Of the 33 paintings on the "Let's be serious" part of my website, www.artatdragonhill.com, 22 of them include fruit! Fruit is one of most still life artist's favorite subjects. It's easy to see that I fit into this catagory! I'm in good company--Cezanne used apples in his paintings many times. I've read that he'd keep his still life model set-up until the apples were rotten!
Actually, more apples are used for still life paintings than any other fruit. There are about 10,000 varieties grown around the world. (My current favorite is the Fuji, for eating that is!) Apples are growing somewhere in the U.S. at all times. They outlast most other fruits in the still life arrangement and they come in lots of colors, sizes and shapes which makes the apple appealing to the artist.
Also, from the artists point-of-view, apples teach us a lot about form. They have five nodes on their base, giving rise to many more planes coming up the sides. More planes angle in toward the stem, for a total of approximately 12 planes that need to be addressed when painting. But really, all that this mumbojumbo means is that the apple has form, that it is round!
So that's my apple discussion. And now I think I'll go eat an apple!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Hi All!
I had a framing client in my studio the other day and she was looking at some of my paintings. She told me that I was very talented. I thought, "If she only knew how many paintings I throw out, paint-over, how many just don't measure up to my own current standards.
This interaction got me to thinking about talent. Following are a few quotes on that subject:
“I am doubtful of any talent, so whatever I choose to be, will be accomplished only by long study and work” – Jackson Pollock
"Talent is so loaded a word, so full to the brim with meanings, that an artist might be wise to forget about it altogether and just keep on working.” –- Eric Maisel
"Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found.” -- James Russell Lowell
“Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck -- but, most of all, endurance.” James Baldwin
If you search for quotations regarding talent, you find that lots of smart and quotable people don't believe so much in talents, but more in hard work. That takes a lot of pressure off of me! If I have only talent to depend on, I'm really up the creek. One the other hand working hard on skill and painting because I just love, love, love doing it, gives me hope for continued improvement in art and in all that I do! When I paint, I'm just trying to do what I can't already do.
What are you "talents," or should I say what is it that you put your heart and soul into?
Talk to you soon. D.
I had a framing client in my studio the other day and she was looking at some of my paintings. She told me that I was very talented. I thought, "If she only knew how many paintings I throw out, paint-over, how many just don't measure up to my own current standards.
This interaction got me to thinking about talent. Following are a few quotes on that subject:
“I am doubtful of any talent, so whatever I choose to be, will be accomplished only by long study and work” – Jackson Pollock
"Talent is so loaded a word, so full to the brim with meanings, that an artist might be wise to forget about it altogether and just keep on working.” –- Eric Maisel
"Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found.” -- James Russell Lowell
“Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck -- but, most of all, endurance.” James Baldwin
If you search for quotations regarding talent, you find that lots of smart and quotable people don't believe so much in talents, but more in hard work. That takes a lot of pressure off of me! If I have only talent to depend on, I'm really up the creek. One the other hand working hard on skill and painting because I just love, love, love doing it, gives me hope for continued improvement in art and in all that I do! When I paint, I'm just trying to do what I can't already do.
What are you "talents," or should I say what is it that you put your heart and soul into?
Talk to you soon. D.
Friday, January 16, 2009
WHITE PITCHER
You may notice, if you've view ed my website, http://www.artatdragonhill.com/, that there are several still life paintings in which I've used a white pot as a subject. It's actually a small white metal and enamal coffee pot. It was probably manufactured early in the 1900's.
Several years ago I was antiquing in the small New Jersey town of Mullica Hill when I spotted this pot. I picked it up and held it for a moment and put it down because I thought that it was too expensive. I finished looking around the shop and was about to leave. You probably know the next part of the story. I had to go back to get that pot! It cost $40.00, which I still thought was too much!
At home, I really couldn't find that perfect place to put it. It was in the kitchen for a while and then in the tv room. There were plenty of times when I wondered why I bought it! Then I took it to my studio, and that was that!! I've painted this object more than any other. I enjoy painting white objects. There is an infinite number of ways to paint a white object, using not only white, but greys, blues, reds, yellows, etc., etc., and using brush stroke and shadow.
So here tells the story of the white pot that I had to have.! I've painted it at least 12 times. You will see only the best of them. (The rest are hidden away until I'm so famous, are historians will think that only the bad ones are pretty good!) Not surprisingly, I'm presently working on the lastest version, this time blown-up to a very large proportion, canvas size about 20 x 30. Time will tell if it makes it to the website or to this blog!
Several years ago I was antiquing in the small New Jersey town of Mullica Hill when I spotted this pot. I picked it up and held it for a moment and put it down because I thought that it was too expensive. I finished looking around the shop and was about to leave. You probably know the next part of the story. I had to go back to get that pot! It cost $40.00, which I still thought was too much!
At home, I really couldn't find that perfect place to put it. It was in the kitchen for a while and then in the tv room. There were plenty of times when I wondered why I bought it! Then I took it to my studio, and that was that!! I've painted this object more than any other. I enjoy painting white objects. There is an infinite number of ways to paint a white object, using not only white, but greys, blues, reds, yellows, etc., etc., and using brush stroke and shadow.
So here tells the story of the white pot that I had to have.! I've painted it at least 12 times. You will see only the best of them. (The rest are hidden away until I'm so famous, are historians will think that only the bad ones are pretty good!) Not surprisingly, I'm presently working on the lastest version, this time blown-up to a very large proportion, canvas size about 20 x 30. Time will tell if it makes it to the website or to this blog!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
My First Blog
Well, here goes. For those of you who don't know me yet, visit my website www.artatdragonhillart.com. I've recently added new paintings.
I've begun painting in a little different style and on much smaller canvases, as small as 4" x 4". The painting displayed here, Glass Bowl with Orange and Lemon, is 12" x 12." The paint is applied in a thicker manner, while my other paintings use a glazed application of the paint. I'm really enjoying doing these new paintings.
And as long as I'm telling you about enjoying painting, I want to tell you about what I privately call "my silly paintings." In actuality, they really aren't silly at all. These paintings are whimsical, colorful and fun! They have an abstract element to them, the division of the canvas into sections, yet don't really "read" as abstract. They each have a fun theme, the one displayed here being the finger holding a string of hearts.
When I begin another of these paintings, I'll post a photographic record of the process, start to finish. In the meantime, look for more from me soon.
I've begun painting in a little different style and on much smaller canvases, as small as 4" x 4". The painting displayed here, Glass Bowl with Orange and Lemon, is 12" x 12." The paint is applied in a thicker manner, while my other paintings use a glazed application of the paint. I'm really enjoying doing these new paintings.
And as long as I'm telling you about enjoying painting, I want to tell you about what I privately call "my silly paintings." In actuality, they really aren't silly at all. These paintings are whimsical, colorful and fun! They have an abstract element to them, the division of the canvas into sections, yet don't really "read" as abstract. They each have a fun theme, the one displayed here being the finger holding a string of hearts.
When I begin another of these paintings, I'll post a photographic record of the process, start to finish. In the meantime, look for more from me soon.
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