Reducing Glass

Photo: Ewan McClure

I have written previously about about some favorite "friends" in the studio--tools that help me evaluate my paintings in process. The mirror and the camera, in particular, have proven to be trustworthy critics. They both help me see my paintings with fresh eyes.

Photo: Art Apprentice Online

Here is another tool along the same lines: a reducing glass. I have to confess, I have never used one, but the notion seems sound, and I am fascinated by the concept. I would imagine that seeing a painting through a reducing glass would be a lot like seeing an image of it on the small screen of a digital camera. Something about viewing the whole painting reduced in size to just an inch or two wide is quite eye-opening. In fact, many times I have photographed what I thought was a finished painting--but when I looked at the image on my camera screen, some obvious error came screaming out at me. Back to the old drawing board!

Photo: Art Apprentice Online

A reducing glass also allows you to see the painting as if you had stepped back from it. All painters know that you have to step back from your canvas over and over again as you paint, in order to see the painting as a whole. With a reducing glass, you can save yourself a few steps. Or so the theory goes.

I would love to hear from any of you readers who have used a reducing glass. Worth it? Or better to take a pass?