Oil Painting

One thing is certain; the more I teach, the more I learn.  There are so many technical lessons: lessons about values, lessons about color, lessons about edges, lessons about composition, lessons about materials.  We need to master all these skills and train our eyes to see, calculate, and arrange the elements of our painting in order to create a good work. 

But there are a few lessons that fall into none of these categories. I have come to believe they may be the most important lessons of all.  These are more ephemeral lessons that help us create the paintings that come from our hearts.  Lessons that keep the joy of learning alive and help us to follow our hearts.

1.  The first, and most important lesson, is to allow ourselves to fall in love with the beauty around us.  Here I’m paraphrasing several well-known artists: Dan Gerhartz OPAM, Kathie Odom OPA, and the late Richard Schmid.  I heartily agree.  The first workshop I took, about 5-6 years ago, was from Michelle Dunaway at The Barn in Putney, VT. One of the first things Michelle said, quoting her mentor, Richard Schmid, was this “No camera ever fell in love with its subject, but every artist does”.  I remember thinking, oh my gosh, I’ve always felt this way, but thought maybe I was crazy!  Certainly I’d never heard another artist say anything like this. Immediately I knew I was in the right place.  

Our very best works are those created when the subject moved us deeply, spoke to our souls, and created a sense of wonder and awe within us.  I’ve often been told, “I don’t see what you see!”  But this is teachable.  What I cannot teach is how to fall in love with your subject.  That has to come from within.  When you become so motivated by the scene in front of you, whether it’s a portrait, landscape, or still life, you’re hooked!  When the play of light across the scene dazzles your eye and engages your mind, you have already begun a fine painting, whether or not you even have a canvas in front of you.  Beauty is the job of the artist – finding it, appreciating it, and presenting it to the world so that they can see it, too.  I’ve always considered this a sacred trust, the special gift God has given artists that keeps us motivated and on fire.

2.  The second most important lesson is self-confidence mixed with a healthy dose of humility. Now this one is tough, because it takes so much work on the part of the student to develop the skills and the eye to trust their instincts.  Trust me on this one, I’m still learning.  But the more we paint, the more we surround ourselves with people who desire our success and don’t hesitate to point out areas where we are succeeding, the faster we can go down this path.  I think a lot us have that nasty little voice in our heads telling us how far short we are falling, and if we listen, we wind up ruining a shocking number of paintings that had real potential.  I’m always telling my students, we are all beginners!  Every one of us started out as a beginner, even the very best artists, so don’t be too hard on yourself.  Some will stay the course, some won’t.  Life may have other ideas for you, and that’s fine.  But for those of you who want to continue to pursue excellence in art, stay away from those who are way too good at finding fault.  The world is full of them.  It’s a much faster learning curve to play from your strengths rather than always focusing on your weaknesses.  I’m not talking about Pollyanna friends who only tell you what they think you want to hear, I’m speaking of the true friend who recognizes your gift.  We all need encouragement and honest criticism.  Here’s another way of putting it:  if you teach, do you teach your students to paint like you, or is your goal to give them the skills to paint like themselves?  We all have an artistic voice; it’s as natural as speaking or hand writing, but if the student’s goal is to learn to paint like the instructor, that voice is going to be hard to find.  Choose an instructor who will be able to help you become the best artist you can be.

3.  Which leads me to the third most important lesson: learn to value yourself and your art.  You have a gift, you have a voice, and you’re learning the skills.  Now it’s time to value your art and respect it.  You’re giving so much of your heart, soul, skills, and time to your art, don’t demean it.  If you’re not sure about the value of your work, ask someone you trust to help you evaluate your work.  Sometimes we can’t see it for ourselves.  

We artists are tender souls!  We are so easily beaten up by shows that pass us by.  This is a good thing in many ways.  It raises the bar for us, and teaches us not to take ourselves too seriously.  Also, if we’re smart, we’ll go through the accepted works and carefully (and honestly!) look at the qualities that made one work more “juryable” than another.  And there’s plenty more blank canvases waiting for you…..  The best painting any of us has ever done is…the next one.

4.  And finally, the last most important lesson is this: never forsake the love of learning and following your heart!  Challenge yourself – there’s always more to learn, more to see, more ways to see, and more ways to paint.  

I’m fascinated by artists who experiment and really push the envelope.  Quang Ho OPAM is a great example.  When talking about a trip to the mountains of West Virginia in the fall, he said he pulled over to the side of the road, took out his painting equipment, and started hiking.  Before long, he was so overwhelmed by the beauty of the forest he put away his paints, and just continued to hike, soaking up the experience of being enveloped by the amazing world he was experiencing.  Instead of painting for two weeks, he took the opportunity to immerse himself in the beauty that surrounded him.  Within a year, he was creating some of the most dynamic, original, and beautiful paintings of his career.  It’s so exciting to see what others are creating.  It’s a big, beautiful world out there, full of so many interesting things and people who have much to teach us.  

Last summer I spent all my time working on one project, “Painting the Faces of Chautauqua”.  I painted as many portraits as I could of the people who live in our little farm and winery community.  It was such an eye opener for me!  Some of the most interesting people were the farmers and laborers – no one checked their mascara or lipstick, I can tell you!  But it was such an enriching experience, on both sides of the easel.  I gave myself a 3 hour limit per painting.  It was encouraging to see my work improve over the summer.  In the end I painted 44 portraits, and I had the joy of getting to know all these wonderful people!  Just getting to paint a bald head was a treat, to see the skin without muscle beneath it, stretched over the skull: I was in heaven.  And, since they were not paying me, they had no input!  To be fair, only one person asked me to change anything.  Most everyone thanked me profusely for opening their eyes to the world of art.  In the fall we had a reception open to the community to view the portraits.  It was packed!  Everyone had a good time finding themselves and their friends “in paint”.  

You just never know where things will take you if you follow your heart, so don’t be afraid to take up a challenge. It could change your life.

Every artist’s journey is different. There is no one magic formula or specific path to a successful art career. The one thing I have found on my journey is that sometimes you just have to be willing to take a risk and just do things that may not seem comfortable or that you may not feel you’re ready for. There have been many opportunities that have come along throughout my art career, many of which I was very hesitant to pursue. I think most of us have that nagging little voice of doubt whispering in our ear… ”You’re not good enough,” “You can’t do that,” and so on. It’s hard to silence that little voice, but now, in hindsight and with apologies to Nike, my mantra has become “just do it”. Ignore that voice of doubt. Taking the risk and pursuing some of the opportunities presented to me has led to a chain reaction of even more opportunities over the years. I could never have dreamed where my career would take me as a result. Here’s the story of my journey beginning in 1996 when I made the decision to get back to painting and be a full time artist.

After taking several workshops in the late 1990s and early 2000s, including some plein air workshops, and with the encouragement of several of the artists I studied with, I began looking for opportunities to “get my work out there”. I had fallen in love with plein air painting. I soon learned about plein air competitions, as well as juried exhibitions and national art organizations for painters. I wasn’t sure that my work was worthy yet, but decided to take the risk and first, submit applications to join the Oil Painters of America (OPA) in 2001 and American Impressionist Society (AIS) in 2005. To my surprise I was accepted into both organizations! I submitted work into both organizations’ juried exhibitions, and again, to my great surprise, had a painting accepted into the AIS juried exhibition in 2005. 

Shortly after that acceptance, I had an opportunity to place an ad in what was the original Plein Air Magazine in 2005. I was hesitant about investing in national advertising because my finances were so limited, but again, decided to take the risk and see what would happen. To my great surprise, I received a call from the Montgomery Museum of Fine Art (Alabama) and was invited to take part in their biennial art auction to be held in 2006. The board member contacted me because of that ad! That was a risk that paid off with a huge reward. I participated in every biennial auction at the museum until they were discontinued in 2018, and have many loyal collectors there as a result.

2006 was a pivotal year in my career. I began submitting to juried plein air competitions and was accepted into the Carmel Art Festival (Carmel, California) for the first time in 2006 and for several years after. That led to an invitation to be represented by a gallery in Carmel in 2010. Also in 2006, I was accepted into a major national plein air organization (sadly, no longer in existence). Next came an invitation to become a Signature member of Plein Air Artists Colorado (PAAC). My involvement with PAAC ranged from entering their exhibitions, to helping with organizing aspects of their exhibitions, and eventually serving as a board member. The experience I gained was priceless and would be extremely helpful later in my career. 

I was accepted into an OPA regional exhibition in 2007 in Topeka, Kansas, which resulted in the host gallery asking to represent me and my work. This was my first major gallery representation and would not have happened if I hadn’t taken that risk and entered that show.

I continued entering OPA shows and finally, in 2012, on my 13^th try, was accepted into my first OPA National Juried Exhibition. It was such a thrill and another huge confidence booster. Seeing my painting hanging with the work of so many incredible artists who I admired greatly was unreal. Amazingly, my accepted painting was called Faith, Strength and Perseverance. Along with taking risks, I learned to never give up. That’s another, entirely different subject, one which I wrote about in a blog post right after my acceptance, which you can read here: https://www.debrajoygroesser.com/blog/41888/faith-strength-and-perseverance   Speaking of not giving up, after all these years, I was thrilled to finally earn my Signature status with OPA just two years ago!

Throughout this time, I was accepted in several of the American Impressionist Society exhibitions. I met the AIS founder, Charlotte Dickinson, and her husband, TR, while attending one of these exhibitions. As I was speaking with TR, who was sitting in a chair at the gallery, he began coughing. He had difficulty walking so I offered to get him some water. That one interaction led to a phone call a year or so later in which TR asked if I would consider serving as the president of AIS. TR said that he never took my card, never wrote down my name, but he never forgot the kindness I had shown him. I was completely shocked. Me?? What?? Due to my commitment on the Plein Air Artists Colorado board, I told TR that I couldn’t accept his invitation. He asked me to “sleep on it” and he would call me the next day. When my husband came home I told him about the call. He said, “You said yes, right?” When I told him no, he said “Of course, you have to do this! How many people get an opportunity like this to make a huge difference? And I’ll support you every step of the way.” There’s that word “OPPORTUNITY” again! This was probably the most terrifying and consequential decision of my career. I wasn’t sure I was up to the task (that little voice in my ear again!) and didn’t know how I would juggle my art career with such a huge responsibility. It could be a huge risk. That was in early 2013. I said yes. I never expected what a joy and a blessing this would turn out to be. In 2015 my husband and I were asked to take over running the organization from the Dickinsons. It has truly been the honor of a lifetime. Not only has it led to countless opportunities in my own career, but more importantly, just as OPA also does, knowing that the work we do is helping to support so many artists on their journey is incredibly gratifying. The lifelong friendships made through our involvement are priceless. I’ve learned so much and have gained such a great appreciation for the leaders of OPA and other arts organizations, and all the hard work involved. 

Among the avalanche of other opportunities in my career came invitations to teach, be interviewed on podcasts, film an instructional video, give demos, art talks and so much more. It’s extremely gratifying to be able to help and inspire other artists, in fact at this point in my career, it’s what I enjoy the most and what I’m most grateful for. 

I often reflect on what would have happened with my art career and how much I would have missed out on had I given in to that nagging little voice saying “you’re not good enough” and “you can’t do this”.  I’ve learned the risks are so worth the possible rewards. Sometimes it doesn’t work out and that’s okay too. Often it will lead you to wonderful, unexpected places. When those opportunities come along, take the risk. The thing is, you will never know what rewards may lie ahead unless you try. Just do it…

I remember a conversation with Richard Carroll, the founder of Florida’s Forgotten Coast Plein Air, before my first time attending in 2010. He stressed that the event’s mission was to document an area’s changing landscape between Mexico Beach and Alligator Point. That year and each one that followed did, in fact, offer an incredible variety and evolving subject matter. Many things contributed, particularly the loss of the one booming oyster industry when many businesses, buildings, and boats fell into disrepair. But none of the changes were as devastating as Hurricane Michael’s path of destruction in 2018. 

The eye of the hurricane completely flattened the town of Mexico Beach and significantly damaged areas to the west, east, and north of it. There was only debris and a 40-foot drop down to the sea floor where the main road, beach, homes, and sand dunes had once been. Suddenly, overnight, the paintings created there by so many of us and for so long were more meaningful than ever before. Now, many years later, it is hard to remember exactly where some of those pieces were painted. Nothing looks like it once did. Gratefully, the area is mending, but most paintings before 2018 contain land masses and landmarks forever gone.

Of course, for every Hurricane Michael, hundreds more disasters have removed complete towns and altered the face of natural areas. I was teaching a workshop in Glacier National Park at the Historic Wheeler Cabin just one day before an enormous fire burned most of the site. Floods here in Tennessee have completely rerouted a nearby river where I used to take my classes to paint every fall. A few months after painting in Waterton Lakes, a fire consumed the exact area where I had been. These accounts, along with earthquakes and a volcano eruption, only begin to scratch the surface of how plein air painters document global changes. And these are only those that relate to climate, not to mention wars and regions in political strife. Painting trips like the one to Peru last August and to Ukraine in 2018 could not be on this year’s calendar.

Unless you live under a rock, you have undoubtedly been following the recent news from Hawaii, particularly Maui and historic Lahaina. Memories of the many times I have had the privilege of participating in the Maui Plein Air Invitational are on my mind. When I paint somewhere so special, I feel a bit of it becomes part of me. It is as if I have connected with it and had an intimate and private conversation. Just like Mexico Beach, Maui is that way for me. I do not intend to sensationalize this tragedy or gain attention from it. I am incredibly grateful to have experienced Maui the way it was. And, also like Mexico Beach, Florida, and Paradise, California, it will regrow and mend as time continues. No, it won’t be the same. But it will be something new to begin documenting once again.

What makes an artist? I ask this because I was pondering the question after I had read several bios of fine artists that basically said that “I was drawing at the age of 7 and never looked back”. Then I thought about myself and didn’t see it that way at all. Sure, I had pencils and crayons and the Jon Gnagy drawing set when I was seven but at my present age, I realize that a lot has gone into my development as a “Fine Artist”.

In my life, so far, I have done this: work in a machine shop (summer job), attained BFA from The Cooper Union, graphic designer at CBS and Atlantic records, freelance illustrator, attained San Dan (third degree black belt) in Kyokushin karate, cooking courses at Culinary Institute of America, Chinese cooking courses over several years, rock and jazz drummer from 12 years old (still gigging), became expert in Adobe digital software.

My point is not to list my accomplishments but to make all of you realize yours and how they influenced you as you became the artist you are.

From my youth, of course, I learned how to use a pencil by rote practice, drawing hot rods and Frankenstein monsters over and over until my mother wanted to scream. But sometimes I drew animals and flowers and gradually got better at it.

I, of course, continued to draw and paint through my formative years, but not taking any art classes until high school. 

I entered The Cooper Union after passing several entrance tests and was exposed to a great art education in Manhattan. I had the opportunity to try everything from life drawing to printmaking and sculpting clay and marble. Spoiler alert, marble is effing hard! Oddly, I did not take painting. I am self-taught and still learning from masters whom I admire.

Cooking classes taught me the value of planning my approach to the task at hand and setting out my materials methodically. My Chinese cooking showed me that contrast is an important aspect in creation. Chinese cuisine often contrasts textures, flavors and colors for the dishes. Likewise contrasts in one’s art can help enliven compositions that might be just so-so otherwise.

Graphic design and illustration were instrumental in helping develop a sense for composition and to simplify a scene if it was distractingly busy. I also learned to stay with the design project I was working on and not dawdle or daydream when a deadline loomed. Perseverance is a trait that will hold one in good stead when creating one’s art.

I confess that as I have gotten older, I do have a tendency to lighten up on some days.

In my martial arts training, which lasted a decade or so, I developed strong powers of focus and concentration so as not to be distracted by anything around me. I apply this focus in my painting.

My most important take away was a concept known in Japanese as Misu No Kokoro. This, usually translated as “mind like still water,” means to keep your mind like the surface of a calm lake or pond. If a small stone is thrown into said water, ripples form but quickly dissipate and become still again. In training we were taught that to meet an adversity in this state helps to overcome that adversity with clear thinking. Indeed, coming at a problem with a mind riled with chaos or rage is almost a guarantee for loss. 

I try to use that focus and calm, clear mind in all of my daily life especially when painting and it really helps in creation of my pieces. 

I mentioned that I have been a rock drummer in various bands for 50+ years. I also play some guitar and use that instrument for writing music. Being a musician has helped me to think “outside of the box” in my artwork, not getting stuck doing one subject (Frankenstein monsters!)  over and over again. In music, one can get too comfortable and that can lead to your tune becoming mundane. I believe the same thing can happen in my painting. One needs to stretch for something different to grow artistically.

This brings me back to my original idea that every experience in your life influences your thinking and how you approach the process of artistic creation.

I like to tell my friends that “no education is ever wasted”. All of your experiences in your life are educative in some way.

My point is that in your life and training as a fine artist, all that came before is in your make-up and is reflected in your artistic thinking and creation. You probably never give it a second thought… but it’s there.

In this OPA blog, the issues related to using and copying the work or ideas of other artists are explored with a focus on learning. Perhaps more questions are raised than answered as they pertain to artist’s intellectual property and copyright of it.

In classroom and workshop settings, art students often learn by using the instructor’s or other artists’ work as reference for study. Copying this work may be considered “fair use”.  According to the American Copyright Act (S. 107), fair use means the images may be used for learning purposes in an education, non-commercial, or non-profit setting. It may be confusing for learners to find free stock images on-line, giving them the idea that they can use or adapt the work as their own. Art instructors need to remind students that they may not sign, exhibit, or sell their studies or adaptations of other artist’s images as their own original work. It is also difficult for a student to comprehend that their work created under the direction and tutelage of an instructor is similarly, not considered original as it relates to exhibits or competitions.

This bell cannot be un-rung. Student visions of exhibiting and selling their classroom masterpieces are dashed. Hoping to gain clarity, some learners naively ask, “but isn’t the painting mine since I painted it on my canvas, with my paint?”.  When it comes to copyright and fair use, the substrate or medium or who paid for it has no importance. The key for instructors is to foster student creativity and originality and to encourage that exciting moment when they can sign their name confidently to their creation as their own.

Well-meaning art groups have organized student art shows and sales to encourage and promote student learning and success with marketing. While seemingly harmless, the leaders of these initiatives need to role model that once money is involved, “fair use” ends and Copyright laws apply. Student exhibits would be more appropriate when the original work is recognized alongside the student’s unsigned projects. A name card could suffice for each student’s interpretation of the source artist’s work. Instead of sales, donations for recognition awards, prizes or art supplies could be encouraged.

Are there any exceptions to the rules?  According to the USA Copyright office, copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years. Canadian copyright laws have the same timeline. After the artist has passed away, and the timeline has passed, it is possible to use the artist’s work with care. Because the artist’s original work is over a hundred years old, it can be concluded that the copyright has expired, but there may be limitations one should always consider.

Works located in a museum are considered to be in the public domain once the artist’s copyright expires. However, museums have claimed copyright of the images they produce of their holdings, claiming talent, equipment and cost to do so.  A number of court cases on this issue were reported by researcher Grishka Petri (2014). Therefore, a gallery image needs to be checked for copyright even if it appears to be centuries old if not used under the fair use clause.

It is not uncommon to see a famous image used in advertising, perhaps changed in a joking manner. Examples of famous paintings that have been adapted this way include Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Wood’s American Gothic, and Munch’s The Scream. Think of the Mona Lisa with glasses and a moustache. Such imitation of a style of an artist with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect or in ridicule is called a “parody” (Oxford Languages). Again, depending on the years passed or who now owns the image, it may be subject to copyright, hence the images are not shown here.

A lesser-known artistic style that imitates that of another work is called “Pastiche” (Oxford Languages). This is when various parts of another artist’s work are copied and included into a new and convincing composition. An example of pastiche in art can be seen where Michael Jackson’s face is superimposed on the famous Andy Warhol painting of Marilyn Monroe with yellow-blonde hair. On a serious note, Brittanica.com advises that when various parts of another artist’s work are copied and included into a new convincing composition it may constitute a composite fraud. In other words, the works of the original artist that are used are subject to copyright depending on age.

The most serious problem in the art world is forgery or art fraud, a criminal act. It involves passing a copy or work of the artist’s work off as created by the original artist, most typically for financial gain (Encylopedia.com). There have been numerous infamous art forgers and fraudsters over the past few decades. Some have passed off works of art they created as having been undocumented masterpieces, missing, or uncatalogued pieces from an artist’s series. One of the largest art fraud schemes in world history was recently unravelled in Canada. It involved the forgery of hundreds of works attributed to indigenous artist Norval Morriseau. Unfortunately, the effects of the fraud may have damaged the legacy of the artist.

There does not yet appear to be easily accessible or affordable technological programs using artificial intelligence to perform originality checks on artworks. Academic settings have programs to help faculty analyze student written compositions and identify plagiarism (e.g. Turnitin). Plagiarism is “Presenting work or ideas from another source as your own, with or without consent of the original author, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement” (Oxford University). If we apply this definition into the work created in art classrooms, changing the word author to artist, it makes sense that students must not sign copied images as their own.

For those of us who have submitted, or plan to submit work to OPA exhibits and competitions, we must acknowledge that our work is originally conceived and that it does not infringe on copyright of any kind.  OPA offers a good reminder that “It is unethical and against OPA policy for artists to submit work created from another person’s drawing/painting/photo or other artwork”. OPA firmly reserves the right to ask for proof of total copyright, indicating to members how important originality is.

To learn more about copyright and artist’s rights to intellectual property, information can be found on the Artist’s Rights Society web-site, https://arsny.com/artists-rights-101/, and the US Copyright Office website, https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-protect.html. Hopefully this blog reminds us of all these considerations, and for those of us who teach and all of us who learn, to share these important messages. As I say to my art students “If in doubt; check it out!”