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Deep space in painting must be painted entirely different than flat wall shapes.  Here are some excellent examples of flat plane painting,
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Why do artists close one eye and squint with the other to look at their painting? Why do artists stand back to look at the painting they are working on?  Artists do those two things for different but related reasons. Both techniques help them stop seeing details and start seeing the overall visual effect. Why artists close one eye and squint with the other (See a visual example at the bottom of this post). Closing one eye and squinting reduces the amount of visual information reaching the brain.
When you squint:
Why artists stand back When you're painting, you're often only 12–24 inches from the canvas. At that distance, you're concentrating on tiny brushstrokes and details. Stepping back 6–15 feet lets you judge:
The combination is powerful Many experienced painters repeatedly follow this cycle:
A useful saying Many painting instructors teach: "Work from the general to the specific." Squinting helps you see the general, while standing back helps you judge the whole. Only after those are working well do the specific details make the painting stronger.  Notice as how the blocked-in version above looks more like the blurry version above it. That's a good thing because it captures the overall structure of the subject. Then, after the block-in, the artist can continue moving toward the details. But going for the detail first unnecessarily complicates what the artist is looking at. It's better to block-in first.
How to get over the biggest creative blocks #1 Fear of Failure  The fear that the paintings will be judged as inadequate often leads to procrastination, self-censorship, or abandoning ideas before they develop. Studies show that fear reduces experimentation, which is essential to creativity. Also, there's some ego involved. Others have seen you produce extraordinary masterpieces in the past! But what will they think of the dumb painting you're working on now? So you freeze up. Forget what others think—and what you think. Shed that ego and get messy! #2 Perfectionism  For many painters, perfectionism is their flow zone. They love it and they do well at it. But for others, perfectionism is not their goal, but striving for excellence is. But demanding perfection of yourself is painful and unnecessary. Many artists produce their strongest work only after numerous imperfect attempts. It took Thomas Edison almost one thousand attempts to invent the lightbulb. So, after you've tried and failed at a painting a thousand times, well, if nothing else, we’d be damned impressed! #3 Rigid Thinking  Creativity depends on cognitive flexibility—the ability to see multiple possibilities, question assumptions, and combine unrelated ideas. Rigid thinking traps artists in familiar solutions and inhibits originality. In other words, more play less thinking. As they say, you have to break a few paintings to make an omelette. # 4 Excessive Self-Criticism  Every artist needs an internal editor, but when the critic dominates the creative process, ideas are rejected before they have a chance to mature. The problem with self criticism is that you're thinking about yourself rather than your painting. If you're immersed in your creativity there is no self to think about. There is only creativity. Get your big, fancy self out of the way, and let that magnificent creativity flood through your veins, through your arms, and fingers, and into your painting. #5 Need for External Validation  When an artist becomes overly dependent on praise, sales, awards, or approval, intrinsic motivation diminishes. A little validation is like a pinch of salt flavoring your creative process. But addiction to it will give your creative process high blood pressure, kidney disease, and a potential stroke. For more, search this blog also for Creative Blocks, and Psychology of Art Here is a Cezanne painting as you would may see the actual painting in a museum:  Here is the same same painting as seen online. The one seen online appears to be much better—brighter! Why is that?  Here are the two main reasons 1. Our modern eyes have become accustomed to intense color in our environment. Neon lights, LED billboards, backlit screens, and colorful children's toys. What we see daily didn't exist 100 years ago when great masterpieces were painted. So when someone says paintings by Monet, for example, have wonderful color, you have to understand that statement in context to history. 2. Today, we have colors that are more saturated and brighter than colors they had 100 years ago. For example, we commonly use Phthalo Blue, Quinacridone Red, Phthalo Emerald, and Dioxazine Purple. So, while the Impressionists of the late 19th century were known for their brilliant colors no one had seen before, their colors pale by comparison to the colors we have today. Here is what a famous Monet painting would look like in a museum:  And here is what the same painting looks like online:  Here more reasons Printed reproductions are often enhanced. Publishers frequently increase saturation, contrast, and brightness so paintings look more vivid on a page or screen. They are not calibrated to match the original painting. Museum lighting is intentionally low. Many paintings are displayed under relatively low light levels to protect pigments and varnish from light damage. Dim lighting makes colors appear less vibrant. Aged varnish can yellow. Many older paintings had varnish that has yellowed over decades, muting colors and making the overall painting appear warmer and duller. Conservators sometimes remove old varnish, but not always. Impressionist technique. Monet, for example, often used broken brushstrokes and subtle color relationships rather than highly saturated pigments. Seen live and up close, the colors can seem doll. Reproductions often exaggerate these effects. Here is what a van Gogh painting would look like in a museum:  Here is what the same van Gogh painting looks like online:  So the next time you are disappointed when seeing original paintings in a museum, try to imagine how the paintings were absolutely astonishing in their day. |
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Patrick Howe, Artist, Author and Educator Seattle, WA. Contact: [email protected] |
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