Phil Starke Art Talk

Painting from memory is a good way to think through and analyze what you just saw.  Like reading a book, then describing it in your own words, memorizing forces me to view the scene differently, looking only for the important big stuff that I can remember and translate into value and temperature.

It’s easier to remember and compose large, flat patterns of dark and light and the results are different from painting from life and a lot different than painting from a photograph.  I’m forced to push value and color to make a statement from what I remember.  I can’t use detail because I won’t remember any.

Painting from memory works best for me when the lighting is more dramatic.  Sunsets are a good practice.  They’re too short to paint from life and photographs never do them justice.  The other benefit is that using your memory helps prevent altzhiemer’s, so use it while you have it.

With sales slowing down for many artists everywhere it is a good time to take a breath and slow down a little from the previous years.  It’s easier now to visit museums and study other works, experimenting with different subject matter or different materials.

There’s a little more time right now to paint for the sake of learning (although every painting is practice) and not have to solely keep up with the deadlines of  shows and galleries.  If you’re one of those whose sales have slowed down, now is the time to make more painting trips, try a different medium and spend more time drawing, because when things begin to pick up again your focus will change back to the rush of business and meeting dealines again.  It’s always hard to appreciate a slow-down, but when you look back on this you’ll appreciate the time you took for more development of you skills.