Monday, July 8, 2013
An observation about contemporary art instruction and why you should paint instead of read books....
Just and observation but I find that way too maqny people that write about painting and make videos about painting can't paint? There are a lot of great artists out there making instructional material, and bless them! I'm just wondering how in the hell you get published with a how to paint book that looks like it was made by a 7 year old art class dropout? This brought to mind the usefulness of books and videos on painting. Personally I never read much on how to paint I just study paintings and photography that I like. Learning to break down good paintings and photography will teach you more than those step by steps for lames, by lames any day, all they teach you is to copy. Just learn to use your eyes and slow down and look around and you'll be way ahead of the game. You'll see the world in a different way and paint a lot better than anyone you know. It's actually quite simple, which is why people overlook it. Painting doesn't have to be complex. You just have to understand what moves you in order to find your direction. I'm a big fan of the Hudson river and Ashcan school painters. My personal taste runs to 19th century American painters more than European, and old masters to me are just f'n boring, sorry. Some impressionist work is okay, but to me most were sketches that were never realized to their full potential. Photography I just love and don't care who took the photos. Good in that respect is just good and well worth the time to study. You are studying light and the way it behaves in relation to material, distance, or atmosphere. I took painting classes when I was young and they gave me a good foundation, but I don't consider them necessary. Painting is an individual journey. You have to find your own way and solve your own problems, devise solutions to common ones and move forward in your own way toward your own goals. That's what it really is all about. The way someone else paints is often times clever but rarely do another's techniques work into your own style. A lot of what you end up learning is simply common sense or stuff you already know. Learn to see, and appreciate, then paint! Don't be afraid to fail, because you can't. You might waste a canvas or some time, etc, but you will learn and progress toward becoming the amazing painter you know you can be. Best Wishes!
D
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