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Sometimes finding the right learning tool at the right moment can make all the difference. For me recently it's George James' The Artistic Process on Yupo and the upcoming Lynn Powers DVD, A Solid Start in Watercolor.
I've always wanted to learn how to paint watercolor. Both my Mom, Lynn Powers and Grandmother, Jan Kunz are amazing watercolorists, and I've seen the amazing things the medium can do first hand. But I find the medium difficult and so different from the textures of acrylic and collage that I lose that fight again and again.
Enter George James. (And I'll talk more about Lynn's DVD in the week's ahead.) I've always been a huge fan of George's work. But I'm a collage artist. The idea of getting into watercolor is met with obstacles. I don't understand how watercolor paint works. I find the medium confusing and unforgiving.
All of that is changing with The Artistic Process on Yupo. Suddenly the medium seems purely fun. I can lay down as much paint as I want and I can take as much paint back up as I want. I can spatter. I can pattern. I can do so much of what I love about acrylic collage on Yupo. It's amazing.
Sure I'm not very good yet in watercolor or on Yupo. I'm still struggling with pigments I don't understand and techniques where I am clumsy. But playing around on Yupo really seems like playing. And I'm excited that watercolor is becoming less intimidating in the process.
Have you had moments where play has allowed you to enter a difficult medium?
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Today we're taking an artistic trip through George James' second DVD, The Artistic Process on Yupo Paper, which is on sale this week at CCPVideos.
George James approaches this workshop by focusing on an everyday moment he recalls from earlier in the week. He weaves this basic couple in a restaurant with symbols from across his experience and, he designs an amazing final piece on Yupo.
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Learning to paint is more than just learning a set of watercolor techniques. It's about marrying those techniques to a deeper story or emotion. George James does a wonderful job showing this marriage. This is one of the main reasons those just learning to paint will find this workshop so enriching. It'll be a refreshing change from the straight watercolor technique videos that many of us really need when we're first getting started. George James' watercolor workshop gives you a way to begin exploring those advanced painting concepts now.
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On the left, George James cleans up his shapes. On the right, he is playing with both shape and value.
While this DVD starts with George James drawing his concept sketch (see above), this workshop isn't a drawing lesson. James makes the drawing look easy where many beginning painters know that it takes time to learn how to draw. If you're looking for drawing tutorials, this DVD won't address that.
However, it will address bigger design issues. George James moves form his first concept drawing and begins laying in color. He isn't precious about these first layers of watercolor paint. He knows that many of his first washes will be gone by the time he reaches his final strokes. This is another important lessons for beginning watercolor artists: not every brush stroke will be a part of the finished painting. Different layers have different missions in a painting. Sometimes an artist will just use color to get rid of that terrifying blank page. It's great that George James gives those just beginning in watercolor permission to paint over and through previous layers.
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George James begins adding in darks. He will do this again as one of his final painting steps.
During the entire DVD workshop, George James jumps between adding and subtracting. Sometimes he'll clean up a line and at other times he'll add shapes.
George James is a master of artistic design. He does a great job of explaining how he switches back and froth between objects in his painting and the needs of the painting as a whole. These are important advanced concepts even for those just learning to paint watercolor.
One of the reasons George James' The Artistic Process on Yupo Paper will be great for beginning artists is that he isn't precious with his paints. He throws paints down and shows that it's not desperately important to be careful of your lines. He knows that in watercolor and especially with Yupo paper, he can always adjust. Nothing is permanant. He can't ruin his painting so why not try something new? He shows you that there are no rules and that you can't fail.
He also shows that yo udon't have to be tied to a reference photo. So sure, George James knows how to draw but he always is an example that great art doesn't have to be realitistic. It can be figurative. That is a great message for beginning painters.
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(Left) George James wants to add pattern more than realistic elements. He thinks of these sunflowers almost as wallpaper. (Right) James glazes his panting.
He admits that the colors you start with won't necessarily be there by the end. This is an important lesson for begging artists. Not everything you put down will be there at the end. Allow the process to take you and lead you to your finished piece.
At some point George James steps away form the subject matter and focuses on the painting as a whole. This is an important intermediate concept. In the beginning of learning to paint we are wholey attached to objects. This is a tree. That is a person. Once an artist can learn to see things as shapes, there is less pressure to fully replicate the thing and more incorporate it into the whole piece.
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Finally George James puts textures in his piece to flatten areas (left) and adds back in darks (right.)
And it's exciting to see how George James steps away from his main subjects for much of the painting. He puts them in but then leaves them alone while he's developing this visual story around them. It's a powerful beginning painting lesson: a painting is more than just a subject matter, it's a sum of it's parts.
If you want to begin developing content in tandem with techniques, George James' The Artistic Process on Yupo Paper will be agreat match. Remember, it is a bridge to intermediate painting. It will not cover basic how tos such as how to mix color or how to draw. However, this DVD workshop will help you take those first steps into the thinking that is so necessary to become an intermediate and advanced painter.
George James has three watercolor painting instructional DVDs with Creative Catalyst Productions Mastering Yupo, The Artistic Process on Yupo Paper, and Designing for Content: Yupo Master Class.
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Watercolorist Tom Fancesconi may have always been artistic, but he acknowledges that to be good at any art form takes work. And work he put in. He attended art classes in the evenings while working a 9 to 5. He painted in every bit of spare time before realizing that it was time to take the leap to full time artist. .jpg)
When you started jurying, how did it change how you think about your own art? What advice do you give to your students about entering juried shows?.jpg)
said, I do not view it as failure. Granted, the experience can be painful, especially to one who has not yet traveled that road. However, the degree to which we allow it to affect us comes from within. When one of my works does not get accepted, I allow for a very short period of disappointment, then quickly move on and go forward. Rejection offers an opportunity for me to revisit the painting and consider why it was not accepted. This forces me to be more critical of my own work. It should be noted that just because a painting has been turned down does not necessarily mean that it is not a good painting. The level of competition for some shows is very high, with a large amount of artists vying for limited wall space. The juror may have to choose from many excellent works while facing the uncomfortable fact that many will not be accepted. Another significant note is that although the process of making judgment on the works of others is based on knowledge and experience, it is still a subjective process. A painting not accepted into one show may be an award winner in another. Entering juried exhibitions can help us get a better sense of where our work stands in comparison to the works of others. It can help serve as a springboard for putting more thought into the pieces we create. Although it may be uncomfortable for some to involve themselves in the exhibition arena, at the very least it is a learning experience and an opportunity for growth. .jpg)
You travel across the country teaching classes, jurying, and doing demonstrations: How do you find energy after all of that travel to actually paint yourself? Do you allow yourself time to adjust back into home after a big trip or do you jump straight back in?.jpg)
I did serve as President of the Transparent Watercolor Society of America but, in truth, my service began when the society was still known as the Midwest Watercolor Society. I served four years on the Board of MWS before I accepted a nomination for the President's position. It was during my second year as President that I decided to propose a name change for the society. This proposal was well received by the Board and by the membership. My reason for this proposal originally was two-fold. First, our Midwest name, although appropriate more than 25 years earlier at the time of its formation, now no longer fit us. The name suggested regional, yet our exhibitions had grown to widely-respected, national venues. It seemed in error to continue to advertise "Midwest." .jpg)
pointed out how we shared some of the same donors with these societies but had been given substantially less amounts to award. I believed our name was preventing more award dollars from being channeled in our direction and, consequently, our name was actually hurting us. It was time for a change. Also, from its very inception, the society's chosen direction has been the celebration of the medium of watercolor in its purest form. Therefore, the Board eventually decided that the new name should exemplify not only the national stature of the society, but also reflect its longstanding commitment to transparent watercolor. After receiving an overwhelmingly positive vote from the membership and finalizing the necessary legal work, we became the Transparent Watercolor Society of America. Subsequently, we raised the dollar amounts for all the major awards and eliminated all merchandise awards. The rest is history. All of this work was made easier because of the dedicated, hard-working volunteers with whom I served. Together, with the support of our membership, the Board was able to put into motion a far-reaching goal for the future whose spirit continues through the work of the present day Board..jpg)
What role do watercolor societies play in your life as an artist? Why are art societies important? What would you tell someone considering joining an art society?.jpg)
I love that in your artist statement you write, "As an artist, I have chosen to express myself through the language of paint." How long did it take before you felt like you could fully express yourself through paint? Did you need to reach a certain technical level before that was possible? How did you get there?.jpg)
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life. Now, I am in the studio whenever I can be and I permit things to unfold in a more natural way. Some days that may mean I can paint all day. Other days I may not be able to get in the studio at all. Sometimes I am working late at night and other times it is early in the morning. This is the reality of my world and once I came to realize and accept that, I became more at peace and this state of mind was reflected in my work. One of the benefits to having the studio in my home is that its location allows me to respond more readily to painting opportunities. So, my attitude is this: I know I need to be in the studio as much as possible. Currently, these opportunities are from early morning to early afternoon. Our 15-year old son is very involved with high school baseball and we often are on the road to games (4 games on weekday afternoons and a double header on Saturdays). This present baseball life has required that I accordingly adjust my painting time. Ever challenging, yes, but I am a much happier painter today because of my willingness to be more flexible and to understand the responsibilities and demands of my real world, not of some preconceived world inside my head..jpg)
How do you approach a painting? Do you do studies before you begin or go directly to the paper? Do you finish a painting in one sitting or do you stop and spend a few days analyzing a painting before you go back into it? .jpg)
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Once you were a full time artist, did your approach change now that you had full days to paint? Was there an emotional transition that needed to happen beyond the physical or monetary?At first my approach did change. Instead of finding stolen moments to paint, I now had the whole day before me! Yet the business side of art needed attention and that required that I find a way to include it in my day. In other words, I needed to consider all aspects of my new art life and to structure my day accordingly. Now, depending on what needs to be done, I will paint for part of the day and allow time to attend to other painting-related tasks, as needed. In so doing, you might say I divide and conquer. I do not recall having to make any emotional adjustments as I made the transition to a full time painter. I already had been making a living as an artist, in a commercial field. For me, the only adjustment was to the new-found freedom of being self-employed and the responsibilities that came with it. Naturally, it was a very exciting time and I was inspired by its promise and I was indeed committed to making it work. Emotionally, I was extremely happy and that did not take any adjustment.
To learn more about watercolorist Tom Francesconi and his work, visit his website.
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Last week I wrote about my summer and spring goals. I know my warm weather inclinations, and I'm not setting those goals too high. I want goals I can actually attain.
And so far it's working. Ironically, even though the goals were small, the results have been huge in one very specific way. In the past week I've hit a milestone in my art life and personal life. It may sound silly to those without the same issues, but to me it was big: I have a workable studio.
Before I just had a studio. We called it a studio but really it was a walk in closet filled with many pretty materials. Materials acquired at chain stores and specialty stores. Items from garage sales, Goodwills, and fellow artists' bins. It was so full of stuff that it meant there was no room left for me to create within it both physically and mentally.
And over this past week that has changed. But let's be clear, it didn't take a week alone. It took three moves and a downsizing. It took three years of slow mental change. It took realizing that giving away a pile of fabric didn't mean I was giving up all the potential I had envisioned for that material, it meant gaining the freedom to create with a different set of materials.
Not every artist has a problem with acquiring stuff, but I think many of us do. And for me, for a long time I thought it was clutter and that the solution was better organizing. But organizing can only get you so far when you have too much stuff for your space. And that I did.
The truth is, stuff will be a life long battle for me. Like many artists, I am inspired by materials. Walking through an art store is like walking through an idea factory. So many possibilities. But I am learning the new possibilities that come with leaving a store empty handed: The possibility to create. To walk into a room with an idea and have that room be ready to start the creative process is such a new experience. (Normally I'd lose the creativity after an hour of moving stuff around so I could get to my workspace.)
Sometimes the gains we make in our art have almost nothing to do with putting paint on paper. But oh, they can feel just as good. I'm just at the beginning still of this change. But it will be worth the struggle.
Do you struggle with too much stuff? How does it affect your creative process?
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Learning to paint is part learning to use the tools and part learning to think. Creative Catalyst Productions has had the chance to talk with some pretty amazing artists over the years, and after many of our DVD workshops, we record an interview.
We had a customer, David, write in and ask if there was one place where we listed all the artist audio interviews we have on our site. We didn't, but that changes right now!
Here are the following audio interviews we have on our site. The link brings you to the general page. Look for the mp3 to download.
Enjoy!
Anne Bagby, Mixed Media
Collage artist Anne Bagby has been painting for more than 20 years in Winchester, Tennessee. She's had over 40 one-person shows, and several of her works were selected for the (Art in Embassies program). “I get my patterns from everywhere — fabric stores, wall paper and Dover books. The stamps are cut with lino-cutters using the v-tips. For small stamps, I use an exacto knife. I print layers of pattern, texture and glazes — watercolor first, then acrylic, brushes, squeeze bottles and sponges. This process produces a rich, complex surface.”
Linda Baker, Watercolor
As a professional watercolor artist Linda Baker, is intrigued by the gentle translucence of nature. She considers her work to be a contemporary approach to traditional subject matter. Striving to simplify the complicated while seeing the unique in the ordinary, she captures the essence of gentle scenes with harmonious strokes.
Virginia Cobb, Abstract Acrylic
Virginia Cobb is well-known for her dynamic, abstract painting style. She constantly challenges herself and her students to keep the work fresh and stimulating. Her innovative and exciting view of the creative process and the work she produces have gained her recognition nationally and internationally.
Polly Hammett, Watercolor/Gouache, Figures
According to Polly Hammett, "Each of us is as individual as our fingerprints. This individuality is a result of a lifelong accumulation of information gathered from personal experiences and impressions which provide a strong foundation for future independent growth in our painting as well as all areas of our lives."
Sherrill Kahn, Mixed Media
Sherrill Kahn has been creating award-winning drawings, paintings and fiber art work for almost forty years. Her work can be found in many private collections throughout the world. She loves to weave, quilt, airbrush, bead, sew, knit, crochet, draw, paint and create with rubber stamps. In addition, Sherrill makes creative books, innovative jewelry and dolls, she paints and decorates every surface imaginable, and she constantly explores new materials and new techniques. She lives by four simple words "Have Fun" and "What If?"
David Kitler, Acrylic and Drawing, Wildlife
Grounded in the experience of nature, David N. Kitler explores the combination of drawing and acrylic media. Appreciation of animals and birds in their natural setting has motivated Kitler to continue his exceptional drawing and acrylic work. In his educational, creative and inspiring drawing and painting instructional videos, Kitler demonstrates his masterful techniques and the results that have led to his international prominence.
Dale Laitinen, Watercolor, Landscape
Dale Laitinen has been painting for over forty years with thirty five of those in watercolor. Although a native of northern Minnesota, Dale Laitinen has lived most of his life in Northern California where he currently resides. One of the signatures of a Laitinen painting is the long view with the natural forms of the topography being foremost. His works extend to the interaction between structures such as roads, dams, canals, powerhouses, and the natural landscape. In one of these paintings one might find a concrete dam that spans a river canyon, or a highway that cuts through desert sandstone, or a shadow of a bridge that crawls slowly across a red rock wall.
Barbara Nechis, Watercolor
Nationally acclaimed watercolor artist, teacher, art show juror, and author, Barbara Nechis invites you to question traditional instruction, to be self-guiding, and to rely on your inner resources for a well-spring of artistic ideas. Nechis explains specific methods and watercolor techniques step-by-step, guiding students to discover their creative source and to achieve fresh new effects in the watercolor painting.
Carla O'Connor, Figurative, Gouache
Carla O'Connor has worked extensively with all media, from oil to pastel, but eventually found her love in gouache. O'Connor believes every medium is capable of saying something different. Gouache was the one that finally spoke truest to her. With gouache O'Connor creates shapes (she's a self described "shape maker,") using the human form as her guide. As an artist, O'Connor focuses on design. Many of her workshops focus on incorporating design principles into students' work.
Donna Zagotta, Figurative, Gouache
Active professionally for more than 20 years, Donna Zagotta is a nationally recognized artist, teacher, and juror. Zagotta’s paintings have evolved from an early emphasis on traditional watercolor techniques and traditionally influenced realism to an unconventional use of the watercolor medium and the exploration of the area that lies between realism and abstraction. Zagotta has a passion for art history with a special interest in Modernism and finds inspiration in the work of Edouard Vuillard, Henri Matisse, and Richard Diebenkorn. This list includes the master painters who were more focused on expressing color and spatial ideas than in rendering the particulars of subject matter.
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The sun came out here in Oregon this last week and within one day people had donned their shorts and tank tops to soak up the 62 degrees and rays of light. The birds sang like it was the first time they had been allowed to project full voice all year.
I have a mixed feeling about summer. On the one hand the season represents BBQs and long walks at an 8PM dusk. It means morning walks at a 6AM sunrise and bands of exuberant children in parks. But I'm a studio artist, and a lot of summer happens outside. My painting is very much inside. Summer is a time where I have to fight all of my instincts if I'm to do any art at all. It's even more of an effort than when the weather outside is inhospitable to activity. In the winter, my mind is focused indoors, which is also conveniently where my art is. In the summer, all of that changes.
So this summer I'm setting some goals for myself. Not hugely lofty goals because attainable goals:
1. Clean
Open the curtains, let in the light, and clean out the old.
I want to make my studio a place that beckons me to create. Right now it beckons me to call a garbage truck.
2. Sketch
I am a beginner drawer at best, but I love the shapes of people at play. I want to bring my sketchbook outside and learn how to be comfortable doing 30 second quick sketches of the happiness around me.
3. Play
As a collage artist who makes papers a la Anne Bagby, half of the work doesn't even feel like work. Paper making is a wonderful way to let the brain flow freely and react to the immediate. Normally I try to balance the paper making with working through actual pieces. I'm going to give myself permission to focus more on paper making.
4. Study one DVD Workshop
I am going to find a new video. On Air Video just came out with the wonderful DVD, Color Mixology. I may not use the oil paints Sharyn Pak Withers uses, but the lessons are completely translatable to acrylics. I am going to pick this video and use it to work through this summer. Maybe I'll add more as I go, but it is a great place to start.
Do you find you spend less time learning how to paint or working on your art in the summer? Do you have ways to get yourself back into the studio?
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Fans of watercolor and acrylic artist Mark Mehaffey will be celebrating many Mehaffey success this year. First, Mehaffey won the top award at this year's San Diego International Watercolor Exhibition. If that's not reason enough to celebrate, Mehaffey was also selected for the Travel Show in this years American Watercolor Society Annual, got invited Participant in the Madrid Biennial, the Columbian Biennial Watercolor Exhibition and the Mexican Watercolor Biennial. At the Mexican Watercolor Biennial, Mehaffey's painting, "Waiting" was acquired by the National Watercolor Museum of Mexico City for their permanent collection. In April Mehaffey participated in a group show at the Strathmore Gallery in Washington DC with Kathleen Alexander, Carol Carter, Thomas Schaller, Nick Simmons and Keiko Tanabe. The opening was standing room only.
Want to learn to paint with Mark Mehaffey? Check out his Creative Catalyst DVDs Build, Design & Color Using a Mouth Atomizer and Painting a Dramatic Landscape in Watercolor. Also make sure to visit his Events page to find a live workshop near you.
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Jewelry Artist and teacher Robert Dancik has been sharing the wonders of Faux Bone across the country and globe. He has been teaching people jewelry making at a steam-punk show in Los Angeles, a class at Bennington College for North Country Arts, Arrowmont School of Craft, and Sydney Jewelry School in Sydney, Australia. Dancik's work was also on display at the faculty exhibit at Peter's Valley Gallery.
For students interested in learning jewelry tools and techniques from Robert Dancik, find him first this weekend May 5th and 6th at Bead House (RI), July 25th – 29th 2012 at the International Society of Glass Beadmakers, the Art Clay Conference (Switzerland), Art and Soul in both Oregon (Oct 3, 4, 5) and Las Vegas (June 15, 16, 18) , June 1-10 Bead and Button show in Wisconsin and giving the keynote address at the Art Clay Conference in Switzerland.
Find a Robert Dancik class near you by checking out Dancik's Creative Catalyst Events page.
Artist Robert Dancik has one DVD with Creative Catalyst Productions, Faux Bone Jewelry.
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Selected Scenes From Our Catalog
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