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Tag Archives: art studio

Floating

13 Thursday Mar 2014

Posted by pat in Art, Art Museums & Exhibitions, paintings, sketching, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

art studio, cut outs, Henri Matisse, oil painting, Paris, Polynesia, The Centre Pompidou

And finally, Floating. I have always loved Henry Matisse’s cut outs that the artist did in the last years of his life.  When I saw these two Polynesia works at The Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the three figures sitting in front of them literally being drawn into the floating images…I was there.

Image 3

Sometimes one the most difficult parts of a painting is deciding what to paint.

Image 3I often take many, many photographs and tape them to my studio wall, hoping that something will jump out at me.

Image 12

This is after hours of playing with the images. Re-cropping. Adding or subtracting and re-adding figures. Deciding which color palette fits the mood of the scene. Shadows. Light and dark.

Image 2

Then, finally, once it is sketched on the canvas, deciding on the ground color that will set the tone for future layers of paint.

Image 3

And it is always at this middle stage of the painting that I wonder if it was really the right decision.

I recently was reading an art tutorial blog and the artist mentioned this middle period of horror when you think all the hours you have put in are for naught! I thought it was just me that had to force myself to work through this phase. Obviously it is a common issue.

Image

But finally I come out on the other side, and I am happy.  It’s when I breathe that final light into the canvas that the image lets itself be born.

I don’t stop working on a painting as readily as I once used to.  If I come back the next morning and some area just doesn’t seem quite right, I work with it.  And sometimes it might get worse before it gets better. It takes immense concentration, patience (not my strongest virtue) and focus.

Image

But experience has taught me it is worth the frustration.  Finally, one morning, I come back in to the studio and just breathe a deep sigh of satisfaction and relief.  The painting is finally alive. And finished.

Image 5

All photos and images by me.

The Studio Wall

12 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by pat in Art, paintings, sketching, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

art studio, branches, photography, trees, Versailles

The wall in my studio is always plastered with images…sometimes mine, sometimes another artist’s, sometimes just a photo or image I have sketched and am thinking of working from.

I love The Wall…it is one of the most wonderful things of having a room that is strictly an art studio, and not a corner of the living room or bedroom or a dining table as in years past.

Trees at Versailles near Paris. Photo and photos by me

Trees at Versailles near Paris. Photo and photos by me

Sometimes it will stay the same for weeks. I may trade one or two images out here and there…

Image 1

 

It all depends what I am working on and if I am nearing the completion of a painting and beginning to contemplate new works.

The Louvre in Paris. MOMA's dining room and the courtyard in front of the Public Library in New York City. All photos by me

The Louvre in Paris, MOMA’s dining room and the courtyard in front of the Public Library in New York City. All photos by me.

If I am working on a particular piece I may put up other artists’ works that somehow relate in tone or feeling or content–just to see what others have done.  Sometimes it will influence me but more often than not it just keeps me strong and focused and original with my own work.

Image 10

 

I can sit and stare at the wall many times during my work day.

Central Park in New York...two very different images from the same afternoon.

Central Park in New York…two very different images from the same afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then there is the space near my desk with images of friends’ work and more personal images, just because I love them.

At my desk, cards and photos of friends and fellow creatives...

At my desk, cards and photos of friends and fellow creatives…

 

 

Everyone should have a wall. It’s what you look at before you squeeze the first bit of paint on to the palette.

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The art of making art

21 Saturday Jan 2012

Posted by pat in Art, England, paintings, Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

art, art studio, Inspiration, oil painting

I spent the week in my studio trying to explore a new direction in my painting, and it was a struggle. But finally I felt I had some success, and was happy with the new results.

The studio, my photo, my painting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the questions I’m often asked is “Where do you get your inspiration? How do you decide what to paint?”

I can’t really explain it.  I know I have a particular stroke and rhythm to my painting, and it seems to work well with the distinct rhythms of the natural world. I am always trying to interpret that flow and change of nature in my work. And I also love color.

But it can also come from a group of people engaged in conversation or an interaction of many individuals. I like to tell a story, or create a memory as I play with color and texture. Sometimes I’ll be out and a scene or visual will intrigue me and I want to explore it in art. I honestly am never quite sure where it will come from, and often I am thunderstruck.

Inspiration on my studio wall. Photos by me

I took a photo of this birds nest showing the wear of time outside my studio. I think there is art here somewhere.

But sometimes when I am trying to work out a new technique or direction, I look to other artists. Throughout the history of art, if you look at photos of artists’ studios, you will very often see images of other art on the wall, or laying on a table.  Think of Van Gogh with Japanese prints. Or Degas with the Rembrandt etchings.

So I thought it might be interesting to look at what was open on my studio table as I struggled with this new painting.

From an art magazine, and an architectural page.

Joan Mitchell is a constant companion in my studio. The freedom of movement in her strokes has always inspired me.

One of my favorite artists, for his layering and interesting use of color, is Peter Doig. Sometimes I'll take color inspiration from another painting or source, but this was just a happy accident.

This particular painting started in a totally different direction and although I thought I knew where I wanted to go with it, it just wasn’t working.  So I kept layering and changing and at times I thought it was trash.  But somehow it morphed into something I loved, and now I have a whole series in my head to work on.

This started in a very different way.

This is fairly normal for me. The rich color underneath is hidden in layers of strokes.

A lot of the original color disappeared under new layers.

And then some of it went back in. This can go on for days. With much angst.

And then finally a breakthrough. Somehow I got so frustrated with the earlier direction, I painted these large bands of blue over it. Then I started adding strokes over it. The rhythm of the woods came in clear view.

Again, when I look around my studio as I get stuck, there are things that just jog something in my brain and I go back to work.

On my wall, a favorite David Hockney tear sheet from an art magazine.

A couple of postcards on my wall, a reminder of my visit to the Cy Twombly exhibit at the Tate Modern in London.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But somehow, it all goes in and gets mixed around, and in the end I hope it is something that is very personal and truly original.

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