Art Blog - What Makes A Painting Work

Robins must be one of the best loved birds. They find their way into our folklore, into our songs, and into our hearts. They also find their way into our art. I'm happy enough with the result that I've given some thought to why it works so well. It think the greatest strength in this little watercolor is the way the bird's bright eye provides an exact focal point for the painting. This is a gift from nature, where close observation shows that the eye is surrounded by a thin white edge. The glossy surface of the eye reflects light to provide a white pinpoint in the center of the black eye. Notice that the white flower in the background is muted and is surrounded by a medium value green so that it does not distract from the focal point… Continue reading… 2 comments

The current popularity of artist cards may be a part of a culture that is seeing smaller as better after a "super-size me" in everything from foods to cars to houses. Or it may simply be a continuing love of things miniature which goes back to ancient times and perhaps to prehistoric times. Think tiny golden Celtic horses, animals scratched on walls, images on pots, even before the invention of paper. Illuminated manuscripts featured gorgeous miniature scenes surrounding those brilliant letters that lead into a reading. Samuel F. B. Morse is famous in this internet age for his invention of the telegraph, the first worldwide near-instantaneous communication. In his own time he was also known as a painter of miniature portraits. Small works clearly have a past and a continuing appeal… Continue reading… 1 comment

Sometimes the grand elements of a particular place are so impressive that they are painted by seemingly every artist that passes through. Meanwhile other potential painting ideas may be ignored. For example, California's Pigeon Point Lighthouse is one of the most attractive and painted of the Pacific Coast lighthouses. At a juried show I attended a few months ago, I saw a painting of Pigeon Point that captured only the rocky point below the lighthouse. It was an attractive and powerful portrayal of waves crashing upon the rugged rocks, and it was an award winner. The artist had looked at the famous locale from a slightly different and fresh viewpoint… Continue reading… 0 comments

A scant few oak leaves had just begun to color. The oaks grew along the edge of a Sierra trail in a place that would have been awkward to set up to paint. I photographed them for later work in the studio, framing the scene with the camera as I intended to paint it. It was horizontal with a great deal of the dusty greens of late summer/early fall and the yellow leave in the lower left hand area, in a text book example of one of the perfect focal point locations. However, I did not like the first painting effort following that plan. There were large amounts of dark areas, with the eye drawn to the bright leaves and staying there. In the next effort I went to a vertical composition, using only one third of the leafy area I had originally painted… Continue reading… 2 comments

It's a good idea to take yourself seriously as an artist but don't slide over into the area of pomposity. Art that moves us deeply is a wondrous creation. The world would be emptier without those art pieces that make us cry, that make us want to shout, or that strike us into silent awe. Yet there is also something to be said for the artwork that simply makes us smile-- or occasionally laugh out loud! Of course, everything that applies to creating a "regular" art is equally important in humorous art. Good composition with a nice flow of the eye through the work, color choices that work, a balance of values that helps us make visual sense of the work, etc… Continue reading… 6 comments