21st Century Reducing Glass

 

Photo: Ewan McClure

I have written previously about the reducing glass (pictured above).  It is the opposite of a magnifying glass--it can be held up to a painting to reduce a large area to a small view.  The idea is that is helps you see the work as a whole, in one glance, rather than getting caught up in details.  The reducing glass has been an artist's tool for decades (maybe centuries?).

Photo: Art Apprentice Online

Now along comes the smart phone, complete with digital camera.  There are a lot of apps that painters can use on their phones, from value finders to composition grids and more.  Personally, I don't use any of those.  But I do use the camera on my iPhone as a modern day reducing glass.  One quick click, and a 30 x 40 inch painting appears on the phone as a 2 inch image.  Quite amazing, really.  Check out how it works with the two images below.

It is astonishing what you can learn when your painting is reduced to a thumbnail size like this.  You can quickly see the major masses or shapes, and the overall pattern of lights and darks.  Those are the things that make or break a painting!  Yet so often we get caught up in drawing a tree or a fence that we lose track of the big picture.  Camera (aka "reducing glass") to the rescue! (There is a life lesson here.  Something about seeing the forest for the trees...).

And I might add:  how many times have I thought a painting was completed, but when I photographed it for my website, and looked at the image on a little digital screen, I saw a glaring problem?  Countless times!  Then it's always back to the easel.  I think we should all add the smart phone camera to our list of favorite studio tools...

New Life for Old Things

 

I thought that my fellow painters, and non-painters as well, might enjoy seeing how I have repurposed some everyday items to serve a studio function.  Finding new use for things is fun for me.  I guess that's why I am a pack rat.  I tend to ask myself "What can I do with this?", rather than "Can I live without this?"  

A prime example is the standard file folder rack from any office supply store.  It is perfect for holding wet paintings while they dry.  I have several of these, and I also use them for organizing completed paintings from a series.  One rack might be marked "Pears", and another "Apples".  (Another personal fixation is for labeling...).

An easy hack: using garden gloves in the studio.  Peggi Kroll Roberts tipped me off to the Atlas brand, and I find that that they are far superior to disposable latex gloves.  For one thing, you can easily take them on and off (unlike latex gloves, which become sweaty and uncooperative).  For another thing, they last a long time and are more earth-friendly than disposables.

Last winter after my paper white bulbs died, I kept the vase and pebbles they had grown in.  It turns out to be a perfect spot to park wet brushes after I have washed them--they can go bristles down, so the water doesn't run into the ferrule, and the pebbles keep the bristles from resting in any runoff water.  Perfect solution!

Last but not least, there is the little rubber sculpting tool that I was introduced to by Tracy Everly.  Who knew that a simple little thing could be so helpful?!  It's intended for potters and clay artists, but I use it to move paint around, when I don't want the super sharp line of a palette knife.  I like its flexibility and size.  Sort of like an extension of your fingers.

The sculpting tool used to be red.  Now it is the ubiquitous gray that results from accumulating layers of dried paint.  I guess this post goes to prove the old adage that my husband often reminds me of:  "If it CAN get paint on it, it WILL get paint on it."  So true!

The Right Brush

A friend visited my studio recently, and when she saw my work area, she asked "Why do you need so many brushes??".  Why indeed.  That's like asking a woman why she needs so many shoes.

To pursue the shoe analogy: you have some shoes for evening, some for day, some for country walks, some for city sidewalks.  In painting, you have some brushes for fine line work, some brushes for heavy impasto application, some brushes for smoothing.  I paint in many sized formats, ranging from those you can hold in your hand, to those you can hang over your mantel.  Different sizes of brushes are needed to work on such different sizes of substrates.  On a large canvas, you want to be able to cover the territory energetically and efficiently, which requires some large brushes.

Brushes also come in different types, based on the shape of the bristles.  "Flats" make nice, hard-edged shapes.  "Filberts" make rounded shapes.  And so forth.  A good painting involves a variety of lines and brushstrokes.  It's hard to create that variety without different kinds of brushes. It helps to have all weapons ready for battle!

And finally there's the issue of wear and tear.  Brushes don't last forever, so it's helpful to have backups at hand.  Certain types of very small brushes are particularly short lived.  Check out the photo above, showing the short life cycle of a "0" sized brush.  It doesn't take long to go from a few short hairs down to just a nub.  The more you paint, the faster they wear down.  It's a peril of the painter's life!

Can't Live Without, Part II

By popular demand:  Things I Can't Live Without, Part II.  The scoop in this post will have studio tips for fellow painters, and a peek behind the scenes of a working studio, for you non-painters. Actually, I'm only talking about one item this time: Gaffer Tape.

"Gaffer" is a strange name, no? A "gaffer" is the head electrician on a movie or TV set. Gaffer tape gets its name because it is the preferred tape for use on the film sets. Wikipedia calls it "a heavy cotton-cloth pressure sensitive tape, with strong adhesive and tensile properties".  Strong is an understatement.  If two things are capable of being held together, gaffer tape will hold them. 

I love gaffer tape for so many reasons.  I've used it to hold an umbrella in place when plein air painting. I've used it to repair equipment that breaks during a painting trip. 

I also use gaffer tape to finish paintings for presentation. I often  paint on loose pieces of linen. Later, when they are dry, I mount them on panels. Unlike most people, I don't cut off the overhanging edges of the linen after mounting, because that leaves the raw edge of the panel showing. Instead, I wrap the linen around the panel. Wrapping can leave the back of the panel looking messy, like this:

But I use my trusty gaffer tape to finish the back side of the panel. I paint the raw panel with gray gesso. It ends up with a clean, professional look. Check it out below:

Gaffer tape is also great for covering the white edges of stretched canvas, when the painting is going to be put in a floater frame. Darkening the edges insures that no bits of raw white canvas will be visible when the painting is framed. Many times I just paint the edges of the canvas black with an acrylic paint or gesso. But oil primed linen won't accept those materials. So presto: gaffer tape to the rescue!~

I'm sure I'm overlooking other uses of gaffer tape. But you can see why I love it! Stay tuned for more "Can't Life Without" to come...

Can't Live Without...

If you're interested in the nitty gritty stuff that goes on behind the scenes in the studio, this post is for you! I'm writing about three somewhat oddball things that I can't live without.

#1:  100% cotton rags. Why, might you ask, are paper towels not good enough? Well, they are OK for many things,  but not all. When I am toning a canvas and wiping it firmly to spread the color evenly, paper towels fall apart and leave little crumbs of paper all over the canvas. Sometimes even the cotton rags end up with holes in them--but at least they don't leave debris on the canvas. I have friends (who shall remain nameless) who supply me with old T shirts whenever they clean out their closets. Can't thank them enough!

#2: Plastic Squeeze Bottles. My very first painting instructor suggested putting one's medium in a plastic squeeze bottle, instead of pouring it into a metal cup. Dipping your brush back into the same cup of medium throughout a painting session is a sure way to end up with dirty medium. With a squeeze bottle, you squeeze out medium as it is needed, and the rest stays nice and clean in the bottle. Ingenious.

#3: White Artist's Tape. I use this to tape off my canvas in the dimensions of the painting I am working on.  It helps me define my rectangle, and lets me work in any dimension I choose. And there are few joys greater than pulling the tape off when the painting is finished, and seeing the "reveal", with clean, crisp edges. Check it out below:

An added plus: at the end of a painting trip when I strip all the tape off my plein air paintings, the used tape takes on the form of a modern sculpture.  See the last image, and judge for yourself!  If you'd like a future installment of more "Things I Can't Live Without", send me a comment and let me know. (You can comment directly on this blog, or reach me through my website at lesleypowellart.com).  Thanks!

Strong Values

Photo from Jennifer McChristian

Painting is all about making value judgments. And I don't mean the type that concern good and evil!  In painting, "value" describes the relative lightness or darkness of things. Good values are the strongest determinant of the success of a painting--more so than even color. 

If you're not familiar with the concept of value, start by thinking of a black and white photo. The darkest areas are a low value, and the lightest areas are a high value.  Every color has a value, in addition to a hue. The image just above shows a value scale, marked to show values numbered from 1 to 4--a handy tool for the painter.

Demonstraton value study by Jennifer McChristian

It's important for painters to learn to see the world in just a few values. Seeing in just three of four values helps you organize the canvas into a pleasing array of shapes. In fact, some painters always do a value study before they begin a painting. It's a way of problem-solving, before you delve into the canvas. Jennifer McChristian does sensitive and beautiful value studies. She often uses markers in varying shades of gray (see top image). She also uses gouache, such as the value study immediately below. 

Value Study, (c) Jennifer McChristian

Taking a tip from McChristian, I took Copic markers with me to Paris one year. I didn't have time to execute complete paintings, but I did a number of value studies. My favorites became the basis of larger paintings back home in the studio. You can see one example below. The first image is the value study, followed by the finished painting. I tried to stay faithful to the values when laying down the color. As they say, "Color gets all the glory, but value does all the work."  So true!

Value Study, (c) Lesley Powell

"Across Pont des Invalides"
14 x 14, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2017
(SOLD)

Tool Time

I'm not sure who said it, but it's definitely true:  "You think with the tool that's in your hand." Lately I've been challenging myself to think in terms of bigger shapes, and to mix larger pools of paint on my palette. It helps me achieve these goals if I have a BIG implement in my hand to apply the paint to the canvas.

In the top photo, I'm using a very large taping knife that I bought at the hardware store. I think it's actually designed to smooth joints when hanging drywall, but who's counting?! I have several similar tools from the hardware store, in varying sizes. Carlos San Millán first introduced me to these tools for painting. He is a master with them. They can create a nice, sharp edge, if you load them with paint and just touch the edge to the canvas. Or they can produce a broad swath of paint, if you drag them across the canvas. 

At the opposite end of the spectrum, I have a series of small "drawing" brushes. Some of these have only a few hairs left! They are ideal for directional lines, or for going back into bigger passages of paint to make corrections or definitions. 

And then there are a few specialty brushes. Just above is one of those. I think it's meant for watercolors, but I use it to smooth out backgrounds or skies, when my brushstrokes have become too choppy and detract from the painting. A very light few swipes with this brush can smooth the choppiness, without destroying the shape of the strokes.

Maggie Siner's Toolbox

Of course, there are dozens of brushes that fall between these extremes, and in fact those in-betweens are the core players in my painting practices. But it's always good to vary your tools. Using different tools results in varied types of paint strokes, which make for a more exciting painting. As they say, if you're only using one or two brushes for your painting, you will put the viewers to sleep. Variety is the spice of life--it definitely increases the enjoyment of looking!

Remains of the Day

My palette at the end of the day

One of my grandmother's favorite sayings was "Waste not, want not". And since I was raised by parents who grew up during the depression, the discipline of thrift was definitely part of my upbringing! As a result, I hate to let any of my painting supplies (most of which are very expensive) go to waste.

I learned years ago from Kevin Macpherson that he scrapes up all the remnants of paint from his palette at the end of the day, and makes a big puddle of "mud". This "mud" is a usually a mid- to dark- toned neutral (an example of mine appears above). It is perfect for blending with other colors! Neutrals like this add a richness and depth to colors from the tube, and help reduce their value and lessen their intensity. These are good things to do, because much of a landscape painting is composed of midtones that are not brilliant in intensity. You can see some examples in the color wheel below. It shows what happens when a midtone gray is added to a pure yellow, orange, red, violet, blue or green.

Photo courtesy Gamblin Oil Colors

If you are so inclined, you can purchase ready-made tubes of various mid-tone grays, such as one of the Portland Grays, manufactured by Gamblin. But I find that the puddles of mud scraped up from my palette stand me in pretty good stead as neutrals. I even save mine by storing them in empty tubes that you can buy in art supply stores. 

Another benefit of saving the "remains of the day" is that it encourages me to squeeze out plenty of paint at the beginning of the session. Many painters (including me) have a tendency to scrimp on paint, which definitely have a negative impact on the painting process. Since I know that none of my paint will go to waste, I feel free to squeeze out liberal portions. So here's to thriftiness and a low waste process!

It's Black and White

Arthur Wesley Dow

I have recently been thinking a lot about notans, and trying to use them more in my painting process. What, you might ask, is a notan?  "Notan" is a Japanese word that means, roughly, "light-dark balance". I think of a notan as a black and white image of the subject. I am coming to believe that the notan is an invaluable tool in making good compositions, and therefore good paintings.

Left: James McNeill Whistler, "Symphony in White No. 2,
The Little White Girl", oil on canvas, 1864

A painting involves many elements. But at its heart, it's the arrangement of dark and light shapes that makes or breaks the painting. A painting that is broken up into a bunch of random areas of dark and light appears "dot-y" and busy. It's

Value Judgments

Photo from Jennifer McChristian

Painting is all about making value judgments. And I don't mean the sort that concern good and evil!  In the world of art, "value" describes the relative lightness or darkness of things. Many fine artists believe that value is far more important than color in the success of a painting. I remember quite well what Peggi Kroll Roberts said to us in a workshop, "Color gets all the glory, but value does all the work." So true.

If you're not familiar with the concept of value, you can start by thinking of a black and white

Necessity is the Mother....

My Setup in the Luxembourg Gardens

We all know the saying that "Necessity is the mother of invention." I have always loved this saying. It's a testament to human imagination and to the things we can concoct when there's a pressing need. Do you remember Apollo 13? After the spaceship was crippled by an explosion, the NASA crew and astronauts figured out how to use a mish-mash of random  materials to hook up a carbon dioxide removal system. Amazing!

I would not dare compare my efforts to those of the astronauts. But I recently did some improvising of my own, which allowed me to paint on a trip to Paris. I had promised my husband that this trip would be VACATION--no painting! But after ten days of withdrawal

Behind the Scenes

Lesley in Provence

Lots of you are curious about the steps involved in painting abroad and getting those paintings back home to the States. Especially when one paints larger paintings, or lots of them: How do you get them all safely home, and ready to hang?

When I embark, I take my blank canvas (mostly Belgian linen) rolled up in a sturdy mailing tube. Having long rolls of canvas allows me to select any size for any particular subject. That provides much more flexibility than painting on pre-cut panels! I also take a piece of plywood, as large as will fit in my suitcase, to tape the canvas on, thus providing a sturdy support for painting.

Canvas clipped to board...

Usually I quit painting a few days before returning home, so the paintings have time to dry. Then I roll the finished paintings back up--painted surface facing outward--and put them

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

Night Light

(c) Maggie Siner, 2016

Lately my thoughts have been turning to my upcoming painting trip to France. Even though I don't depart for over a month, there are a lot of preparations involved, so it's not too early to start planning. I don't want to travel halfway around the world, and then realize that I forgot to pack something that would have made my work easier!

Week #1 of my trip will be spent in a workshop under the fantastic instruction of Maggie Siner. We will be painting the landscape in Provence. Summer days are long in Provence,

The King of Soaps

Happy Bastille Day! I thought it would be timely to write about a French product this holiday. If you haven't discovered the wonders of Savon de Marseille, you are in for a real treat! It is an amazing soap, touted for a wide range of uses. Need  a moisturing skin treatment? Check! Or a high-powered stain remover? Check, Check! Personally, I have found that a nice block of Savon de Marseille is the very best thing ever for

Shedding Some Light on the Subject

"White Roses, Glass Bowl"
13 x 15, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2016
SOLD

Faithful readers know that I have recently been painting roses. I typically do a great deal of still life painting in the winter, when it is too cold to paint outdoors on location. But the roses were an entirely new challenge. And every type of rose presented its own difficulties. White roses have color shifts so subtle that you need heightened "seeing skills" and ruthless paint mixing to get them right. Yellow roses---well, let's just say that dark yellows have always been one of the hardest colors for me to see and mix correctly. And don't even get me started on the pinks!

"Yellow Roses"
12 x 16, Oil on Board
(c) Lesley Powell 2016
Available

Adding to the challenge was the fact that the light seemed to change dramatically over the course of a painting session. I am used to shifting light when painting outdoors, but it is