I'm off to the US on a 2 week painting trip... find out here what painting kit I'm taking... it's mean and lean!
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Two in one.
Divide diagonally, bottom left to top right. A far away suburban. A closer perambulation. Joined together. The two making one. Twinned by colour and site. Apart by tone, texture and bay. Toulouse –Lautrec once said that art can be described as “thoughts brought forth by your fingers.”
Contemplation, remembering, relating, sharing and reading those thoughts can be the basis of a lifelong conversation. People who never meet. Eavesdroppers. Feasters. The private lovers, reliving sweet talk alone. A glance and a smile. All knowing. Blocking in (first stages) creates the form and structure of the subject, the scaffolding to keep safe and to hang the things upon. Contrasting primary colours make vibrant under layers and if peep through, grant the viewer magnified understanding and appreciation of the process and the product.
Is it ego or passion that drives an artist? The need to paint and get your work out there reflects discipline and drive. Is it about the art or about the expression of the artist and desire for connection and recognition? Some are content to paint and never sell. Others paint and paint and show and bear it all. Risking criticism, rejection and failure.
What is the drive? Self belief, proliferation of work and lack of space, or some other inner force? Some think not to use it at all. Others use bits. Mostly relegated to the old masters, black is really in or really out. Van Gogh said of Franz Hals’ work that he had 27 blacks! Monet avoided using black at all. Impressionist art is marked by the lack of black, as it does not exist in nature but also because they created a richer effect by changes in hue rather than changes in shade.
I haven’t owned a tube of black in about 8 years. Is colour the new black? Being a postman for most of my working life allowed me to do art in my spare time. I know of a doctor, ad man, mother, teacher, display man and others. Gauguin was a tarpaulin salesman for a time. Monet a sailor briefly. (He failed.) Vincent was a missionary. (He was sacked.) Andy Warhol was a shoe designer. Kandinsky was a law teacher.
Many of you reading this will relate. The realities of living ever present. Now a full time artist I can focus on my calling. Yet still I cry “not enough time!” Joshua Reynolds had a rigorous schedule. He rose early and kept to his rigorous schedule, often working late into the night. On 21 April 1769 he worked on a portrait at 11. At 12.30 he went to be knighted by the King, then had another portrait sitting at 2. He employed assistants to paint drapery and backgrounds. Married to his work he was efficient and organised.
Almost impossible for the modern woman and extremely difficult for the modern man… what does your schedule look like? It is the colour! The Fauves – wild beasts gorged on colour. Colour now embraced we are less shocked. Colours with clashing contrast and subtle hue entwined. The unexpected side by side. See the yellow where it never was. The pink that draws the eye. The purple shadows peeping through beneath the autumn trees. “Autumn at Lake Annecy”
My son Ben from Life in 360 has made this awesome video where we discuss how to take your creativity to the next level using social media. We cover a lot of really useful stuff here, so please sit back, get your entrepreneurial hat on and let us know what you think in the comments below! |
AuthorRichard Claremont - artist. A peek into my studio. How I think. How I paint. How I run my art business. Bite sized daily chunks of goodness. Just me talking aloud, really. Join me for a chat over a cuppa. subscribe to newsletterArchives
August 2018
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