So much has happened over the past year and it continues to change the face of the planet. Like a work of art, time, tenderness and turmoil touch each of us daily and it is how we respond to the world around us that is the deciding factor in the creation our personal Canvas of Life.
This month I am working on a project that I describe as a WOW moment. (If you are visiting the valley for a wedding, conference or family experience and wish to record the moment for your guests, Jessel or one of her other Plein Air Artists will attend the event and paint the view. This is an exciting and fascinating way to record important milestones. Contact me for more information). I'm creating something special for a company visiting the valley for a corporate event in April, and I decided to take some pictures as I worked (click to enlarge):
This month I am working on a project that I describe as a WOW moment. (If you are visiting the valley for a wedding, conference or family experience and wish to record the moment for your guests, Jessel or one of her other Plein Air Artists will attend the event and paint the view. This is an exciting and fascinating way to record important milestones. Contact me for more information). I'm creating something special for a company visiting the valley for a corporate event in April, and I decided to take some pictures as I worked (click to enlarge):
One of my students, Joy West, remarked after seeing this progression:
"VERY insightful....good to flip back and forth, focused upon a specific area to see how you developed it. When I see it step by step, it seems so very doable."
It was a light bulb moment for me as a teacher and an artist. I am fascinated myself watching artists create a work of beauty from a blank canvas or piece of paper. When I break the concept up into steps it allows me to see that taking the time to breathe in between stages is exactly how I need to deal with the world around me.
It's hard for me to describe the process of how I paint a piece. I am on auto-pilot most of the time, so having the actual steps in photographs truly allows me to explain myself without words. I do know a few things I can share and that is I look for a balance of color, design, value and light. Each piece of the puzzle of the painting is affected by the piece beside it, so I work to align the palette on the page. All these concepts seem to work in most cases in my art.
I thought you would enjoy seeing the development of a work of art by a few other Jessel Gallery artists. Here are two other artists' progressions and their own words about their processes.
"VERY insightful....good to flip back and forth, focused upon a specific area to see how you developed it. When I see it step by step, it seems so very doable."
It was a light bulb moment for me as a teacher and an artist. I am fascinated myself watching artists create a work of beauty from a blank canvas or piece of paper. When I break the concept up into steps it allows me to see that taking the time to breathe in between stages is exactly how I need to deal with the world around me.
It's hard for me to describe the process of how I paint a piece. I am on auto-pilot most of the time, so having the actual steps in photographs truly allows me to explain myself without words. I do know a few things I can share and that is I look for a balance of color, design, value and light. Each piece of the puzzle of the painting is affected by the piece beside it, so I work to align the palette on the page. All these concepts seem to work in most cases in my art.
I thought you would enjoy seeing the development of a work of art by a few other Jessel Gallery artists. Here are two other artists' progressions and their own words about their processes.
Daniel Mundy
This large 36 x 48 inch canvas started with a few simple measuring marks in pencil dividing up the space. With a neutralized dark mixture of Ultramarine Blue and Cadmium Red Deep, I began to establish the big shapes. This monochromatic start, or Grisaille, was modulated to show the shape and value of the main passages in the design before the introduction of color. Next some of the warmth of the field in the foreground was blocked in with earth tones like Raw and Burnt Sienna and Yellow Ochre. As color was added, the big shapes were adjusted until their proportions and color values are approximated. It’s important to resist the temptation to add detail for as long as possible. The light shapes were put down with a fast drying white to provide a foundation for yellows and reds added later in glazes that bring luminosity to the sunlit areas. Next I let the brush run bringing the gesture of the painting up together. Layers of color and details were created using indirect painting techniques, working back and forth between warm and cool. Some of the initial marks are then visible all the way out to the final painting.
Erin Dertner
It is always helpful to create thumbnail studies in black and white to organize shapes and values before launching into the official painting. They serve as a roadmap, so that if your painting isn't coming together you can refer to the simple structures on the value study and refine those qualities in the larger version.
My thanks to Daniel Mundy and Erin Dertner for sharing a glimpse of their processes. Happy New Year to you all!
Jessel
Jessel
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