Susan Rothenberg’s dirty brushes and messy palette, from Art 21 episode on Memory
I overheard some League painters talking about dumb shit they do when they paint: simple things that are easy to solve, but cause us extended frustration. I laughed, listening to all the things we share in common. If you’re painting and it’s not going well, here are some fixable things you can check for:
Are all your brushes dirty, but you’re still painting with them anyway?
Some painters never wash a brush. That’s an option to all of us, but people who paint this way often use a lot more paint, squeezing out entire tubes to try to get the color to shift. Rinse your brush for every color change. You’ll use less paint, and you’ll have a much better chance of getting the color you want.
Is your palette a mess?
Painting is messy business. After an hour of painting, your neat little piles of color are probably smeared across every available surface of the palette, with more “oops” colors than intentional mixes taking up valuable real estate. Scrape that unneeded paint to the side and give yourself some room.
Is your palette starving?
Think of your palette as food for your invited dinner guests, and yourself as a welcoming host. At the beginning of the evening, you present your guests with some tasty things to eat. As your guests enjoy the food, do you offer them more victuals, or do you watch as they desperately scrape the dishes attempting to get one more little bite? Feed your palette! Paintings need paint, especially at the end.
Are you standing too close to your work?
Working close up to your painting is fine for details, but the rest of your painting requires a wider view. Let the little things go, and step back from your painting every few minutes to get perspective on the big stuff.
Is your runway blocked?
Taking a step back from your work means walking away from the canvas. Is there a clear path from your easel to a chair? Or are you fighting with an obstacle course to get 10 feet away? Give yourself a clear runway.
Searching for the next move?
Searching is an inherent part of painting, but searching by smearing more paint across the canvas leads to mud. If you don’t know what your painting needs, back up, take a seat. Set the timer for ten minutes if your first impulse is to jump back up again. Don’t put your brush on the painting again until you have a specific use for it.
Avoiding something?
If there is a piece of your composition that you haven’t solved yet, don’t keep refining other areas, hoping that the problems will go away, or that the decisions will make themselves. They won’t. Avoidance leads to stuck, uneven, and overworked paintings.
Can’t see?
Is light glaring on your wet painting? Is the light on your canvas different from the light on your palette? Is your painting backlit from a window? Or maybe the lightbulbs you’re using are changing the colors, so the colors that looked good in the evening look terrible the next day. I think everyone would agree, it’s hard to paint when you’re blind.
Tired?
This is a big one lately. Creativity can be relaxing, but it also takes energy. Sometimes I remind myself that painting is a series of decisions, and decisions are difficult to make when I’m tired. If you’ve had a long day and you want to treat yourself to some creative time, consider doing something that takes less brain power than a full painting but is still enjoyable. You can gesso canvas or paper to paint on later when you have more energy. You can mix new combinations of colors and note which ones you like. You can sketch little studies, doodle, or experiment with new materials. You can sketch a little masterwork study. If you’re tired or stressed, give yourself an out. Do what you can to keep your creative practice active, without the pressure of high performance.
If you do any of these frustrating things above, you’re in very good company. We’re with you! So the next time you’re frustrated with your painting, check the list. It might be easily fixed!
Do you do something that leads to frustration but is easily fixable? Please tell us about it! (We probably do it too.)
[image_with_animation image_url=”6644″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Installation view of work by Raúl de Nieves, in the 2017 Whitney Biennial Raúl de Nieves What does it mean to be an American …
[image_with_animation image_url=”8323″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Photo from apartycrasher.biz/pages/baglady.html Every day I watch students waddle in, and waddle out of class, overloaded with heavy bags full of painting supplies. Brushes, …
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Frustrated? A Simple Checklist for Painters
I overheard some League painters talking about dumb shit they do when they paint: simple things that are easy to solve, but cause us extended frustration. I laughed, listening to all the things we share in common. If you’re painting and it’s not going well, here are some fixable things you can check for:
Are all your brushes dirty, but you’re still painting with them anyway?
Some painters never wash a brush. That’s an option to all of us, but people who paint this way often use a lot more paint, squeezing out entire tubes to try to get the color to shift. Rinse your brush for every color change. You’ll use less paint, and you’ll have a much better chance of getting the color you want.
Is your palette a mess?
Painting is messy business. After an hour of painting, your neat little piles of color are probably smeared across every available surface of the palette, with more “oops” colors than intentional mixes taking up valuable real estate. Scrape that unneeded paint to the side and give yourself some room.
Is your palette starving?
Think of your palette as food for your invited dinner guests, and yourself as a welcoming host. At the beginning of the evening, you present your guests with some tasty things to eat. As your guests enjoy the food, do you offer them more victuals, or do you watch as they desperately scrape the dishes attempting to get one more little bite? Feed your palette! Paintings need paint, especially at the end.
Are you standing too close to your work?
Working close up to your painting is fine for details, but the rest of your painting requires a wider view. Let the little things go, and step back from your painting every few minutes to get perspective on the big stuff.
Is your runway blocked?
Taking a step back from your work means walking away from the canvas. Is there a clear path from your easel to a chair? Or are you fighting with an obstacle course to get 10 feet away? Give yourself a clear runway.
Searching for the next move?
Searching is an inherent part of painting, but searching by smearing more paint across the canvas leads to mud. If you don’t know what your painting needs, back up, take a seat. Set the timer for ten minutes if your first impulse is to jump back up again. Don’t put your brush on the painting again until you have a specific use for it.
Avoiding something?
If there is a piece of your composition that you haven’t solved yet, don’t keep refining other areas, hoping that the problems will go away, or that the decisions will make themselves. They won’t. Avoidance leads to stuck, uneven, and overworked paintings.
Can’t see?
Is light glaring on your wet painting? Is the light on your canvas different from the light on your palette? Is your painting backlit from a window? Or maybe the lightbulbs you’re using are changing the colors, so the colors that looked good in the evening look terrible the next day. I think everyone would agree, it’s hard to paint when you’re blind.
Tired?
This is a big one lately. Creativity can be relaxing, but it also takes energy. Sometimes I remind myself that painting is a series of decisions, and decisions are difficult to make when I’m tired. If you’ve had a long day and you want to treat yourself to some creative time, consider doing something that takes less brain power than a full painting but is still enjoyable. You can gesso canvas or paper to paint on later when you have more energy. You can mix new combinations of colors and note which ones you like. You can sketch little studies, doodle, or experiment with new materials. You can sketch a little masterwork study. If you’re tired or stressed, give yourself an out. Do what you can to keep your creative practice active, without the pressure of high performance.
If you do any of these frustrating things above, you’re in very good company. We’re with you! So the next time you’re frustrated with your painting, check the list. It might be easily fixed!
Do you do something that leads to frustration but is easily fixable? Please tell us about it! (We probably do it too.)
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