A Cautionary Note
(Without Prejudice)
I often pass on editorials from various outlets to help art students and emerging artists in their search for outlets and methods for their art. This one arrived today and although in the beginning it sounds very good, there is a cautionary note I wish to add in the latter part of the article.
Green is a difficult colour to manage for many artists. It is a colour we see every day, but it can still become a problem when we are faced with using it in a painting. The familiarity in seeing it every day can be a part of the problem.
Some subjects can be a problem in certain tones, for example, dark green tones in seascapes. Added to that is what we perceive in photos that we may use as references. Colours can be flattened out in a photo and depth of the darker tones lost making interpretation more difficult. This makes the decision of which been to use harder as well. How to use photos needs to learnt just like many other skills in art. what do you use, what do you delete, what do you move, what colours do you alter, how do you transfer that image onto the canvas and create an artwork from it?
Today’s workshop was centred around painting the seated position. The main aim is to understand skin tones and how they include many more colours than the usual reds, yellows and white that many of us may initially use.
Of course there are issues of race to consider as well when thinking about the colour of skin. We humans come in a beautiful array of skin tones and colours. From the darkest black I have seen on one stunning lady walking around the city to the very palest I have also personally seen on an albino person years ago. So considering all these differences, we worked on the model in front of us, who was a lovely young lady with peaches and cream complexion.
Before any artist chat I like to get some information about the experience and qualifications of the person I am about to listen to. That little bit of research beforehand can set you up to listen with some understanding of where the person is coming from.
Stephen’s biography was extensive and impressive. He has a BFA from Melbourne University (VCA), a Diploma of Education from the University of Tasmania, and an Honorary Certificate of Achievement from the University of Oslo. He has also held over sixty solo exhibitions, several group exhibitions and is in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria and several other prestigious galleries worldwide.
With a few decades of practical experience as a working artist and teacher it was a pleasure to listen to this entertaining and informative speaker.
Visiting Artist Talk at Chisholm Frankston
Painter Sarah Faulkner gave and interesting talk about her career and her paintings today. Having start at RMIT and Prahran Institute around the 1980s Sarah now has an impressive career of over thirty years.
With a good amount of experience producing paintings and working in the arts, Sarah had a wide range of work to show us as well as stories of travel to such places as Italy, France, Central and South America and India. Always with her it seems, was her sketch book and gauche paints.
Janice Mills 