Learning to Play

Being still is not one of my best attributes. 

I was talking with a friend today about how she absolutely loves her job. She mentioned that she was a "calm person" who stayed "in the moment" not worrying about what happened yesterday or what would happen tomorrow.  I, the chronic list maker with a color-coded Daytimer, envied that. Her job allowed her to help people, be all that they could be, through a combination of good physical, emotional and spiritual health. I wanted to do that.

It occurred to me how art can do that for a person if they allow it to . . . we all have talents and are artists at something, be it cooking, gardening, raising a family, playing a musical instrument or sculpting our bodies. Mine just happens to be art — painting, drawing, etc. If we allow ourselves to have fun with it, play with it and enjoy it, the creative part emerges, and we are truly "in the moment."  With perfectionistic tendencies and a graphic design background, my art used to be extremely tight and very realistic. The process of creating was work, not fun, even though there was pleasure in the product or end result. We all know that feeling . . . our society encourages success and "results."

I will never forget the morning some years ago when I was painting a still life with my art group at one of their homes. Since I had a busy schedule that day, I knew that I only had an hour or so to work — really not enough time to do a "painting" . . .  so I told myself, "Today I think I am just going to "play with my paints and have fun." I totally had fun and was stress-free as I painted for fun and not an end result. I was pleased with my "playful" painting that day.

Another time several year ago, a different friend and I got together to experiment and have fun with some abstract and mixed-media art, an adventure somewhat foreign to me.  Once again, I found myself "in the moment," lost in time, and I had a fabulously fun time playing and creating.

The composition, color and design principles that had soaked into my being over the years came out, and I liked the results. What's more . . . most all of the mixed-media pieces subconsciously portrayed  an innate passion of mine, and therefore  . . . me, . . . a love for the water, whether swimming, scuba diving or relaxing on the beach. To this day, these are some of my favorite pieces because they are me and what I love . . . and I really had fun doing them.

Try getting out some big brushes, collage materials, paint and a canvas. Play with it, and see what happens. Don't try to "make" something . . . choose a picture, a shape, a texture, or an old piece of your art to start with. Continue adding things, repeating and balancing colors, shapes, textures and values. Nothing is right or wrong. Continue adding and working at it until you feel that "A-ha . . . I'm done with it"  feeling. If you become frustrated or "stuck," put it away and come back tomorrow with a fresh eye. I promise . . .  you will see it differently and either know that it is finished or know exactly what you need to do to it.

So . . .  all that said, I realize that I do my best work when I can trick my mind into the "play" mode. Even with my pastels, I "play" with the sticks letting one stroke scumble or glide over another to create sparkling textures and colors.

I strive to do this more, working a bit more detailed around the focal point where I want to capture the viewers' attention  . . . then I let the colors and textures for the remainder of the painting "drift" a bit and be looser and less detailed near the edges.

Sometimes I still struggle with "playing" and "being a child," but, when I can do it, it surely is fun and usually produces my best art. I am striving hard to "play" more. . .

What do YOU like to play with  . . . ??

"Every child is an artist.

The problem is how to remain an artist 

once he grows up."

                        -- Pablo Picasso

Hauser Creek Farm

"Hauser Creek Farm" . . . accepted into Yadkin Arts Council 2nd Annual Juried Show — "Eye of the Artist" opening July 13

4 Key Ingredients to a Succesful Painting

Now that you have decided to take up painting, what is going to make you pleased with your work? What will make others think that it is "good"?   What will help you art to be successful?

There are 4 things that will make your art exceptional, and their importance is in this order:

• Drawing

• Values

• Edges

• Color

DRAWING

Nothing destroys a painting more than poor drawing skills. Everyone wants to get to the color and details first . . . that's the fun part . . . but all the beautiful color and fabulous details won't rescue a drawing that is out of proportion or incorrect. Please  . . .  get the drawing basics first.

"The essence of drawing is the line exploring space."

                                                 -- Andy Goldsworthy

VALUE

It's not the color but the values that hold a painting together. Before beginning a painting, squint at your subject and look for the darks and look for the lights. Look for a simple interesting dark pattern. Squinting eliminates the middle grays and helps you to see the two extremes, darks and lights.

Begin your painting by drawing those dark shapes, connected into an interesting and balanced pattern.

Paint or color them in dark to establish your "road map" . . .  now the hardest part is done. This dark pattern of shapes will hold the painting together and guide you through the painting process. Match the values as you paint . . .  any color will do.

"Value does the work and color gets all the glory."

                                                 -- Richard McKinley

EDGES

There are sharp edges, and there are soft edges. Use both in your painting to create a flow and an eye path as the viewer looks at your art.

Sharpe edges are created when there is contrast (in color and value.)  Soft edges are created when colors and values next to each other are similar; soft edge can also be made by blending with brush or finger.

Too many "softs" can be boring and lack a focal area; too many "sharps" can make objects look "cut-out-and-pasted-on." Using a balance of both provides resting points for your eyes.

The sharpest edges stand out and emphasize things and therefore should be near your center of interest. Softer edges should be nearer the perimeter of your painting.

A combination of both soft and sharp edges creates visual interest as one flows into the other. A head, for example should have sharp edges where there is a contrast of light against a dark background or vice versa. Blending some edges of the hair gives it a special softness as it disappears into the background. The same is true for most organic things — leaves, flowers, fur etc.  Make the edges interesting in your painting.

" . . . edges aren't boundaries but places where paint, surging across the surface, changes color."

                                                 -- Peter Schjelahl

COLOR

Finally we get to color. It does "get all the glory," and although it is the most fun, it is the least important of the 4 essential ingredients to a good painting. So get the drawing, values and edges correct first and then concentrate on color. Learn your color wheel, how to mix colors, color families, warm and cool colors — how to make them and how they affect our painting and our mood.  . . . and last . . . but certainly not least . . . have fun!!

 "I applied streak and blobs of colour onto the canvas with a palette knife and I made them sing with all the intensity I could."
                                                 -- Wassily Kandinsky