Revolution in a Tube

"Blue & Yellow"

6 x 8
(c) Lesley Powell 2013

Ah, the humble paint tube. We take metal (and now plastic) screw-top tubes for granted nowadays. They appear everywhere, holding everything from toothpaste to ointments. But they were a breakthrough in their time, and revolutionized the course of painting. Renoir is quoted as having said "Without colors in tubes, there would be no Cezanne, no Monet, no Pissaro, and no Impressionism".

Why was the paint tube revolutionary? Two reasons: (1) it let you re-seal paint to keep it fresh, and (2) it let you take the paint outside the studio and work en plein air. For today, I am going to focus on #1.

Re-sealing the paint was a huge development, because oil paints start to dry out and harden as soon as they are exposed to air. Once exposed to air, paint will only stay useable for a day or two at most. Before the mid-1800's, artists stored their paint in pigs' bladders to

Falling Up

I recently heard an interesting story about a rock climber. Even though this rock climber was an award-winning champion, he noticed that other climbers were improving faster than he was. He sought the advice of a coach. The coach watched him climb, and immediately saw the problem. Diagnosis: "Your problem is that you are trying to avoid falling. You can never get better if you are tying not to fall." 

"High Flyer"
Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20
(c) Kim Barrick

There is definitely a life lesson here, and one that applies to painting (as well as to any other endeavor, I suppose). I was reminded of this lesson when I saw the title of a painting workshop being offered at Warehouse 521. The instructor is Kim Barrick, and the title of the workshop is "Fearless Painting". Kim writes, "Taking risks is essential to developing your unique artistic voice." Agreed--but it sure is easier said than done!

I have been thinking about this concept as I prepare to attend a painting workshop this summer. I always try to take advantage of workshop situations to spread my wings and try new approaches. This kind of experimentation is best done in a workshop setting, where there is an instructor as a "safety net" to catch you when you fall. Notice that I said WHEN, not IF, you fall. Trying new things makes falling inevitable. But it's the only way to learn and expand your reach.

You can't say I didn't try...

The downside of experimenting during a workshop is that you will fall in full view of other people--people whose respect you would like to gain. So we must try especially hard not to let fear or embarrassment stop us. I think I will print the coach's words on my sketchbook for this summer: "You can never get better if you are trying not to fall."  Courage!!

Whites

"Clouds and Coastlines"
Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20
(c) Lesley Powell 2017

I have been working on a a series of paintings that vary by subject, but are united by color. Whether the subject is laundry in a basket, clouds in a sky, or flowers in a pot, the color theme is the same: WHITE.

"Full Basket"
Oil on Linen, 19 x 19
(c) Lesley Powell, 2017

The nuances of color within what we call "white" are endless! The variations in white paint straight out of the tube are quite wide as well. The whitest, most opaque white is Titanium White. It reflects over 97% of all available light. Titanium White is made from titanium dioxide. You may know this stuff because it is found in most sunscreens, due to its