artist's proof

Casein Fine Art Painting (artist's proof) - cover

Casein Fine Art Painting (artist's proof) - last two pages

It arrived today - Casein Fine Art Painting - 7 steps to express your vision.

As in printing, I'm calling this my artist's proof.  It's something I needed to physically see in order to assess my progress and to continue writing.  I've already learned so much having it in my hands.  The font seems far too large and page numbers would be helpful as would a table of contents.  This was an important step, however - and will now lead the way for others. 

We have an amazing resource in Minneapolis called The Loft.  It's a haven for writers and where I hope to find someone who can do a manuscript critique for me.  I may also take one of their many classes on writing. 

An encouraging day - feeling hopeful.

getting buffed

Glancing View of Buffed (left) and Unbuffed (right) Paintings



Overhead View of Buffed (left) and Unbuffed (right) Paintings

It's been over six weeks now since I finished my first paintings on Claybord panels.  That's long enough for them to be completely cured and ready to buff.  I'm absolutely loving the way the buffing looks!  It takes the place of varnishing and creates a protective finish for casein - how wonderful is that?  I have an old white wool blanket that I'm cutting in pieces to use as buffing cloths.  The white cloths are clean after buffing which tells me six weeks is plenty of time.  Feeling happy here :)

something new

Block Study January 22, 2018; casein tempera on board; 6" x 7.5"

I'm writing a book - about seeing and painting color - using casein paint.  Quite a few people have asked me if I've written any tutorials or lesson plans.  In a sense I have - by posting here.  If you were to pore through this blog I'm sure you could glean a lot of helpful information.  But even so, there are missing links - and it would be cumbersome to say the least.

There's a lot to be said for teaching and writing about what you know.  It can reinforce and solidify your skills, force you to communicate your process in an organized way and provide a great deal of satisfaction knowing you've passed on a tiny bit of the vast amount of art knowledge that's gathered over the centuries. 

I'm excited - and busy - painting a quick block study every day (in addition to my regular painting.)  In so doing, I want to revisit the teaching methods of Charles Hawthorne and Henry Hensche (and later Lois Griffel.) They taught an impressionistic painting method using simple-colored-matte blocks that, in my mind, is unsurpassed.  I learned an incredible amount from Lois Griffel's book and credit her with my basic understanding of color and form.  But there's one problem - these were very oil-paint-specific lessons.  It's a whole other animal with casein.  And since there's a dearth of painting instruction on casein - what better way to learn both how to see and paint like an impressionist AND how to paint with casein?  I'm off!

studio stillness

drawing

first notes

second notes

final painting

Progress images fascinate me and I'm hoping they're of interest to others too.  One of my take aways from looking at the aftermath, is the significance of when and why I find the time to stop to create these images of my painting progress. 

I remember it was hard to stop and scan the drawing stage this time. There was a revision as to where I wanted to place the vase and the drawing seemed 'messier' somehow.  I had to remind myself of how important the drawing stage is and how it's okay to show how I changed my mind.  The stages of the first and second notes presented a logical place to stop and weren't hard to pause after.  And of course, the finished painting makes for a nice reference when viewing these steps.  That stage is always easy to include.

I do wish, however, that I had made scans of what happened between the second notes and the finish.  That's when the true colors come out - and the lovely details emerge that solidify and embellish the story.  I would love to see the roots take shape, the seam on the bag emerge and the diffraction through the water explored.  Maybe that's why artists make videos - so that the camera can record the progress in its entirety.  Something to think about - if only for my own curiousity.

on board

photo of the desk - and a painting in progress

It's time to give Clayboard by Ampersand a try - toned with 6 coats of casein (Venetian Red) - and allowed to cure for 2 weeks.  That's what supports the above painting-in-progress. 

It's going well - albeit slower than the watercolor board.  I hope to finish it tomorrow - but there's no rush.  It's most important to give this support idea a chance.  It would be, by far, the best support for my casein paintings.  The watercolor board is easier to paint on - I'll admit.  But there's a host of other considerations that go beyond painting - like framing, shipping, varnishing, storing and exhibiting.  It's time to look at the big picture - and buckle down and learn how to make these new supports my own. 

With a cure time of 2 weeks - the pace here will slow down a bit before it picks up again.  Even so - I'm on board.

abstract thinking

In Progress - a photo of the beginnings of a new painting - and my desk

We've got things mixed up.  So-called abstract art is more literal than so-called realism.  Taken further, realism is more abstract than what we've been calling abstract art.  Confusing?  Let's take a look at the definition of abstraction: expressing a quality apart from an object.

If you consider that a painting is merely bits of pigment arranged on a rectangular surface - held in place by some kind of binder - then so-called-abstract art is the real deal.  When you look at it, you are inevitably drawn to the stuff of paint - its very essence.  Paint and painting become one very raw, real and passionate thing.

If you consider the same definition of a painting - abstraction begins when one attempts to arrange the pigment in such a way to sway the viewer into thinking beyond the bits of pigment bound on a substrate.  The so-called realistic painter works with great care to place those microscopic pieces of color in very particular places.  She's working with a purpose in mind - to take the viewer's thoughts as far as possible from the paint and to fix them on a memory, a vision, a feeling - ideally all three. 

Transcending the physical - going from tiny grains of pigment to an experience - hopefully a profound one - is the essence of abstraction. 

In the end, it's best to love them both - whatever they're labeled.  The stuff we can seemingly touch with our hands - and the stuff that touches our hearts.

run around

last night's painting progress

First it was Staples - no they do not have a pliers that fits my embosser.  Then it was Bed, Bath and Beyond - they're the place to go for Soda Stream CO2 refills .  Michaels was a few doors down - so glad to finally buy more background colors for my mantel set-ups. Next, Office Depot - maybe they'll have the pliers that fits my embosser.  Nope.  Then on to Target for frozen organic blueberries and cinnamon - some things you just can't live without.  Lastly, the wine sale at Lund's & Byerly's - not to be missed.

Apparently, you don't need the pliers to emboss foil rounds - a shop vise will do quite nicely.  You also don't need to order a bulk amount of brochures for a single event - your printer will do a fine job when paired with Adobe's Photoshop Elements.  You can quickly print up a few up-to-date business cards and resumes too.

So after running all around yesterday morning, fussing over pr stuff in the afternoon and enjoying my dinner while watching Stranger Things, it was time to paint - such bliss!

gaining perspective

Present Moment; casein tempera on board; 10" x 8"

It helps to step back from a situation to gain perspective.  Sometimes we're too emotionally involved or invested to make the best decisions.  Removing ourselves for even a short time can do wonders for our ability to problem solve. 

When I painted the box with a bow on top I was almost nose-to-nose with the model.  I was also sitting which is not the best way to paint.  It's optimal to stand so you can step back now and then and keep moving.  And as far as being too emotionally involved - that would be my love affair with the bow.  Being so caught up in its beauty, I fear I neglected to give the proper attention to the box.

So I stepped back - asked for advice - and played with scissors.  String, pins, tape, a pencil, ruler and cardboard came in to play too.  With a print out of my painting, I was able to establish vanishing points that helped the box feel more at home.

photo of perspective play

It turns out playing with perspective can be as fascinating as painting the infinite color spectrum of a white bow sitting on a red box.  A present moment sustained.

seeing purple

in process photo of The Straw

There's a reason why bits of surprising color shows through in my paintings.  When I'm first searching for the forms and the relationships between them, I use color - and not necessarily the color that I see in real life.  The first colors I chose either represent my interest in that part of the painting or are helping me to organize the painting spatially.  Certain colors suggest distance while others seem to jump forward.  Reds are apt to attract a lot of attention while subdued grays provide a resting place for the eyes. 

The Straw was a challenge because the subject of the painting, the straw, needed to appear in front of the Post-it Note.  To calm the yellow, I added a fair amount of white and also used a less-saturated yellow ochre.  There are other ways of pushing the note back - and if you look, I think you can see those too.

zero waste

process images of creating one painting on top of another

There's always a stainless steel straw in my purse - as well as a spoon-fork-knife-combination-thing.  That is to say lately these tools are always on hand.  2017 was my year to discover zero waste and I've been slowly working on minimizing my contribution to landfills.  At this writing I have two items on a Buy Nothing Facebook group.  These groups are specific to neighborhoods and allow people in your community to offer up items they no longer need.  No money is exchanged and all transactions are done in a friendly-folksy manner.  Everyone wins - except maybe the waste management companies.

Tomorrow, I'll post the finished painting from the process you see above.  But I thought you all might enjoy seeing some of the steps I take when creating a painting.  This is the first time I've painted over another painting and I thought it would be difficult to mentally block the first painting out.  But it turned out not to bother me at all.  Once I get in the zone, I'm focused entirely on the still life set-up I see before me.  All that matters is depicting it as faithfully and honestly as I can and all else melts away.

further progress

Little casein paintings of a Granny Smith apple on a turquoise chair - 4.75" x 3" each

You can see this at an earlier stage here.

in progress

 

Work in Progress: 4 little paintings done simultaneously - of a green apple on a little turquoise chair

early abstractions

early stage of Greens and an Eggplant

No more paper towels.  I've begun to rip up pieces of flannel to use as I work in an effort to paint more sustainably.  Casein fits that bill nicely too - a water medium with milk-protein as its binder.

orchid on high

Orchid on High; casein on board; 8" x 10"; 2017

As long as this potted orchid is putting out its display, I will keep finding ways to make new paintings with it.  Yesterday the ladder came out and I carefully placed the pot and bowl atop a half wall between my entryway and dining room. 

Another Demo

oil on unstretched canvas, 16 x 12 inches

This is a teaching demo I did yesterday - a study of a head using photo reference and six colors to create likeness and form.

an assortment

teaching demos from the previous year, various sizes, oil on unstretched canvas or panel, 2006-07

The demo on the lower left was done yesterday - a study in white. That one and the fish were done inside - the remainder, outside.