The Making Of An Artwork

I have fallen down on the job of writing this blog, mainly because I try to spend my time painting and sculpting. Of course, the hope was to get guest writers to give different points of view on art and about art. It seems everyone is busy writing other things or afraid to tackle the topic of art, but that is a topic for another day.

Today's subject is about what goes into making works of art that you can hang on your wall or place on a pedestal. It is different for different styles, so I hope to cover various topics in a continuing series.

Although the beginning is the substrate, the medium, the tools, and the years of practice, those are a bit boring to start with, so let's jump into Plein-air (painting outdoors).

Plein-air - One has two choices when painting outdoors: either one paints quickly or one paints at the same time, same place on subsequent days. Why is this? It is all about light and shadows and as the sun moves, these change significantly. Also, as the light changes the colors change. The scene you chose to paint at 10:00am is a different scene at 4:00pm. With changes that occur minute to minute, it is a race against the clock to capture that particular juxtaposition of light and shadow, or the subtle hues that attracted you. So, you have a limited amount of time, probably a maximum of 3 hours, before the changes are too great to bother remaining at the scene. The larger your canvas (panel, etc), the more paint you will need to apply to cover it and the faster you will have to work.

While watercolors will dry pretty quickly outside, which can actually be a hindrance, oils will be worked wet on wet. You may have learned in your early experiments with paint back in kindergarten that mixing complementary colors (red & green, blue & orange, yellow & purple, etc) result in shades of brownish gray. Working wet on wet can result in something that looks a lot like mud. This is where those thousands of hours of practice come into play. Planning your painting might require leaving bare spots for color later, or knowing which colors should be applied last, or delicately laid on top of other colors to avoid mixing. It is also about knowing which parts of the scene need to be captured right away before the light shifts and which can be filled in from memory.

Okay, that sounds difficult, so why not try the other option of painting several days in a row - same time, same place? Granted it requires having the time to do this, but with a bit of planning, not too hard to schedule. If you are lucky enough to live somewhere with consistent weather, this is a good option. Of course, anything can happen between day 1 and day 2.

This painting is an example of the hardships of this method. I picked a lovely afternoon to start it, knowing the light would change too much to finish it in one go. Two days and I would capture it, but the second day it rained in the afternoon, ditto for the third day. I wasn't available the fourth day, and we had a hard frost that night. The next day was lovely, but the flowers were not. Luckily, I had done most of the work on the flowers the first day, could use my memory for some bits, and the rest of the scene was pretty much the same. So, be aware that the lovely field of sunflowers or wheat blowing in the wind might be harvested from one day to the next, the weather might not cooperate, or your kid might get sick and you will understand the perils of this method.

Other challenges of Plein-air painting include: finding a spot to stand where you won't get a sunburn and your paints won't bake on the panel, avoiding being carried into the stratosphere by your shade parasol, swatting bugs without painting yourself, fishing bugs out of the paint, using the sand that has blown onto your painting as an additional textural effect, trying not to get run over, sudden squalls, etc.; you get the idea. Yikes! Why bother with painting outdoors, when you could just take a photo and paint from it? Good question. The answer has to do with color. A photograph simply will not pick up the subtleties of color that a good artist can see. The photo can be very useful to help finish a painting back in the studio, if the artist has either a good memory for color, or has laid in the colors that the camera isn't going to capture. There are certainly moments that must be captured in memory or as digital images (or a combination of the two), as they are too transient for anything else, but Plein-air painting does give the artist free rein to attempt to paint all of the subtleties of light.

What do you see when you look at your yard on a glorious summer day? Let's imagine you have green grass, some green shrubs, a couple of green trees, and perhaps some yellow flowers.  You can probably differentiate between the various greens, but translating the light spectrum into a pigment spectrum isn't always easy. Do you need to add blues, reds, violet or yellows to the various greens? Then there are the differences between the greens in the shadows versus those in the sun. If you pluck a leaf and bring it inside, it may look fairly uniform in color, but when half of the leaf is in shadow and the other half is in sunlight, the colors look quite different.

Can you tell which of these greens is different? In what way is it different?

So, the job of the Plein-air artist is to see the subtleties of light and color and translate them into pigment on canvas, to do it quickly, and achieve a result that can be interpreted by other people.

Sometimes the day is perfect!

Last Weekend For Open Studios

You only have one weekend left of the Boulder Open Studios Art Tour!  I, of course, hope that you will take advantage of this by visiting MY studio (#101). It is easy to take the tour, simply purchase a tour map,* choose some studios to visit, and follow the yellow Open Studios signs to your destination.  Once you have arrived, you get to see what the artist does and where they do it. You are encouraged to ask questions and delve into the mind of the artist -not a place to stay long- to learn how art is created.

We have four fine artists participating in the tour up Magnolia Rd., including yours truly.  I have been busy this year, so there is a lot to see at my studio.  I have been outside hiking around with my portable easel making small oil studies, which can be purchased for a pittance. I've done some larger paintings outside, as well, when the light holds steady for a little while.  Otherwise, I retreat back to my studio with the small studies and create larger works from them.

When I tire of painting, or run out of space for wet paintings, I put on my silversmith hat and make chains of silver, necklaces of silver and stone, earrings, and other creations.

Midday every Tuesday, you can find me at a studio in Boulder with other artists painting portraits.  We share the cost of a model and let our inspiration take us where it will.  Rather than haul my paints around, I have embraced technology and  been 'painting' on my iPad. No, I don't put paint on the glass screen, I use an App and a stylus to create digital paintings.  I have discovered that they look great as prints, so they don't have to be viewed on a screen.  Fun!

I hope you will come by and visit my studio, if you are in the area, October 11th &12th, from Noon to 6:00pm.

* Maps are only $12, to benefit Open Arts, and can be found at Whole Foods, Boulder Book Store, and Open Studios Gallery-2525 Arapaho Blvd-E4, and other locations.

See www.openstudios.org for more details.

Vivian Long

www.VivianLongArt.com

Fall Means Open Studios

There is a flurry of activity in my studio as I prepare for the annual Open Studios. This exciting event welcomes the public into many Boulder & Boulder County artists' studios. You get to see new work in the artist's lair and ask questions about how it is done.

 

I have a lot of new work this year. I've been busy painting, which is why this blog has been so neglected. Nature has called me to paint outside, so I have been hiking around with my paints and easel, swatting deer flies. When that gets to be too much, I resort to the studio and create finished works from my plein-air sketches.

Embracing technology, I have been 'painting' on my iPad. No, that doesn't mean I put paint on that fancy glass screen; I use an App.  It isn't as messy and is certainly easier to transport, although it doesn't work as well out in the sunshine. This means I have completed a lot of studio digital portraits, so I don't have to contend with sun and glare. It certainly isn't the same as using paint, but my brain is getting plenty of exercise learning new tricks.

All in all, I have been having fun this year. I hope you will come by my studio, if you are in the area, October 4th, 5th, 11th, & 12th, from Noon to 6:00pm.

See www.openstudios.org for more details.   

Vivian Long
www.VivianLongArt.com

Who Decides?

Art: long hours in museums admiring the techniques and expertise used to create the masterpieces of painting. As a child, I would much rather have spent that time in the park. To me art appreciation consisted of trying to find a deeper meaning in something that was at best interesting for the first minute or two. Appreciating art was like answering critical reading questions at the end of a reading assignment. The material might have been enjoyable, but then came the comprehension questions afterward: "What was the mood of this piece of work?", "Which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?" By the time one got to the end of dissecting the reading material and supposedly knew all of the different intentions of the author, one was thoroughly ready to see the back of the whole thing. 

With a semester of art history ahead in high school, I thought, at least, on the upside I would learn to understand some of the art world's praises and critiques of art. On the downside, I was sure I didn't have the eye to marvel at a new technique or type of composition. 

One of the first things I was reminded of was how much "art" encompassed beyond painting. Of course, sculptures were art; they have been considered so for thousands of years. Surprisingly to me so was architecture. Then there was my side lesson in the history of photography. 

Perhaps I only wanted photography to be considered "art" more than I really believed it was. It was rather like non-fiction, whereas all other art forms fell under the category of "fiction". Photography did not have the long, formal tradition that other art forms had, yet I discovered that it did have rather a history of its own, and not just one of non-fiction. Some artists composed photographs much as they did paintings. In an effort to combine photography and painting, and override some of the concerns that photography would make painting obsolete, some clever person noted how photography could be substituted for models posing for hours on end. Perhaps without surprise, both painting and photography survived their brief run-in and are able to complement each other today.

So does "art" stop there? Several years ago I had a neighbor who created functional sculptures from wood and streams of colored resin, which were then lit from behind for a truly amazing affect. After touring his studio one year he asked me what sort of art work I had been doing. Perhaps because nothing ever seems to turn out the way I imagine it, I dedicate hardly any of my time to "art". 

    So I answered, "Nothing . . . unless you count writing."

"   Of course, writing is a type of art too."

I'd never thought of it that way before. There was always math, science, reading, writing, P.E. and "art". We certainly didn't do any writing when I was in art class. Yet his comment led me to consider the idea. Why is the art of creating something with sandpaper, or a paint brush any more creative than the art of writing, music, cooking, or whatever it is you can put "The art of " in front of? Certainly they're different, but they're all expressions of our inner desire to create something that speaks for us in some way. 

One of the most interesting parts of art history, for me, was the "history" half. So much is gained by understanding a little about the world of the artist, the cultural restrictions of what they were allowed to create, the hardships of their time, and the materials they used that shaped their technique. Knowing a bit about their world can add depth to their work, whereas being told that such things are the reasons to appreciate their work flips everything around, where one looks not at the living portion that breathes, but at the structure that supports it.  

Who is it that decides what is a masterpiece and what is simply art? Perhaps it has some to do with the technique, or the composition, but in the end doesn't it all come down to an opinion?

Written by Teagen Blakey

Open Studios for One More Weekend

Flood damage in Boulder Canyon has been somewhat repaired. At least the road is open again and we are all breathing a sigh of relief. Although one can get to my studio now, we (the Magnolia Artists) have committed to holding forth in our temporary location. Otherwise, it gets too confusing for people and everyone would end up in the wrong place. It isn't my studio, but it is a nice space and a nice location.



Come, if you can to:
2740 Canyon Blvd., Boulder, CO (the corner of 28th & Canyon)
Noon to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday- Oct 12 & 13th

Open Studios Without The Studio?

One of the main points of Open Studios is for people to be able to see the artist in that artist's studio. In that way the visitor hopes to gain some insight into how the work of art was created. You see the artist's magic wand, excuse me, brushes and other tools. What kind of surroundings do you need to give those creative juices a push? Maybe you will discover that when you visit. Cornered in his, or her studio the artist might divulge the secrets of art that will aid in unlocking the hidden meanings. Okay, you get the point.

So what happens when a flood prevents access to the studio? In this case we have moved the artist. This year, and we dearly hope it will only be this year, Open Arts has found a space in Boulder for the mountain artists to occupy for the duration of Open Studios. With the mountain community almost cut off from the flatland community, it was a hard decision to make - do we stay in our community with our friends and neighbors, or take a chance to make new friends in the larger community? With regrets, we decided to take the chance. Unfortunately, we couldn't take our studios with us. Outside of our studios, away from the protection of our brushes and magic paints, we will undoubtedly feel somewhat threatened, exposed, or even worse, panicked that no one will visit us. Please visit us and bring friendly faces with you. Our door will be open.

What: Open Studios, or in this case: Open un-Studios
When: October 5,6,12,& 13th from Noon to 6pm
Where: 2740 Canyon Boulevard (corner of Canyon & 28th), Boulder, CO.

Devastation and Resilience

As I write this, water is still pouring down the rivers and streams. The surrounding area has been hit hard by torrential floods. Homes have been washed away and many have been severely damaged, entire towns have been evacuated and stranded victims airlifted out. So far, thankfully, deaths have been minimal, especially compared to similar disasters in other parts of the world, nevertheless, many lives have been severely disrupted.

Luckily, people are resilient and so is their spirit. Some people will leave this community, saying "This is it- fires, floods, what's next: pestilence, brimstone?", but most will stay. They will pick up the pieces and rebuild their homes and lives. Business will be good for those working in construction and repair.  Artists will pick up the pieces and create art with them, literally. Artists are good at recycling.

 A woman was evacuated from Lyons just in time to give birth. So too will the devastation give birth to new works of art. Art will be created depicting the floods, the changed landscape, the new structures, people rebuilding & playing. Musicians will transform the sounds of the rain and rushing water into music. Stories will be told by writers more eloquent than I. Out of destruction comes beauty, as we endeavor to bring  meaning to our lives. Art helps to heal and rebuild the community as much as wood and nails do, because it embodies our resilience and uplifts our spirits.

My heart goes out to all, who have lost their homes and possessions and to those looking for loved ones. I hope you find them safe and sound.

Vivian Long