Thoughts, ideas, and stories from a lifetime of painting and teaching

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A Painting is Something

I recently visited the Baltimore Museum of Art to see an exhibition of very large, very strong, and beautiful paintings by Joan Mitchell. The subject of her work is mostly about nature, you know trees and flowers. There was not a single recognizable image of a tree or flower. Her portrait of nature was powerful, elegant, and much bigger than a vase of roses.

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by Skip Lawrence,

Featured image for Marks & Gestures by Skip Lawrence 30"x22"  mixed media on paper
Concepts

Marks & Gestures by Skip Lawrence 30"x22" mixed media on paper

price $1923 each The longer I think about making art the more I understand that there should be no rules about making art. For my entire life, I have searched for the secrets of making art only to come to the realization that formal answers are never going to […]

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by Skip Lawrence,

Featured image for "And So It Goes" by Skip Lawrence, Acrylic on canvas, 48" x 60"
Tips

"And So It Goes" by Skip Lawrence, Acrylic on canvas, 48" x 60"

Price $8200 “And So It Goes” references a sequence of events that led to its making. Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff, where I buy all my supplies, had a deal on canvases and since I have been painting, a lot during this period of sequestration, I ordered 10 canvases. The size […]

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by Skip Lawrence,

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Tips

Moments of Insight, by Skip Lawrence

Art is always changing, and our response to these changes is a portrait of what we do with evolution. In October of 2019, at the end of a workshop, I laid out a grid of 30 rectangles with the intension of making arbitrary marks inside each box. When dry, I covered […]

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by Skip Lawrence,

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Tips

Ideas Come from Thoughts

There is no such thing as a bad idea, only ideas that are not thought, reasonably tested, and acted upon. Initial ideas are generally thoughts that lead to more complicated ideas. The scenario oftentimes goes like this: I want to paint, what will I paint, how will I paint, […]

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by Skip Lawrence,

Featured image for Maine, Art, and Us 2020
Workshops

Maine, Art, and Us 2020

Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, and Maine are all glistening on the horizon. Do not let the first three outshine the last, Skip’s Maine workshops. For information go to www.skiplawrence.com/workshops Pemaquid Point-An abundance of beauty for inspiration and painting subject matter. The village of Round Pond, is within minutes. […]

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by Skip Lawrence,

Featured image for Painting Light and Shadow in Watercolor, by Skip Lawrence
Tips

Painting Light and Shadow in Watercolor, by Skip Lawrence

Painting Light & Shadow in Watercolor now has a page on the Echo Point web site; the url ishttps://www.echopointbooks.com/painting-drawing/painting-light-amp-shadow-in-watercolor. www.echopointbooks.com For all who have requested were to get my, out of print book, here is the information. The publishers did an outstanding job. I hope you will enjoy the […]

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by Skip Lawrence,

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Tips

Students work Maine workshop 2019

Student work from Maine workshop 2019 Barbara Chapman

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by Skip Lawrence,

Featured image for The Feeling Tone is the Subject.
Tips

The Feeling Tone is the Subject.

OMG I am becoming a minimalist and loving it. After years of preaching the need for dominance in one’s work, I am following my own advice. I begin each new painting by deciding on a color, value, or texture dominance. My first application of paint is not an object but a […]

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by Skip Lawrence,

Featured image for Skip's Maine workshop 2019
Tips

Skip's Maine workshop 2019

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by Skip Lawrence,