Is There Only ONE RIGHT Way?
I think the answer to that is NO!
Otherwise,
how could there be so many types of art?
Oil
Acrylic
Water Color
Pastel
Charcoal pastel
Colored pencils
And the list goes on and on . . .
Then we have:
Landscape
Floral
Figurative
Portraiture
Abstract
Still life
Almost everyone has heard the story about Vincent Van Gogh, and how he only sold one painting in his life time and that was to a family member. Today, however, the most any of us commonfolk can hope for is a poster or print of his.
Impressionism was not highly thought of when it began, and today it is loved and favored.
A great online art friend of mine, (we've never actually met face to face), Meredith Adler wrote a wonderful blog post about this very subject. Click HERE to read it and view her collage of her 30 paintings in 30 days challenge.
I'm not suggesting you should ignore every "rule" in the world of painting, but what I am saying is it is a good idea to learn the rules and then play around and figure out how to break them.
Playing in the paint is pretty important for every artist to figure out what works, what they like, how to create, and so many other elements of painting.
The most important thing for an artist to learn, (in my opinion) is to learn how to see. Look deeply at things. Take note of color, shadows, highlights, perspective and how things fit together. Is it dynamic or is it dull and lifeless? Are there reflections that create shadows? Is that color warm or cool? Why do those colors look so great together (get out the color wheel)? Learn to see better, and your art will improve, regardless of how you create it.
Speaking of reflections.
This was a practice I did several years ago of some old metal cups.
They are very reflective and I was trying to see how to get, not only the shadows the cups created but also the reflections on each other. First I divided a large sheet of paper into 4 quadrants, then I set up three of the metal cups in the primary colors. I had a light I could move around to get the shadows to move as well as the reflections. I learned a lot about my subjects and how they interacted, but I also learned how to see them more correctly. I also learned about the perspective, especially of the stacked cups and the laying down cup.
So,
NO
as you can see,
there really is no right way to paint.
Just what is right for you!
Fresh Pickins
is exactly that.
I picked these flowers from my garden
and I this is one of the many paintings I did using them as modules.
16" x 12" acrylic on canvas paper.
I really feels like fabric but it comes on a pad of paper.
It will come rolled up in a tube.
$95 + $5 shipping
Beautiful arrangement of flowers, Sharon! You wrote such an inspirational and educational post, too. Thanks for linking to my blog, too! I have to tell you, of all the things you wrote, the one that hit me the most was when you wrote we haven't met in person! I was really surprised to read that :) Seems like surely we have!! :)
ReplyDeleteIt is funny we have spoken on the phone many times and emailed a zillion times, but we have never sat down and had lunch. The internet has totally changed the world. We would never have met without it. Thanks for always being such a sharing and giving artist.
DeleteWow - your floral is simply beautiful...so graceful This is a WONDERFUL post with many great observations. Yes - learning to SEE is high up on my list too. I have enjoyed Meridith's art of a long time now.
ReplyDeleteAnd here is another super artist I have stalked. She always has incredibly informative blog posts. Thanks for stopping by and commenting Julie.
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