Tune into AMO Art Chat on Thursday, May 17th at 7:00 PM Eastern, 5:00 PM Mountain and 4:00 PM Pacific for a most exciting and special
announcement.   We don’t want to give too much away, but this is what it looks like around here after hearing the good news:

Ok–didn’t Charles Schultz just capture and convey the euphoric state of Happiness so well!!??  We are just so excited and can’t wait to share the news with you on Thursday May 17th!!     Need some hints?

Well, be a bit of a detective here—Our show’s special guest is Allison
Malafronte,  Senior editor of American Artist magazines/Creative Manager of Weekend With the Masters Workshop & Conference.  Does that you give you a hint?  Could it have something to do with WWM?  Well maybe–maybe not.   The show title is “We’ve Come a Long Way, Baby!”   hmmm…maybe another hint!

Mark your calendars and tune in to be the first to know the big news!  Here’s a link to the show page…

We’ve Come A Long Way, Baby AMO Art Chat Show Page

Also a quick reminder that the Painting Challenge deadline is May 12th…You know, we’re in such a great mood, we’ll extend it to Monday! We’ve got some celebrating to do.  So, get that painting pulled together and enter it by May 14th!  

If you want to register to enter, drop us a note on the Contact Us area
(in the left column) and we’ll be happy to help you register. 

To go to the Painting Challenge website, click here

Patt Belisle and Bonita Taulbee,

Winners of the painting drawing!

To have a chance to win, sign up for my newsletter–over on the right hand column at the top.

Thank you to all who signed up and wish you luck from the next drawing!  When is that?  Sign up for the newsletter to find out!

Congratulations Patt and Bonita!

A good thing about having some of my paintings out from under my feet (displayed elsewhere) is that you don’t have a chance to see them everyday.  The bad thing about having my paintings out in the world is that I don’t see them everyday!

Let me explain.  Since I have decided to dedicate my work in the next few weeks on my New Zealand series of paintings, I went to my gallery and pulled my work out of the gallery so that I could work on a cohesive theme.  Having all the paintings displayed in my studio will hopefully keep me on point.  I’m under a bit of a deadline, but that is good.  It will force me to get to work.  The bad news was I thought I was further along with most of these paintings than I am.  When I looked at this work, that was in the gallery, it became clear to me that while these paintings may have been good back “then”, my painting has grown and changed in that last year.  This isn’t surprising to me.   Studying with Kevin Macpherson in the Pro*D*J program has certainly made me stretch and grow.  Along with my friendship with other Pro*D*Js and artists has also made me focus on stretching and painting with more confidence.

One of these paintings was the subject of today’s painting session.  I remember vividly loving “A Road In the Shire” when I first “finished” it.  When I pulled this one out today my first reactions was…”OMG!!!  Purple and blue shadows!  You have got to be kidding me!”   Now there may be purple and blue shadows out there…where there are purple and blue objects in shadow, but all shadows are not purple and blue!!  Especially shadows of rock walls and dirt paths.  Can you say  “Amateur”!  Nothing says that more then when you don’t think and look for the answers.    Here’s the “before” painting–before I rolled up my sleeves and thought about what should be going on in this painting.

                                            “A Road in the Shire”  Before  16 x 20 oil on canvas

Now, this painting isn’t a total waste and thinking back to what was going on in my painting life at this time, these are really nice graphic shapes.  But not a finished painting in any right and certainly not something I would want to put out there today.

So, getting to work, I started mixing paint and putting myself back in Queenstown, New Zealand.  This little path was the road back to the wine tasting room at the Chard Farm Winery.  (Those that know me, know I never forget a road to the wine tasting room of any winery!)   It did, however, remind me of a scene in the Lord of the Rings, when Frodo jumps onto Gandalf’s wagon in the shire.  I could picture Frodo sitting against the pine tree on the left and Gandalf’s wagon rocking along the path to Bilbo’s hole.  So the scene spoke to me…being the LOTR fan I am.

After a good thinking session and mixing up colors, a new “A Road in the Shire” is emerging.  While I’m not ready to sign this yet, it is 98% there.  Here’s the new work in progress.

                                             “A Road in the Shire”  after  16 x 20 Oil on Canvas

There’s a whole thing about cast shadows that I understand better and have to say I really like where this is going now.  Compare the two paintings here and hopefully you can see the progress I’m made on my artistic journey.   One thing I have learned is that not to call this finished until I spent some days away from it and then look at it with fresh eyes.  So, that is what I will do…revisit the road in the shire when I feel that tug to remember that day of painting at the Chard Farm Winery in the wonderfully beautiful land of Middle Earth.

By Linda Fisler

Artist & Co-Founder

Artist Mentors Online

(published: January 2011)

As the Pro*D*J program gets started this month, Kevin asked me to write an article on how much my art has improved over the last year and how mentoring has impacted me and my work.   Well, he actually has been after me to do this for some time.  So, as a good “Padawan Learner” I shall do as my mentor asks–this month.

While the concept of self-taught artist is easily used today to describe someone who did not go to college to learn how to paint, self taught really doesn’t describe me.  After all, I didn’t sit in a room by myself and just picked up a brush and begin painting.  Art was not my major.   As a matter of fact, my first experience with drawing or painting came in my grade school years.  One distinct memory is of my brother’s hysterical laughter at a tree I drew in fourth grade.  And since my older brother was such an influence in my life (I wanted to play football because he did), I decided that drawing, painting or any other kind of creative activity that didn’t include catching a ball or being a tomboy wasn’t for me.  It unfortunately didn’t mean that he stopped laughing at me anytime soon either.

I went through most of my life with the only creative force in my life being my pen and paper.  I wrote continuously.  I even submitted a script to Star Trek, The Next Generation.  The highlight of that experience was that Gene Roddenberry (creator of the series) signed for the script.  Although it wasn’t accepted, it was read and I received a nice rejection letter inviting me to write more scripts.  The one I had submitted wasn’t in line with the story line they had for Worf.  Ahh, the first of many rejections by the creative world!

It wasn’t until my 30’s that I discovered oil painting. Some
acknowledgment has to be given to my two cousins. They had done some form of painting or drawing that made me wonder if I had any talent in this area. So I tucked my bad memory of my brother’s laughter away and tried, dare I say it, a Bob Ross class taught by one of his many schooled instructors.  It was an eight hour class and at the end of the day they promised you would have a painting to frame.  Well, little did they know I was going to be there!   While the others took their two inch wide brush and painted happy mountains and friendly little trees with their fan brushes, I was still trying to correct what I saw as really awful mountains and gloppy looking pine trees.   The whole time, I was being chided by the instructor to “Not go back into that area—it’s wet and done!”   We won’t go into what happened every time I asked why we were doing a particular thing one way.  By the end of the day I had a painting.  It had opened me up to finding out more about this painting process.  I wanted to learn more.  I didn’t want to just do it one way because Bob did.  So, thank you Bob Ross for creating the interest in me.

After that eight hour session, I decided there had to be artists around my area that gave lessons and would help me understand this world of art that was laid at my feet.  I found a local arts center and a very patient instructor who was wonderful at teaching the basics.  If it wasn’t for Larry Doud, I would not have really started this journey I am on.  After about seven years of teaching me, Larry passed and it was a sad day in my journey—a sad year actually.  Larry did a fine job getting me started and patiently answering the why questions.  But there was no one to fill his shoes for a number of years. There was no one to challenge me as much as I challenged them with my constant questioning. With no mentor to push me, my art regressed instead of progressing, but even worse, I actually thought I was getting better.

The start that I made at the arts center had me reproducing photographs mainly.  I saw something I liked and painted it from photographs or magazines. There was no understanding of values, color mixing, temperature, and shapes. Naturally some copying of the Masters was done, mainly to explore that world and technique, but I was still reproducing photographs onto canvas.  There was no discipline, no understanding of nature and no reason to go any deeper until I decided that I was much happier in life painting than working in Corporate America.  Looking back I was pretty naïve to leave with such little training.  Thank goodness for the business skills I had developed and honed in my corporate life.

Kevin became my mentor through a series of business dealings we had.  And I want to publicly thank him for his patience as we worked through many bad habits developed in the years of having no mentor, no instructor, and no guidance.  Kevin was now the one asking questions that I had no answer for except to say, “Because it is that way in the photograph.”   The frustration level always increased when I heard back from Kevin, “But is it that way in nature?”   You see, a mentor isn’t someone who accepts you and your work unconditionally.  A mentor is someone who provides the good with the bad to help you grow.

With each question and each step in the learning process new doors opened, new findings about what skills I need to work on discovered, and a whole new respect not only for the mentor but also the journey we all are traveling.   I have paintings from the early days hanging around my house.  Mainly because I’m too lazy to switch them out, but also to remind myself of the growth I’ve had over the last few years.

The saying is “A picture is worth a thousand words.”, and so here is my journey in pictures.

This was my first painting, a still life, under Larry Doud’s mentoring.  While painted under Larry’s close instruction, this was basically Larry’s test to determine if a student has the goods (as he put it).  For this to be my second painting ever, it wasn’t bad.

“My Second Painting”  December 1997

Next up is a study I did at my first plein air workshop with Kevin. The painting next to it, I did upon return in my studio using the study and photo reference.  This was four years ago.

I keep some representative paintings from each year so that I can
actually see my progress.  The color notes in them are somewhat useful, but with all the learning and growing I have done, I even now question what I was seeing back then.

I attended a workshop with Joe Anna Arnett and Kevin Macpherson in St. Andrews by the Sea in New Brunswick, Canada.  Here are two paintings that I did in the studio upon return from that workshop.  This was three years ago.

“Little Blue Shack”  Sept 2009                                         “In Port”  Dec 2009

Both of these paintings have sold and are in the hands of my collectors!

Over the last two year, Kevin spent a large amount of time helping me to understand a number of concepts, to really see and turn to nature for the answers.  Sometimes it was very frustrating, not just for me, but for Kevin as well.  To say this journey is as easy as pie would be an outright lie.  Getting to where my art is today has been a lot of hard work, been humbling at times, and so very worth it.   Without Kevin’s inspiration, coaxing, pushing, and teaching, my art would not have gotten to a place where I am today. I’m still treasuring my first and hopefully not my last “simply breathtaking!” remark from complete strangers and collectors alike.  Here are some recent paintings:

“Ava’s Sandcastle”  Feb 2010                                   “Butterfly Girl”  July 2010

This was a commissioned piece.

“Shady Lane”  July 2010              “The Sheep Farm”  Dec 2010

                                                  (and part of my  New Zealand Series)

Queenstown Gardens, 2012                        Roses in North Light, 2012

I hope that you enjoyed seeing my journey to this point.  I also hope
that this does show what having a mentor can do for you.  Mentor is
defined as a wise and trusted counselor or teacher and also as an
influential sponsor or supporter.

If it weren’t for this experience that Kevin and I have shared, I dare say that our AMO adventure would not have been launched.  Kevin has a wonderful talent for teaching and inspiring.  A gift he is sharing with all of us and I’m truly thankful that he is and extremely proud to call him my mentor.

Thank you, Kevin, for all you have done for me and with me.  You are the best, my friend!!

Here’s your chance to win

one of these two paintings!

         “When I grow up…”                                                   “Ole Red Truck” 

      8×10 Oil on Canvasboard                                    8×10 Oil on Canvasboard

All you have to do is sign up for my newsletter and you’ll be eligible to win one of these beauties.

Look to the right of the paintings-top right column.  All you have to do is type your name and provide your email address and hit submit!  That’s it! 

I would never sell your contact information and I promise not to spam you with tons of newsletters.

When you fill in the information under “Sign Up for the Newsletter” in the top right column, don’t forget to hit the SIGN ME UP NOW! button or you will not be entered!

Thanks and wishing you the best of luck! 

All the pros will tell you the start of the painting is the most important part. If you don’t have it right from the beginning, it won’t get any easier painting it as you go along.   Someday, I’ll have in my head all the things to make the perfect start (doubt that really–but it was nice to type that hope anyway), but until I do I take solace in the fact that no one is perfect–even the pros.  I do take comfort in the fact that I’ve seen my two mentors wipe their starts off and start again. I also have marveled how they can start so many without doing that too.  We’re all human…even the pros.

So I started this painting of a friend’s horse, Zuma.  The first drawing I did, I should have stepped back and maybe I would have noticed the biggest no-no of a painting composition.  I was too busy admiring the beautifully drawn face of Zuma.  I kept justifying that I could make that face sing and the background will make up for the evenly divided canvas, right?  Yeah–that’s right–I kept telling myself.  Even though I knew deep in my heart that it wouldn’t.  I conferred with one of my mentors.  Nope…it won’t.  And by the way–you can’t crop the horses neck like that.  Works fine in a photo–not in the painting I was told.  So after two hours of arguing with myself, I went to my studio and wiped the slate clean.   “A real artist, a true artist is never afraid and defeats the hesitation to start again.”  My mentor told me–and added that they were proud of me for having the courage to start again.

I told myself that I drew Zuma’s face once, so I should be able to do it again.  And so, I tackled the fear of drawing Zuma again and actually found it a bit easier because of the time I spent on the other drawing.   And I actually liked the composition better.  Here’s today’s drawing result.

Having conquered the drawing of Zuma, I started to apply the color to what I think is going to be  a really nice painting.  This is the work in progress.  I have a couple things to adjust and paint in the clover.

All in all, a good day in the studio.  Zuma, is coming along beautifully and I’m not fighting the placement or drawing thanks to the time I put in up front on this one.  I love when that happens–even if it really hurts to wipe it off and start it again!!

Thank you for making our first premiere of the AMO Art Chat a success!  If you missed the broadcast, you can listen to it here, by selecting the play arrow in the Blog Talk Radio box below.   Special thanks to our hosts of the show for all their work in getting the quotes and the prep work for the show.  It was fun to share what we learned and we hope you enjoyed listening! (We provided a little summary below along with the quotes. Keep reading)

What Makes a Great Painting?  

AMO Art Chat  March 22, 2012 Show

Our biggest learning from this show is that we have to strive for the “IT” factor in every painting.  Just as when we look at Past Masters or even Master paintings of today, there is an “It” factor that takes a painting from being very good to exceptional or great.  It transcends us to that time and place and goes beyond that.  It shows us the artist’s passion.  It invokes and engages our emotions. Underlying this, it is technically correct.  There are no weak areas that draw or pull our attention away from the star.  The star of the painting shines, intrigues and pulls us ever into the painting as the supporting actors all work to keep our attention on the entire play or piece of artwork.    A great painting captures the beauty in the subject before us for whatever historical purpose.  Its message needs to be focused and clear.  The artist must be the person who prepares their thoughts, message and technical mastery throughout their lives so that these great, expressive works of art happen naturally.  When the artist achieves this nirvana, this zone, where all this follows from them, the creation is born and works to transport the viewer back to that time and place.   While this is no easy feat, it is the essence of what keeps us coming back.  Just as elusive as a hole in one to a golfer, it is the goal that keeps us practicing, painting and on our art journey of learning and growth.

Here are the quotes from our wonderful guest artists and experts.  Print this blog out and post these statement in your studio. Put them in your paintbox.  Hold them close to your heart and in your memory.  Their inspiration can help to keep us focused and questioning.

Jean Stern

Director of the Irvine Museum, Art Historian of 19th Century Impressionism.

“As far as what makes a great painting, to me, a painting that is full of beauty makes a great painting.  I think beauty is overlooked these days, in favor of meaning and strength.  To me, it is all about beauty.  I believe that nature is full of beauty, so if you make a painting as true to nature as possible, it will be full of beauty and thus, “great.”

That said, my priorities are light (and thus color) drawing, perspective, and drama, in that order.  Drama is a fuzzy concept, as most people think of drama as narrative, and illustration comes to mind as drama that is introduced to convey a narrative.  I think there is ample drama in nature and the artist has repeated opportunity to find that and paint it as part of nature.

I believe that an artist should interpret the scene and paint how the scene is experienced by them.  The goal is not to capture the actual colors of an object in nature, but to capture the effect that the whole of the view has on the artist.  As such, a great painting is also a record of how the artist experienced the scene.”

Joe Anna Arnett

Master Artist  Co-Founder Artful Partners  (http://www.joeannaarnett.com/)

“I want to feel the artist’s passion.  Craftsmanship for it’s own sake is hollow. We can make lists of various things that a successful painting should contain, but even that sets some limits.  If we say that a strong light and dark scheme is the thing, then we neglect some of the delicate tonal statements.  We can point to values and color harmony and variations in composition, but this list can be subjective.   I want to experience the feeling.”

Stephen Doherty-Editor/Co-founder of Plein Air Magazine (http://www.outdoorpainter.com), Organizer Plein Air Convention

“1. Technical Mastery. Those who are experts at their craft, whether that is painting, cooking, skiing, or knitting have a better chance of achieving greatness than those who have deficiencies in the relevant skills. In painting, those skills include drawing, composition, color mixing, etc. If one strives to achieve greatness, then it is important to spend time developing and improving those skills. 

2. Exceptional Paintings. There are a number of things that can make  paintings exceptional. One is being unlike anything else, another is being significantly better than the average, and another is showing evidence of an extraordinary level of ambition. For example, the Sistine Chapel frescoes by Michelangelo are great because there was nothing quite like them before, they are better than all the other frescoes in that room and throughout most of the rest of the Vatican, and they were created on an unprecedented scale for a ceiling fresco. 

3. Influence. Some paintings are considered great because they had a profound influence on the work of artists who followed. For example, the dramatic, raking light in Caravaggio’s paintings had such a dominating influence on the work of artists who followed that they defined the Baroque style of the 16th Century. It’s possible for an artist to achieve a level of greatness through the influence of their teaching, writing, and exhibiting even if they don’t have financial or critical success.  For example, William Merritt Chase is considered is considered a great painter and yet he was never financially successful. He made his living as a teacher and less so as a professional artist. “

Allison Malafronte

Managing Editor American Artist, Artist Daily, Organizer Weekend With the Master (http://www.artistdaily.com/)

“I think the first characteristic of a great painting is the artist’s connection to the subject matter and motivation for what he or she is capturing. When artists have a genuine interest in and understanding of the person, place, concept, or emotion they are after, it translates to a powerful visual experience for the viewer. After that, I think technical proficiency is important to convey the subject/message/ emotion convincingly and skillfully. This includes ability and confidence in the areas of seeing/deciphering, the principles of art—composition, shapes, values, color, edges, etc.—and general paint handling, as well as an overall sense of narrative and storytelling in the work. And last, and probably most important, is the expression of a personal, unique style that shows the artist’s mind, heart, and soul and exactly where they are at a particular moment in their lives. When motivation, execution, and expression are all working at high levels, I think that is when a great painting naturally occurs.

Motivation: purpose for painting; connection to the subject; an intentional concept, message, or emotion that the artist is passionate about capturing.

Execution: technical proficiency; ability and confidence in the various principles of art so that the message comes through skillfully and convincingly.

Expression: the heart and soul of the painter; where we see the artist’s hand and feel what he or she was feeling. That “it” factor of the work that takes you to the time and place of the artist who created it becoming lost in the moment, emotion, or subject conveyed.”

Jamie Markle

Publisher F&W Media, The Artist’s Magazine, North Light Books to name a few.  (http://www.artistsnetwork.com/)

“A painting is exceptional when all the parts work together, AND it inspires the viewer to a higher level of emotion. Technically, the piece must work, with all the pieces contributing to the whole, so that the visual experience presents the artist’s concept, perspective or opinion in the manner the artist intended. Emotionally, the painting creates a connection to the viewer, often calling the viewer back to view the painting again. Whether a representational painting, an abstraction or non-objective piece, both parts are essential for success: technique must yield the emotional response.”

This  is written by Richard Schmid is his book Alla Prima  (which you can order by clicking here)

“If you wish to make certain your painting will succeed, a minimum of 3 things must come from you – and only you. The first thing is knowing why you want to paint your subject, the second is an analytical grasp of what you see, and the third is the skill to control the process of painting. These 3 ideas underlie everything.”

Kenn Backhaus

Master Artist, Passport & Palette, En Plein Aire Masters, (http://kennbackhaus.com/index.html)

We thank all our guest contributors to this show and hope that you find this information useful as we all strive to achieve that “IT” factor.  And next time, you are staring at a painting and hear yourself saying, “This painting has IT.” , take an extra long time to define in your mind just what made you say that it has IT.  Make that mental note so you can bring IT to your work.

But When Will I Know When It’s Done?
 

Ahh–the ever elusive question of when is the painting done.  There are many answers to that question.  I have a few favorites like: When my mentor says its done.  When I say it’s done (because I’m tired of looking at it or it’s just hopeless to get everything right). When it feels right.  (yeah–that is a real help!).  When you finish it on the day you started it (if you can paint a painting in one session). Or a good “Gibb slap” to the back of the head is always good–hopefully from someone you know and respect. Having Mark Harmon do it would even be better!  (What can I say, he’s always been a favorite of mine–but I would wash my hair as usual–none of this “I won’t was my hair for a week because Mark touched it stuff!

So just how do you know when a painting is done?  The best way I know to answer that is to say when you feel that it is.  And the best way I’m discovering to determine a painting is done is to work it to what you think it’s completion is and walk away.  You have it to the point that you are satisfied with it.  Walk away from.  Don’t look at it for a day or two.  Come back, and see what pulls your eye or really bothers you by screaming out it is just really wrong. 

I’ve been doing this over the last couple days with my latest painting.  Here’s the painting when I “finished” it in one session.  At the end of that session I was getting tired.  I was coming out of the zone so to speak.  I knew it wasn’t done at this point, so I decided to put it aside for a few days.  Well, a few days didn’t occur but a couple hours did….

…and here’s why.   The light under the bridge is probably what drew my attention to photo reference to begin with.  But in all honesty, if I look at the light in my painting, this screams WRONG! and AMATEUR! to have that under part of the bridge that light.     For the sun to light that underside of the bridge this way, it would have to basically be setting below the bridge at such a severe angle that the rest of the lights in my painting would be wrong.  Now–this is where photographs lie.  What I like and probably what the camera was reading falsely was reflected light from the other side of the pond on the other side of the bridge that isn’t in the painting.  That underside of the bridge, has to be in shadow.   The next area I didn’t like was the “Feed me Seymour”  shrubery in the front.  (Like how I got a Monty Python reference coupled with Little Shop of Horrors in this blog! ‘-) Maybe if I gave it just a few more drops of blood it could devour the whole pond and bridge.  And just what is my painting about anyway–Feed Me Seymour or the bridge.  I thought back to my first experience of walking into Queenstown Gardens.  I revisited the emotion and scene in my mind.  It’s about the bridge…it has to be.

 As you can see by the painting above, painted that very night of when I thought it was “done”, I went back to my studio and scrapped.  I scrapped down the Seymour plant.  I scrapped the underside of the bridge.  I repainted it in a dark value and the result was so much better.  It is about the bridge.   I walked away that night at the point where I could go to sleep and not hear paint drying in my dreams.  But it still wasn’t finished.  I was at the point of revisiting in a couple days.   That day was today.

Compare this photograph with the one above it.  The spikey, unattractive leaf shapes on the Seymour plant were annoying to me.  So as I walked by it today, I connected the shapes and now I feel it is more attractive and isn’t calling attention to itself.  Over the next few days, I’ll continue to do this.  What pulls my eye when I first looked at it after not seeing it for a day or two?  Small adjustments, taking my time to decide if it really needs to be fixed.   There may be one or two little touches left to fix before I call this done. 

The advantage of doing this is it will stop you from over painting the painting.  If I continued to play with this the day following the major adjustment I made, I probably would have overworked the painting.   By giving yourself some time between fixes and viewing, you allow your mind to stop working on it.  You allow your mind to say—hmm that just pulled my attention there–Do I want the attention there?  Yes–no fix…No–then ask yourself why it pulled your eye and what needs to happen to make it more attractive or less intrusive or less of the supporting actor trying to grab the spotlight.

Small amounts of time during the last stages of the painting process, giving yourself some time to look at the painting with fresh eyes is one way to gain the confidence to say: “Ok…this painting is finished.”