1. Paint your favorite drink – whether it’s a cup of tea, a pina colada, a steaming latte with lots of foam, or an ice cold beer – paint it in such a way that would show the viewer why it’s your favorite and how much you love it.
2. Go through the newspaper and find a photo – the first one that catches your eye – and paint your version of it – it could be abstract, realistic, finger-painted, or painted any way that might get your creative juices flowing for the next project.
4. Paint yourself as a person with the occupation you wanted as a child – did you want to be a fireman, a hairdresser, a bungee jumper, a police officer, a dancer? Give yourself a day as the person of your childhood dreams.
5. Do you love spaghetti? Eggs benedict? Chocolate Mousse? Strawberries? Your secret recipe? Paint it so everyone can taste it with you.
6. Repaint the first thing you ever painted. Just knowing that you now have a greater technical knowledge will help you paint that image with confidence.
7. Paint your worst habit – do you smoke, drink, eat too much chocolate? Paint in a way that will show how bad this habit is. Perhaps your painting, over time, will actually even help you quit your habit – if you even want to.
8. Paint about conformity – peas in a pod, ducks in a row, bananas in a bunch, etc. Make sure that part of your group doesn’t conform – for instance, leave one of the peas out of the pod.
9. Paint yours or your child’s favorite toy. Show some of the worn areas that clearly display how much it has been loved.
10. If you’re really hoping for some particular thing in life – paint it – maybe a cottage at the lake? A diamond ring? A new tool box? A particular make and model of vehicle? A child? Live your dreams through your painting.
Remember that at one time you only dreamed you could paint – now you truly can paint your dreams. Just make those first strokes that will put you back on your way – you can do it – you just need a little motivation. Hopefully you’ll find it here.
© Copyright · Susan Abma
Positive Thinking
What is FINE art?
The question that Keith raises, though, “What is Fine Art, Anyway?” is an important question for all artists to answer, I believe, because all artists who are working seriously—and seriously working—very much want to produce art that is truly “fine.” The dictionary defines “Fine Art” as that which is “produced for beauty rather than utility.” Wow, if we take that definition as gospel, that definitely undersells some of the most magnificent illustrations from the course of human history that have been created for books, churches, posters, hymnals, and advertisements. Just to mention a few, consider those “fine” illustrations from the body of work of such greats as Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Gustave Doré, and Rick Griffin (The Bible ) N.C. Wyeth ( Last of the Mohicans, Treasure Island), Howard Pyle (Robin Hood, King Arthur), Rockwell Kent (Moby Dick), Norman Rockwell (“The Four Freedoms,” “The Problem We All Live With”). Even my favorite artists, who probably created the first profession known to man, the cave artists (Lascaux, Altamira, the Magdalenians) might have been creating their art for utility—hunting and animal worship—or not. Perhaps it was the beauty of the forms themselves that captured their imagination, which in turn inspired them to capture that beauty in charcoal.
From the enduring quality of these artworks, it would appear that all those artists mentioned above—whose works were “illustrations” for definite purposes of dissemination—were intent on creating beauty within and emanating from those artworks, which then became “useful” (having a broad impact and appeal) as much as they were truly “beautiful.” How could those artists have captured the beauty of human form, its costume, the elegant turn of a whale’s fin, the power of a bison’s charge, unless they, too, had—as is very evident in Keith Bond’s work—“a reverence for the world in which we live”—and a spirit of both “exploration and veneration.” In my own work, I am also hoping that that same spirit of reverence for creation and its Creator is both alive and evident.
Fine artists learn the foundational skills of effective design, composition, color choice and more because they know that those artistic choices, when effectively employed, will create symbolism, evoke emotion, and convey meaning. It is the constant honing of their craft that will produce “fine” works of art that will inspire and impact an audience, whether the channel for that art is a painting, a book, a sculpture, or an advertisement. “Fine” art is simply that which is finely expressed and executed.
Thanks, Keith, for your post. It helped me to answer some of my own questions about what I am doing , and further clarify in my own mind why the arts and dedicated artists—“fine,” illustrators, or otherwise—are all invaluable to our culture, and to our civilization.
The Technique of Honesty
As artists we all long to convey with truth what we observe before us, what catches our breath and our attention. I’ve always believed that painting is an outward expression and visual record of what we are paying attention to in life. It can be as grand as a complex inspiration that comes forth from our imagination or as simple as an observational response to color, light and form. It can be capturing the essence of a person or place you love or an introspective feeling within yourself.
I find painting from life to be a balance of analytical observation and intuitive response. Establishing the essential structural forms, maintaining a hierarchy of elements and harmonizing that which is being emotionally conveyed in the moment.
Being attentive to the subtle honesty of emotion resonating from the person being painted and the response that we bring as the artists, all the while harnessing our tools at hand in the form of pigments and brushstrokes, is what makes painting from life so enthralling. Even when painting a landscape we are dealing with life caught in a moment, a moment that will never be the same again and that too has palpable honest emotion that we hope to imbue the painting with.
It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.
– Henry David Thoreau
When teaching, aside from value and color, one of the most important aspects that I am constantly reminding students of is to be aware of what they are holding in their minds during the process of painting. We all know to keep our palettes clean and avoid muddy color, but oftentimes the challenge lies in avoiding muddy thoughts while painting. Thoughts like, “I hope I don’t mess this up”, “I’m frustrated” or “I can’t get this right”, etc.
We all, as artists, go through a gambit of emotions while painting; if those thoughts and beliefs about what you are doing (or attempting to do) are muddy with negativity, your painting will reflect that.
As Robert Henri said in the book The Art Spirit:
The brush stroke at the moment of contact carries inevitably the exact state of being of the artist at that exact moment into the work, and there it is, to be seen and read by those who can read such signs, and to be read later by the artist himself, with perhaps some surprise, as a revelation of himself. For an artist to be interesting to us he must have been interesting to himself. He must have been capable of intense feeling, and capable of profound concentration. He who has contemplated has met himself, is in a state to see into the realities beyond the surface of his subject. Nature reveals to him, and seeing and feeling intensely, he paints, and whether he wills it or not each brush stroke is an exact record of such as he was at the exact moment the stroke was made.
I’ve realized now, that as important as the fundamentals of painting are and while they must be practiced regularly with vigor and attentiveness, the strongest technique is honesty in all veins. Honesty to what is being observed, looking for truth in shapes and color temperatures and how they relate, but also being honest to how I am responding to what I’m seeing and bringing to the moment myself as the artist. As I explained once to a class of portrait painters, you cannot paint a portrait of someone with a soft ethereal expression on their face by angrily painting with a furrowed brow yourself. What you are choosing to embody will always show up onto the canvas… you must embody that which you wish to convey.
This quote hangs in my studio as a reminder:
Seek patience and passion in equal amounts. Patience alone will not build the temple. Passion alone will destroy its walls.
– Maya Angelou
I remind students in my workshops, “there is no one in history who has the same exact sensitivities as you… what are you bringing to the painting session? How do YOU see? Let that honesty be your strongest ‘technique.'” Learn the ABC’s of painting — drawing value, composition, color and edges — but then write your novel with paint.
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
~ Mary Oliver (American Poet)
Inspiration And Motivation: The Prelude To Success
We all want to achieve at a very high level and create the next great piece of art. Recent psychological studies have determined happier people are generally more successful.
“Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence” -Aristotle
It bears to reason that we all will paint more often and better if we are inspired, motivated and happy.
My favorite two questions for my workshop artists are:
- What do you love to paint? And
- How would you love for your paintings to look?
I am fortunate to get to teach pleasant artists in my workshops, thanks to all of you. Over the years it has become obvious the number one reason for people not achieving better paintings faster or even painting at their very best is they get discouraged, blame themselves or lose their bliss along the way.
When you are unmotivated, don’t ask yourself what the world needs or what would sell, “ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive” – Dr. Howard Thurman
So why not learn from a few notables who have achieved extraordinary success.
I love the comments of, I believe, Everett Raymond Kinstler in one of his videos:
“I start out in this way thinking, ‘this will be the greatest painting of this subject matter ever painted.’ Later in the process I think, ‘this will be the greatest painting of this subject matter I ever painted,’ and finally I think, ‘Hell! I hope I can save this painting!’ [paraphrased]”
Doesn’t this help you chuckle at yourself and free you?
When Richard Schmidt was asked he stated,
“I just paint. I don’t consider my place in history. And don’t blame yourself when something goes wrong. Just learn what you did wrong and don’t do it again. [paraphrased]”
I appreciate Scott Christensen for his help along the way and his piece of advice: “always paint for yourself.” We should always remember this when we are watching others sell a certain genre or style that does not ring true to who we really are.
Most representational artists know strong abstract design underlies every piece of representational art, and values are the bones. So interesting shapes and design, held in unity by values, are the backbones of all good paintings. The process for being accepted in OPA shows is very fair and when looking at 2000 or so paintings it becomes real obvious how much the above statement is true.
At higher levels most artists are painting spots of color and value and not objects. Painters say a great painting is greater than its sum of its’ parts. The only way that can be achieved is to paint from the heart, for all really great art is created from the heart.
Perhaps if we all stay more motivated we will all create better art and most importantly enjoy the process more. This is always something I confess to have to be aware of — because as a past lawyer that only focused on results, and now a reformed artist — nothing is clearer to me than that, if the process is enjoyable, I will paint more often and better.
I find that artists are generally humble, share freely and are kind to one another. I consider myself lucky to have found such a great group of people and friends. I think it important that we, as artists, always share what we know. It is often so hard to paint good paintings, so we all need the fresh eyes and keen advice of other artists — as our friends and colleagues. I encourage you to celebrate the awards and excellent paintings of your fellow artists — that’s what makes being an artist really enjoyable. Hope to see you soon, whether in nature or at a show.
The Art of Survival in the Survival of Art
Since the Great Recession hit, most artists have been impacted. Collectors cut back on luxury items and art is at the top of the list. Workshop enrollment is down as well, and if you teach a lot of workshops that can be a big impact. Some artists have taken on part-time teaching as a steady gig. Doing a couple of day’s part time teaching is fine, but if you go full time it may really impact your studio time.
As an illustrator for many years I learned very fast how to hustle if I was going to pay my bills. Self-promotion was a constant thing even with an agent. Making new contacts in the Illustration world was a constant thing. Tailoring my art to the Illustration market was not much different than the fine art field. However, the fine art has allowed me to paint what moves me and still be able to sell. The last two years I have transitioned into all gallery work, which means every painting I produce is spec. So now I am trying to use what I’ve learned in the commercial world, into the fine art world. Not all of it overlaps but the business practice does.
I try to do all E-mail correspondence, phone calls, and all other loose ends before 10am and then I will have an open block of time in the studio where I can think about the painting process and not a little thing in the back of my mind. If I want to contact a gallery by phone I will have to do it after 11am, if an email won’t work. At night I might go back into the studio to touch up a little, but mostly I plan for the coming months. Keeping steady workshops planned is difficult, but you can spread them out over the year. Teaching is great way to verbalize your approach and can be a great learning experience for you as well as the student. If the area you are in during the workshop has some great scenery, take advantage and paint it or photograph it on your free time.
I keep a studio calendar list of all my upcoming workshops, shows and paint outs so I don’t lose track of opportunities. Knowing when an important show is coming up will give you more time to set aside your “show pieces”. It’s always a tough thing to do a good painting that will sell and set it aside for the shows. Choosing my own painting for a show is sometimes hard for me, so I might post it on Face Book or have some artist friends over to get a reaction that will help me in judging the right painting for an upcoming exhibition.
Recently, I have been rethinking my framing and expanding my choices. I have about four frames that I use all the time and they look great on almost everything, but sometimes having a half dozen other choices might be the difference for a Collector riding the fence. I learned early in my career that a bad frame can kill a good painting. Let’s face it; it’s the package for your product. I was in a show at The National Arts Club years ago, and that year Everett Raymond Kinstler won best in show for a stunning painting and an equally beautiful frame. When the show came down and I picked up my art, one of the curators of the show told me my painting was very well done, but the frame made it look amateurish. He was right. Looking around at the other paintings with beautiful wide gallery frames made an impact on me.
As an artist, I am not the best business person, but have learned a lot over the years in order to survive in an extremely up and down market. Some of my artist friends have taught me a great deal about good business and I have been able to use some their advice. When you sell a painting at a gallery make sure you can follow up with another piece to replace the sold painting. If there is a blank space on the wall, it will get filled with another artist’s work.
The last element in our survival in Art is the psychological aspect. Artists, I think tend to be a little insecure because of the volatile nature of the business. If we don’t sell a painting in a month we second guess the subject matter we paint and everything else. Having the right frame of mind is essential in creating our best art and succeeding. The illustration field taught me to have a thick skin because one day maybe a diamond and the next a rock. An artist’s ego can be a dangerous thing. Win an award, be happy for a couple of days, and then put your ribbon away. Living in a good environment surrounded by loving family and friends , will always be a solid foundation during the bumpy ride in Art.