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Archive for the ‘Technique/History’ Category

Another Question…

Posted in Painting, Technique/History, tagged , , on February 24, 2009| 4 Comments »

Simple GloryI am asked this question at every opening:  How long does it takes to finish a painting?  

This is a question that I’ve answered a thousand times and I still have to stop and think about my answer. 

You see, there are so many variables in my painting technique at different times that sometimes the actual process can be much longer or shorter.  Sometimes I can toil over a piece, every bit of  the process requiring time and thought.  There may be much time spent just looking at the piece trying to figure out where the next line or stroke goes, trying to weigh each move.  Then there are times when the painting drops out effortlessly and I’ll look up after a very short time and realize that it’s almost complete. Any more moves from me and the piece would be diminished.

I often cite an example from a number of years ago.  I had been working on a series of paintings, working with a particular color and compositional form.  Over the course of a month, I did several very similar paintings in several different sizes from very small up to a fairly large version.  Each had a very distinct and unique appearance and feel but the technique and color was done in very much the same way.

One morning at the end of this monthlong period, I got up early and was in the studio at 5 AM.  I had a very large panel prepared  and pulled it.  Immediately,  I started on the panel.  Every move, every decision was the result of the previous versions of this painting I had executed over the past month.  I was painting solely on muscle memory and not on a conscious decision making thought process.  I was painting very fast, with total focus, and I remember it as being a total whirl.  The piece always seemed near to disaster.  On an edge.  But having done this for a month I trusted every move and forced through potential problems.

Suddenly, it was done.  I looked over at the clock and realized it had only been two hours.  Surely, there must be so much more to do.  

But it was done.  It was fully realized and full of feeling and great rhythm.  I framed the piece and a few weeks later I took it to the Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA. where I had shown my work for many years.  It sold within hours of arriving at the gallery.

I realized at that point that every version of that painting was a separate performance, a virtual rehearsal for that particular painting.  I had choreographed  every move in advance and it was just a matter of finding the right moment when plan and performance converge.

 It had taken a mere two hours but it was really painted over the course of hundreds of hours.

I hope you can see why I always have to think about this question…

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60-MPH View

Posted in Technique/History, tagged on February 9, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Above the BabbleThere are times when ideas for a piece come from seeing something once or twice and taking what you remember of it and using that in your work.

For example, a number of years ago I remember driving through the Poconos on the way to NYC.  As I drove down a hill, I glimpsed to my right a group of trees, maybe an orchard.  It was early morning and the sun was low behind them, casting long individual shadows in the damp, long grass.   The whole scene was taken in in the blink of an eye.

I call that the 60-MPH view.  Actually, it’s closer to 75 MPH but who’s really keeping track?

From this split-second glance I returned to the studio a few days later and took the elements of that scene that remained in memory and created several versions of that scene.  They were vibrant and alive.  It was as the speed of the glimpse took away interfering details and distilled the remaining elements into something stronger.

The painting above, Above the Babble, is another kind of this taking in quickly and using the elements from memory.  My sister had a small print that has hung for many years in her home.  I always would notice the print when I visited but didn’t spend much time in front of it.  One day in the studio the composition of that piece, as I remembered it, came to mind.  This was the result along with several subsequent versions over the years.  None of them really look like the print in any specific detail but for me they echo the rhythm and feel of the inspiring piece.

I try to use this viewing process  when I look at other artists’ works as well, taking in the work quickly then trying to remember what I saw.  This forces the strengths, as I see them, forward and they remain in my memory.  This allows me to find things in work that is very unlike mine that I ultimately use in my own work.  A form of synthesis, I suppose….

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Motivators

Posted in Biographical, Influences, Technique/History, tagged , on February 7, 2009| 2 Comments »

991-855We went to the opening of the Little Gems show at the West End Gallery in Corning last night.  It’s an annual show of very small paintings by the gallery artists and is always one of my favorite shows to attend.  There was a great turnout and I talked with folks I hadn’t seen in quite some time, some of them the earliest buyers of my work.

The Little Gems show was the first show where I ever exhibited my work, back in 1995.  It was an interesting experience, as I mentioned in an earlier post on this blog, to sit back and see how people react to the work.  It ran the whole spectrum of emotions, from exhilaration as some stopped and talked with friends about how they liked the small pieces by this new artist, to despondency as some brusquely walked by without a second glance.

I remember a local, well-known businessman approaching me and seeing my name tag, said,”You’re GC Myers?  I love your work!  It’s just great!  But…”

Uh-oh.  There’s a but.  That is never a good thing…

“But I only buy paintings of places I know.  Y’know, a local landscape or landmark.”

What?  At the time, it was an odd sensation.  It was one of the most exuberant expressions of approval for my work I had yet heard followed within a breath by a backhanded slap.  It took a long time before I processed this comment but in the long run it helped me.  It sparked my natural contrarian nature and gave me some resolve to not to kowtow to such little minds, to paint what I wished to paint in whatever manner I so chose.  This has served me well over the years and whenever I feel I am steering my work to someone else’s criteria of validity, I pull out that incident and stay on my own course.

I’ve had other incidents like this.  For instance, there is a well-known collector from our area with a vast collection who I’ve known for many years.  He knew me before I was a painter.  Whenever we meet he is highly complimentary but has never added one of my pieces to his collection.  Several years ago I learned the reason.

At an opening he said, “I really should have one of your pieces but…”

Uh-oh.

“But I only buy oil paintings.”

Now I’ve known of this bias for a long time but hearing it from a savvy collector was a kick in  the head.  All I could ask myself was if this guy would not want a Wyeth watercolor or a Klee work on paper?  He was cutting out a broad swath of the art world with this somewhat arbitrary qualifier.  It seemed to me that it was his loss.

Again, I have used that as incentive over the years.  The “don’t tell me what I can or can’t do” factor is a big motivator for me, even now.

Hey, that makes me want to paint.  See ya’…….

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Endless Possibility

Posted in Painting, Technique/History, tagged on February 6, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Endless PossibilityI talked with an old friend the other day who asked  about my paintings, specifically if there were works that I considered better than others.  

I’m asked this quite often, particularly at shows where the questioner might be trying to get some insight into what I think are the real treasures there.

I explained to my friend that I had a common interest in every piece I create and that I treat every painting, from the very smallest to the largest, with the same care and thought.  You see, I view every piece as a performance, much like a musician or a dancer.  To me, if I’m painting, I’m performing.  I don’t have sketches or studies.  Even if I’m at work on a small piece that that may well be the inspiration for a larger piece at some point, that smaller piece is treated as the primary painting.

Like any discipline, this creates muscle memory.  It’s like a performer treating a rehearsal as an actual performance.

This being the case, each piece is equal at some level.  One of my goals is to create work that is equal in performance and power regardless of size.  

However, the variable in this is that my technique is changing and adjusting day to day.  For instance, the piece above, Endless Possibility, is from a few years ago and one that stands out in my head.  It is performed in a composition that is very familiar to me, like a musician playing one of their favorite songs.  But because of variables such as my evolving technique, changes in materials, environmental factors (sometimes warmth and humidity play a significant part in the final product) and other such things, this piece, like most others,  is absolutely unique.  I would be hard-pressed to replicate this.  Probably couldn’t.  There are colors and textures that are unique in this piece because of the variables I’ve mentioned.  

That’s the goal for each piece: to emphasize the unique quality of that piece regardless of its size.  To unleash the the strength that is latent in each piece.

I guess there is endless possibility in that…

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Are We There Yet?

Posted in Technique/History, tagged on February 2, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Outside the BeltwayI had a question come up yesterday, a question that has been raised before and one that I have answered more than once with much difficulty.  The interesting thing is that because of the nature of what it deals with the answer is always shifting a little.

The question came from a viewer who asked how I determine when a painting is complete.  How do I say that enough is enough and step away from the painting?

There is no clear and specific answer for this because it all depends on an intuitive sense  of rightness in the piece, something I’ve mentioned in past posts.  There are parts of the eye and brain that are constantly measuring the piece as I work it, weighing the various aspects of the elements that make up the painting.  Color and harmony of color.  Depth into the piece.  Balance in the various compositional elements.  

There must be a unique sense of being and  place, all within the bounds of logic.  My mind must not question the viability of what I see before me.  

Many of the things I’m taking in are almost intangible but a certain tipping point is inevitably reached where any more paint, any more strokes, would not add anything to the piece and may in fact take away from the painting and it’s freshness , edge and logic.

I am looking, at this point, for the piece to have it’s own life force, it’s own momentum that goes beyond what I know is my own contribution to the painting.  In other words, the whole must be greater than the sum of its parts. 

Now sometimes this feeling is misguided or plain wrong and after a time, needed additions to the piece become apparent.  Occasionally a piece will come back to the studio after touring the galleries and I will spend some time with it only to see a deficiency that had eluded my eye earlier.  It’s interesting how a small, seemingly unimportant, tweak to a piece can change it’s entire impact.  

To minimize this, I am always looking at work as I complete it, trying to determine if I have reached this desired level or rightness.

It’s an ongoing thing, one that is always shifting a bit and changing.  Like most people…

The painting above is a new piece and is called Outside the Beltway and is in the Red Roof series.  I’m spending some time with it in the studio.

 So far, it’s measuring up.

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And The Future Comes

Posted in Recent Paintings, Technique/History, tagged , , on January 31, 2009| 2 Comments »

And The Future ComesThis a new smaller painting with the title  And The Future Comes, an 8″ by 16″ canvas.  It is a continuation of my Red Roof series and is, what I think, a very strong piece.

There’s a great deal of warmth in this piece and the mosaic-like quality of the sky adds depth and vibration.  There is a quiet, contemplative feel throughout the piece and while the coming light of the future seems ominous, it is also hopeful. 

This painting will be at the West End Gallery in Corning, NY  for their upcoming Little Gems show which opens February 6.  There is also a group of very small paintings that I call Redtree Thumbnails .  They are 2″ by 4″ canvasses which give them a real gem-like quality and are a great way for the beginning collector to obtain a first piece.

 If interested call Linda or Hedy at the West End at 607-936-2011. 

9909-102-redtree-thumbnail-29909-105-redtree-thumbnail-5Redtree Thumbnail #4

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Obsessionism- The Gathering Light

Posted in Painting, Recent Paintings, Technique/History, tagged , on January 21, 2009| 8 Comments »

The Gathering LightThis is a painting that I finished yesterday while the inauguration of President Obama was unfolding on the television.  I am tentatively calling this piece The Gathering Light although I was considering something to commemorate the day.  I was thinking that the paint strokes in the sky represent the gathered populace yesterday in DC and the central figure, the Red Tree, represents President Obama.  Perhaps the fields and houses in the foreground represent the rest of the USA watching this event take place.   I guess even with that interpretation, the title The Gathering Light is fitting.  Yesterday was a gathering of light.

I consider this a painting in my Obsessionism category.  That really describes the state of mind that takes over me when I work on this type of painting.  There’s a degree of focus and immersion that is different than on other pieces.  Also, the way the piece unfolds before me is different.  It takes shape much quicker and more spontaneously.

This is a 30″ by 40″ canvas so it’s a pretty good size piece which makes the strong color really pop.  I am keeping this in the studio and constantly re-examining it  to make sure that it’s as strong as it can be.  I find that this extra time with the Obessionist pieces is invaluable because it takes me past the period of infatuation with the color and composition and allows me to develop a more objective view of the painting.  But for now, I am pleased with it…

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New Obsession

Posted in Painting, Recent Paintings, Technique/History, tagged , on January 12, 2009| 5 Comments »

red-roof-2009-smaller2

Yesterday, I wrote about obsessionism, about immersing yourself in the work and feeling as though you’ve become part of the surface.  Everything moves in a natural, rhythmic fashion.  Intuitive, not thought out.  There’s a feeling of giddiness that goes along with this that I’ve described  before as a kind of intoxication.  This painting, I think, fits into this category as obsessionist.

This is the painting I wrote of last week when I wrote about my new work for this new year  (Differing Technique– January 5 post) and the similarities of it to my Red Roof series from several years back.  This is the larger piece I was working on at the time, a 24″ by 48″ birch panel.

I always feel exhilarated when I paint in this style, excited by the pop of color and the building of brushstrokes.  I spend a lot of time just looking at these pieces and feel really drawn into them. There is a great balance I feel in these paintings between stillness and power as though I were at the absolute center, the middle line dividing the two opposing poles that make up everything.  They are strong yet calm.

Again, I struggle with the words…

As with much of my work, the title for this piece has not yet come around and I want something bold and unique for this painting.  I think it deserves it.

I am open to suggestions or even an opinion on the painting…

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Beyond the Crossroads

Posted in Painting, Technique/History on January 7, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Beyond the CrossroadsOccasionally, certain paintings just don’t strike a strong enough chord with someone and remain unsold.  They move from gallery to gallery, hoping that a different area will have that specific person who sees what this painting has to offer.  Eventually, they run their course and  come back to my studio.

I’ve been pretty fortunate in that this doesn’t happen too often.  But when it does it gives me an opportunity to really take another, closer look at the piece and try to determine if there is something missing or if the viewing public just didn’t see what was there.  Sometimes, the answers are obvious.  The painting be a large piece which sometimes takes a bit longer to find a home– not everyone has the room or cash for a very large piece.  

Sometimes after a piece has been in the studio, I begin to see flaws that I might not have seen before.  A lack of depth as the eye moves into the picture plane.  Flatness of color.  Small things that might be imperceptible but are just enough to keep someone from fully connecting with the work.

But sometimes a piece comes home and I’m stumped.  This is one of those, a painting called Beyond the Crossroads.  I remember completing this painting and feeling that this was a strong and special piece.  I was sure it would reach out and touch someone but it made the rounds and ended up hanging in my studio.  I look at this piece everyday and am always pleased but puzzled, my eyes scanning the picture to find that element that might be the detraction. 

But I always end up happy that I have this painting in my possession because sometimes I have regretted letting go of those strong and special paintings.  Perhaps, this piece was destined for me alone…

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Differing Technique

Posted in Early Paintings, Painting, Recent Paintings, Technique/History, tagged on January 5, 2009| Leave a Comment »

The New Day BreaksAnother year, another first painting of that year…

This is tentatively titled  The Coming Light  and is a continuation of the Red Roof series from several years ago that I mentioned in an earlier post.  It’s a 16″ by 20″ canvas and  is painted in a more traditional, additive way than my typical work.  By that, I mean that the paint is continually added to build up the surface.  Typically, my work consists of adding layers of paint then removing much of it until I reach a level of coverage that suits my eye.  Kind of like carving away the paint to reveal what is hidden in it.

Forest Floor-early experimentThe piece to the right is an early experiment in my normal technique and a good example of what I’m trying to describe.  The paper was originally covered with a layer of dark blue-violet paint.  I then went back in and began to lift the paint to create layers of differing coverage to reveal the forest floor and tree trunks.  This became the basis for the technique that  is used in the bulk of my work.

When I do paint in a different fashion, such as in The Coming Light above, the important thing for me is to maintain my style throughout the work.  I want someone who has only seen my typical work to immediately recognize this as mine and to feel the same emotions that I hope are raised.  This continuum is vital and I think this piece achieves the desired goal well.  

I’m working on a larger piece in this manner that I will show in the next week or so.  Stay tuned…

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