Friday 20 September 2013

Day 20 - Limestone Coast Re-visited

Acrylic on board 15cm x 15cm (6" x 6")


Day 18's effort

Today I decided to re-visit the painting I did on day 18 in the hope of trying to loosen up further. I thought I might make more headway if I tried the same subject in quick succession. In the end it took me around the same time to paint both pictures - approx 1 hour and 20 minutes. I think today's photo is less sharp than the one I took of the previous painting, but hopefully they are both clear enough to make comparisons. I think some aspects of today's paintings are better and some aren't. I'm not sure which one I prefer at this stage but I'm leaning towards day 18's effort. Does loosening up come about over time due to sheer volume of output or does it really need to be focused upon - or both? I'd appreciate knowing which painting people prefer and why. Also any advice on how to move forward would be appreciated.

16 comments:

  1. I definitely see more detailed shaping of the land areas, and more depth to the water. I like the new touches! The first painting, though, as a zen-like simplicity that I find very calming, and the second one makes me feel more like I can be part of that scene and feel the waves against my feet. They are both effective paintings!

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    1. Thanks so much for taking the time to weigh up the differences Katherine! It is interesting and helpful to get a different perspective.

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  2. I definitely prefer the later one--the forms are clearer, simpler, more painterly. And if my experience is any indication, yes, it's sheer volume!

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  3. PS--Just read your About Me--here's a couple suggestions: Use really big brushes--don't allow yourself to use small ones...at least for a while. Also, acrylics are somewhat harder to be loose with since they dry so fast..maybe get Open Acrylics...and finally, set a timer and just try some quick (10 minute)ones...maybe small, maybe repeating the same thing over and over...oh, and last suggestion:Work from life!

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    1. Thanks so much for all your comments and good advice Carol. I think the 10 minute timer is a great idea! I loved your "Dollar Bunch Close Up".

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  4. Okay Wendy!
    I wrote so much about loosening up the blog wouldn't allow it all to be posted.
    "HTML cannot be accepted:Must be less than 4, 096 characters!" I didn't know that! Wow! I wrote more than four thousand characters. A record!
    So I will have to rewrite all my ideas about loosening up another time!
    So my first suggestion is to forget everything you were taught about art! Every rule! Every skill! Every whatever! Every painting you were taught to be good think of it as not good. The bad ones as good ones. Make sure your values are yours for your own reasons! That may take some work!
    Forget what you thought was good art and bad art! Define your own art definition! Meditate on your own new art! It may be difficult at first but I think it is an important first step to loosening up.
    I think your art is fantastic! I am not sure what you mean by going forward but I do have some ideas about "loosening up!"
    Be yourself! Everyone else is taken!
    Your art cobbler!
    Michael

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    1. Hi Michael, I'm sorry to hear that all the effort you spent writing about loosening up wasn't accepted. I certainly appreciate the thought behind it. Please feel free to email me any time you have extra long things to write!
      All good advice Michael and I can see that you live by what you have written. You certainly have your own distinctive style. I have heard that saying about being yourself a few times lately and think it's great. Yes, I definitely want to let my own style emerge. It's funny, I feel I have quite a distinctive style with my illustrations but I'm not able to recognise one yet with my painting.
      Thanks again Michael for all the great advice!
      Your art cobber/cobbler Wendy

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  5. Dear Wendy. I am sorry , but I can't choose between these two, both really great even though slightly different. The first one stands sharper and the second one is a bit looser, but I love both ways. I think painting loose comes with time , but I also believe one can decide to do it and then go for it. Have fun :-)

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    1. Thanks so much Jane - very kind of you! Yes, I think it is partly a case of upping the volume. I always admire how prolific you are!

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  6. This whole 30 day challenge is a good one and you have some solid one's. Keep painting.
    Each of these has its strength's and weakness' to varying degree's and that is OK since in all exercises it is about practicing and learning.
    Loosening up? Both volume and focus.

    Both approaches offer different lessons. One is react, one is think.

    Volume, we learn by doing something over and over, this is training our muscles, both literally as well as our 'artistic' muscles and is part of how our intuition forms. Athletes train this way then there is less thinking and more reacting to stimuli. A baseball batter does not even think about swinging his bat, he reacts. By the time he thinks about it the ball will be in the catchers glove. He has swung the bat thousands of times.

    For the artist it is sketching and quick studies, whether in paint or a drawing medium.
    Even if your reaction to the stimuli and the mark is wrong it's OK, you have learned.
    Over and over.
    This is dozens of sketches over a period of time.

    Focus, is slow careful study, more cerebral. Deliberate decision then execute.
    We have an expression (here in the US) for carpenters, 'Measure twice, cut once'.
    For the artist this means take long looks, ask yourself questions, compare, decide, then put down the mark. Even if the mark is wrong it's OK, you have learned.
    This is fewer over a given period of time.

    I find myself doing one or the other depending on my temperament any given day.
    Some days I'm not very patient so I take advantage of that and sketch more.
    Other days I feel the need to sink into a longer a more involved work.

    Looking good, keep painting...

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    1. David, I really appreciate your carefully considered response. Yes this challenge is such a great platform for experimenting, it is hard to be so precious when finishing a painting every day - albeit a small one.
      I liked the analogies you used to expand upon each theme. (Carpenters here also use that very wise expression!) I'm glad you thought it took both volume and focus rather than one or the other. It was beginning to seem that way to me. I do the odd painting where I feel I make real progress and then a few where I don't. I guess I have been too impatient and should know by now that so many things in life involve two steps forward and one step back. Your detailed look at each point has made it all seem a little clearer.
      Thanks so much for your encouragement!

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  7. I can't pick one painting over the other. They are two different paintings which have been approached differently. I like the how you have broken down to minimalist plains the top painting and the bold brush work. The bottom painting still feels painterly but there is more modeling and depth. This is a wonderful exercise to paint the same subject in order to try and loosen your strokes. You have a definite style that is very unique,embrace it! Daily painting is allowing you to experiment and not feel attached to every painting. I think you are already headed in the right direction Wendy...just keep going!!

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    1. Thanks so much Celia! I was very pleased to hear that you thought I had a definite style and that I'm already heading in the right direction. I think it is hard to stand far enough back from your own work to see it. This challenge has been great and you're right, I haven't felt so attached to most of them which does allow for a bit more bravery. Do you think you will do another challenge if it arises? I have been enjoying this one so much but it really does take out a lot of time, but that's probably because I'm very bad at time management!

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  8. Hi Wendy,
    I love the later painting, the top one for it's simplicity. I find that I prefer the look of less detail and broader brushwork, I'm not quite sure why, I think it might have something to do with not over-thinking the painting process. confidant calm painterly brushstrokes is always appealing to me.

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    1. Thanks for your input Sally. I also admire calm painterly brushstrokes which you seem to have mastered beautifully in your work.

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    2. Thanks for your input Sally. I also admire calm painterly brushstrokes which you seem to have mastered beautifully in your work.

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