In the last post called Yogurt Holds the Blueberry, I talked about thinking of everything in a composition as an active shape, painting the spaces between things, instead of painting an object floating on nothing.
If we are painting the space between things, we start to see the “background” as an active shape on the page. Instead of an object on a background, it is one shape pushing up against another shape, like two friends sitting shoulder to shoulder. In real life, a house would fall over if it was pressing against still air, but a painting is color on paper. How would you paint still air as it presses into a building, to hold it in place?
In this way, instead of negative space, you can imagine that everything in your painting holds every other thing in place. This doesn’t work automatically, and not all shapes push back equally. They require some attention from the artist to activate each shape and make it work. When activated, a “blank” shape can push into a painted shape, and hold it there. Do you see it?
Take a look at these watercolors by Morandi, and see what you think about the idea we’re calling “yogurt holds the blueberry.”
I’m in Portland, taking a 3-day figure drawing intensive with Fran O’Neill. Saturday was Day 2 of my intensive, and though about mid-day I was cranky, I ended the day on a high. I did not want to stop. I learned a new way of drawing. Isn’t it thrilling that I can draw for so many years, …
You are invited to participate in an exquisite corpse style animal block printing project. Brian Lane of Print Zero Studios is collaborating with artists Peter Foucault and Chris Treggiari for a series of printing events at the Getty Museum in LA this July and August. The project is responding to their current exhibition “Book of Beasts: …
[image_with_animation image_url=”10475″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Lucy Garnett These figure drawings were made in the last couple of sessions of my 5 week Beginning Figure Drawing Class. They are drawn with confidence, style, and sensitivity. Each week we practiced a different style of drawing, and a different way of approaching the figure. One style was …
Bee-Pin by David Dodge Lewis (1997). Vitreograph on paper, edition of 30. Photo courtesy of the Littleton Collection. Vitreography is a printmaking technique that uses a thick glass matrix instead of the traditional matrices of metal, wood or stone. Sound interesting? You can make your first vitreograph next week! VitreographyTuesdays 6-10pmStarts Sept 23REGISTER TODAY!
Morandi’s Watercolors
In the last post called Yogurt Holds the Blueberry, I talked about thinking of everything in a composition as an active shape, painting the spaces between things, instead of painting an object floating on nothing.
If we are painting the space between things, we start to see the “background” as an active shape on the page. Instead of an object on a background, it is one shape pushing up against another shape, like two friends sitting shoulder to shoulder. In real life, a house would fall over if it was pressing against still air, but a painting is color on paper. How would you paint still air as it presses into a building, to hold it in place?
In this way, instead of negative space, you can imagine that everything in your painting holds every other thing in place. This doesn’t work automatically, and not all shapes push back equally. They require some attention from the artist to activate each shape and make it work. When activated, a “blank” shape can push into a painted shape, and hold it there. Do you see it?
Take a look at these watercolors by Morandi, and see what you think about the idea we’re calling “yogurt holds the blueberry.”
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I’m in Portland, taking a 3-day figure drawing intensive with Fran O’Neill. Saturday was Day 2 of my intensive, and though about mid-day I was cranky, I ended the day on a high. I did not want to stop. I learned a new way of drawing. Isn’t it thrilling that I can draw for so many years, …
Make an Animal: Participate in an Exquisite Corpse printmaking project
You are invited to participate in an exquisite corpse style animal block printing project. Brian Lane of Print Zero Studios is collaborating with artists Peter Foucault and Chris Treggiari for a series of printing events at the Getty Museum in LA this July and August. The project is responding to their current exhibition “Book of Beasts: …
33 Figure Drawings
[image_with_animation image_url=”10475″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Lucy Garnett These figure drawings were made in the last couple of sessions of my 5 week Beginning Figure Drawing Class. They are drawn with confidence, style, and sensitivity. Each week we practiced a different style of drawing, and a different way of approaching the figure. One style was …
Vitreograph by David Dodge Lewis
Bee-Pin by David Dodge Lewis (1997). Vitreograph on paper, edition of 30. Photo courtesy of the Littleton Collection. Vitreography is a printmaking technique that uses a thick glass matrix instead of the traditional matrices of metal, wood or stone. Sound interesting? You can make your first vitreograph next week! VitreographyTuesdays 6-10pmStarts Sept 23REGISTER TODAY!