I've started a new painting and excited about where it's going. It's an acrylic, and I'm working from a photograph I took in Royalston, MA last summer. It's been a cold spring here in Massachusetts and so I haven't gotten outdoors to paint yet. I'm hoping to get outdoors soon, as that is the best way to paint.
Choosing a landscape, a point of view, can be the hardest part of getting started with a painting. And I've come to realize that only in the process of doing it over and over again, does it get easier. Over the years I've begun to have a clearer sense for what I hope to bring out by painting a certain scene, and that now helps me get started.
I had recently gone to an oil painting demonstration at the Leominster Art Association, where an artist by the name of Matthew Gray worked on an oil painting. Matthew paints outdoors in New England all year round and paints every day. Well, he had been taking questions as he worked on his demo and I asked him how he decides on a landscape to paint. He admitted that is a hard question. He said he could wander around for hours trying to decided what to paint from what angle.
I feel the same way, it can be very difficult to decide where to set up. Then when you do, you have to be diligent, and concentrate. Wind and people watching you can be a great distraction. The light changes fast. And being in New England, the weather can change pretty quickly too. Matthew says that once he starts, he works as fast as he can, getting down the bones of the painting before the light changes too much. I enjoyed his demo and find it inspirational to see and hear abou what other artists are doing. Painting can be a lonely process, and an artist needs to talk to other artists as often as she or he can.
0 Comments