Art is supposed to be Fun

As an occasional workshop teacher, I find that many emerging artists have a fear of painting. They are so concerned about what others will think, that they destroy the pleasure of painting. 

In this world of instant gratification, many artists spend much of their time frustrated that they are not as good as artists they admire. They expect that their own work should be instantly as good as the experienced professionals who have put in 20-40 years of painting. Painting is hard. I didn't understand that until I reached about 30 years of the process. 

In my youth, hubris directed me. After 40+ years in front of the easel, I am more the student than ever. The easel is the great equalizer for the painter. I don't waste a moment worrying about who paints better than I do, or who is more successful. My focus is on what I am painting and learning. I only have myself to compete with. There is a lot of freedom in being an older painter. I can do all kinds of fun stuff as well as serious painting and get away with it.  My advice to new painters is to have the time of your life. Enjoy every painting, good and bad, and never compete with,  or envy those who might be more successful.

Country painters are eager to learn.......

We are losing our master representational painters. Last year Daniel Greene, yesterday Richard Schmid. It worries me for the future of representational painting. 

The big bandwagon in the last few years has been abstract painting, and quickly executed alla prima painting, en plein air. Masterful, well executed painting seems to be in decline as popularity wanes with young painters and collectors. There are few schools for traditional painting left. There are many who call themselves master painters but very few who earn that title. 

I have nothing against modern painting, but there should be interest in variety. I’ve never really had any interest in abstract painting, other than using it as a design exercise to my study. I would love to be a better representational painter, to have a master to look up to and aspire to. Daniel Greene was my measure of the best one could be. It is quite sad to see these truly inspired painters pass away from our world. I will miss them.

Country painters continue to seek inspiration from the great painters......

One of my galleries has moved to St Augustine and reopened. Paddiwhack has moved to a shop next to the Gin Distillery in St Augustine,FL. Today the owner, Chuck Sapp came out to my studio to select a few paintings for the gallery. I’ve been doing a few small marsh paintings to fit that setting. My farm and rural paintings are not a good fit for a coastal, tourist town. 

Though I live in Florida, my main market is upland, not coastal. Did you know that the Lake Wales Ridge was once the only part of Florida that was above water? I’ve always loved upland Florida the most!

There are hundreds of painters who paint for tourists. boats, marinas, and tourist towns. Those subjects sell for them but are not my favorite subjects. I do like marshes, so I’ll stick to that for the gallery. 

Life is swell for country painters........ 

I got a request to share some of the palettes I enjoy using. I keep a three ring binder of charts I make from palettes I like to experiment with.

Here are some I enjoy:

Double primary

ultramarine / thalo blue 

Lemon yellow / cadmium yellow deep

Cadmium red light / rose red

Payne’s gray / titanium white

Limited palette

Sap green (cooler temperature) Daniel Green oils or Liquitex heavy body acrylic

Trans red iron oxide

Ultramarine blue

Payne’s Gray

Titanium or flake white

Naples yellow

(This is a lovely winter palette for Florida.)

Easy to mix palette

Cadmium yellow medium

Ultramarine blue

Cadmium red light

Payne’s Gray

Titanium white

This one I found on the web somewhere. It is a wonderful winter palette for Florida.

transparent red iron oxide

Paynes gray

ultramarine blue

magenta

Naples yellow

yellow ochre

titanium white

I have twenty or so palettes I have used for years. I like to choose my palette before I begin a painting. I stick to it. I mix on the palette, never on the painting.  Consistency is important. Pre-charting paintings really helps with good color mixing.

Mixing color is fun for country painters......