Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2017 i Artists Magazine

ART AND COMMERCE are supposed to be at odds, but even purists acknowledge that the tradition of patronage—worldly popes, vainglorious kings and forward-thinking collectors—has allowed artists the freedom to dream dreams and take risks. Lacking a patron, painters today often teach workshops and court commissions. Historically, critics and commentators have neglected that latter aspect of a career—an imbalance we correct in “Stories Without Words,” page 32, on the portraits of Sharon Sprung. A commission, in Sprung’s hands, transcends the contract, becoming less of a commodity and more of a gift. Painting or drawing a portrait, in essence, is a matter of seeing, and Juliette Aristides explains the differences between the two principal ways of assessing form in Ask the Experts, page 22; Stephen Cefalo delineates the bones of the feet…

“If you see beauty everywhere in everything your soul is set free.” Nikolai Serov in Local Color 1. A CLEAN SLATE: Whenever I begin a new painting, I clean shop. Sweeping away traces of my last oeuvre by cleaning my palette, brushes, tools and workspace is tantamount to the promise of a fresh start. T.S. Elliot said, “ ... to make an end is to make a beginning.” 2. CAPTURING THE SOUL OF A VISION: I especially enjoy taking simple objects and giving them human qualities, creating a story line that people can respond to emotionally, visually, intellectually and/or spiritually. Sometimes a concept springs to life—such serendipity is a blessing. More often, though, themes and compositions need to be coaxed into fruition. That’s when I look to my…

Q What is the sight-size method of drawing? A Simply put, the sight-size method is the practice of painting or drawing at the same scale your eye sees your subject; when you look at your subject and drawing, they should be identical in size. Often artists practice the sight-size method by placing their surface directly next to the subject and drawing the subject life size—although sight-size drawings need not be life size. If the artist positions the easel between him- or herself and the subject, the depiction of the subject will be correspondingly smaller on the drawing or painting surface. Famous artists throughout history, including such virtuosos as the Scottish painter Henry Raeburn and the American painter John Singer Sargent, used the sight-size method. Let’s examine a typical sight-size configuration—that…

1. OPEN GRISAILLE: I had the honor of painting Jack in Studio Six of The Art Students League of New York. This was the room of Kenneth Hayes Miller, a portrait/figure artist who taught at the League from 1911 to 1951. I set forth a process of reacting to Jack’s pose by selecting a watery combination of dark/ light oil colors and articulating marks that one could call “place holders.” Because I must work from something, I need some form of design presence to materialize on the linen so that it may be refined. This method of beginning, which I call “open grisaille,” minimizes tonality meant for stating darks; the canvas tone functions as the de facto light. 2. CLOSED GRISAILLE: With the addition of a lighter value, I find…

AS ONE OF MY GREAT TEACHERS SAID, “the hardest thing about drawing figures is to make them look as if they’re actually standing.” The key, first of all, is to get the distribution of weight correct by paying very close attention to the angles and distances, as well as carefully observing the alignment of the feet in relation to the center of the body. The next hurdle is actually drawing feet that look structurally sound and functional. Legs of iron can’t stand on feet of clay. Feet are the foundation of our figures but, as they can be such a nuisance to draw, it’s tempting to throw something wedge-shaped below the ankles as a stand-in just so we can move on to the rest of the figure; however, with just…

THE ARTIST’S MAGAZINE: DESCRIBE WHAT YOU DO. DAVID KNIGHT: My title is Director of Exhibitions and Collections at the School of the Arts at Northern Kentucky University. I’m responsible for setting the yearly exhibition schedule and maintaining the university art collection. On average we have 12 – 15 exhibitions yearly. They include national and regional artists and student- and faculty-based exhibitions. DESCRIBE ART STUDENTS TODAY. HOW DO THEY FEEL ABOUT THEIR PROSPECTS AFTER GRADUATION? I would say the really dedicated students have a good idea what they want to pursue after graduation. Those students, most of the time, have a plan; they’re aware of the steps that are needed to get there. Students pursue graduate school to become better artists or to teach. Many go into the work force. AS…

Linear movement, achieved through edges, texture and the juxtaposition of shapes and color has several functions in my work, as seen in Cargo Ship, W. Sac (lower left): It directs the eye through sections of a painting, such as the right and left sides of Cargo Ship, W. Sac. By simplifying the image—reducing the clutter—(detail A), the lines allow me to strengthen the composition. Lines also help me to redefine form, shape and movement, such as with the reflections in the water in detail B. To convey how I feel about or interpret the subject, I can choose to create expressive lines, such as the vertical impasto ridges in the details, or lines that are more careful and orderly. The overall effect of linear movement is to create more interest.…

IT SEEMS AS IF WE’VE ENTERED AN ERA where fine art employment is hard to come by. Advertising agencies used to hire freelance artists in droves and print illustration provided artists with a reliable income. We may have counted movie posters among the fallen, but two new documentaries, Original Copy and 24x36, profile the art form and its possible big-time resurgence, starting with small, ingenious companies like Mondo (see posters for The Graduate, Frozen and Drive, above), employing artists to create original and beautiful screen-printed posters for classic and contemporary films, TV shows and comics. The documentary Original Copy profiles a Mumbai artist, “the last screenpainter,” who paints huge scenes on banners to advertise B-list movies playing in a local theater, the “Alfred Talkies,” only to cover them up…

SELF-PORTRAITURE IS A CENTURIES-OLD THEME for artists; snapping a digital “selfie” is a favorite pastime of the younger generation. While the selfie is all about superficial appearance, a self-portrait is useful to an artist for many other reasons. The subject of a self-portrait is always available to you so, at any time, you can practice drawing and painting the head with endless variations of poses and lighting. You can play with distortion, expression and interpretation without worrying about the sensibilities of the model. Some artists are interested in expressing a political viewpoint (Robert Arneson); others are focused on self-revelation (Frida Kahlo); others want to work out new ideas and techniques using a familiar image (Chuck Close). Every artist should create at least one self-portrait. Approaching the traditional self-portrait with inspiration…

“I CAN STILL VIVIDLY RECALL the 15-minute lull while sitting in a lobby of an old-fashioned apartment building in Washington, D.C., that redirected the course of my life,” says Virginia artist, Dan Thompson. “I was a senior in high school, and my operatic vocal coach, Jon Lackey, had kindly arranged a visit to a friend of his who was a successful portrait painter. Jon knew that I liked to draw and paint, and he wanted me to have the chance to hear his friend’s comments about my work.” While waiting in that lobby, Lackey asked Thompson for a glimpse of his portfolio and waded through his pupil’s drawings and painted canvases. “I had been studying bel canto with Mr. Lackey for about two years,” says Thompson. “My talent at first…

SINCE LEGION PAPER’S INCEPTION IN 1994, the company has been on the lookout to provide artists with the finest papers available. Having consulted artists as to their needs, the company collaborates with some of the most renowned paper mills in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and Asia. With its motto, “We Are Paper,” Legion considers itself the bridge between paper mills and the creative artist. At this time, Legion Paper offers more than 3,000 different kinds of paper whose origins are in 16 different countries. Going a step further, Legion says that if it doesn’t have the kind of paper you need or if it can’t find it for you, the company will make it for you. Adding to an already impressive inventory of papers, Stonehenge Aqua is…

COMPETITION SPOTLIGHT ARTISTS ARE CHOSEN FROM OUR ANNUAL COMPETITION FINALISTS. MY FATHER TAUGHT ME HOW TO DRAW at a young age, and I had a wonderful art teacher in high school. After years in the corporate world, I started taking night classes at Kendall College of Art and Design, in Michigan. This led me to opening my own studio and gallery space. The colors and crazy pattern in this fabric gave me the idea for Anemone in Blue, II. After taking photos outside in strong sunlight at different angles, I started the design with a detailed drawing on Arches 300-lb cold-pressed watercolor paper. I then masked out the flowers and leaves so I could put in a wash of warm transparent gray for the white tablecloth and vase’s shadow. I…