Ah Ha!

Well, after reading more and drawing and painting two more sketches on my "commission"  I realized that:

1. It is helpful to shut down the analytical brain functioning.  I did this by putting on  Gordon Lightfoot ballads which helped keep my "left brain function" busy so I was freer. I have tried classical music and contemplative music, but the effects were not as good.

2. A detailed charcoal sketch was helpful for me to grasp light and dark.  This works in the studio, but I am not sure it is a good move outside, where the light quickly changes (as well as the scene).

3. The sketch, quickly done, is not tight (I would say "uptight") and fussy but full of life.  There were defects, of course, but it was greatly improved.

4.  Practice makes perfect!  I suspect we watch PBS, then wonder why we can' t do what the artists do.  Well, they probably don' t do that either, but have years of visual memory and hours of prep time involved before taping (I can' t imagine going on nationwide TV without some prepartion!).  So people think it is magic, but it is nothing but lots of hard work. I plan to complete an hour's sketch each day, sort of like I practice my guitar.

All this greatly encouraged me yesterday. Nice to be painting again!

Finally Getting an Idea

I have been commissioned by my son and his fiance to do a painting of the tropics.  Ok, so that's no big deal.  But the fact that they asked was enough encouragement for me, and I have been working on the project with considerable care.

The paint will be one of their favorite places, an idyllic albeit generic Carribean beach.  I finally had a small painted sketch of what I wanted to do last week.  Since, I have been playing with different types of pigments and have decided, once again, to venture another underpainting and layer the paint until I have achieved the effect I want.  Part of that is that although the sketch I did was satisfactory, it lacked the luminence of the ocean there.  It is a tall order they have given me.  I have no idea if I will pull it off, but, armed with my new selection of transparent pigments, I am off tonight on another painting adventure.

I have a sign here at my desk which says. "Do one thing every day that scares you."  This scares me.

Hoping "Artist's Block" is over

Well, I am not sure what you call it, but I call it that.  No ideas; brush does the opposite of what I wanted, etc, etc.  This has been going on since I tried my first showing.  Since that showing was less than successful, I'd say that it is a miracle I didn't give up and go back to, say, writing, which is another dicey, block prone art.

But tonight, as I reworked a piece I started several days ago, it seemed to fall into place in a sort of surrealistic way that I am inevidably attracted to. There is something about impressionism and surrealism that I really can't shake.   This picture was made 1000 times (at least) better by the use of dark and light and a disregard for the middle values.  I say disregard, but the painting does have them;    it is almost impossible for them not to show up when the other two are in place.

I am hoping against hope that the use of strong contrast is the answer.  I have been sick of the mud I seemingly always made with paints that was glaringly absent from the charcoal drawings I have been doing. 
There may be other reasons why the charcoal seems  to be almost magical while with paints I am a slow plodder, but the contrast is definately one that is vital to a good picture.