Tree Reflections 2 -Process Video

under-painting

painting in process

Tree Reflections 2, oil/canvas 11x14 inches

This is the last video (for now)  in my landscape series.  These videos are part of my Master's thesis research in Art Education at Concordia University.  My research topic centres on tacit knowledge, or how a painter can learn to articulate  and verbalise and experience gained through practice.   The ability to do this, in my opinion, is a fundamental element to developing a teaching practice for the visual arts studio.  It has been a wonderful experience making and sharing these videos with my students and anyone else interested in looking at them.  I will be taking a bit of a break for now so that I can finally write my thesis and finish my degree.

You can see the video in high definition at You Tube:

Tree Reflections 2

oil/canvas  11x14 inches

 Often a subject inspired by a photo will be an interesting composition but I may want to express it using different colours.  The challenge of this oil painting done in my landscape class was to use two source images, one for the composition and another for the colour inspiration.  My next post will demonstrate the painting and thinking process that went into this work.

detail

Tree Reflections

Acrylic/canvas  11x14 inches

underpainting: acrylic/canvas  11x 14 inches

This is an acrylic landscape study of trees reflected in water.  The video talks about how to simplify shapes and  interpret colour and composition using different source images.

You can see the video in HD at You Tube.

Cloud Study in Oil: Part 2

oil/canvas, 12 x 16 inches

Tonal Under painting

In Part 2 of the cloud study in oil, I am examining the different types of thinking process that go on when working through a painting.  Although there are some aspects of painting that can be rationalized through color theory and concepts about form and composition,  personal opinions, experiences and feelings are the driving force behind any good painting.

You can see this video in high definition on You Tube.

Cloud Study in Acrylic

11x14 inches, acrylic/canvas

 

 

11x 14 inches, acrylic, canvas

This is the acrylic counterpart of my cloud study in oil.  In the accompanying video I have focused on the same concept of using positive and negative space to allow the shapes to evolve and change throughout the painting process.  Acrylic however, is a different material than oil and so I have used an approach that takes advantage of these differences. 

You can see this video in high definition at You Tube.

Cloud Study in Oil Part 1

11 x 14, oil/canvas

This is an underpainting for a cloud study done in my landscape painting class.  I have chosen a burnt sienna  ground because it will create a striking contrast for the blues of the sky and will warm the whites of the clouds. The  The accompanying video looks at the important characteristics of clouds that one should be aware of when wanting to paint them, as well as painting concepts such as the use of positive and negative space.

You can see the video in high definition at You Tube.

Painting as Problem Solving

Winter light, 11 x 14 inches, oil/canvas

When I stand in front of a painting, I will think about different things as I react to what I am seeing.  I may find the work poetic, vibrant, disturbing, melancholy....

When I stand in front of my canvas and I have to determine my colour palette,my thinking is quite different.  What I think about is how to translate the complexity of the colours that I see into pigments and how to get them all to work together. I have a difficult problem that I have to solve.  This is the challenge of any  and every painting. 

study, 8 x 10 inches, oil/canvas

A good way to tackle this problem is to do a colour study.  It is like a rough draft or  the calculations one makes on a scrap of paper.   Part 2 of the Winter landscape is a colour study that takes a look at how solve the colour problem issue.
You can see it in high definition at You Tube.

Winter Landscape Part 1

oil, 11 x 14 inches

I will generally start a landscape with an underpainting, especially if the subject has a complex colour structure or composition.  This is short video describing  one method for making a tonal underpainting  in preparation for a winter landscape.

You can see this video in high definition on You Tube.

Atmospheric Perspective Part 2

This is a continuation of the last video Atmospheric Perspective.  I demonstrate how to paint wet on wet over a coloured ground using complementary colours.  I shy away from blending colours with my brush.  By progressively adding more paint, colours blend naturally together on the canvas.

You can see this in highdefinition at You Tube

Atmospheric Perspective Part 1

This is the first part of my video on Atmospheric Perspective.  This part is about planning out the painting and includes ideas such as toning the canvas, creating a colour structure,  complementary colours, and palette organization.

You can see it in high definition at YouTube .

Atmospheric Annecy

This painting study and its accompanying video (coming up soon) are part of a thesis research project that I am doing for a Master's degree in Art Education at Concordia University.  They are also part of the curriculum of my Landscape painting class. The aim of the videos is to articulate both verbally and visually the different aspects of the painting process as well as the underlying theoretical concepts that are embedded in the thinking that goes on when caught up in the act of painting.  For an experienced painter this thinking seems almost intuitive, but for those of you who want to learn more about how to paint, it is not all that obvious.  I hope these videos will be useful to you.

On a personal note, I have a particular fondness for misty landscapes, especially after having live in France for several years.  I would like to thank Marcel Moré for permitting me to use his photo of Mount Semnoz near the french city of Annecy.

Tonal Landscape Study

11 x 14, oil

This is a tonal landscape painting exploring how to mass in the three important planes of the landscape: the foreground. middle ground and background.  By focusing on the abstract shapes rather than the small details, the composition is more spontaneous and painterly.

You can watch the video in high definition at  You Tube.