Painter/Teacher II

I discussed my reluctance to teach art in a previous post (see January 9, 2015). I had a flash the other day that I might actually have something to offer, not by virtue of my successes but by virtue of my failures. In group sessions I constantly see artists frustrated by some aspect of their work. I can usually see ways through or around their roadblocks because I have faced similar obstacles multiple times and from different directions.

Nude Study, oil on linen, 12" X 10", 2015

There is no single "right" method to teach art but there are wrong methods. For too many art teachers the path from student to teacher was too short and too narrow. They have developed a proficiency for certain techniques and then pass them on to students. The problem is one method doesn't work for everyone. No two people approach a blank surface the same way nor should they.

For the student seeking a good solid base from which to venture out, bad advice can lead to years in the wilderness or worse.

Self-conscious

Many people I encounter have an "uncomfortable" reaction upon learning that I do nudes. This includes even members of the art community. In the art circles I frequent working from the nude is as natural as breathing. I do understand, however, that there are certain societal taboos to the subject and that I am not entirely immune to them. For some reason I have begun feeling a level of self-consciousness regarding my subject matter.

Standing Nude, oil pastel on toned paper,
11 3/4" X 6 1/2", 2012

Reviewing the nudes I have done over the years it is clear that I am at my best when I am the least self-conscious. When contemplating starting a drawing or painting the reaction of a potential audience has never entered into my decision. I can't let it become my concern how others might judge me or my work.

The best models I have worked with over the years all have a good sense of their bodies and few inhibitions about revealing them. There is a good lesson to be learned there.

Primary Colors

Someone asked about my color pallet and I told them that when I get into trouble I retreat to the primary colors and I am almost always in trouble. Ever since my early watercolor days a main challenge has been finding a satisfactory pallet. Which colors work in harmony and provide the widest tonal and value ranges? I have always experimented and counted 33 partially used oil tubes around the studio.

Here is a representative pallet readied for a recent figure session. It contains two different sets of primary pigments.

Two blues, two reds, two yellows and white

Nude Study, oil on canvas, 10" X 8", 2015

I know artists who routinely use over thirty colors on any given painting. The problem for me is that with so many potential combinations it is impossible to understand with any clarity how one color reacts with another. I therefore find myself trying to limit the number of variables. Red, blue and yellow is about as simple as you can get.

Given that my painting tastes and knowledge are always in flux I don't expect my pallet to ever be "settled".

Turnabout

In 2011 I did an oil painting of a female nude. It was one of those paintings that progressed from start to finish with very little reworking. I thought at the time that any flaws were overshadowed by a raw power the picture possessed. But one of the hands always bothered me. At some point, without a model, I attempted a repair. Instead of making it better I made it worse. I'm embarrassed to post this but here it is.

"The Claw" (detail), 2011

Fixing this hand has been in my mental to do file for years. I am currently in the process of refining some small areas on a trompe loeil still life (see December 22, 2014 post). The skill set required for this tight work proved very helpful when having another go at the hand, this time with a model.

Repaired Hand, 2015, Perfect? No. Better? I think so.

When I was primarily doing still lifes I knew that working from the live figure benefited my overall technique. Now, having worked almost exclusively from the figure for over three years, working a still life is proving beneficial to my figurative work.

Why Nudes?

This post has languished unfinished in my draft file for over a year. I had been unable to articulate an answer to the seemingly simple question "why nudes?" I have contemplated a wide range of possible theories but none seemed adequate. Why have artists throughout history been drawn to depicting the naked human form? Then at least a partial explanation hit me.

Reclining Nude, oil pastel on toned paper, 91/4" X 12 1/4", 2013

Writers, musicians, visual artists are all in one way or another exploring the human condition. Even when the subject matter doesn't involve people they are reflecting the world through human eyes and emotions. I can't think of a better way of presenting our unadorned humanity than through a nude.

Nostalgia Trip

I have just returned from a seven day trip to California, the place of my birth and life up to the age of 29. I ventured there seeking relief from and perhaps some answers to things that were bothering me. In a very tangible way the trip was a success. Mentally I am in a different and better place than when I left.

I was able to visit my college and art school for the first time since graduating nearly forty years ago. I stood in the classroom where I was introduced to working from the live nude. Due in large part to California's budget woes the skylit room was essentially unchanged. So in honor of that very special moment I will simply post a recent thirty minute oil pastel study.

Nude Study, oil pastel on toned paper, 11" X 8 1/2", 2014

Forty years is both a long time and just the blink of an eye.

Pinch Hitter

Baseball spring training has begun. It offers a good metaphor for my ever evolving working method. For the bulk of my art career I have been in the regular lineup. I paint most every day on a fairly regular schedule. There is a certainty and level of comfort in this rhythm as each session builds on the last and foreshadows the next. You are never completely out of your "groove".

Nude Study, oil on canvas, 14" X 12", 2015

Age and circumstances have thrust me into a new role. My current schedule has me working from the live figure twice and sometimes just once a week. Where the figure is concerned, at least for now, I'm a pinch hitter. I can no longer use yesterdays painting session to help me quickly settle in. Just like a pinch hitter I now have only moments to size up a situation. The model gets into pose, I find a zone and start laying down paint.

Years of experience are proving to be essential in this new dynamic. It is a high risk and high reward way of working. I'm still figuring it out but there is an exhilarating rush in the process.