Oil Painting

(Essay excerpt from book published 2021, Beauty Unites Us, by Rick J. Delanty)

Artists are revolutionaries, to some degree. Their responses to crisis, confusion, and condemnation in social situations can often be seen in their artworks. The creation of an artwork itself is a statement that the human spirit has a creative voice, is inspire-able, worthy of development, and capable of transforming others and life itself. Artists can allow the light that is within them to shine outwards, to touch those who are depressed, downhearted, or even despairing, especially in challenging times like these. A woman in San Clemente, California, has made the news by bringing her piano outside to play it in the driveway for her neighbors. In Italy, singers project mini-operatic presentations from their balconies. In our neighborhood, kids are doing chalk drawings on the sidewalk for fun.

 My own paintings of the natural world are celebrations of all that is good in life, and in heaven. An artwork that celebrates beauty is more than a symbolic shaking of the fist in times of trial–it is a blow for freedom of the spirit, and a bugle-call against both oppression and depression. Inspiring artworks encourage us to believe, rather than bend or break in times of crisis. Art and Nature encourage us to look within, and Beyond. (end of excerpt)

“You can look anywhere and find inspiration.” —Frank Gehry

The chaos and confusion of the pandemic was whirling about the world when I wrote the above words in 2020. As an artist, I was wondering what I could do to help defuse the despair.  I thought I might create Facebook posts with a written message, accompanied by a painting, pointing out that Beauty and hope for the future still existed, despite evidence to the contrary.

My idea had its roots in the concept of the Hebrew words “Ab’ra ke’ Dab’ra,” meaning “I will create as I speak.” Though we may be more familiar with this term as it relates to magic and magicians, I believe that it has much more significance to daily life: the concept that it is entirely possible to create the reality we want through our thoughts, which when we speak them and act on them, become reality. Doing good and creating meaningful work is made possible through positive thoughts and intentions.

Art comes from a life lived consciously and fully, and not necessarily one in which everything is known, safe, and easy to master.   –Christopher Volpe, artist

For an artist, this is why intention, mindset, and attitude are all-important in the creative process.

Like building a house, the desired result (a meaningful artwork) is achieved only through mindful preparation.

Regarding the pandemic, we learned that a misinformed, confused and panicked mindset yields chaos, hopelessness, and widespread contagion. But as artists, we also learned (or were reminded again) that Beauty, goodness and truth are necessities — like water, food, and air. We were reminded that artists perform a very real function in our society. The work an artist does may be considered the very foundation of civilization; the fruits of our labor has the power to inspire those who appreciate it to live at their very best. The thoughts and mindful creativity of an artist can divert, calm, and create a better world for all of us who need it. Ours is a profession that points to the heavens, during times of crisis when all eyes are blinded by dust.

“Great art is the outward expression of the inner life of the artist, and this inner life will result in his (her) personal vision of the world.”  -Edward Hopper

The artist who seeks and creates Beauty in her work receives a dual benefit: first, her vision of the world has the potential to bless the audience, and herself. Secondly, the artist’s audience receives a more positive vision of reality that the artist thinks, speaks, and paints into existence. Artists have the ability to make the world a better place.

The first thing I do when starting a new painting, is ask myself three questions:

1. What is this painting about and why am I painting it?

2. How can I use design, color, and value to express #1?

3. What can I edit out, or add in, to the original subject to better express #1?

Since everything depends on the answer to question #1, I think carefully about it. For this painting, my answer is stillness, quiet, a state of static tension, and lastly, a girl reading a book. For question #2, I decide to use a “L” composition, dark cool colors (blues for example), and mostly horizontals and verticals with a minimum of diagonals to best express my intentions. A flatness in the picture plane seems more appealing, so I keep overlapping shapes, and over rendering, to a minimum. To answer question #3, I decide to eliminate a tree trunk that appears in the background of my reference photo because it doesn’t benefit my story.

Next, I place a simple grid of lines at the quarter and halfway measurements on the canvas using vine charcoal, and on the digital image as well. This helps to place the overall subject at an interesting distance from the edges of the picture plane. 

I then create an accurate drawing, again using vine charcoal. I stress an “accurate drawing”, because starting out with a weak drawing holds back the progress of the painting. I don’t want to spend my effort on questions like “is the nose in the right place?” When I begin painting, I want to be free to concentrate on color, design and movement.

I use vine charcoal because it can be changed and erased without a trace. Using pencil or even paint to do the initial drawing can leave ghostly versions of the drawing on the canvas, which I find distracting.

Once the drawing is how I want it, I use a kneaded eraser to knock the lines back until an even simpler version is left with only essential key reference points.  I then spray this with workable fixative to help keep the drawing intact, so it does not get wiped away when I begin painting.

Since there is going to be a dark background and a lot of blue in this painting, I start with a wash of Ultramarine blue to get rid of the white canvas and give myself a head start on the background.

I always begin with the background. I consider it to be the air she breathes and the light she is surrounded by. It will greatly influence every aspect of the main subject. Remember, the young girl reading is only the literal subject. I keep going back to question #1—what is this painting really about?  The answer — stillness, quiet, static energy — keeps circling in my head as I work though the painting.

After the background is in, I paint her face into it, having the two react to each other. I continue working down her blouse, keeping it simple and on to the arm and hands. The book goes in after the background is dry. This is the easiest part of the painting since I have a very clear idea of how I wanted to paint them. The skirt, however, is another story.

The skirt is a swirling mass of shiny satin fabric. Whenever I’m faced with something like this that I can’t quite wrap my head around, I get out the sketch pad and do a three-value sketch of the area to decipher what I’m actually looking at. When I understand it, I move on to design it in a way that benefits the other elements in the painting. It’s not important to match the appearance of the skirt to the original subject, but rather to make it work as a path to lead the eye around the painting in the right direction.

I can see at this point that the visual movement in this area is not going to work with the rest of the painting. The high contrast plus the snaking direction takes too much attention away from the area of interest, her face. So, I decide to simplify the skirt, giving it a more subordinate role. When areas go totally off script like this, I have to rely on my intuition as to what it should look like. 

One of the things I like about oil paint is the way it lends itself to experimentation. If it doesn’t work, just wipe it off. Now that the skirt is working, on to the book. 

Many times, I will paint over a dried, dark area. Before painting the book, a bit of a drawing would help with placement. I’ve discovered one type of white chalk that works well for this. Tailor’s chalk, something about it will grab onto the smooth surface and stays there until erased with a kneaded eraser.

In this painting, I’m working from the foreground to the distance. I’ve learned to be flexible in the way I construct a painting, never wanting to fall into a formula, it keeps everything a little unpredictable and gives me a fresh outlook.

And now, the painting is complete!

We’ve all heard of the Golden Section, Dynamic Symmetry, the rule of thirds and harmonic armatures. And we’ve always been told to do a value study before we start a painting. However, in our rush to get started painting, many of us disregard it all and jump right in to putting brush to canvas.

Six years ago, I made a pledge to NEVER skip a value study before plein air painting. Soon after, I learned how to design my pieces with a “thrust map” as well. This is a simple 2” study done on a 4”x6” index card with pencil or markers. I indicate the Dominant Vertical (DV), Dominant Horizontal (DH) and Dominant Diagonal (DD). Ideally where all of these lines meet will be my focal point.

Around the same time, I started studying Dynamic Symmetry with Victor Vargas of the Academy of Composition near Reading, PA. I studied with him for six months.

I had heard of the Golden Rectangle, and knew about the Golden Spiral, but I never learned WHY they were important. I received a BFA from Kutztown University in graphic design, and studied at PAFA, and never did a professor do more than mention them in passing.

DYNAMIC SYMMETRY AND THE FIBONACCI NUMBERS

After studying with Victor, I started using Root Rectangles, which I will explain later, and an underlying grid system. 

In 2016 at the RMPAP event in Jackson, Wyoming, I painted the piece below using the new knowledge I had gained. During the opening event I received numerous satisfying comments from notable artists along the line of “I love the design of your piece”! They were comments I had not heard before. The piece also won an Award of Excellence. I was THRILLED and encouraged to delve more into this system of design.

FIBONACCI SEQUENCE

I learned about the Fibonacci sequence and how it relates to the Golden Ratio. I am NOT a mathematician and could not relate to the algebra, but I was intrigued by the history of it, dating back thousands of years to Greek vase design and the Egyptian Pyramids. Visually, I understand the idea. 

This sequence shows up constantly in nature. The number of petals on flowers are a Fibonacci number. The proportion of our bodies are in this ratio. For example, both the distance from our shoulder to our elbow, and the distance from elbow to tip of index finger is a ratio of 1 – 1.6. 

Michelangelo was said to have been obsessed with the spiral and used it in designing his paintings in the Sistine Chapel. Vincent Van Gogh wrote a letter to his brother Theo mentioning the simple grid system he used to design his paintings. He said he could paint with lightning speed once he had the design down.

Root rectangles are made from the Fibonacci sequence to form the basic rectangles shown above.

The problem with using Root Rectangles in our artwork is that they are not used in today’s standard size canvases and frames. Why not? It’s a controversial subject and you can read endless articles on the internet.

In today’s world neither movie screens, iPhones, televisions computer screens, etc. are using Root rectangles. (Perhaps we have become too out of tune with nature?) Only a few standard sizes fall into root rectangles and they are shown below.

5×7 – Root 2

8×10

9×12

12×16

11×14 – Root Phi

12×24 – Root 4

16×20

18×24

24×36

For some of my larger studio work, I use root rectangle-sized canvases and have custom 22K gold gilt frames made for them. However, for quick plein air paintings and studies, I do not want to cut my own panels or order custom frames. Therefore, I decided to adjust the grid system to standard sizes for plein air painting. After learning how to design the grid, I adapted it to 8” x 10, 9” x 12” and any other size I chose to use.

DESIGNING THE GRID

The only tools you need are a pencil, ruler and T-square or triangle. It seems complicated at first, but after a while, it will come more easily. You can adapt this grid to any size. Below is the grid for 9 x 12, 12 x 16, 18 x 24, etc.

For the first time this year, I taught back-to-back workshops at the Booth Art Academy (GA) and the Center for the Arts in Bonita Springs (FL). I decided to attempt to teach this grid system because so many artists were inquiring about my grids shown on social media. Each class was full with 15 students and most were having a hard time understanding the process. When class was over, I asked them to vote if they would have preferred the class with or without the grids taking up a lot of their time. The grid system had not been on the class description. Every single student said they loved learning this new system and were anxious to try it out on their own!

While at the Booth Western Art Museum, I gave a PowerPoint presentation on how I use this system in my work. The presentation, which goes into more depth about gridwork and thrust maps, is available to view on the Booth Facebook page or on my YouTube channel which you can find at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPV4cDXFzoI&t=746s

EXAMPLES OF PIECES CREATED USING THIS SYSTEM

Shown below is a plein air painting I did this past September in Arches National Park near Moab, Utah.

(The rough value study is pictured at the beginning of this blog article.) There was a grid drawn on the 14” x 11” (root phi) panel before I started. The grid helps with placement. After I establish the placement in the under painting, I am free to let loose and have fun.

“Sunlit Street of Rome” – 12” x 9” was painted as a demo during an online Zoom class I taught last year. The much more detailed value study shown above (at the beginning of this article) was done to show the students exactly what I had in mind for the piece before I started.

The grid is a great help when painting the underpainting in my studio practice. It also helps when drawing complex scenes like cityscapes.

This piece won the IMPRESSIONIST AWARD at the OPA Salon Show last year.

You may think this is a lot of unnecessary work, too complicated and not for you. I probably would have thought the same thing 10 years ago. 

It’s a few extra steps in the beginning I must admit. However, I draw the grids on my standard-sized panels the night before painting.  Having a grid helps me decide the placement of compositional elements such as the horizon line or mountain. In cityscapes, a grid helps me decide where to put the vertical side of a building, or where to place the figure. For me it sets a starting point. Once I start passionately painting in the thick juicy paint, the grid disappears. Only I know It was ever there.  I’ve used the grid so long now that even when I don’t have a grid on the canvas, I can still visualize exactly where it would be.

Understanding the Fibonacci Sequence and root rectangles, and using the grid system has strengthened the design of my paintings, which my collectors and galleries appreciate.  And I love sharing this knowledge with students so they can produce stronger work as well.

As artists, we tend to accumulate frames that just don’t quite work. They may have gotten damaged being shipped to a gallery, or banged around being transporting to a show. Maybe they were “ok” frames, but the finish just wasn’t up to gallery standards, or the color didn’t compliment the art.
There are many ways to bring new life back to those old frames so they can come out of storage and proudly showcase your best art!

I have been a fine art restorer for over 35 years and have learned many tricks about repairing damaged frames that I would like to share. Most artists have the ability to refurbish their own frames, but they lack the know-how. Being able to modify your frames can not only save thousands of dollars, but can open a whole new opportunity to individualize and modify frames to be one of a kind pieces that will enhance your art.

I am going to give a step-by-step guide to create a lovely, hand-rubbed, soft black finish. These same steps can be used to modify an existing finish, or be used with other base colors (not just black). So have fun and get creative!
A friend and wonderful artist, Connie Kuhnle, has used some beautiful, soft, greyed colors for her plein air landscapes. One of my favorites is her antiqued mustard yellow frame on a white and yellow farmhouse scene…sheer perfection!!

I often use antiquing and waxing to add interest to a newly purchased frame that just doesn’t quite have the richness I desire. It is a fairly quick and simple step that can make a remarkable difference.

Frame Makeover

Supply list for warm black antique finish:

1. Black paint — I use semi gloss spray enamel, but any good quality, black acrylic enamel paint will work. You can use a brush-on, although you may find that you have some texture of the brush strokes in the finish. They may not be objectionable, depending on the finish you want.
2. Red paint — (optional)…same as the black. Used to create a red undertone.
3. Fine steel wool
4. Fine 280 grit sandpaper
5. Antiquing stain…raw umber oil paint will work, as will acrylic. you can also purchase a stain, like Minwax, in a dark walnut color.
6. Rottenstone
7. Wax or polish for wood (I like “Bison” Black ebony best)
8. Hammer with a claw side
9. Polyurethane wood finish, semi-gloss, brush or spray

If an antique white frame is desired, you will need white paint in place of black. This same finish works beautifully with a color as well.

1. Lightly sand original finish to cut the gloss a little and allow for better adhesion of the new paint.
2. Pound the frame casually, bouncing the claw-side of the hammer over the surface to create even (but not too uniform) scars and indentations if you want a more antique look.
3. If red undertone is desired, spray (or brush) on red paint. Allow to dry as per instructions on the paint.
4. Lightly rub with steel wool
5. Spray (or brush) on black enamel and allow to dry.
6. Use sandpaper on edges and across the surface to allow some red to show through and give a “worn” look to the finish. It is going to look best if you have fairly even streaking throughout the frame. If the streaking is not even, the frame will look splotchy.
7. Apply raw umber antiquing with a wide brush and wipe with a soft rag, paper towel, or cheesecloth to remove some, but not all, of the antiquing. Allow stain to remain in the crevices as well as the indentations that you made. Allow to dry.
8. Spray or brush with polyurethane finish to seal. Allow to dry.
9. Apply polishing wax and allow it to dry, then buff to a nice hand-rubbed luster.
10. Dust lightly with rottenstone…especially in crevices and detailing of frame. Buff again.

While the written steps may appear time consuming, they really are not. It is important to give each of the finish layers time to dry, so from start to finish, it will take a couple of days, but actual working time on the frame shouldn’t be more than an hour or two. With practice, you will find it easier and easier to achieve the results you are after and start adding your own variations to create one of a kind finishes!

Saying the last two years have been difficult is an understatement. It has been a dark period and for anyone that lost a loved one or was financially affected, you have my deep sympathy. 

I have heard many people speak about silver linings and positive outcomes like connecting with friends, family, or hobbies too long on the back burner. Challenging times can bring with them unexpected gifts, and I’d like to share with you how the past two years have helped me re-align with my deepest values, create a fresh business model, and find new forms of community. And while I don’t want to minimize the challenges we face, I find that I need to hear stories that inspire hope. That little bit of light gets me through the darkness. Perhaps my story will do the same for you. 

“Adversity introduces a man to himself.” – Albert Einstein 

As the pandemic swept the globe we were all thrust into a strange new world. One week I had a full teaching schedule for the year, and the next week everything was cancelled. My family and I had just bought a house and I worried how we would pay the mortgage in the coming months. 

Before the pandemic, I had experimented with doing private lessons online, but was underwhelmed. I saw the potential, but could never find the time to learn about cameras, microphones and streaming software. However, losing all of my in-person workshops made me realize I needed to come up with a new business model, and forced a time of intense learning. My goal was to create an online classroom for my students. It had to be simple and easy to use, but more importantly, it had to be a great learning experience for them. Easier said than done! 

Over the coming months, I spent 12-14 hours per day learning about A/V, video editing software, online classrooms, schedulers and payment processors — all the ways they work and don’t work together. I was in over my head and deeply outside my comfort zone. However, with persistence, the pieces gradually fell in place and I launched my online classroom and started teaching. The hard work paid off.  There was a lot of interest, my classes were full, and students loved the experience. The right tech solution was a must, but what made it special was the sense of community the classes created. Many students told me that this community, and our classes, have helped them get through the pandemic. Even though we were thousands of miles apart, we found a way to be connected, and joined together in a shared experience of learning to paint. 

“A man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather he must recognize that it is he who is asked.” – Victor Frankl 

Creating community and contributing to others’ wellbeing through teaching is very fulfilling and touches on my core needs for contribution, meaning, and purpose. However, there was something still missing. When people asked me what I did for a living, I would tell them I was an artist’s assistant; when they asked who I worked for, I said, Dominique Medici. My days were full of admin, tech troubleshooting and customer support — very few hours per week were actually spent painting. As months passed, this problem only became more acute. Fair enough I suppose, making any business thrive is an all-encompassing endeavor. That said, the relentless pace of it all came at a huge cost to my well-being. 

This past spring was the end of a hard-core sprint. I had just finished making three instructional landscape videos to release over the summer months in order to give my students a way to practice while allowing me to take time off. I taught my last class, dropped my partner and kiddo off at the airport, and after returning home, collapsed exhausted on the sofa. I had been feeling unwell for a couple of weeks but was too busy to stop. Now however, I found myself too sick to get up for over a week. 

This was a real wake-up call. It gave me time to reflect, and I realized that even pre-pandemic, everyday was an incessant stream of needs, obligations and events to attend, and Covid just pushed it into an even more extreme mode. I was doing what I loved and grateful for it, but not feeling replenished in my daily activities. As an introvert, I derive a lot of my energy and inspiration from meditation, doing retreats and painting, precisely the things that were put on the back burner when the pandemic had me putting out fires in all other aspects of life. 

I habitually said yes to everything, be it an article or a presentation for an art school. While that was a good strategy at the beginning of my career, I realized that I had been working as a professional artist for many years and needed to start being more selective with what I take on. This meant cutting back on teaching, smaller commissions, events and anything that wasn’t a top priority aligned with my core values. I like being busy, but not if I abandon myself in the process. With that insight, I reestablished my daily meditation, walking, reading and painting practice. The things that ensure that I will able to offer the very best of myself in the years to come. 

“If you are quiet enough, you will hear the flow of the universe. You will feel its rhythm. Go with this flow. Happiness lies ahead. Meditation is key.” – Buddha 

As part of my painting practice, I started painting people I admire. One of them is Dr. Gabor Maté who is internationally renowned for his work on trauma, stress and addiction. In an interview he did with Russell Brand, I was struck by his humanity, wisdom and compassion. The authority and sincerity in his voice spoke to my heart. I painted him as I listened to the interview and it was one of the most effortless and joyful paintings I’ve had the pleasure to paint. 

Incidentally, one of my private students interviewed Dr. Maté for her charity. She shared a photo of my painting with him. To my surprise, a couple of days later I received an email;  Dr. Maté and his wife Rae loved the painting and wanted to acquire it! It was my great pleasure to hand deliver the painting and visit with them for a few hours. The conversation was meaningful and by the time I had left, I felt we were old friends. A couple of days later I was also pleased to learn that the painting won 3rd place in the Portrait Society of America’s members show. 

Perhaps we can’t avoid getting lost and losing sight of ourselves when challenges come, but finding our way back home has a way of distilling and clarifying what is most important, a process that can replenish our inner well. If we want to contribute to others, we first must take care of ourselves. We all know this and yet it is so easy to forget in practice. When we do remember, we are more ourselves; we are healthier and have more to offer. 

The past 2 years were an intense journey filled with hard work and challenges, some of which surprisingly brought me deeper self-connection and alignment with my values. Paradoxically, scaling back on external commitments and focusing on what I loved doing helped to increase my exposure in ways I found deeply meaningful and satisfying. We are not out of the woods yet, for many of us the struggle continues. But my sense of purpose feels clearer and this makes the journey manageable. My hope is to continue supporting my students by offering classes and instructional videos. If my students feel uplifted and inspired along the way, and continue to gain skill and insight, then I am doing something worthwhile with my time.