Oil Painting

Did you know that OPA has been sharing artists’ blog posts for over ten years?  We have an extensive collection available to the public on our website. OPA will be taking Deep Dives into our archives and sharing our favorite posts from years past. Please enjoy this Deep Dive by Ann Kraft Walker OPA from 2015.

Bittersweet — you know, life is just that way. This post could be titled “the glass is half full,” or “two sides to the coin,” expressions that are trite but true. It’s about perspective, choices, focus and discipline.

As artists, we need to learn more than the multifaceted, seemingly infinite aspects of creating our craft. That’s the sweet side of the coin: pure passionate sweetness in pouring our hearts into developing this gift of talent. Then there’s what I’ll call the bitter side. We need to learn the art of juggling the demands of the business: planning, purchasing supplies, workshops, conferences, open studios, commissions, DEADLINES, websites, competitions, shows, DEADLINES, galleries, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, framing, crating, shipping, DEADLINES, newsletters (I don’t even have one yet), recordkeeping, studio maintenance…the list is never ending.

These two sides of the coin, the sweet side of creating, and the bitter side of business must co-exist. Sweet artistic creativity can be strangled by endless to-dos, but without the bitter business side, few artists could sustain a career. What I’m hoping to learn is the balance between the two–how to manage the tension each exerts on the other. I’m writing about this not because I’ve mastered it, but because I struggle with it. The thoughts in this post are personal, from my singular point of view. It may be that many of you enjoy the business side. (Seriously?!)

I find the clutter of life can be overwhelming, draining and distracting from the passionate pursuit of excellent art. When the to-do list is huge, and the time frame is small, stress mounts, abundance is crushed, and the result can be a toxic cocktail, poisoning our creativity and our wellbeing.

“All efforts of worth and excellence are difficult…but its difficulty does not make us faint and cave in, it stirs us up to overcome.” Oswald Chambers

I’m finding three major components that serve to protect the sweet and deal with the bitter. Applying these three aspects can help pull us out of inactive frustration into satisfying productivity: choice, focus and discipline. These three separate actions are intertwined, mutually drawing from and strengthening the other.

From our first conscious thought in the morning we’re faced with countless choices. I usually like to head to the easel (the sweet part) early in the day when my mind is most fresh. It’s a choice to focus fully on the task at hand rather than to allow the to-do list to invade my thoughts, making them fragmented and unclear. Disciplining our thoughts is one difficult choice that keeps the mind and heart free and clear for a fire of inspiration. There is solid joy in the process, unhindered and untainted by a myriad of distracting emotions. Distraction is an enemy of success.

Late in the day, when I turn to the business side (the bitter part), I would like to have the same focus to accomplish the to-do list. I’m not very successful at this.

I’m usually fretting over the state of my painting and begin thinking I should give up and make cookies instead. Fatigue and stress are the culprits that erode peace and confidence. Discouragement knocks on the door of my mind. Far too often, I don’t make the more disciplined choice to stay positive and focused. Instead, I open the door wide, inviting discouragement to join me in a downward spiral.

It’s a proactive choice to ignore the negative and stay centered. It seems that even small successes with proper focus breed more success…we’re strengthening the muscles of our minds. Choosing discipline builds strength of focus which in turn builds powerful momentum to stay on track with our goals. This is true for both the (bitter) business side and the (sweet) creative side.

“To pay attention – this is our endless and proper work.” Mary Oliver

I also believe the natural tension between the bitter and the sweet is necessary and needed. The bitter intensifies the sweet and allows us to appreciate it all the more. In this world, we don’t usually get unfettered sweet and it probably wouldn’t be good for us anyway. The bitter is akin to the reins on a horse bridle. It’s a bit restricting and limiting, but useful to guide the horse where we want to go. When we make the choice to focus and persevere both in the creative and business sides of our craft, we are able to thrive as artists.

Personally, I feel so blessed by God with this extravagant gift of passion for art and life. I’m not responsible for having the gift any more than I’m responsible for having brown eyes. But with the gift, comes the responsibility to steward it well. My goal is to strive to balance the bitter and sweet and do my best to develop the gift in honor of the Giver.

You’ve spent your life hoping to learn the “secret” to becoming a better artist – while being told there are no secrets. Maybe there aren’t any magic tricks, but I have come to believe there are two “KEYS” that can help you open the doors leading down that secret hallway. These two keys are separate but complementary, and you will more fully appreciate their importance as your ability grows. Together they can drive you as far as your desire to become a better artist will allow.

In this essay, I’ll share the two Keys, and briefly touch upon their breadth and depth. The first is: “AWARENESS”, and the second is “PREPARATION”. Awareness comes from truly paying attention to the physical, intellectual and emotional aspects of Art, while Preparation will provide you with the tools to express the depth of your awareness.

We all begin with a very basic level of Awareness. Our understanding of the physical world is akin to a child’s vocabulary; we can describe the basics, but it takes years of study and growth to become eloquent. When Louis Armstrong says he sees “skies of blue and clouds of white,” you know through experienced observation how much more there is to “see” in those skies, and if you’re honest with yourself you know there is also so much more in terms of breadth and depth that is beyond your grasp, regardless of your current level of accomplishment. With each passing day, you can become more sensitized to the endless subtleties that add to the beauty and meaning of all you see and subsequently what you create.

Over and above physical observation, as you develop as an artist it is important that your work become infused with what you think and feel. The deeper your intellect and the stronger your feelings grow, the more your work can reflect your personality and soul. This depth can come from an endless variety of sources, and is in part a natural outgrowth of your maturity. When I was traveling the world to curate a collection of art, it became clear that there were a number of young artists who had great talent, but the profound effect of life creates a patina that adds richness to a mature artist’s work. Our lives are filled with emotional and intellectual stimuli. Some artists naturally soak it all in and let it influence their work immediately, while others carefully observe and slowly massage their response into their creative output. I am conscientiously infusing more of myself as I define my intent for each piece, whether it be en plein air or in the studio.

Building artistic awareness is a continual endeavor. Sometimes awareness comes from internal exploration, other times from external forces. One path is studying the work of other artists. Though seeking a style might be a superficial pursuit, it is helpful to pay attention to your reaction to existing work. While some pieces may do nothing for you (learn why!), other work may really “float your boat” on an intellectual or emotional level, and it is helpful to be “aware” of the elements you can incorporate into your efforts over the days and years to come. When I teach a workshop, the theme may be focused on portraits or animals, but I’m always infusing my personal instruction with elements affected by what I’ve begun to understand along with thoughts that can affect how a student approaches their future study.

The exploration of Awareness is endlessly intriguing, but expressing your level of awareness takes Preparation. Preparation comprises all the physical elements and “tools” that enable you to execute your vision. You can improve upon your facility; from your palette, lighting, and studio set-up to building your ability to draw. Just as a weekend golfer might be happy to hit the ball squarely while a professional will develop a myriad of shots, so too, an artist’s success will increase as the many facets of preparation become more proficient and refined. For example, when we first learn to draw, our lines and shapes start to roughly define an image, and as we continue to evolve, our lines and shapes become more convincing…and eventually, expressive. As you practice mixing colors, the sensitivity and beauty of your values, temperatures and harmonies overcome clumsiness and begin to sing. Your first brushstrokes may be coarse and weak; but additional mileage and attention to how and why you’re mixing and laying paint, your brushstrokes, paint surface, and edges will all improve.

Though we can learn from many examples, I’ll use an image of a painting by John Singer Sargent to illustrate how the combination of awareness and preparation can create fabulous work.

Years ago it was posted as an example of the “simple” shapes Sargent used. However, when I saw the image, I was immediately struck – not by simplicity – but by spectacular execution of sublime understanding of value and hue. Using the original sketch at the left, the images on the right each show two columns of dots: one column of dots samples the color and value from the area immediately below, and the column next to it from the area immediately above. Seeing how Sargent deftly handled these transitions can help guide your process.

Because improved execution must be learned and then applied, your level of preparation will naturally trail your level of awareness. Therefore, it is helpful to understand that there is the potential for a perpetual satisfaction gap between what you hope your work will convey and what you are actually able to convey. There are times where we feel we’re actually getting worse! When you look back on your earlier work, the gap will be more evident between what you’ve accomplished and where your understanding is now.

As my personal Awareness and Preparation grow, I am able to adjust my approach, execution and finish to accurately express my initial intent. Here are two portraits that result from very different objectives. In the portrait of former Wisconsin Governor Scott McCallum, the composition, finish and atmosphere were focused on celebrating an accomplished hero, in the beautiful environment where he served as State Senator, leading our state through the 9/11 crisis. In the second painting, I wanted all my elements to convey my earthy response to a rugged, itinerant artist in the southwest United States during the 19th century.

My painting, The Immigrant, which was on the cover of Art of the West (Jul/Aug 2022), offers an intellectual and emotional narrative while going beyond a simple illustration. 

Throughout your life and career, the areas and options for improvement are endless, and specific needs may be unique to you. Answers will appear from many sources: workshops, individual study and serendipity. One of my reasons for teaching is that working with students at varying levels and areas of skill highlights and reinforces opportunities to strengthen awareness and preparation for both students and teacher.

I believe if you keep my two “Keys” in mind as you approach your study and growth, they will help organize your efforts and clarify needs as they arise. You will also find yourself blessed with moments of illumination where your understanding or facility take a leap forward!

As a sought-after workshop instructor, Albert Handell OPAM is accustomed to answering student’s questions. For this week’s blog, we share his response to two commonly asked questions: 

Question: Do you judge art shows, and if so, how do you select the top winning piece, “Best of Show”?

Yes, I have judged numerous exhibitions. 

I have found that some exhibitions have categories and some do not.  The exhibitions that have categories are usually divided by either subject matter, (i.e. landscapes, portraits, still lives and abstract etc.) or by paint media (i.e. Oils, Pastels, Water Colors, etc.). 

Prize money is usually broken down so that the winner of Best of Show receives the largest amount, for example, $1,500. The First Place winner in each category would then get $1,000, Second Place winners get $500, Third Place winner gets $250 and so on. 

To pick the best of show for the exhibition, I simply take the first place I’ve selected in each category, move them near each other so I can compare them side-by-side, and decide which one is the strongest. The piece I select becomes Best of Show and the artwork below it in that category moves up one prize (i.e. Second Place becomes First Place, etc.)

Then there is the type of exhibition where artwork of all different mediums and subject matter is mixed together, and not broken down into categories.  Selecting the best of show for this type of exhibition is more difficult. I take the first, second and third place artworks and really scrutinize them before selecting one to be Best of Show. That is how I do it.

I have been on both sides of exhibitions in my life, sometimes as the participant and other times as the judge.  This oil painting below, Woods Interior, Point Lobos, was sent to an OPA exhibition where the largest work could not be more than 16” x 20.” It received Best of Show with a cash award of $3,500. Jeanine and I celebrated that evening!

I hope this insight into judging is helpful.

QUESTION: Is framing important? What are your thoughts about framing?

Yes, framing is very important. 

To keep the answer to this question simple, for myself when I frame my small oils, I like to use a floater frame. It pains me to lose a half inch all-around my small painting because of the inside lip (or “rabbit”) of standard frames. It might cost more to frame the oil using a floater frame, but I feel better doing so.

In general, the framing should complement the painting!

You don’t want any part of the frame to compete or distract from the painting, (for example, you don’t want the light linen mats of the frame to stand out more than the whites of the painting.)

If the frame competes with the painting, it’s not a good frame. 

Here are some examples of my framing choices:

This oil is basically a painting about the weight of rocks.

It started out as a study for a larger oil. I felt it stood on its own merits so I decided to frame it. Since I considered it a “tight” subject matter painting, I decided to float it with a narrow black backing.

The piece Along the Taos Ski Basin Road (below) is a horizontal painting. I felt it needed a wider floater frame.

I hope these two examples of framing give you some good food for thought.

Sincerely,
Albert

If you’re an artist, you’ve probably considered that your work, once it’s “out there” for the world to see, has the power to impact people in some way. It could elicit any number of responses, from admiration, to nostalgia—or on the opposite spectrum, to disgust, or shock. Quite possibly—because we are bombarded with images every day—it might not elicit a response at all.  Either way, there’s always some risk involved.  It takes courage and vulnerability to put your art before the public eye.  Get a big enough audience and you might even be called an “influencer” or a “culture shaper”. But have you considered that, with any audience large or small, this also means you are a leader?

Last week I was invited by my Crossfit gym owner to join him and the other coaches for a monthly professional development meeting. Now, I am not a coach, rather, I provide services to my gym in the form of photography, video/video editing, and design work. I love being part of this team, but I still feel a bit out of place at “coaches” meetings. As an artist, what I know about leadership has evolved organically over the years (a.k.a. I’ve read a lot of Brene Brown books). I’ve never received formal leadership training, so I was intrigued when my gym owner said, “You might get something out of this”. 

He was right. We watched a video where someone was analyzing a coach teaching a class, and he broke it down into technical terms as to what methods this coach was using to effectively train and teach athletes proper form. I found myself engaged, not just because I’m also a CrossFitter, but because my brain immediately went to ways I could implement these coaching techniques in teaching art, or in my interactions with other artists. Whether you’re in a gym setting or a workshop setting, there are going to be people who don’t want to listen to you, or those who cherry pick some of what you have to say while leaving the rest. And there will be some who require you to say the same thing ten times over but in ten different ways before it clicks for them. It’s important to learn how to communicate effectively with people so you can actually reach them.

I’ve only recently come to terms with the realization that I am a leader in the art world. For better or for worse, whether I like it or not, I have a part to play and I am influencing someone. My younger self brushed this off by saying, “I’m just keeping up with the times on social media”, or “I’m just doing what I love”, “making art for art‘s sake”, etc.  But the truth is, most of us can’t possibly live in a bubble where our life and work don’t affect someone else.  If our work is out there, we are influencers. We are above and beyond the norm. There’s no minimum or maximum age, no minimum audience for being a leader, and as artists, our leadership roles are especially unique and necessary. 

But not everyone who leads is a good leader. It takes work, and a servant’s heart.  I’ll name a few of the things I’ve learned that make up a great leader (of course I offer this list through the lens of being an artist but it can certainly apply to other aspects of life).

Belief in purpose.  As artists, we write an “Artist’s Statement” to communicate our “why”. The great thing about a statement is that it forces you to examine your goals, motivations, and process, and condense it into a few brief sentences. There has to be a “why” behind everything we do and every choice we make. If we truly believe in our “why,” and are confident in the direction we are going, we are setting ourselves up for becoming good leaders in our field. If writing an artist’s statement is daunting to you, don’t worry. It can change and evolve with you as your work evolves. Think of the core values you hold most dear, and how those manifest themselves in your work. Or look at your body of work and try to find the common thread that ties them all together. It won’t be too hard to see what really matters to you.

Early on I had to come to terms with the moral question of painting nudes and including them in my portfolio. I grew up in a very conservative environment, and to this day, I still have acquaintances from home who won’t talk to me because they think I’ve sold my soul to the devil. It’s a subject that raises a lot of different questions, and I realize that if I’m going to paint nudes, I need a standpoint on it, and once that’s been established, I need to be able to defend and honor that standpoint. 

One way to uphold your belief and purpose is by aligning yourself with arts organizations that support your values. Two of the esteemed groups I’ve been a part of for quite a few years now, are the Portrait Society of America, and Oil Painters of America. Both are non-profits with the aim of furthering representational art and art education. I share a core value with them: the pursuit of excellence. This commonality creates a fertile garden for artistic growth, both on their end and mine.

Authenticity is important because your worldview, or belief in purpose as described above, are dependent on this. It doesn’t make sense to believe one thing while making art that goes against that, just so you can make a buck, or get in with the cool kids. Also, don’t be the person who will advertise for any company as long as you get something free out of it. Be the real deal. Advocate for causes you actually believe in. I am generous with my social media posts about art supply manufacturers, but I only post about the ones I actually use and love.

Humility.  Admit when you’re wrong or you don’t know. When I teach, I sometimes get asked technical questions about the chemistry and lightfastness of the paint brands I’m using. Quite often I have to say, “I don’t know the answer to that,” but I’ll try and point my students in the right direction for finding the answer themselves.

Have a servant’s heart. Give of your time and talents. Don’t be entitled, and don’t get “too big for your britches”. We all started somewhere; we are all still learning. I find artists who are aloof and unapproachable, with their enormous egos taking up all the space in the room, to be abhorrent. Don’t be like that!

Master the basics and continue practicing them; never stop learning. Basketball star Kobe Bryant was known for doing the most basic drills in order to stay at the top of his game. Every day he shot 700-1000 hoops and did 20 minutes of dribbling. For artists this might be similar to sketching every day, doing color charts, or copying masterworks. This is something I need to work on; too often I think my studio work is more important and I don’t have time to go back to the basics. But the basics are everything. 

Foster community. This involves a combination of all the above listed things. When you are in community, you allow yourself to grow and learn from others. They don’t have to be other artists. A wise friend once told me, “I learn from everyone I meet. It doesn’t matter who they are or what they do—everyone has something to bring to the table.” That kind of humility opens the door for better listening, more empathy, and greater understanding. It also allows for a bigger melting pot of ideas to inspire creativity and growth as an artist. 

There are many practical ways we can foster community in the art world. We can host open studios, attend art openings and events, have regular critique sessions, or attend life drawing and plein air sessions to name a few. 

Know your worth, and stay confident.  One pill that’s been hard to swallow is the realization that as a leader, I will make enemies. No, not the kind where you duke it out in a fist fight, although sometimes I feel like that would be easier.  But, you might get slandered. You might get talked about behind your back. You might get shunned or blacklisted. There will be people who not only disagree with you, but actually hate you.

It’s so important to know who you are and to keep in mind that negative reactions reflect more on the other person’s character than yours. I was shunned in college by some of the other art majors. I could only speculate as to why, but I suspect they were envious. 

My emergence to the art scene coincided with the onslaught of social media.  There has been this continuous question of: how much do I share about my political views and should that tie in to my art? Some would argue that as an “influencer”, I ought to use my platform for that. Others would say that I should “stick to the art.” Whether or not this is true for you, what I realized for myself was that real change only happens in settings where people feel safe and respected. Intimate conversations, friendships that are built on trust – that’s where change happens, not by blanket statements made on social media. Unfortunately, I had to learn this the hard way. I’ve burned some bridges. I hope that, moving forward, I can learn from my mistakes and make wiser choices.

Since then, I’ve gone through other experiences, such as getting negative feedback or being attacked by internet trolls (sometimes people I actually know which is way worse…). These experiences can sometimes feel like a test to see whether or not I will cave in to the lies that I am inadequate, unworthy, or a fraud. When bad things happen to you (or bad paintings, ha!), hold your head high, know your worth, and carry on. Don’t let them paralyze you from continuing your work and sharing it with the world. 

As the reader you might be thinking, “You are not making a very good case for putting yourself out there”.  Sorry…not sorry.  If you’re an artist and you truly feel that it’s your vocation, then you’ll have to come to terms with this, like I did. Thankfully, it doesn’t all happen at once. Little by little, you learn what leadership looks like for you and your own circle of influence. You may be lucky enough to be born with natural confidence, but if you’re like most of us, leadership is a skill that takes time and experience to develop. And that’s okay! Just know that if you are being true to your values and being authentic, remaining humble and embracing community… your art and life will become part of something bigger, and you are going to make a positive difference in someone’s life. 

This is a story about my father, John Melillo, a retired Vietnam Combat Veteran surviving and coping with severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder through art.

The Vietnam War was a very traumatic experience for my father. After retiring, he began to experience extreme PTSD. When it became overwhelming, he turned to painting and drawing for solace. His journey started with painting from photos he took while on tour in Vietnam. He found a great deal of healing in creating art from the pictures he took in a far-away land, a long time ago. 

The clinical term for what my father is doing is “Prolonged Exposure”.  The objective is to gradually approach trauma-related memories and feelings and learn that they are not dangerous, or need to be avoided.  The longer he faces the source of his trauma head on, the less traumatic it becomes. Focusing on creating colors, shapes, lights and darks, gives him a new world of positive experience. In addition, he is finding that he has a creative ability, and he calls this stage of his life a “rebirth” and his “third act”.  

John Melillo’s Vietnam Journey is reflected in his 7-part oil painting series called “Life Goes On”. 

He would like to share the stories behind two of his paintings from this series. The first, is “In Remembrance of Chris”:

“Chris was from Texas. He was 19 years old with a wife and kid. I broke him into his duties in country. One day in formation, the desk sergeant was sick so they asked who was senior man to take his place. I was, but you’d rather be on patrol instead of handling everyone’s complaints and the radio. Chris took my place on that patrol. It took about 4 minutes for me to get down to the police station. The first call that came in was that Chris was killed in action.  I painted “In Remembrance of Chris” from a black and white photograph of the patrol Chris would have been on that day. It was a patrol that we all took. Because of the nature and situation, I decided to paint it in black and white. I chose wood as a medium, simply because I felt it represented the style and mood I wanted to paint. So, I painted this picture to share with the world and remember Chris.” 

John would also like to share the story behind “The Caretaker”. 

“In extreme situations like Vietnam, you have casualties. But on a lighter side, daily life must still go on. I found this woman. We called her The Caretaker. She stepped up, did a wonderful thing and took in orphans that lost their parents on both sides of the War. This is a Vietnamese orphanage out in the jungle that didn’t get much traffic. As you can see, the kids are smiling, well fed, and dressed. This woman made life for them meaningful. It struck me as amazing and I wanted to immortalize her and that situation. Even though it was extreme, life was still going on there in a very unique way.” 

In addition to painting images from his Vietnam experience, John has turned to subject matter from his Eastern Long Island upbringing, as well as all the activities he enjoys there today. 

“Discovering the wonder and beauty of Long Island now as I did when I was young is amazing. I feel almost EUPHORIC seeing those images translate into paintings.

I have found so much additional healing not just painting my family heritage, but what I experience today as I revisit those memories. What is important is the fact that I am still an active Eastern Long Island participant. I am an avid fisherman twelve months of the year with my daughter, sailing at daybreak and nighttime on all of Long Island’s open waterways. We also visit farm stands, vineyards, beaches, pine barren parks, and travel the North and South Forks. These adventures provide a wealth of material to paint. My paintings are a reflection of my journeys: through Southampton, Shinnecock, Hampton Bays, Sagaponack, Sag Harbor, North Sea, North Fork Gold Coast, Mattituck, Orient Point, Montauk, Riverhead, Moriches Inlet, Center Moriches, etc.” 

“What a wonderful way to appreciate the beauty of Long Island. To be on a boat at dawn and see the many unique sunrises. You can even catch sight of a whale. Dolphins and seals playing, turtle’s coming to lay their eggs, Sunfish and various large sharks are common occurrences.”

There is no greater reward than to experience this art journey with my father and see him continue to heal.  

Thank you to all the soldiers past and present, you are a continued inspiration.

John’s Instagram @artfeelingsjm / www.artfeelingsjm.com

We are grateful for all your interest and support.