| Author | Message | ||
  tachee |
shawn? you still here? how is the painting going? | ||
Linda |
Whenever I feel blocked, I know a breakthrough is coming, so I feel expectant. It is a matter of education for me, there is something new I am to learn immediately. So, I take intensely active steps to extend my painter's education as much as I can. This is the time I stop painting. I start reading, or doing whatever I can to figure out what it is I am to learn. That's the moment this website becomes most helpful. | ||
Shawn |
I live in central NJ now. I have a toddler,so I can't get get back to NYC very often. I might get a chance next week! There are other urban areas here but they are well spaced out so many days I spend choosing a location and never get to paint. I think I just have to try harder to make it happen now that I have a child. Also, over the weekend I found a trailor park I like. It has some of the same qualities I liked in my cityscaapes, even though there might not be any obvious similarities noticable at first. If I get a scanner for christmas I'll post some images. Tachee, you sure are right about doing the same buildings over and over. One should do that anyway. I don't do it often enough. | ||
maidensmith |
Shawn, where do you live now? | ||
tachee |
shawn, i see your problem. and you must paint what you love. else, what is the point? somewhere there are buildings at the perfect distance. seek them out! seize the day! i can imagine you not needing a lot of them...was it 300 haystacks monet painted? why not paint one building in as many colors, lights, seasons, times as you can? never settle. | ||
Shawn |
I have painter's block right now. I used to do watercolor sketches in NYC. When I moved 5 years ago, I became interested in painting other types of old buildings, but it seemed as though I could not make a good picture unless I was the perfect distance away from my subject matter. This was a problem because I paint from my car, and it is not always possible to get close enough. I felt like I had to learn how to paint all over again, in a different way. I have never been able to kindle a love of any other subject. For the most part I have gone over to things I can paint indoors, like fruit and flowers. I like to paint from life, usng photo reference flattens my work. My work is very spontaneous and sketchy. I use watercolor,and I paint smaller than 8 by 10. Does anyone have any advice or insight? Also I might like painting landscapes but the distance becomes my obstacle once again. | ||
dirtybird |
My painters block ocurred when I was at a loss of what I needed to do next to finish the painting. I don't have those anymore. The most useful thing to me was to have more than one type of painting going at a time. I would have a landscape, a portrait and an abstract, for example at different stages of completion so if I have any reservation about what to do next I would just put it aside and work on the other. The other thing I learned to do, and I got this idea from an art magazine somewhere, was to write down the steps at the beginning of the painting that I needed to do before I considered the painting finished. I think the article called this method TECHNIQUE. As soon as my drawings are finished I write down in outline form the sequence of steps that I need to do. First the major steps like "preserve the white areas" or " block in the main shapes" and then break the main steps into smaller steps. I have had anywhere from 10 to 100 different steps but I am never at a loss of what to do next. When I come to a step like " let the painting dry overnight" I can switch to another work in progress and pick up at the next listed step. After a while I have a permanent list of steps for doing different types of paintings which may be modified by introducing tips from workshops, magazines and art classes. This works for me!! | ||
Robert |
Really? I heard he was BOSCH-ful around the ladies. | ||
L.D. |
Picasso like women. They make his BONNARD. | ||
Robert |
Picasso was very poor and couldn't afford to to drive his SUV, ie.-- He didn't have the MONET to buy DEGAS to make the VAN GOGH. | ||
jdaneman |
Maybe he should have stretched his canvas pants if they were "Toulouse" | ||
Eugene |
When I have trouble with a painting, I try writing poetry. It’s so bad it makes my painting seem good! EXAMPLE-- Look Out Picasso! An aspiring young artist from France Painted scenes on seat of his pants His work did’t sell Which was just as well For without them he couldn’t advance. | ||
Suzy |
Wow, I love her work... Im feeling just as you described. Yesterday I was finishing up a whole layout of new mermaid fabrics... I finally finished and let out a yelp of relief that it was over. I don't want my art to be that but it is in fact, my job. However, I need to feed my artistic soul and take a workshop for fun. (I've been terrorizing my inner child too much lately!!!) | ||
jandrle |
Suzy, the workshop was hosted by the Dragonfire Gallery in Cannon Beach, Oregon and the instructor was Carol Carter from St. Louis. www.carol-carter.com I found her work on this chat board, someone mentioned her and I visited her site. I was totally impressed with her work and stalked her site until a workshop came up that fit into my schedule. It was in Oregon, I live outside Washington, DC, but it was well worth the trip, both years. I went with an agenda, to say more in what I was painting and to make the paint itself more interesting. I had gotten to the point that I felt I was a production painter and was miserable. So far from the mentality of art school. I wanted to get closer to my beginning. She addressed both of my issues, and talks a great deal about marketing and the mindset of the professional artist. I guess I am saying that she was a fit for me. We have stayed in touch and have become friends. Jane | ||
Suzy |
Jane, Who did you study with...what teacher and what workshop organization? | ||
Raliegh |
"One of the strongest motives that lead men to art and science is escape from everyday life with its painful crudity and hopeless dreariness, from the fetters of one's own ever shifting desires. A finely tempered nature longs to escape from the personal life into the world of objective perception and thought." Albert Einstein | ||
Victoria |
Wow. Are you ever right. Being able to totally focus on what you are doing without any distractions really makes a difference. I have a feeling that this is a problem that most often affects women. Victoria | ||
Eric |
To cure painter's block, maybe go out on a picture taking safari for new material, or if you paint or sketch outdoors, search for new subjects. That might jump-start things. Or how about painting an old familiar subject in completely different colors or maybe rearranging the value pattern. | ||
jandrle |
What I hear is "searching for an open mind" or maybe better, a blank slate. For the last two years I have gone to Oregon to take a workshop. I have gone alone and have found it to be cleansing, for lack of a better word. No home, pets, young adult, husband, job, no groceries, bills etc. I have decided that it has less to do with doing a workshop and more to do with being able to put my mind totally to artwork. The problem is that I think I could live that way, but the left side of my brain tells me that there is much more to life! Jane | ||
Raliegh |
I've spent way to much time on the puter today reading Famous Quotes from Famous People, but since I did here are 2. "Every beauty which is seen here below by persons of percepion resemble more than anything else that celestial source from which we all are come" Michelangelo. "The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources" Albert Einstein | ||
Suzy |
Here a few more quotes to inspire away the block! I don't believe in art..I believe in artists!!! Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life. Pablo Picasso It is better to paint from memory, for thus your work will be your own; your sensation, your intelligence, and your soul will triumph over the eye of the amateur...Do not finish your work too much." Paul Gauguin I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way--things I had no words for. -Georgia O'Keeffe A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they drew. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's artwork. As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was. The girl replied, "I'm drawing God." The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like. Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, "They will in a minute." | ||
tachee |
oh and robert...no thanks! a toddler...ummmmm...rather be in funkytown. | ||
tachee |
jandrle and marie! thank you!~ great advice, terrific. i have printed both of these out. will keep in my file, labeled, "you can't have the blues if you drive a volvo" - it is where i keep inspirational pieces. you can never have too much help. i also write on my studio walls as i hear a cool quote and such. PAINT ON just got added. as was the brain is always ahead of the hand. plus some light stuff, such as "Art, like morality, consists of drawing the line somewhere" | ||
jandrle |
I think you have to paint through it. I tend to get into a funk and not paint. Now I tell myself that painting though it is the only answer. That, vitamins and exercise. The more exercise the better. And sunlight. Sometimes painting a series helps, too. Something you have figured out... paint it square, long horizontal, long vertical, miniature... keeps the skills honed, builds inventory and keeps you going until that inspiration hits again. This winter I painted an orange and grapefruit grove I happened to stay by outside Orlando. I painted every size and shape imaginable. It was weird. If I could I would only paint oranges and grapefruits now. I know that sounds nuts, but a month or so ago I was blocked and a little bummed and painted some more oranges and grapefruits and it was very helpful. Don't ask me what I am going to do with them all! I am hoping that they are very successful at the shows I do. Right now I have four hanging in a gallery, they have gotten lots of compliments but as of yet no sales... paint on. hope something in this is helpful. | ||
Robert |
Also Changing diapers-- Babysit a toddler for a while and you'll be jumping at the opportunity to paint. Voice of experience. | ||
marie |
I find that changing or adjusting my style helps, and it looks like you're trying some new things. This is good. Here are some other things that may be helpful. * Technical exercises, such as wash practice or brush technique exercises, can help ease the frustration. For one thing, you are tackling one probem at a time, which simplifies things. Also, you can tell yourself that it's "just an exercise", and you don't worry about whether you are producing a good painting. When you go back to doing finished paintings, you will usually find that your work improves. * Drawing practice. I find that pure drawing practice, contour drawing in particular, really helps. When I am drawing well and don't have to consciously worry about draftsmanship, the paintings come so much more easily. And good drawing requires constant practice. I regard drawing much the same way a musician regards practicing an instrument. * Changing materials or format. Sometimes changing to a different paper helps. For example, I often like to work on Lanaquarelle because it allows me to rework passages easily. After a while, however, I will start to get sloppy because I know I can rework things. When this happens, I will switch to a less forgiving paper. You can also try changing brushes. If you usually use rounds, try using flats, and vice versa. * Changing medium. Although watercolor is by far my favorite medium, I find that changing another medium for a while gives me a different perspective on my watercolors. Try mixing watercolor with monoprints, encaustic, or pastel. * Changing venue. If you usually work in your studio, try some plein air work. * Changing speed. If you usually work fast, work slow for a while. | ||
tachee |
>use that dissatisfaction as a springboard to >making the next painting better. Think about >what you would do differently the next >time, and then do it. growing pains are most assuredly happening here. or at least pains. or perhaps it is gas. my brain is saying, "make it better, do it better", all the time. the hand is not listening. methinks i must get myself to a workshop. but scary...new painting today is totally different from all i have done. do i like it? i dunno. yeah maybe. just for tonight. scary...new places. new abstract places. ever change your style? >Of course, when I fix one thing I usually break something else. lol. oh yeah. | ||
marie |
Tachee: it sounds like you are going through a lot of growing pains. >do you like your own paintings? >mostly i cannot relax in a room of my old paintings without >disecting them I very rarely like my own paintings because I always think of how each one could have been better. I think it is healthy to be a little bit skeptical of your own work. If you are satisfied with everything you do, then you are probably stagnating as an artist. Accept that you will rarely be satisfied with your work, and use that dissatisfaction as a springboard to making the next painting better. Think about what you would do differently the next time, and then do it. Of course, when I fix one thing I usually break something else. | ||
tachee |
>>How is the lighting this time? Patrice! that i suspect was the culprit! you are so right. painted number one outdoors, and i dont do much of that any more. i took all the insights/advice posted here...and will give you all credit for me nailing that painting, finally! i like it. really isnt much like the first painting, but i like it better, all i had to do was let go. another question for everyone: do you like your own paintings? mostly i cannot relax in a room of my old paintings without disecting them, finding little tragedies all over the place. i usually only like the last one i did. | ||
Patrice |
Thank you, Suzy. I most certainly will. Fire ants and chiggers too?!! A bonus! | ||
Suzy |
Just go to the health food store, buy some pure lavendar oil (Inthe essential oils section) and add a few drops into your hands and mix it with your sunscreen or moisture lotion. It works great. I am highly allergic to mosquitos...more than three bites and Im sick in bed...literally. It works for fire ants and chiggers too! They hate it.I use lavendar oil in my sunscreen everyday of my life. | ||
Patrice |
Lavender lotion? Can you give a more complete description of what this is, please? And where one might find it? I'd love to try anything that doesn't have poison in it, as I'm very sensitive to insecticides. "snorkels, boogie boards..." Ah, what a way to travel! | ||
Raliegh |
And oh yeah, guitar and or banjo for husband. | ||
Raliegh |
Robert I am truly blessed. In so many ways. I hear lavendar lotion makes a natural repellent. We try to always travel with mosquito repellent, towels, extra change of clothes, snorkels and boogie boards! | ||
Patrice |
>> what do you do when you can't get the painting you were looking for? arrrggghhhh. i have painted this subject before and liked it. why can i not get it right this time? How is the lighting this time? | ||
Patrice |
>>Lucky to live in painters' paradise. Ain't that the truth! Have a wonderful time on your trip, Robert. I hope I'll get there someday. Raleigh, My son has G.A.S. too... we really should get the guys together at the WC forum! | ||
Robert |
Last year I hiked down to the bottom --mosquitoes drove me right back up so I didn't get to see it except fromt eh overlook. Really interesting and beautiful place. I also, now that i recall, hiked into the back of it or one of the other one's near Wimea and looked out over a chasm with 2000' waterfalls. Raleigh, you are so lucky to be living in a painter's paradise. | ||
Raliegh |
Robert, have you ever been to Waipio Valley? | ||
Raliegh |
re: obsession or storage problem, I had a friend over once and was showing him some of my 'work'. Some of these were portraits that were close but not there. All of it stacked in a tall pile! I've got to chuckle when I think how he tried to talk me into framing it. Eventually I'll pass it out to my young girls and they'll paint wonderful pictures on the otherside. | ||
Suzy |
Take a chance and pack tube of Opera!!!!! The ruins over on the other side, south of Kona sre pretty funky, Also, there is a WONDERFUL slack key artist (guitarist) who is from Kona. He plays all over the island at resorts, festivals, etc. His name is John Keawe He is my favorite Slack Key artist. I like him better than the more famous ones. Here is his website: http://www.johnkeawe.com His August schedule is as follows: August 2 --- 6-7pm Waikoloa King’s Shops August 6 --- 6:30pm Bamboo Restaurant August 14 --- 4-6pm Waikoloa King’s Shops August 16 --- 6-7pm Waikoloa King’s Shops August 19 --- 6:30pm Bamboo Restaurant August 30 --- 6-7pm Waikoloa King’s Shops | ||
Robert |
Thanks for the tips re. the Big Island. I will be there in August for three weeks (just bought tickets on Priceline)--staying with a friend in Hilo. Plan to start painting with Rainbow Falls. Can't wait--it just hit 100 degrees here in Texas. I think I will pack lots of bright, transparent colors. | ||
Suzy |
PS Robert, I ow a Goodall Guitar... I love it. Worth every penny.Did you know James first love is the flute??? I actually heard him play in Kona at his studio/factory | ||
Suz |
Big Island Locations. Get off the airplane...Start painting! The whole island is amazing. From the lava field to the orchid plantations, to volcano park to Parker Ranch,to the ancient ruins, from the beaches to the quaint historic downtown area.... the island isn't that big that you couldn't paint the whole thing. Kona side is drier , more arid, Hilo side rains everyday. The night sky from Parker Ranch is a sight to hehold. The whales breaching off Konas Kahala coast are breathtaking. I guess it depends on what you want to paint. (PS, Although I live in Florida now, the islands are my home.) Aloha, Suzy Kukanakamelani Toronto | ||
Raliegh |
Robert, off topic! I can't exactly remember who the Luthier was. I found another interesting one, David Gomes, Kohala. My husband has GAS,(guitar acquiring syndrome). We have 2 really good luthiers Upcountry here but husband refuses to go into the candy shop where it's a 2 year waiting list! It's a beautiful art. I checked out Goodall, interesting he started Taylor and lives on the Big Island now. Parker Ranch area can also be called Kamuela. | ||
Robert |
BTW--I will check out Parker ranch--I suppose the art galleries are in Waimea. | ||
Robert |
I know of one truly great luthier (guitar maker) in Hawaii--James Goodall. Who is the maker to which you refer? I consider great guitar makers true artists--not only in terms of appearance but in terms of he sound they can make a box of wood produce. | ||
Sid |
Raliegh: No surprise, my art journal tends to be just about like yours! Mostly, its a running commentary on current painting projects--things to remember to do or not do in the current painting, techniques to try, successes (occasionallyl). Also, I save interesting and inspirational quotes I find related to art like "Art is not art until it is sold. Until then it is an obsession and a storage problem!" My journal is not really a day to day diary, but more of just a place to keep track of thoughts, ideas, future painting plans, etc. whenever they occur. I especially try to record what I did when something in a painting went really well. I increasingly find if I don't write things down I don't remember them very long. Couldn't be old age could it? | ||
Raliegh |
Sid, tell us about your art journal | ||
Raliegh |
Hi Robert, remember Timothy J. Clark workshop you suggested and posted a pic's of his? That's at Parker's Ranch. Parker's Ranch use to be the biggest private owned Ranch in the U.S. surprising, huh? Well, he's dead now and his heirs subdivided and there is quite an art community there now. You know it is as expensive for me to travel to San Francisco, as it is to the Big Island so I'm sad to say I haven't been there in years. Kona is quaint with lots of fishing boats. I tried to suduce my husband into talking me and found a guitar maker, he's on line and found quite a few galleries on line as well. We have some beautiful guitar makers here as well. The environment is wonderful for guitars. I know you play. | ||
Robert |
Hey Raliegh --Off topic-- I need suggestions for great painting locations on the Big Island--any suggestions? Thanks | ||
Raliegh |
Sid, I'm sorry, I called you Eric! I definitely reread my journal entries! But I journal very sporadically :p | ||
Raliegh |
Eric, my journal is a compilation of things I want to incorporate into my work. I try to write down anything that impresses me off this forum and alot of info I pick up on other sites. I put reference to articles, etc. I also journal ideas for pictures. Sometimes I print out pages from Handprint and read those when I'm in waiting rooms and when I'm finished I tuck them into my journal. When I decide I need a new color, brand, paper, I journal it and that way if I buy on line I don't forget anything and I don't buy impulsively. | ||
Sid |
Raliegh: Tell us more about your "painting journal". What do you put in it, how often.? Do you go back and reread early entries? I keep something I suspect is similiar but I'd like to hear about yours. | ||
tachee |
i love advice! adore it. you never know when someone will say just the right thing that will turn your art in a new direction. it happens. i had my value sketch done...but i did get off course. i was trying soap bubbles. have painted almost nothing in the past couple of years [a few exceptions] except irises. i do not know why. an addiction. i had done one small painting with iris and bubbles- red background. sold it first at a show i had of just the iris paintings. i have missed this painting! that has never happened before! had not had it finished for very long before show- is that why? soooo i was trying to do another bubbles 'n flags [old name for iris] in a diff color. nope. had whites of the bubbles masked out. nope. a no go. i have too much of the old painting in my head. today i have decided that i need to be sitting outside painting! no iris, no bubbles, no going deep ;} just me and paper. time to remember why i love watercolor. | ||
Raliegh |
Looks like there are 2 really good gems here. IE, l. value sketch done before hand (this works out problems so you can use your creative mind while painting. 2. Hand is ahead of brain, (practice is the only way to bind this closer.) As I posted this I went to my painting journal and wrote these down. I left out "I don't know any artist who attains what their brain wants". I can only strive to do better. | ||
Eric |
You're getting a lot of advice. Here's more: My painting almost always turns out well if my value sketch, done beforehand, looks good. Work out any problems on your small sketch with the proper values before you start painting so the problems have already been worked. The last thing you want to do when painting is think through big problems. | ||
jandrle |
You are an artist... you must always go deeper. Sorry :) jane | ||
tachee |
whoa mama! you are all making such sense! yes to this: "my guess is you are so caught up in envisioning the painting before that you aren't connecting with the painting at hand." it was such a good one first time around, i wanted to go there again and have that same joy. was trying to do it same, but different. yes here, too:"you seem to have very definite expectations for how it should be approached" i sure did! these two need to be printed out and hung on my studio wall: "the brain is always ahead of the hand" "I don't know if any painters attain exactly what their brain wants" you all really helped! venting helped a little. thank you. i saw into to me a little. well, enough to know i do not wish to go any deeper. hee hee. thanks. | ||
jandrle |
I often start small and move to larger. I might do two or three 8 x 10s, then a 16 x 20, then a larger one... helps problem solve and also with spatial relationships. By the time I get to the large one I am really having fun. The work has already been done. I never try to make something look like something I painted before, my guess is you are so caught up in envisioning the painting before that you aren't connecting with the painting at hand. For one thing, your experiences are different, even if it was last month, you will see differently than you did, and perhaps are painting differently. Whenever an artist shifts to the left side of the brain everything tightens up, and when you are thinking about replicating an object (the other painting) you lose the connection with what you are painting that moment. Did any of that make sense? An example would be to draw two circles and fill one with water. Throw paint into it and make yourself feel the volume. Throw other colors in that help you feel the volume. With the second circle paint a beach ball. Think about what a beach ball looks like and try to make that circle look exactly like a beach ball. Then stand away from both and look at them individually. I will put money on it that the first will be alive and exciting, look more like you want to pick it up and toss it than the more exact copy of the beach ball. Hope this is helpful. If it doesn't make sense, say so and I will try to explain again. haha Jane | ||
victoria |
Maybe it's because it's the "second time around" for this subject and you seem to have very definite expectations for how it should be approached and what the final result should be. Watercolor is all about working in the moment and letting the painting tell you what to do next and it sounds as if you are holding the reins pretty tightly. Perhaps a change of subject would help you move on. You can always come back to this one sometime in the future if you really want a second chance. Victoria | ||
marie |
Oh my, I'm going through the same thing right now, and I'm struggling for answers, too. Here are some things that may be helpful. 1) Keep working. This kind of frustration often means that you are growing as an artist. You have left one place, but you haven't arrived at the new place yet. Patience and work will get you through. 2) An artist friend of mine told me when I started doing art that the brain is always ahead of the hand. What the brain wants to do is more than the hand can accomplish. The good news is that both the hand and the eye improve with practice; the bad news is that there is always a gap between the two. T= 3) I tend to get into trouble when I worry too much about the outcome of a painting, or when I try to replicate a previous success. It's as if painting needs to take place entirely in the present, without worrying about what happened in the past or what might happen in the future. 4) Sometimes, changing the way I work can help get me out of a rut. Try a different type of paper or a different brush. | ||
Eric |
I don't know if any painters attain exactly what their brain wants. Keep painting is my advice. Watercolor is truly a trial and error activity. With perserverence, you'll have fewer "throw aways" as you go along. | ||
edejan |
wish I knew. I felt I could accomplish the painting I set out to do in acrylics, but this whole watercolor thing makes me feel like I'm 4 years old starting over. Sorry, have no answers. I'm at the frustrated level too!! | ||
tachee |
what do you do when you can't get the painting you were looking for? arrrggghhhh. i have painted this subject before and liked it. why can i not get it right this time? how do you deal with painters block? how do you get the hand to do what the brain wants? how do you deal with the frustration of it not going well? dang, i wished i still smoked. |
