All Things Fine Art

In the United States, time is money. We all know that and for the most part believe it and live it. We evaluate the cost of products by the length of time it takes to make them. With this mind set, it is only natural for folks to ask artists…”how long did it take you to do that?”  The minute we tell them a plein air painting took less than two hours we’ve devalued the painting in their eyes. They do not see skill and visual voice as the major factors.

"Field Stones", 8x10", oil on canvas panel, plein air. Collection of: Mr. & Mrs. Richard Boruszewski

In reality, the value of art cannot be reduced to a measure of time. Sometimes a painting takes weeks, perhaps even months to complete and other times it goes very quickly. So many factors must go into the completion of a work, factors that override in importance the amount of time it takes to paint it.

 The artist’s accumulated knowledge, experience, technical skill and the message he or she wishes to express are all important measures of the image. So too is it's difficulty as all subjects and creative messages vary in complexity. Time, as a measure of value,  is irrelevant…it has nothing to do with art other than the time it takes to become masterful in what one does…which is, for the record, a very long time measured in years. It may be a lifetime. For this reason, the only logical answer to that question must incorporate the artist’s age or length of time he or she has painted plus the hours spent creating the physical aspects of the painting. Therefore, there is only one reasonable answer to “how long did it take you to do that”.  For myself, my response is…”50 years and some hours to apply paint to canvas”.

Do you have a better or different answer to this question? I'd love to hear what it is.

I’ve always been a strong supporter of Gamblin oil paints but never more so then now. Recently I was contacted by Gamblin and asked if they could use my plein air painting “Grapefruit Study” and comments I made on the use of their Chromatic Black in my work. Both are included in their latest, Gamblin Studio Notes publication:  "White, Greys and Blacks – Possibilities in Color Mixing", published on November 23, 2013. Need I say that I am delighted and honored to have been featured in this article along with American contemporary artists Marc Hansen and Mitchell Albala.  Albala is the author of the popular, ”Landscape Painting: Essential Concepts and Techniques for Plein Air and Studio Practice”, published by Watson Guptill.

Grapefruit Study, 18x12”, plein air oil. Collection of: Mr. & Mrs. George Londy

About a year and a half ago, I was struggling with a passage in a painting that required the use of black pigment. Traditionally, I’ve not used black on my palette and was not happy with the results I was getting. I contacted Gamblin Paints and asked if they could make a recommendation. They suggested their Chromatic Black which is a transparent hue and therefore, non-intrusive. It worked perfectly for my project. I was so impressed with it that I have since often toned my canvases with it and also use it to grey colors. It was at this time that I chose to experiment with it when painting en plein air. “Grapefruit Study” was one such study completed during this time. I was delighted with the color and eventually forwarded my notes and the image to Gamblin to thank them for their help.  The rest is history.

If you are not aware, Gamblin is known for their hugely informative and helpful articles on color and products for artists. This article and many others of great use to artists may be viewed at http://wwwGamblinColors.com. Click on Studio Notes in the main menu then on the name of the article.

"The Rock Wall", 10x8", oil on canvas panel, plein air, $450

Sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate when you plan on working outdoors. This was the case several weeks ago when I attended the Plein Air Artists of West Michigan (PAAWM) week-long retreat near Hastings, Michigan. Obviously, the main purpose of the retreat was to paint outside from life each day. Unfortunately, Wednesday dawned with a staying drizzle and gusts of wind up to 30 miles an hour. Not a day for the faint of heart to say the least. That kind of weather has a way of sneaking inside collars and cuffs, no matter how well dressed, to leave you chilled to the bone. Like most everyone else, I stuggled with my enthusiasm and procrastinated as long as I could in the dining hall hoping that the weather report was wrong and the great fall weather we’d been having would miraculously return.  It was not to be.  With resignation, I bundled up and began looking for a subject where I could stay reasonably dry and  out of the wind. I was lucky; I found it almost immediately, near at hand.

Outside the dining hall there was a retainer wall made of large field boulders so common to the southern Michigan landscape. It was quite lovely with sprays of wildflowers tenaciously growing amongst the rocks, their stems dipping to and fro in the wind. I loved the contrast of the fragile plants to the solidity of the stones and their dainty colors to the rough red and violet hues of the boulders. Luckily for me the roof offered a nice overhang and the building helped to block the wind somewhat.  I set up my easel and for the next hour-and-a-half, enjoyed painting this still life provided by Mother Nature.

I have to admit, there are times that I’ve not been so lucky in finding such a convenient subject. Michigan’s weather is highly variable. The saying goes here that if you blink the weather will have changed. There have been many times I’ve had to rely on my umbrella or the hatch back on my Trailblazer to stave off rain, sleet or exceedingly hot sun in muggy weather. I’m always amazed that there are so many PAAWM artists willing to brave the worst that nature can throw at them to paint from life. They are a great bunch of artists. It’s a good feeling to know there are others as dedicated as myself to capturing the effects of light and atmosphere in their work. Michigan's plein air painters are, without a doubt, a hardy bunch and certainly some of the nicest folks alive. I feel privileged to count them as my friends.