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M Kathryn Massey OPA

Painting as a Conscious Process

M Kathryn Massey OPA · Sep 19, 2022 · 9 Comments

Kitchen Still Life by Mary K. Massey OPA
36″ x 48″ – Oil

I began to paint in 1994 at the age of 41.  There was no preparation or instruction prior to that time.  People often ask, “You mean you just started painting?”  Yes, I just began to paint.

As I think about my journey as a painter, I find I have internally shifted.  What does this mean? 

It means I try to shed all external noise and forces that get in the way of the painting process. I place myself in a painting “space.”  In turn, I find myself conscious during painting. I catch myself when I drift away from the work at hand. I give my full attention, as energy permits, to watching and waiting on the painting.  This is what I call Intention + Concept through active awareness, or being “in the presence of the painting”.

The best painting results come about when I work with the idea of having a completed concept in my mind’s eye, without being absorbed in the details of the subject, and without unconsciously laying down paint. In other words, I strive to paint my concept while being aware of all things in front of me. I now practice painting while more conscious of the process. I am mindful of my intention. Intention and concept are co-mingled — we as painters must let the viewer know what our painting is about.

Japanese Teapot by Mary K. Massey OPA
22″ x 28″ – Oil

It is a long journey to arrive at the space that allows you to be one with your picture — to let the canvas tell you what it needs, and to watch the canvas “become”. You must get out of the way while still attending to the work before you. The best thing one can do is practice while fully present to the process, and to catch yourself when internally drifting or thinking of something outside of painting. Even when you KNOW what is necessary, you may not always DO what is necessary for the good of the painting.

I find that as I age as a painter, distractions such as shows, sales, awards — all of it has fallen away.  I am happy just to paint and struggle with my challenges each time I go to the easel.  

Still Life with Moon by Mary K. Massey OPA
28″ x 22″ – Oil

Has painting become easier? Yes and no. Getting to this point has certainly been difficult.  But, I feel more at peace having entered into this present place of painting.  The journey could only have happened the way it happened.  Being more aware of when I am not paying attention has made painting more enjoyable, and produces a better result.

Learning to paint isn’t linear.  It ebbs and flows — it feels within one’s grasp only to move or shift.  You think you are practicing while awake, and then you drift.  You fall asleep to your process.

I now know when I am drifting off or leaving the presence of the painting in front of me.  I catch myself noodling or copying instead of watching and waiting on the picture’s concept.  I catch myself…that’s the important thing.

Broken Pot by Mary K. Massey OPA
15″ x 17″ – Oil

The Role of Color Temperature in Painting

M Kathryn Massey OPA · Jan 4, 2021 · Leave a Comment

When I wrote my book on painting with a concept, I listed five key elements for creating a  workable, harmonious painting: Values, Edges, Paint Quality (integrity of the paint), Agent  (you as the painter guiding the work), and finally, Color/Temperature. It’s the last element I’d like to explore here. 

When I began to paint, I saw local color first and foremost. It’s easier to see than values and edges. Beautiful reds, blues and yellows naturally draw the eye much like impasto  (opaque) paint will. Color, or the lack of color, has an inherent emotional feature. 

It’s generally accepted that color begins and ends with the Color Wheel. I never saw the relationship to the color wheel and the painting problems that were before me. Many teachers use it as an absolute truth to be rigidly followed. But, the color wheel is NOT an absolute truth. It only represents a theory. Theories are not absolute-they are grounded in principles but don’t contain the truth in an ultimate way.  

A theory merely points us in a direction.  

Included is an image of my palette used when I teach. To help students, I list below each color whether I view it as a warm color, or a cool color. To me, the neutrals, including Naples Yellow, are all cool; the yellows are warm with the exception of Lemon Yellow, which appears cool because it has less warmth than the other yellows on my palette. Likewise, Cadmium Red Light is the only red that appears warm. Alizarin and the other Cad Reds appear cool.  

Cadmium Red Light mixed with black and white (both neutrals)  Notice the neutrals achieve two things: the value of the Cad Red Light, a warm red, is changed and the temperature. (The temperature of the red is made cooler.)

The Blues are all cool with the exception of Ultramarine Blue. It’s the warmest Blue in the family of blues meaning it reads warmer than the others because of its mixture when produced and those materials used to create the paint Ultramarine Blue.  

Think about Cerulean, Thalo, Cobalt, King’s Blue…..they are very cool when used next to UM Blue. In a warm set up or composition, I would use UM Blue to complement the other components of a warm set up. 

Yellow Ocher is an interesting color. I paint with it to warm a background or turn an edge (cool).  It seems to absorb whatever temperature is placed near it. It’s an opaque paint so it has the quality of a neutral or cool hue. But, if painting a white cup, you could mix some yellow ocher to develop a shadow plane. It won’t drop the value too much but can assist the shadow in anchoring the object. Painting with black as a shadow for white objects is too abrupt or harsh. To me it reads “dead on arrival.” 

Two Pears by M Kathryn Massey OPA 
9″ x 12″ – Oil

As we grow as painters, we begin to develop our own language and that language includes color choices. We become more sensitive to how temperature plays a role in our work. For me, I reach for a color based on its temperature and what is needed by the painting. What do I  mean? 

Let’s say you are painting a portrait. The subject is Caucasian and fair. Most of the flesh you paint will be colorless. But, there are moments on the face you want to come forward and show the topography of that particular fair model. Conversely, there are moments in the picture that will need to recede, or turn back. 

Cad Red LT is warm and it will read closer to the viewer. Cad Red Med/Cad Red Dark will recede more than Cad Red LT. Why? Because the Medium and Dark have more blue in them when they are produced as a color. Blue is a color which recedes. 

The principle here: Warm colors appear to advance; Cool colors appear to recede and give the painting a sense of air space and time. You must decide on the color structure of your painting EACH TIME you go to the easel.

A Word About Neutrals. 

Commissioned work in progress.  
Cosmo by M Kathryn Massey OPA
14″ x 11″ – Oil
Notice how little color is seen thus far in the painting with the dog being black and white; both cool, neutral colors.  

Neutrals are used to change both the value and the temperature of a color. In principle, Black,  White, Grey, and Naples Yellow are used to cool down a color OR, to change its value.  Because they are cool, when mixed with any other color they will immediately cool that color  AND change its value. This is why I view color and temperature as married. I don’t understand them as being separate. Temperature changes are paramount to good painting.  

We don’t know these more advanced ideas when we begin to paint. How can we?  In closing, a few thoughts on color: 

-If you are having trouble incorporating a color into your work, take it off your palette for a  month or so. See if you can achieve what you need without it. 

-Each family of reds, blues, greens, yellow, blacks, etc., are warmer or cooler within the family of that color. Determine for yourself which is warmer and which is cooler within the family of color. 

-Using both cool and warm temperatures in the same painting will make more color disharmony and tension. (Think Vuillard) 

-A still life up, a model, an interior, etc., will be either warm or cool as a concept. Use the paints that will depict your concept. 

-Use a neutral to turn an object away from the viewer so the illusion of dimension is realized.  Do not use pink, red, yellow, orange for instance to turn an object as it goes into shadow. The illusion won’t work. Use cool grey, blue, or violet to help with your conceptual illusion. 

-If you break any principle in painting, know why you are breaking the principle.

-There are no mistakes…..only better choices.

Melon with Grapes by M Kathryn Massey OPA
20″ x 16″ – Oil

Beyond Literalism

M Kathryn Massey OPA · Aug 3, 2020 · Leave a Comment

“Eggs with Oranges” by M Kathryn Massey OPA
Oil

After a difficult divorce in 2007,  I re-dedicated my focus on a book I began back in 2005.  “Beyond Paint:  A Guide to Conceptual Painting” had rambled around in my brain since 2004. I still have the boxes of words that eventually became the book published in 2013.

I had begun to paint at age 41 with no prior art instruction. My husband at the time thought I was possessed because once I picked up my brush, I never looked back.  At the same time, I was a mom to two little guys, ages 3 & 5 and I was working outside our home. (No wonder my hair is turning white.)

As we begin our journey as painters, we are naturally absorbed in details that have little or nothing to do with making art.  We might get bogged down in technique rather than rising above mere mechanics. Or, we might be distracted by sales or envious of those who have an easier ride to recognition. (Hint: There are many, many terrific painters.  There’s room for everyone.)

When I began to put my ideas about painting down on paper, I was forced to examine my own intentions and beliefs about what it means to paint beyond literal subject matter.  Like teaching, writing expands and forces one to make known what one really knows or not.  Teaching provides this same type of portal.

“Composition with Black Vase”
by M Kathryn Massey OPA
Oil


As I explored writing about a non-verbal discipline, painting, I examined those parts of myself that could serve as guides throughout the process.

I’d like to summarize those for you now and would love the opportunity to talk about them through this blog.

As a painter, I am interested in capturing transcendence in art.  Meaning, painting beyond subject material whether it be a model, still life or landscape.

For me, I have come to understand that:

Intention and Concept are interdependent. 

Intention and concept help to reveal the underlying forms that give integrity to the painting.  Intention and concept serve as a road map to realize the painting that I see in my mind’s eye but also includes an organic process that is beyond me and my own will. 

Without the artist’s intentionality and the inherent form, the work becomes simply self-expression, which prevents the painter and the final work from developing at its deepest level. Of course, for some painters, self-expression IS painting.  

“Sill life with Moon”
by M Kathryn Massey OPA
Oil

Painting is far more than memorizing static information and rote practice.  Art is found, and subsequently thrives, on active questioning and a holistic (Yin and Yang) path of inquiry.  (Relationships, balance, whole, integral.) These are my own touchstones when working with mere blobs of paint at the end of a brush.

This means:

I, the painter, merely serve as an Agent, bringing together ordinary objects (my subject) with the principles of art to reveal the hidden radiance of everyday things.  This is realized through the balance of relationships within the painting. For me, it is a holistic approach which comes through active listening and attending to the painting throughout the process.

“Japanese Teapot” by M Kathryn Massey OPA
Oil

The sense of transcendence is discovered through the deepest intentions of the painter (also affirmed as the integrity of the painter).  My intention, personally, is to create work that is found in the relationships within the painting.  As we all know, relationships are often recognized as balanced & whole, or not. One brushstroke either helps or hurts the painting. It’s rarely benign.

The artist’s innermost intentions lead the painter, and subsequently the viewer, to a sense of transcendence that can’t be willed by the painter or the viewer.  

“White on Gray” by M Kathryn Massey OPA
Pastel on Paper

At the same time, my aim as a painter, as Agent, is to offer the viewer a sense of Repose for the Mind so that real knowing can take place.  

This place of Repose allows for the viewer to see into the painting, and for the painting to “look back.”  The art of the masters contains the past, present, and future simultaneously—a lofty challenge for painters today.  

To have something I call the Fourth Dimension in one’s work is perhaps the most difficult in painting. It means a sense of Active Time.  The Time is present and we are present to it.  It means the work is contained on the Continuum of Time.  Past, Present, Future.

My responsibility as a painter is to serve as Agent to connect the viewer with something beyond my own perceptions, beyond objects, and beyond literalism.”

On Growing As a Painter

M Kathryn Massey OPA · Feb 10, 2014 · 15 Comments

It’s never too late to be who you might have been.
—George Eliot

Book Cover
Excerpted from: “Beyond Paint: A Guide to Conceptual Painting,” by M Kathryn Massey, OPA, DPS, AA

By now you understand the act of painting is considered, intentional and best undertaken with a concept each time you go to the easel. Many of us were lead to believe that painting is only about such things as self-expression, lucrative portrait commissions, copying exactly what is seen on the model stand, or selling painting after painting in a gallery. These are the goals of some painters; some painters measure their success and self worth by these kinds of benchmarks. It is not my place to argue for or against these personal goals.
This final chapter will speak to maturing as a painter. It won’t address gallery sales, winning show awards, how much of your teacher’s work is seen in your final paintings; or, how accurately you copy the minutiae of a subject. To my way of thinking, these do very little for your growth as a painter.
How do we grow as painters?

gestures fiveFirst, I can say, it’s a solitary path. What do I mean? I mean, we are alone in our work as painters. It’s a private journey, that can’t escape its source from within. The source is who we are. We must be mindful to this fact. It is where we find ourselves at any given time. This is the beginning of our work to grow as painters.
Painting is undertaken in isolation–with thoughts, feelings, memories, impulses, history and present day all contributing to our response in paint. No real work of creativity is achieved in a vacuum. So in that sense, we are not unique. We all have a history that went before us. We can’t escape who we are completely.
And yet, our very growth as a person and painter depends on knowing our limits, our strengths; and perhaps, setting aside much of our subjective interests for the good of the work. This speaks to letting the art come through us as much as by us in its final form.
Are there practical habits that can help us grow?
This may be the best place to begin. What can you do to mature as a painter in a practical sense?
Practice drawing from a live model as often as you can- weekly if possible. Test out your mettle by using charcoal, pen and wash, watercolors or paint. Stretch yourself and challenge yourself to sit in front of the model — find one or two things you want to improve upon in each session. Use the session to practice, to see, to understand what is before you and then, make art from that. Don’t just do what you know. Do more. Try more. Do what you don’t know how to do. This is practicing and stretching yourself. It isn’t enough to do what you know. You must do what you don’t know but want to do.threeposes
Go back and study old drawings and paintings you have worked on. See where you went wrong and note what is still working. The hallmark of Art is that it has the past, present and future all contained within. Therefore, it is outside the context of linear time. Your work can have this feature. This means it will be viewed as vital, compelling and “good” long after you are gone. Note where this is happening in your work and internalize it rather than guess at it when you next go to the easel.
Study the Old Masters. Understand their work, like yours, was created in the context of a culture and time. This doesn’t mean you must be time bound, or culture bound. This means you can’t escape your life and all of its constraints. Learn to lean beyond those constraints to create work that is outside any pinned down moment.
Having said this……
Is it not your goal or purpose to recreate the work of the Old Masters, any one philosophy or school; or, recreate the work of your teacher. These are benchmarks in your progress. To be Original, you must be Authentic, meaning your own. This takes time. Do your own work and not the work of any one teacher or school. If a teacher expects you to paint like them, run!!! They do you a disservice to copy their work no matter how original. They rob you of your own development and exacting voice that is yours alone. Remember, you must develop your own language through paint.
ultrmarineThis means you must hear your own voice through paint and the act of painting. You must, in being authentic, find your own way. Yes, it’s good to walk with a teacher for a while, but eventually, you walk the path alone gathering information old and new.
The act of maturing as a painter is, at times uncomfortable, and like walking a tightrope– without a net. Indeed, it must be so. If you are not discontent at some moment, you are not ready to go on. To grow, you must find moments and periods of real discontentment. These will catapult you to the next moments of discovery. It isn’t easy. It takes time.
Time. Learning to paint is not a linear process. It isn’t done by rote, by memorization of this or that. Each time you are at the easel, you must begin again. Fresh. You are different. You are new. The work will be also. Pay attention to the changes inside. These are what affect change outside. This is what your work becomes. Pay attention to your habits, your thoughts and feelings as you watch the painting unfold. Watch the painting….. It will show you what it needs and want to stretch with you. Let it be so.
pitcherQuestions. These are what make us stronger in our work. It isn’t enough to have an answer. You must be thinking about the next question. Painting is an organic process. You must begin again each time you paint. What worked in one painting may be completely wrong for the next. There is no end to the beginning…….cool, huh?
Sit with painters who are farther along than you are. If you admire there work, try and paint with them. It’s always a grand idea to paint with someone who is a bit beyond where you are. This helps you stretch and grow.
Painting, like dance, singing, or playing an instrument takes practice. You can’t paint once or twice a year in a workshop and expect to become a good painter. It’s just not possible. As with other art disciplines, you must practice over and over to understand yourself and the work. It can’t only be read about. Nor can it be absorbed through only looking at artwork in museums or galleries. It must be practiced and many choices made. Remember: there are no mistakes. Only better choices. You must make some bad choices to get to the better choices. It must be so. It’s difficult work. If you look at your choices as mistakes, your mindset is limited and closed.
Choices mean and have possibilities.
There are some painters who will disagree with this next statement. Paint from life. Is it “wrong” to copy photos? I don’t know if anything is wrong. But, you won’t learn as much by copying photos if you ‘re interested in learning to paint. I would add–painting from life is a richer, more rewarding experience.
teapotAlso a limitation to learning: projecting images such as a portrait onto the wall and tracing it onto a canvas. No one understands this as learning. Can you make money? I suppose. But is it learning? I don’t think it is. You have to do the work and put in the hours to become a confident painter. This is within you and does not live outside you. Know this. Painting comes from within.
This all points to one central idea: painting is bringing forth that which is in you; and, as you develop and sensitize yourself to painting from within, you develop more and more to the person and painter you are meant to be. Painting comes from the inside, the inner world. It does not originate in the outer world. If a critic, teacher or another painter criticizes your direction, only you know in your heart and mind’s eye if you are doing the real work that is yours. You must let these comments roll off your back. They are irrelevant to your sensibilities, your authority and your own unique sense of being a painter. Said another way, the private world, your private world is subject to being criticized publicly. You must believe in yourself and look for no validation about what it is you want to say through the language you develop. When you can do this, you will be working from a place of confidence that the work is your own and your voice is being heard. You are growing as a painter.
A word about being understood by others: throughout history, we know of painters who have used such a private language, that little of the world was able to hear or access that language. This might be said of those who caste off all reference to the past to create art void of any historical reference, context or understanding. Here’s an example, not to pick on Jackson Pollock. He dripped paint on a canvas lying on the floor. House paint. This was his contribution to the world of art; to smash any reference to narrative, time, or history by excluding these features in his work. I find his language so limited it borders on incoherent and babble—for me. Of course, it is only my opinion about surface art of this kind. There are those who would disagree. Pollock’s language and efforts were so private, I am left without any real connection to him or to his work. This is the danger in developing highly subjective language— or creating work that is shocking or offensive. No one may understand the work, or if so offensive to humanity, no one will care.

When the Money Doesn’t Follow

M Kathryn Massey OPA · Mar 26, 2012 · 11 Comments

"Two Pears" by M Kathryn Massey OPA
"Two Pears" by M Kathryn Massey OPA
Back in the 90’s there was a popular idea, “do what you love – the money will follow.” That seemed plausible, and for many of us in the world of art, this has become a reality. Many painters are sitting on lucrative art careers either through well placed portrait commissions, print reproductions or popular workshops with an accredited institution. However, in the world of Occupy Art, 1% vs. 99%, I, like many of you, fall into the latter: the 99%.
As my brief bio states, I began to paint at age 41 with no prior instruction or education in painting. I knew I wanted to paint, and around my 41st birthday, I began. The rest as they say, is (almost) history.
Most of us were not full time students when we began our careers. Nor were we married to, or partnered with an established painter whose career was already doing well, and in turn, might ‘introduce’ us to the best galleries, invitational shows and teaching institutions, thereby eliminating much of what the majority of painters go through early in their careers. Many of us didn’t come with a Trust nor were we independently wealthy. In other words, we created the space we needed to paint because it wasn’t put before us. We found ways to work at learning to paint with unique and different challenges. None of these ways should ever be discounted or diminished.
My own instruction consisted of a 5-day workshop about once per year, and in the remaining 51 weeks, I painted when and where I could around a marriage and children ages 3 and 5. I also worked out of the home part time to help sustain our family. In 1999, I began to paint full time and saw great progress in my work.
This is probably how most of the women in the OPA memberships worked at their art career and certainly, some men. Many men who have taken my workshops did so upon retirement because they now had the energy and time to paint. It takes courage and tenacity to do so.
In 2006, my family broke apart as I divorced my husband. I could have remained married to a man who was leading a life outside our relationship, but I didn’t close my eyes to that fact to be safe and insulated. My career had to be put on hold to stabilize my sons and my own sense of well-being.
Starbucks?!
I was determined to keep painting, but lost my health insurance in the divorce. I learned if I worked 20 hours per week at Starbucks, I could provide full health benefits for my sons and myself. I was the oldest person working there for some time. I was 53 when I began. In total, I worked there, part time for over 4 years.
While my work during 2006-2010 wasn’t my best, I kept painting and learning to paint. I began to work on a book that is now ready for print; I continually developed my workshops, and was affirmed I am a good teacher; I practiced painting as much as I could within the parameters of my new family situation. I was completely on my own, but it didn’t stop me.
At the end of 2008, the financial world collapsed. All of us have been impacted by this fact. Like you, my sales have fallen off. Traditional art galleries 30+ years in the business are at an all time low in sales and clients. Some galleries closed their doors from the strain. More web based galleries and art exhibitions are popping up.
In addition, many painters who would normally travel to a workshop and spend money on tuition, lodging, food, and transportation are just not as eager now, or able to do so. Many on-line workshops are available to purchase so painters can stay home and hang on to the money they legitimately need in these tough times. I don’t hold this against them. We all need to adjust.
What now?
This article is to generate ideas and input for all of us. I already mentioned one way I found health insurance. Here’s how I’m paying for my tax prep this year.
I have artwork in a posh Victorian inn in northern California. I gave the owner a painting that I created with her signature logo wine showcased in a still life arrangement. She loved the painting, I gave it to her, and in return, she gave me two nights free to stay at said posh inn worth the value of the painting.
Bartering. It’s an old concept and has its place. The logo wine painting is and was the most appealing of all my paintings to the owner. She didn’t have money to pay for the picture outright, but she did have something else: gift certificates for any room in her upscale inn. I parlayed that into a trade for my tax prep. I gave one of the two certificates to the CPA preparing my taxes.
I have other examples that are seeing me through this crunch time. Part-time work, volunteer work, etc. Both have me in the community and being with people. These create opportunities, or, that’s how I choose to see them.
I know there are other creative ways you have put in place to work through this difficult economy. Please, let’s hear what you are doing that might help our OPA members transition through these lean times to keep painting.

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