ArtBlog

Dedicated to artists and friends of the arts.

V’s Day

I do not care for Valentine’s Day

A consumer culture’s celebration

What about the many lonely people

They’ll gladly do without it

And if you have lived for a while

Of course you know what I mean

Yes it is Valentine’s Day big deal

I could chose to ignore it again

Like last year despite Chet Baker

Or write a perfunctory silly

Red hearted card with a printed

Make believe love message

The one I will not give to you

This day no more or less ordinary

No day ordinary when you are in it

So I tell you today and tomorrow

Here is to you and to your art

Your unrestraint impish smile

Your quick frown your intent drive

Your attentiveness your tenderness

Your tough guy surface your colors

Your patience and your impatience

Your shamelessness your humility

Your strength your contradictions

Your reliance your inconsistencies

Your naughty vocabulary your gallantry

Your jazz sophistication and gipsy passion

Your surprises your predictabilities

Your guidance and your inquiries

Your strong profile your chiseled body

Your sensitiveness your wisdom

Your playfulness and serious veneer

Your expediency and your slow motion

Your maturity and your boyishness

Your virility your seductive charisma

So here is to you today and ahead

2008 Painting Resolutions

Who says one won’t stick to resolutions? As long as they are reasonable it is up to you! Here is a list I wish to share:

Do something art related every day. This does not need to take much time! It could be as easy as paging through an art book while waiting for the tea water to boil. Keep a little sketch book handy where ever you are.

As you plan your week schedule some time to paint.

Tidy up your studio or work space on a regular basis. Too much clutter clutters the mind!

Go on a solo “art date” at least once a month. Take yourself to an art museum, a quiet ride to the country or treat yourself to a decadent cappuccino served in real china. Nurture your senses!

Treat your art supplies with care. Clean your brushes well, recycle your canvasses when appropriate and take inventory of your painting tubes regularly.

Join art associations and take at least one class.

When painting in groups or in a class exercise compassion towards your fellow painters. Unless you are truly an expert art critic, refrain from singling someone out with either your hyperbolic praise or with your uncensored disapproval. And please do not undermine your teacher’s expertise. If you do not like his or her style and approach choose another teacher!

Participate in as many events and exhibitions as possible. OK, you’ll get rejected at times…GET OVER IT!

Reward yourself periodically with an “art toy” like a tube of paint in an exotic color or a special brush.

Cary at all times a travel size digital camera. AND USE IT!

Recommended reading: Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way.
Yvette Stenzel, January 2008

November 2007

Treasured Miniatures

Who hasn’t felt hesitant to throw away unused paint or wondered what to do with all the left over paint on one’s palette at the end of a painting session? Good quality paint whether oil or acrylic is, after all, expensive. We know all too well how quickly the cost of art supplies can add up. Perhaps out of a practical sense of economy, you have even at times hesitated to use much paint.

The following suggestion can both be fun and productive. When possible, have a few very small canvasses handy such as 8”x8” squares. At the end of a painting session, why not paint a miniature with whatever paint left on your palette? For me it is like playtime at the end of a labor intensive endeavor.

Perhaps as a reward for the entire effort one has just done by working with focus and intent, painting a miniature for the sole pleasure of painting can result in some great surprises. Spontaneous painting without the censorship of either our intellect or expectations can be extremely liberating. By spontaneous, however, I do not mean to imply painted with haste. While I might spend less than 10 minutes at the time on a miniature, I often let it sit and finish it over several sessions thus letting the painting emerge through many transformations. As one phase leads to another, in the end, it becomes more and more about the process of discovery and that can be a tremendous learning experience. I have found this to be far more exciting than painstakingly saving left over paint in some small plastic containers which really only adds to more left over paint!

October 2007

“Before my friends entered the studio, they always had to wait. That was nice to give me time to tidy up, to put on my clothes, for I worked in the nude.

Marc Chagall (1889-1985)

The Artist’s Studio

The need for one’s own studio is a great motivator to become quite creative with the use of space. Before my lavish present studio I had transformed a walk-in closet into a formidable studio space. Since it had a tall ceiling I maximized space by designing overhead storage where I kept mostly canvasses and frames. With some resourcefulness one will find ways to claim studio space. An artist friend of mine transformed a garage into a lovely studio, while another, remodeled a section of her basement and with clever usage of partitions created an innovative work space to suit her needs. As an artist your need for a studio is more than a necessity, it is your right.

Practical strategies can further help to keep expenses low while installing your studio. There are really only a few basic needs such as a sturdy work table, good light, an easel, a tray table, ventilation and some shelves for storage. My own workbench consists of a thick rectangular piece of plywood on top of adjustable sawhorses underneath which I store canvasses. One short side of the workbench is set against a wall where I hang tools for easy reach, while the remaining three sides are free standing such that I can walk all around it. Storage shelves can be very basic and inexpensive such as boards on top of plastic bins or recycled crates. Most of what one needs can be purchased at a large discount hardware department store including drop clothes and cheap commercial style rugs.

The meaning of one’s own studio goes far beyond the need for a work space. For me the studio is perhaps foremost a sanctuary; a place where I paint and meditate, a place where I find respite and solace, where I seek inspiration and solitude as well as companionship. Surrounded by many art books, soothed by heirlooms, alluring music and aromas, moved by symbolism and quietude, it is where I can replenish my creative well when I am not outdoors in nature. And while unlike Chagall, I have not yet painted in the nude, the studio is however, where I feel truly unencumbered and free to experiment.

Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986)
Why Aren’t You Painting?

When you find yourself neatly rearranging your studio, taking inventory of the many paint brushes you proudly possess, filing clippings or paging through an art supply catalog filled with tempting gadgets and luscious new colors, you are not painting! Who hasn’t indeed procrastinated under the convenient masquerade of getting involved in some kind of art business…yes, it is so easy to do. Don’t most of us secretly wish to fit the mold fostered mostly by non-artists, namely the romantic image of the artist who leads a carefree bohemian life style and picks up a brush driven by some mysterious moment of inspiration? Don’t we wish!

Painting is mostly manual messy labor that requires some of the discipline of a routine and the dedication of rituals. You may want to set time aside for art with the same seriousness and sense of purpose you would for any important work project. If being an artist is the only job you have, why not treat it as a full time occupation? Plan a weekly realistic schedule during which time you make a commitment to your art. Taking classes can provide an easy locked in structure. In addition, there are the obvious benefits of painting with others especially if you prefer the comfort of a more social environment. The energy generated by a group can be exhilarating, furthermore feedback from both participants and the teacher usually adds positively to the experience. Just like in any work situation you will need some kind of work outfit. Changing into your painting gear might just help to transition into that work mode. Set aside a pile of painting clothes which you can discard once they have become too worn.

Should one keep a schedule when traveling and/or vacationing? Obviously that depends a great deal. I do and I don’t. Between occupations I always give myself some transition time. When traveling, regardless of the length of the journey, I take my sketchbook and camera, but I give myself a vacation from painting. I take some time to purposefully fill my well with images and sensory experiences. Later with some distance I hope to draw from my repertoire and translate my enthusiasm into paintings.

PS: I am planning a vacation to South Africa and will be leaving soon. My next Artblog will be published in October.

Recycling canvasses

“Do not fear mistakes, there are none.”

Miles Davis (19226-1991)

I was very fortunate to recently move from my cluttered closet of a studio to a beautiful new space with plenty of storage. It is amazing how many canvasses of both unfinished and below standard pieces one can accumulate. I pledged to recycle before purchasing another canvas especially since my collection includes a variety of sizes.

You have, I am sure, been told that one should not apply acrylic over oil paint; oil dries slowly while acrylic dries very quickly thus it would adversely alter the surface finish and paint may even chip off. Well, Gesso is an acrylic product; yet, I have found it works quite well even over oil when applied properly in the recycling process. Our friend Madeline LaFarge suggests using a latex based product called Kilz available at the hardware store; it works really well and is inexpensive, thank you Madeline! First, choose oil paintings that have been seasoned for at least 6 months. Using medium grade sandpaper, sand the surface to a dull finish. Then, apply the first coat of Gesso or Kilz with an inexpensive disposable sponge brush. When dry, lightly sand it with fine grade sandpaper before applying a second coat which can also be sanded. If one desires a rougher surface for the paint to adhere better, one can mix sand or pumice to the final coat. You may wonder why not simply use Titanium white to cover a used canvas. It will work of course; however, I find both Gesso and Kilz to have a more neutral effect at less cost and much faster drying time.

Using recycled canvasses can give you the benefit of a more textured surface, the effect of which can be maximized in a new painting. Another way to reuse a bad painting is simply to keep pushing it to a different level of expression without any concerns or expectations. I have found this process to be very liberating and fun, and on occasion, I have even surprised myself with a successful new painting.

So, you think you painted some bad paintings! Who hasn’t? Acknowledge what it is that in your opinion didn’t work… get over it and have some fun with it! When in doubt, recycle, I have not yet regretted it.

“Oh, young artist, you search for a subject, everything is a subject, your subject is yourself, your impressions, your emotions in the presence of nature.”

Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863)

When asked at times by people who have not seen my work what the subjects of my paintings are, I feel a bit uneasy and I usually describe my latest piece or hide behind generalities.

True, I have experienced many times the anxious discomfort of looking for a subject matter or theme. I am embarrassed to admit that some years ago I even bought a book by Carole Katchen: 200 Great Painting Ideas for Artists. I have fretted before many a class looking frantically through my collection of photographs and clippings in the hope to find the one image that would hold the vision of a painting. Even when painting en plein air, I have looked with determination to find the perfect spot with just the right alluring light to imbue me with a visual moment that will truly inspire me. I have found value in doing serial paintings; one can certainly refine technique and expend one’s painting vocabulary.

In truth it seems the more confident I feel, the less important it becomes to find the right subject matter. So, if I somehow feel a driving enthusiasm for a particular scenery or subject I go for it head on. If I do not feel particularly inspired, I just start painting anyway, soon I find myself engaged in the process and the pleasure of painting. In either case the less preconceived notions I have before starting a painting, the freer I feel to experiment with new possibilities. Once freed from the mandate of finding a subject matter and perhaps even from the subject itself, one can focus more on the magic of paint.

This is not to say that subject matter is immaterial, that would be absurd. Painting to me is like poetry, there is a consequential duet between content and form which the poet can manipulate with intent. If the lyricism of rhythm, the power of imagery and the choice of nuanced words do not evoke a mood and captivate the reader’s interest, the content looses its impact. Content is as inherent in a painting as it is in a poem. The challenge is to train the eye to see beyond the immediate and subject matter derives; a raindrop can become the subject matter.