What  Do Your Paintings Represent

Every painting you make represents you.  One of my favorite quotes came from Willie Nelson when he asked this question of Nora Jones,”If all we knew of you was your work (art work) would be know you.”  Our representations are limited to imitation,  creation, or a combination of the two. . The things we observe or the images we imagine.

My painted images represent:

The people, places, or things I see.

My emotional response to people, places or things. Not what they look like, but how I feel about them.

My search for a uniquely personal mark. These so called “marks” my be in the form of large flat color field shapes, short gestural color marks, hard edge clear shapes, drips and loose edge shapes, marks made with metal edges rules, or whatever makes you smile.

My ability to create emotional moods-mystery, loneliness, joy, fear, etc.

My depiction of atmospheric conditions; rain, snow, cloudy, sunny, etc.

Images intended to honor an event of historical note (Vietnam Memorial).

An exploration of line, color, texture, or shapes.

A desire for recognition in the form of money or fame, as in getting into the American Watercolor Society and selling many pictures.

My belief that art should be unique to the person who makes it, not look like anybody else’s, and always pushing the envelop of traditions and conformity.

Take a few minutes to check off the answers that are most true for you.  If , after reviewing your answers, you are happy with who you are— congratulations.  If not, what are you going to do to change “What Your Art Represents”.

"Two Doors" 22" x 30" Mixed Media on Paper

The”Door” series represents the many physiological and physical response I have to these openings.  Doors keep us out, keep others out, are our portal to security. They represent fear  as well as joy. As I explore all aspects of “Doorness” new posssibilites and ideas continue to show up.

Classes are like people.  Many are eager, some anxious, a few will work all night while others enjoy happy hour and quiet conversation.  As usual balance is the key to happiness and success.

I took advantage of my time with each group to share my most recent search.  I am presently into tracing everything – scissors, tools, brushes, and anything that will lay still and flat. Here are a few of my efforts.

Give this a try.  It is fun and you don’t have to draw.

Above All 22" x 30 " mixed media on paper

“Richmond Hanger”  30″x22″   Mixed Media

This years class will be “From Picture To Painting”.

How can you take inspiration from source material like photos and sketches without resorting to imitation? How do you make the leap from recording visual facts to expressing your own idea in a painting? In this workshop, award winning painter and teacher Skip Lawrence, guides artists in rethinking their source material into fresh, expressive, original paintings.  Participants are free to work in any media. Through daily lectures, slide presentations, and painting demonstrations, Skip illustrates how reconsidering your design tools can open up new possibilities of expression. When a painter learns to see the visual world in a new way their art will naturally reflect the fresh possibilities. Artists should bring 3-5 images of their recent work, photos, sketches and other source material to work on for the week. All experience levels welcome.

Skip

"Tic, Tac, Toe" 12"x12" $900

The very best days I spend in my studio are the days I paint without a thought as to how to paint. Several days ago, after having one of these magical studio days, Diane and I were sharing our usual adult beverage time, when I said to her, “you should not have to be 68 years old to realize that the real art is made without rules and conventions.”  I was looking at several paintings I had just finished. What is unique about these images is that I never had a thought as to why or how when making them. I picked the simple subject of everyday tools I use. The process was make a mark respond to the mark, apply a lump of color and respond to that color. Every decision was made without preparatory analysis ( I was working in watercolor making this thinking the equivalent of heresy).

It appears that there is a conspiracy designed to encumber creativity and destroy personal taste. The conspiracy is disguised in rules, principles, traditions, and conventions. This list is convenient and  powerful to those of us who teach as they are easily identified  as strengths or weaknesses in the work of students. The ability to point to the absence or  the omission of one or more of these rules make teachers appear knowledgeable and trustworthy. The fact is that these rules keep us from becoming the grandest version of our greatest self.

Almost every artist wants to consider themselves to be CREATIVE while most work hard to conform to styles and techniques of yesterdays heros.

Finding personal freedom in your own work is challenging and while I cannot give you the answer here are a few suggestions that may help in your quest.

1. First identify who you are PAINTING FOR or PAINTING LIKE. And then change your answer to ME.

2. Use you painting time as experiments in observation and experimentation. Observe the stuff happening on the surface of your work and experiment with new decisions (I am not referring only  to materials).

3. Expand your visits to art exhibits to include “Outsider Art” and any art that you have ignored. If in Baltimore go to the Visionary Arts   http://www.avam.org/

4. Know that every artist and “ism” we most admire pushed out of the status quo was once considered revolutionary, including the Impressionists.

5. Work in a series of 20 images and force yourself to keep pushing the subject to places you have never considered.  This may lead to the need to change media to include sculpture and even  installations.

6. Judge your work by it’s honesty not by sales, friends and family praise, awards, or inclusion in shows.

The image posted can be purchased $900.

The decision to enroll in a workshop, with the investment of time and money it will require,  should be taken seriously. A little preparation can make the difference between happiness and disappointment.

In  my experience students too often take workshops based on what the teachers paintings look like.. This is a mistake. Learning to paint like a teacher is something you and the teacher will not want to pursue. It took the teacher 30 years to develop their style and philosophy of painting, you are not going to emulate their technique in a week.  Your job is to work toward finding your style based on your philosophy.  The best teachers do not teach you how they paint they help you find out how you should paint.

For a workshop to be successful for the student and teacher their purposes have to be the alined . The student who wants to learn how to paint absolute realism and the teacher is teaching artistic freedom through creative exploration will find the journey up hill all the way. No one is wrong the parties are simply at cross purposes. So, before you sign-up for a class take the time to know how and what the teacher is teaching. Believe me no teacher wants to fail you and no student wants to fail. The best teachers will meet you from wherever you are in experience and help with your journey.

I have recently asked students of answer a few questions before arriving at the first class:

What are my strengths and weaknesses in painting?

What goals do I have about technique and design?

What are the goals that will allow me to discover my unique painting methods and style?

What are my true goals in making art?

These questions must be answered honestly to be of value.  If your goals are to meet new people you must declare that.  If you believe you are filled with ideas, but you techniques are weak and do not deliver your ideas effectively you must state it. By answering these questions you help me help you. You would not go to your doctor and when asked, “how can I help you?” respond with “I don’t know I just want to get better”. Well, says the doctor “Do you have any pain?” , “yes, but I can’t tell you where it hurts, can you tell me why? Many years ago I overheard two Mainers talking.  The first said to the second, “where you goin”?  The second replied, “I don’ know”.  The first said,”how you gona know if your got theya”.

I don’t offer any of this as a criticism, but in the true hope that these suggestions will help to make your next workshop experience as meaningful and rewarding as possible.

All these paintings are 9″x 6″ watercolor and gouache on paper.

"Keys" 22"x 30" watercolor on paper

I must admit to being a bit cautious about addressing the subject of the “what” and “why”  we paint (make art) for fear that some will hear accusation in my words. It is not my intent to devalue  anyone who invests their time and energy in making art. Or to set up opposing parties of realists vs. abstract, or what fruit painters vs. boat painters, chocolate vs vanilla, whatever!  It is my desire that everyone who makes art enjoy the process as fully as is possible and find the most free expression of their unique experience.

“Artistic” and “creative” are inexorably linked as ideas but not so much in practice. As ordinary humans who naturally seek approval and validation, doing the tried and proven is safe and appealing. On the other hand many evolved individuals encourage us to “leave the shore of security”, take the leap into the unknown, and make something that is unique and, perhaps even a little outrageous. So here we are, stuck between conformity and rebellion. And as we all know that is not always truly who we are or what is our honest endeavor.

The simple solution to this dilemma is to  be honest.  Do not feel compelled to go to either extreme of following tradition or to reinvent art.

The painting series that I am presently working on feature the most ordinary objects. I am exploring such everyday things with colors and values that simply “feel” right. The object itself may or may not be obviously represented. Or it may sort of hide and emerge, with only a suggestion of the physical thing informing the whole piece.   I just keep working with the subject until the whole painting  feels right to me.

You might want to try some of these ideas.

-Find a subject that you genuinely like and paint it so it does not look like anything you have ever seen.

-Pick an object you feel neutral towards and just mess around with different styles. Sometimes when we don’t have a strong feeling for something we are more free to take risks, we don’t feel attached to getting it “right.”

-Pick a subject you have a strong negative emotional response to and see where that takes you! Might unleash some bold decisions and expression!

-Paint a familiar subject and by applying numerous layers of paint cover the object so that only 10% is visible (no cheating).

- Make a painting that refers to something about a subject that is other than what it looks like ( i.e. what the subject sounds like, smells, feels, or tastes like.

"Pulling Together" transparent watercolor 22" x 30" 1994

The blog post: “Oil, Watercolor, and Acrylic – Each is Great” prompted this question from a reader, “Tell us how you  use watercolor like oil paint.”

Traditionally watercolors have the reputation of only looking good when applied in such a way that features transparency.  If you like the watercolors of John Singer Sargent, Edward Hopper, and Winslow Homer – and I assume all aquarellist do – you should be aware that these giants of the medium used lots of opaque white paint. Why they chose to use opaque pigments I must assume is for the same reason I use them, they look good and serve my purposes. I am not pointing fingers here and saying that transparent watercolors are not beautiful. I love the luminosity that can be achieved by layering transparent pigments. I also love the relationship of the juxtaposition of opaque and transparent areas in a painting. I have no biases in this regard.

"Without Fear" opaque watercolor 22"x 30" 2006

Now for the answer to your question, “Tell us how you use watercolor like oil paint.” It is really quite simple, I use less water and more paint.

Any pigment can be made transparent or opaque by adjusting the amount of water used when mixing. Using pigments as they come from the tube without water are opaque thick. Mix any pigment with lots of water and they become transparent.  This works for opaque and transparent pigments alike.

White pigment can be made transparent and a transparent pigment like phthalo green can be applied opaquely. Look at the watercolors of  Andrew Wyeth and you will discover the shadow areas have a milky translucent quality achieved by the use of davy’s grey and other semitransparent pigments.

That is how I do it the more important question is why I do it. In a word it is freedom.  Painting is hard enough without building self imposted limitations.Remember you get no extracredit for making your job more difficult. If I can improve a painting by adding white paint, black paint, or fire ants I will use them. I do not feel more self-righteous when I use nothing but transparant pigments anymore that I do when using opaque pigments. Let us make personal creative decisions based on intent not technique.

Thanks for the question and great creating.

I have been reading The Accidental Masterpiece by Michael Kimmelman. The lessons of this writing are how the accidents, experiences, chance encounters, and all such moments are the stuff from which our honest images are born. The book begins with the story of the chance meeting of Pierre Bonnard and Marthe de Meligny (his wife to be) and how this encounter influenced Bonnard’s life’s work . It is just such serendipitous events that make up the personality of our work.  We are either portraying the experiences of our own lives or we are imitating the experiences of others.

The sad outcome of painting like someone other than ourselves is that we miss the enjoyment of giving form to our uniquely personal experiences. Undoubtedly our work  impacts  how we perceive ourselves and influences our direction in the art we create. It is also true, and I believe even more so, that our art is a reflection of the events of our lives.  To be a better artist pay attention to the happenings in your life!

I do not make New Year resolutions because they can inhibit exploration and discovery. The most exciting things in my life have come about organically, without plans. The longer I paint the more I enjoy the discovery.

New Year’s Eve, Diane and I saw Hugo, a delightful movie set in Paris of the 1920′s. It’s about an orphan boy who secretly maintains all the clocks in a busy train station. Through a web of unexpected events and adventures he meets a forgotten genius film maker. But I won’t spoil the tale. If you have a heart you will love the adventure of this boy and every other character in the story, as they solve the riddle of their purpose for living.

The Bathroom by Pierre Bonnard

Here is one of many of Bonnard’s gorgeous paintings of Marthe, his wife and muse. Just imagine if he hadn’t happened to meet her in that train station that day…