Phil Starke Art Talk

As an artist I have a lot of deadlines, shows and galleries wanting work and wanting it tomorrow.  So it is real easy for me to put off little things that keep my eye sharp like sketching from life, either a model or outside.

I recently went to an indoor ceremony where cameras were not allowed and sketched for a few hours, forcing myself to see only the action and simple shapes.  The mall or a restaurant is a good place for that.

Doing thumbnail drawings outside for design and composition is also important, simplifying large masses and values helps to see the overall design which is what holds a painting together.

That’s where the dog comes in.  My kids have a dog and since they don’t walk him anymore, that chore has fallen to me.  A 45 minute walk that I don’t have time for.  I finally realized it is a great opportunity to do thumbnail composition sketches with a 5 x 7 sketchbook and conte crayon or 6B graphite pencil.  The dog doesn’t let me stay in one place for more than a few minutes so I don’t get too detailed. 

Have you ever been on a painting trip all excited and pumped about what you were accomplishing – visualizing wonderful larger studio paintings — only to get home and the paintings look flat and the photographs, as usual, look nothing like what you remember?  It’s times like these when I have to work hard at improving reference, stretching myself to make more progress as an artist, using imagination to see how many different compositions I can come up with, or forcing myself to do more color sketches with a variety of color schemes.

Two books that I recommend for compositions are John Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting which has a good chapter on composition and one on planes and angles of the landscape.  The other is Composition of Outdoor Painting by Edgar Payne.  I’ve used both of these books to bring out what I needed to work on.

As I begin to dive into this Blog thing, I’m hoping this will be a place to discuss a variety of ideas and subjects, new and old, that have to do with painting or art in general.  From techniques and materials to art books and artists that have inspired me, this blog will also include a look at museum shows, special exhibitions, books, articles and art news.  I’m looking forward to sharing my thoughts and ideas, I hope you are too.