Thoughts to share, ideas to ponder

In contrast, painting Nina under the controlled spotlight in the comfort of my studio as a reference for the vase and painting Rose Red was more relaxing.

Or, when painting the still life under the same type of spotlight for a workshop demonstration, the variables were more manageable.

So, given the option of painting under controlled light in the comfort of my studio, why, pray tell, would I not make this my modus operandi and skip plein air painting?

The answer to that is simple: while all types of painting under all light conditions will always be challenging and never easy, plein air painting offers the most extreme variation in nuances of light and color with the added variables of moving sun, blowing wind, and changing shadows. All of that contributes to a great level of uncertainty as I work.

And why is uncertainty a good thing? I think about the fact that wonder and awe and inspiration are all rooted in a recognition of something much larger than myself, reinforcing the fact that I never will be certain...and I never want to be. Nature is way too big and variable and grand to "capture" with paint pigments. Turns out to be a strange contradiction that throwing myself into uncertainty with my paint tools ready is the place where I grow as an artist. Most artists will say that rather than "arriving", constant growth and learning--predicated on working through uncertainty--is the best place to be.

When beginning this large painting which turned out to be the study for the final painting "Danse Lumiére Èternelle", the complexity of the subject and the plein air variables were formidable. I had to hang onto my painting board to keep it from blowing my everything over. The fluttering light was changing, but my goodness: the glow behind those roses and the way the planes of those pink satin toe shoes shone blue when facing the brilliant sky!

I felt very small against the magnitude of nature, revealing all that was beautiful and wonderful, the rock of uncertainty in my stomach anchoring me as I picked up the pastel stick and began.

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Eighteen years ago, I was hired to be the Artist-in-Residence at Lily Lake Elementary School in Stillwater, Minnesota. The project was open-ended where I was given full latitude to design and implement an educational art program for over 700 students.

 

As a representational painter, it was my desire to teach these kindergarten through 6th graders fundamental drawing skills, rendering form with knowledge of light and shadow and use of perspective, and how this understanding is instrumental for creating realistic paintings. Furthermore, it was important for each student to have an individual contribution to the final visual result.

 

Those goals resulted in a plan to paint a very large trompe l'oeil style mural in the library.

 

Now came the planning. Weeks and weeks of it.

 

Had you walked by my studio window to view my progress you would have found me staring into space, appearing to be doing absolutely nothing.....certainly not painting.

 

What came out of that time "doing" nothing?

 

First, goals and a proposal:

 

 

Measuring the space and preparing a layout:

 

More measuring:

 

Brainstorming of content:

 

Each individual piece of the "wallpaper" would be a kite, designed by each student on translucent vellum, and glued to the wall. 

 

What size should each kite be, considering the available wall space and the number of students? 

 

Lots of math:

 

 

And a final small watercolor mockup of the content:

 

 

But before the painting could commence, each student was introduced, classroom by classroom, to concepts in representational painting and what trompe l'oeil painting is and how we would all be painting a mural of this type.  Each student designed a kite segment of the wallpaper:

 

 

and later, had a group lesson on light and shading:

 

 

Finally, after months of planning and preparing, painting of the mural could begin:

 

 

 

 

And finally, the mural was finished.  Students also designed the book spines:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The time I spent staring into space, thinking, planning, visualizing, pondering was time well spent.

 

As such, there was not a single hiccup with this project, which left room, once the painting began, for the energy and joy of creativity to rule the day.

 

The artist who doesn't paint is fundamental to the artist who does.

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