Abstract Influence

Every teacher I ever had was an abstract artist, including two colour field painters. How much does the particular style of an instructor impact a student? Looking at this painting, oil on canvas, 20 by 28", there is a definite abstract influence. Many of the colours are placed in the foreground, creating an almost flat picture plain. This question is not limited to an academic setting. Anyone who has critiqued or aided your work, even if only for a brief time, could be considered an influence.

An alternate approach would be to ask how much does an individual's style affect their views, understanding, and approach to other paintings? I strive for a warm palette, and particularly appreciate the same in works that are not my own. To what degree does this influence my views on painting?

Brushes

A lot of technical painting books will state that it is better to have a handful of good brushes than many economical ones. This was another piece of advice I initially ignored, going through various low end brushes. A good brush does not make a good painting or painter, but can expand the possible applications of paint. These are tools, and like any other craft, quality can extend use and function. A good and maintained chainsaw, for example, will be more reliable and function to a point of improving the efficiency of your work.

Kinetic & Potential

Kinetic energy is the force required, or possessed, to move an object. The visual equivalent, from a design or creative point of view, would be anything that implies movement or pressure towards movement. An example could be a curved line; a non-static reference to motion or flow. Potential energy is the force within a system that has the ability to alter, such as prevent motion. A visual equivalent would be something that implies structure, such as static lines meeting at 90 degree angles. Both forms of energy can co-exist, at least on a visual plane.

Looking at the painting on the left, oil on canvas, 16 by 20", the arched tree, along with other curved branches, arguably create movement within the composition through a non-rigid use of line. Paradoxically, the various angles obtained by intersecting with vertical trees, outlines a sort of grid pattern; a type of infrastructure.

Brush Marks

On the first day of a new painting class, when I was a student, the teacher denounced the way I held my brush; as if it were a pencil. He proclaimed one should always hold the brush as if it were a flashlight, hence the entire arm is involved in painting. A very good point, although I frequently use both ways.

Brush marks are affected by a number of things, such as the actual brush, painting surface, and paint. At the same time, their application should ideally be fluent and second nature; something I've often found myself struggling with. The brush marks in the above painting, oil on canvas, 16 by 12", were deliberately made softer than my usual approach. While planning in advance can result in a form of harmony, only experience will ultimately lead to a flow that mimics hand writing for its ease and personalization.

Perception

Painting and drawing, from life, heighten perception, as both require observation. However, the act of drawing seems to augment the sense more. This could be due to the nature of the medium, and time spent preparing to apply the marks.

Even with a familiar pigment layout on the palette, time is still needed to identify and mix every colour observed. The majority of drawing materials, such as pen, are ready for immediate application. More space is thus allotted to concentrating on the subject in question. Despite the cross hatching technique used in this drawing, ink on paper, I was able to observe each object more than in a painting. Drawing is always stressed as an important companion to learning.

Painting of course heightens the perception of colour. However, colours exist more in relation to other colours. A tint is bright if a darker hue is nearby. Only drawing forces a study of individual things.

Dimensions

The above painting, oil on canvas, 12 by 24", is one of the few times I have worked with these particular proportions; a surface where the width is exactly twice the height. Whenever dealing with a more "unusual" shape, including a square, the eventual question is how did the painting interpret, or was affected by, the dimensions of the support. In this landscape, the most vertical tree is roughly placed center. It separates the left side, where the brush is in the foreground, from the right side, where there is more of a backdrop. The image is perceivably composed of two smaller ones, each built around more traditional dimensions.

Luck vs. Experience

The painting on the left, acrylic on paper, 12 by 15", goes all the way back to college. I considered it my best painting at the time. However, subsequent efforts simply did not measure up, no matter how hard I tried to duplicate the results here. Only later did new works appear that I felt were equal. This has occurred at least three more times, where I create one painting that is clearly better, yet am unable to repeat its success.

The inevitable question is what happened in these works? Was it luck? In all cases I had experience, even if minimal, but somehow everything came together in that one painting. A possible analogy would be a sporting event, where an individual practices and plays, has a game in which they score multiple goals, only to follow with usual performances. If I paint three paintings that are slightly improved over the previous three, then I have genuinely advanced; experience has paid off. That one great game will be memorable, but a slow progression will lead to a more reliable output.