A FORUM OF DISCUSSION, CRITIQUE AND SHARING WITH CANADIAN ARTIST BRIAN SIMONS. THE ARTIST'S WORK CAN BE SEEN AT HIS OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.briansimons.com
Julie I can sence the hustle bustle energy of the painting what you've tried to convey. Reds ,greys, set each other off and brings a certain sweetness to the painitng.a lot of work here as usual.
Ohh wow, this one is a lot of fun! I really love this one. It just feels really happy. There's a picture-book quality to it for me that I think is delightful. Great work on the shapes.
One thing to possibly consider--maybe finding a few place here and there to brighten your brights.
Hi Elliot, As usual you are spot on. What I often do is compare my phote with the painting at a thumb nailsize. I did this after I posted, and I saw that I could key up a few areas. I too have noticed a illistration quaulity when I try to paint something more complex, strange. Thanks. Julie PS Thanks too Asma
Julie, this is a lot of fun and a lively feel to it. I like the reflections on the car roofs and the bus and how all the cars lead the eye into the painting. As far as "narration" goes, I can see here you had "cars" on the brain, that is you painted cars rather than just recording the patterns of colors and value and allowing the cars to show up by themselves. If one could stop 'seeing' cars and buses and just focus on shape, values, pattern, design the piece would seem far less narration and be more about the paint. The cars are secondary and the paint qualities should be primary. Having said all this, I still like this painting with its whimsical, fun and childlike qualities. Quite a departure for you Julie! Brian
Thanks Brian. I found this really complicated, so when doing the value study I had to section the canvas off into 12 parts. (it's not even that big) Even then I would get lost. I found at the value stage I was thinking shapes- value. But I guess as I laid down colour, cars must have steeped in. I don't know if you remember my children on swings, this painting reminds me of that.I'm not sure I like the narration/childlike quality. I also found I was ok working the foreground, and also the background, but I had trouble with how much detail I should put mid way. To me it still looks under developed. The drag is I am attracted to man made objects, so I better get this figured out, or I will end up limiting myself because of my capabilities....or rather lack of. GGRRRRR!!!
Hi Julie, I don't usually comment on the blog, (except for when Elliot comments under my name by mistake!) but I really felt drawn to this one. Maybe it's the double decker bus and being from England it reminds me of the mother land. I'm guessing it was taken in London? It really feels just like London, bustling, heaving and congested! Great job.
Julie, I know you'd rather be a painter than a narrator and this issue is common to most of us who paint. To get around this , we have to stop seeing things, whether man made or natural and see ONLY shape, color, form, line, texture, and value. Everything, no matter if its a portrait, traffic scene, landscape, still life, whatever, can all be reduced to these simple visual tools. If one sees only value, color, shape etc., and sticks soley to seeing and recording those in paint, then the 'likeness' of the portrait and the realism of the landscape or cityscape shows up magically in a much better way than we could have done. The hard part is to really 'trust' that it will. Its a tough one to get your head around, but it is sooo much fun and the surprise element when the subject shows up is truly exhilarating and uplifting! As you know, 'squinting' is a remarkable tool for helping us to simplify and reduce things to a manageable level. Not wanting to belabour the point, I think when we look at a 'painterly' painting, the subject is secondary, what really excites us is the qualities of the paint, the application of brushstrokes, and the symphony of color and brushwork throughout. It's all about the paint, NOT the subject!!! Thanks for giving us the opportunity to look at this issue, which I'm sure everyone faces to some degree. Brian
Thank you Julie for a painting that we can all learn something from. Although I like your painting just as is, Brian's comments are life changing for a painter. I had the same problem with Guitar Man, I just couldn't loosen up enough to see him as shapes and values. I'm thinking of doing it again with Brian's comments in mind.
Julie I can sence the hustle bustle
ReplyDeleteenergy of the painting what you've tried to convey. Reds ,greys, set each other off and brings a certain sweetness to the painitng.a lot of work here as usual.
Ohh wow, this one is a lot of fun! I really love this one. It just feels really happy. There's a picture-book quality to it for me that I think is delightful. Great work on the shapes.
ReplyDeleteOne thing to possibly consider--maybe finding a few place here and there to brighten your brights.
Hi Elliot, As usual you are spot on. What I often do is compare my phote with the painting at a thumb nailsize. I did this after I posted, and I saw that I could key up a few areas. I too have noticed a illistration quaulity when I try to paint something more complex, strange. Thanks. Julie PS
ReplyDeleteThanks too Asma
Julie, this is a lot of fun and a lively feel to it. I like the reflections on the car roofs and the bus and how all the cars lead the eye into the painting. As far as "narration" goes, I can see here you had "cars" on the brain, that is you painted cars rather than just recording the patterns of colors and value and allowing the cars to show up by themselves. If one could stop 'seeing' cars and buses and just focus on shape, values, pattern, design the piece would seem far less narration and be more about the paint. The cars are secondary and the paint qualities should be primary.
ReplyDeleteHaving said all this, I still like this painting with its whimsical, fun and childlike qualities. Quite a departure for you Julie! Brian
Thanks Brian. I found this really complicated, so when doing the value study I had to section the canvas off into 12 parts. (it's not even that big) Even then I would get lost. I found at the value stage I was thinking shapes- value. But I guess as I laid down colour, cars must have steeped in. I don't know if you remember my children on swings, this painting reminds me of that.I'm not sure I like the narration/childlike quality. I also found I was ok working the foreground, and also the background, but I had trouble with how much detail I should put mid way. To me it still looks under developed. The drag is I am attracted to man made objects, so I better get this figured out, or I will end up limiting myself because of my capabilities....or rather lack of. GGRRRRR!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Julie, I don't usually comment on the blog, (except for when Elliot comments under my name by mistake!) but I really felt drawn to this one. Maybe it's the double decker bus and being from England it reminds me of the mother land. I'm guessing it was taken in London? It really feels just like London, bustling, heaving and congested! Great job.
ReplyDeleteJulie, I know you'd rather be a painter than a narrator and this issue is common to most of us who paint. To get around this , we have to stop seeing things, whether man made or natural and see ONLY shape, color, form, line, texture, and value. Everything, no matter if its a portrait, traffic scene, landscape, still life, whatever, can all be reduced to these simple visual tools. If one sees only value, color, shape etc., and sticks soley to seeing and recording those in paint, then the 'likeness' of the portrait and the realism of the landscape or cityscape shows up magically in a much better way than we could have done. The hard part is to really 'trust' that it will. Its a tough one to get your head around, but it is sooo much fun and the surprise element when the subject shows up is truly exhilarating and uplifting! As you know, 'squinting' is a remarkable tool for helping us to simplify and reduce things to a manageable level. Not wanting to belabour the point, I think when we look at a 'painterly' painting, the subject is secondary, what really excites us is the qualities of the paint, the application of brushstrokes, and the symphony of color and brushwork throughout. It's all about the paint, NOT the subject!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving us the opportunity to look at this issue, which I'm sure everyone faces to some degree. Brian
Thank you Julie for a painting that we can all learn something from. Although I like your painting just as is, Brian's comments are life changing for a painter. I had the same problem with Guitar Man, I just couldn't loosen up enough to see him as shapes and values. I'm thinking of doing it again with Brian's comments in mind.
ReplyDeleteGreat painting Julie Mai! A change for you.
ReplyDeleteI was going to comment on your Lay Me Down painting, but then I thought maybe your husband might be good friends with Don Corleone.