Artist - Part 1 - Where I Stand

I haven’t done much painting since my father became ill 3 weeks ago, before that I was averaging one finished painting a month and picking up speed. I’ve been painting still life… building up my skill in certain areas I felt were lacking, mainly colour. But after getting some help with my colour… thank you Richard Schmid, I realized my compositions had some problems.

Richard Schmid Rant
This is praise for the colour section of Richard’s book “Alla Prima”. I believe there are about 50 pages in the colour chapter, I’ve read it over six or seven times and done the charts. Before reading it I was a tourist in the land of colour. Four years at art college, with numerous teachers and classes teaching me “Colour Theory”. If you are an artist, do yourself a favour and learn “Colour Practical”

So the past few years I’ve been concentrating on technique. If I don’t understand something inside out or have problems in a certain area… I study, read, learn, do over and over again until I am pleased with it. When I did my first painting last summer using the new colour knowledge I had, the painting turned out hideous! The colours were rich and vibrant but I neglected to plan focal points in my composition. Back to the easel to figure out how to fix it.

So, a year later I need two or more paintings before I get them photographed. I have the subject matter and have had some new ideas and insights about applying the paint. But other concerns swim in my head like goldfish in a bowl.

Quotes

1. Look, man, all I am is a trumpet player. (Miles Davis)
2. The higher we soar, the smaller we seem to those who cannot fly. (Friedrich Nietzsche)
3. Color is an inborn gift, but appreciation of value is merely training of the eye, which everyone ought to be able to acquire. (John Singer Sargent)
4. Mine is the horny hand of toil. (John Singer Sargent)