT FROM THESE PAINTINGS

• Think carefully about your use of color- do maybe color studies of a painting prior to sitting down and painting it on the big canvas. 
• color theory can be confusing but when used correctly can add an extra dimension- play with it!

Niklas Asker

Quite a contrast to the work of Colleen Barry, Asker's color palette is dull and dreary. The exposure is low with a lack of a strong shadow on one side. The colors are muted and thus create a solemn atmosphere. Maybe think about how you could combine Barry's playful contrasts with this atmosphere? I'm thinking of maybe using the opposite ends of the color wheel but with duller tones. Equally could be done with softer, buttery tones like that of Lipking's work. Definitely, something to investigate. Again, color studies before pursuing a painting would be the way of tackling this. 

One other thing I was thinking about incorporating into my work...

I mentioned at the beginning my love of film and how the color theory used in film could influence that of a painting. Take a look at Wes Anderson regarding landscapes. 

Whilst I do like the bright and bold pink candy palette as seen in the Grand Budapest Hotel, it is rather the muted palette with the pop of orange that I am drawn to. Similarly with the bathroom scene in the first image. 

Again, like Lipking, landscape and scenery play a huge role in formulating a portrait shot. I really want to take this further and investigate it in my own work. 

Finally... comic and graphic novels...

Building onto the little paragraph I wrote about the film, how about projecting a graphic novel seen onto a big canvas! This is an idea I've had for a while and I keep returning to it. I haven't seen anything like it yet on the web, maybe someone had already done it, that's often the case. 

This is something I am really very keen on experimenting with...

TO CONCLUDE...

Right so... what now?

I need to get out into the environment to experient with some plein air landscapes. Can you believe that I've never painted a landscape! Embarassing really... The only issue is getting out into the peak district and then obviusly the weather elements have to be considered. I could work from photos but that bothers me because life is obviously considered better practise. I think this idea needs to be tabled for now until Spring. I don't have a car and the weather is horrific. Ella's fence literally got ripped out of its foundations by the wind today. I reckon Menorca and the thames will be great for this sort of thing. 

In the meantime... experimentation and technique perfection with portraiture! Play with color theory and perfect the painting of a head.  So, so important and something I wish to focus on. 

As for the film and graphic novel involvment... this really is something I want to investigate thoroughly. A graphic novel strip requires a story element. I need to look into this. Maybe actually writing a short story and then acting as though it needs to be produced into a film would be the right way of going about it. I write the story then find the 'actors' and the 'sets'. I take film shots of said sets and then produce drawings of different comic strips from these film shots. Eventually, they're enlarged onto a big canvas and painted in oils.