A Yellow Rose – Oil on Panel, 8 x 10 inches (approximate size)
This painting is at auction until 10PM UK time, Saturday 31st August.
A Yellow Rose
What matters most to me in a painting is feeling.
What do I mean when I use the word “feeling”?
Perhaps we don’t have the vocabulary in the English language to talk clearly about feelings.
They are elusive, mysterious, insubstantial.
Reason and logic are solid, defined and clear. It’s much easier to talk about them than it is about feelings.
If someone is clear headed and acting rationally, we see that as a good thing. If someone is ruled by their feelings, we see that as a bad thing. (I’m talking about society in general here.)
But although I take a very logical, methodical approach to painting compared to some, a painting must make me feel something to succeed.
Are thinking and feeling so different?
We have a long-lived dichotomy in western thought between feeling and reason. But that’s changing.
Current psychological thought is exploring the links between these two, and finding that in fact they are different aspects of the same thing.
Rationality is based on metaphorical concepts that grow from how our bodies feel when we come into contact with the world.
Thought and feeling are indivisible.
These ideas are too involved and too different from our usual ways of thinking for me to do justice to them here. If you don’t mind some heavy reading, I’d recommend The Meaning of The Body – the Aesthetics of Human Understanding by Mark Johnson as good introduction to these ideas. It’s not a light book, but it is fascinating. Descartes’ Error – Emotion, Reason and the Human Brain by Antonio Damasio is another).
So, paint what you feel?
The problem is that the often-heard advice to switch off your “left brain” and paint your feelings, not to over-think it and to go with your intuition will often just produce bad painting.
I believe (think, feel) that painting needs both thinking and feeling.
Thinking
A large part of the making of this painting was concerned with the value balance. I didn’t paint the values as I saw them.
I wanted an effect of the light, I wanted that main yellow rose to stand out. But I also wanted to keep the painting light overall. I wanted tit to feel light.
So I was thinking about the values quite clearly and logically as I painted: this is a middle value, so it needs to come up the scale a little if I want to keep the overall lightness. I need to establish this very dark note at the bottom of the scale to make everything else appear lighter.
The comparisons between each value and the rest of the values in the painting is consciously thought about.
Feeling
But the reason I was being so careful with the values is that what I wanted from the painting was the feeling of the light.
Softness. Gentleness. These are metaphorical associations that describe how I felt about what I was painting.
I want the form to dissolve a little into the shadow and the light. This is less easy for me to explain.
Connected
We are all connected to each other, and to everything else that exists. the atoms that make up our bodies have been other things, and will be other things again. (I know this sounds like spirituality, but it’s also science.)
We’re continually blending and dissolving into our surroundings. We pull in air from around us and some of that becomes a part of us. We exhale a part of us and that becomes a part of the world around us.
Perhaps if we all felt that connectedness a little more deeply, we might not destroy our own environment at such a shocking rate. We might care more about the things around us that support our own life.
Perhaps we might feel more empathy with people who are different than us, because actually, we are part of the same larger “something” that we move through together.
Can a painting of flowers clearly communicate these ideas? perhaps not.
But these thoughts and feelings informed the conception of the painting that I had in my head before I started it. They exist within it as metaphor and associations.
Painting from life
If I paint from life, I feel more connected to what I’m painting.
I paint nature, mostly, and that feeling of connectedness to it is a lot of the reason why.
But I used photography in the making of this painting, too.
Before I started, I took a photo of the set up on my old iPhone – this one:
And I took one on my DSLR too. I kept them both within my field of vision when I was starting the painting, but very, very small – on the phone and the camera LCD screen.
Lately I’ve been trying to focus much more on the “big picture”, on the overall value balance, and on the effect of the painting as a whole, especially in the beginning stages.
Being able to see the whole set up really, really small simplifies things and makes that much easier. It’s really not very different that using a black mirror to simplify the values.
I also took one of the pictures into photoshop, played with the levels and blurred it to simplify it. This image had a direct effect on the outcome of the painting:
But I didn’t paint from any of these images – I painted it almost entirely from life. I dod look at them for a good while before I started, and now and again during. But they weren’t the source. They just helped get a clearer conception of what I wanted to paint.
Painting what you see
Paradoxically, although I’ve used photography in the making of this painting – my iPhone, my DSLR and processing photoshop – I’ve actually moved further away from either what I see and from the photographic image than I often do when I’m working exclusively from life.
These things are just are tools. In my view, you can use them well or you can use them badly.
You can allow them to take over the production of the painting for you or you can use them to help you get closer to what you have in your imagination.
If you end up painting as close a version of what the photograph shows you as you can, I find it hard to see what gets added. And there is certainly a danger that the photograph will take your painting in an undesirable direction that you might not have gone in otherwise.
If you rely on tools too much, especially at the beginning stages of your learning journey, you may not develop skills you’re going to need – drawing accuracy, judging of relationships of light and dark, hue and chroma.
And your experience of your subjects will be mediated, not direct.
For me, being in direct contact with my subject is a big part of the process. I paint nature. I don’t want my experience of it mediated. If I’m not having an emotional reaction to my subject, I don’t really have anything to paint.
Tools and helpers are not inherently bad in themselves. As long as they don’t truncate your expression and instead help you toward a better realisation of it, then using them is fine.
Perhaps this is one of the truly valuable things about making art: that it exists in a place where thinking and feeling meet, where they become so intertwined that they’re indivisible.
Perhaps that’s a part of what art is.
We all have to make our own decisions about what tools we use and how we use them. I do think we should be clear and open about what we’re using and why, which is why I’ve written this post.
For me, as long as it gets me closer to the feeling I want and helps me make a better picture, then it makes sense to use any tool that’s available.
I streamed some of the making of this painting on facebook, here’s the video. I touched on some of these subjects as I was painting, although I think I’ve been able to describe them more clearly here.
I’d love to hear what you think – both of how I used the photography and photoshop in the making of this painting and how you use them yourself – or why you don’t.
Let me know in the comments.
Best wishes and thanks for reading,
Paul
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Really brilliant analysis of the pros and cons of using photos as a tool and not a crutch. And a gorgeous painting! Thank you!
Thanks Cecelia 🙂
Hello, Paul,
A deep and rather philosophical analysis of the painting process, providing much food for thought. If one were to apply a bit of the Meyers-Briggs personality concept to an individual painter, would we arrive at the same place and have the same journey? As a painter, I approach everything I do in the studio as an introverted, intuitive, judging thinker. Trained as a scientist, I approach challenges (like painting) as a set of unanswered questions begging to be sorted, classified and solved. I do understand your reference to “feeling “ In the painting process, though, just don’t believe I’d ever describe using that term, lol! Regarding the use of photography, I use snapshots (iPhone photos) in place of the old hand mirror method (dating myself to pre-technology studio days) to make evaluations of progress. I confess, I have used photos to paint from and am almost completely weaned off the habit. I see it as an easy out, an addiction. As references for painting, I think they lack ‘truth’ and distort reality. Since beginning your courses and making a commitment to myself to learn the craft in a methodical and traditional approach I am beginning to change some old, ingrained and mostly negative habits. This week, you’ve shared with your followers the titles of several (not necessarily art) books you are reading or have read. This is much appreciated. These appear to be books on subjects I previously would never give much consideration. But, I’m off to Amazon.com to broaden my horizons. Thank you for continually sharing with us, Paul.
That’s wonderful Julie. Those books are definitely dense reading though! I generally take a few pages at a time and then ruminate on the m for a while 🙂
by the way, INFJ here 🙂
Paul, thank you for a great article. In today’s mailbox, I received and read your piece and one by Keith Bond in FineArtViews that talks about passion and skill, how both are needed to create art. Totally agree! Your focus on how tools can be used in a way that doesn’t stunt intentions or feelings is great. I rarely use photos and then only to help see shapes/abstract elements when too thrilled with all the great material in front of me. You make great points about viewing a photo small, set to the side, glanced at and remembered vs. copied and zoomed in. Still, not using photos at all leaves the artist open to discovering something new, reacting in a different way, noticing changes, feeling a bit more. Your painting is beautiful. Someone less skilled and experienced would have a hard time passing up the opportunity to delve into every detail and might forget all your fine advice.
Thank you Jill. that’s a great way to put it – too thrilled with all the great material. That definitely affects me sometimes. I think it may be largely why I’m making such an effort at the moment to simplify and think in terms of the big relationships.
So far so good 🙂
Paul, you have done it. Your roses dance and glow in the light. They are ethereal and magical. This is what I want to achieve in my work. I generally do not like roses, because they look so solid.
I am perfectly fine with your Photoshop methods to help get the look you want. Tools are just tools. I have been considering using blur in Photoshop to help me get the glowing look I am after too.
The two books you recommended sound very interesting. I plan to read them.
Thanks for your wonderful post and most of all those beautiful glowing roses.
Cheryl
Thank you Cheryl! The glow I think comes mostly from the high chroma – I actually pushed the chroma of the main rose higher than it really was.
the photograph was mostly useful in helping me simplify the image so that I didn’t get too bogged in the details of the petals and risk losing the overall effect – something I’ve had difficulties with in the past. I blurred the photo to simplify it rather than to create the feeling of a glow – that comes mostly from the colour. All of the colour is very low chroma except for that central rose, where I pushed it as high as I possibly could.
Another fantastic painting! Thanks for your thoughts on using photos, they’re all part of the process, especially if you paint animals and children, and also sharing how you begin a painting. I think you achieve a sense of life, which is what I am trying to do.
Thank you Lynn. I think a lot of the sense of life comes from leaving some areas undefined – so that when you look at the painting (or drawing) your brain must become more engaged in making up the missing parts of the image. This is actually closer to how we see the real world, too.
The caveat, I think, is that it only really works if you’ve really nailed your values, and preferably the drawing too.
I feel very privileged to have shared in your journey as a painter/print maker myself – it can be a lonely process. I am drawn to abstract expressionism – in the words of Balzac ‘the aim of art is not to copy nature but to express it.’ I see what you are trying expressin your painting with wonderful results.
A fascinating post as always. I have a science background and am driven to study techniques and paint “properly”; whatever that means. I feel that I can’t use the feeling side of myself unless I have mastered the techniques. As time passes I am “letting go” and allowing myself to use some artistic licence around my subjects. I have started to simplify the composition and change the backgrounds. I do feel passionately about what I paint but am driven towards realism and do use photographs as I paint people (who can’t sit for me) or landscapes that I’m no longer in front of. As I grow in confidence I can see the feelings beginning to overtake or at least be parallel with my need for precision.
I’m supposed to be an ESTJ by the way but as a trained psychologist I refuse to be labelled and am very much a rebel at heart!!
Fascinating post, Paul. It’s wonderful the way a painting made with feeling (even when using reason) can convey those ineffable qualities that you describe. Yours does–beautiful painting. This is why I find it so sad that art students (at least here in Australia) are forced to come up with heavy handed and gimmicky, usually politically relevant “concepts” to justify their artworks before they even lift a brush. No feelings need apply, so to speak. No deep philosophical musings either. Instead it’s all about being “edgy”. Tragic really. Another thing about work like yours that is felt through (if I can use that expression) and produced so thoughtfully is that the time it takes to create it lends itself to deep, gradual seeing and contemplation.
On the subject of using photographs however, I personally find (as I like to do non commissioned portraits of people whose faces I find interesting) that the actual live presence of a model distracts me from thinking let alone musing and prevents me going into the kind of reverie I need to get into to paint well. Flowers are different–they don’t tell you about the funny things their cat did that morning or complain about their boyfriend. They just sit there, being… Joan Baez who now paints as well as sings has said she prefers to do her portraits from photos because she has too much empathy–so will start fretting about a model being uncomfortable etc. Those darn mirror neurons are hard to ignore once they start firing off!
My post is off-topic, but I wanted to let you know about a product used by florists that may add a couple of additional painting days before flowers die. I’m on an altar guild and often arrange flowers for the altar at church. It’s exasperating to have bouquets start to wilt before the services even begin. I learned about “Crowning Glory” by Floralife. It’s great because it keeps flowers fresh and actually freezes them so they don’t continue to open. It’s a wax spray, but doesn’t affect the color or look of the flowers. I’m eager to try it for painting. I thought you might be interested in case you hadn’t heard of it.
Kindest regards, Sue
Hi Paul,
There are certainly so many interesting posts prompted by your heart felt blog and painting !
I am thinking about my thoughts as an artist – beginning by just drawing day and night, then through dance to be a performer and experimental filmmaker until eventually realising the longing to create powerful illusions of reality and learning the skills of an academically painter.
I’d like to be clear and straightforward – to make my working methods and thoughts appealing to read. I love painting after all.
I shall compile my thoughts . . . and write my own blog in part as a reply as the practical points you raise are valuable – Photos & Photoshop..
Munsell is beginning to be a very interesting proposition – another way to fly through the colour sphere – as with HUE as well as VALUE and CHROMA, mixing colour takes on very dimensional paths !
As a little taster :
Expression of ones feelings ? How can one do anything else? Now articulacy – there is a challenging proposition.
Great ideas. But to be within as well as analyse ? Is it not all separate and apart ? Requiring the concentrated fusion of painting to give one the here and now moments?
I would say the majority of what I draw or paint now is from a photo reference, impossible to draw an F1 car in motion regardless of how quick an artist you are 😀
And in fact, my latest painting is of a photo, from the TV screen, of a character (Harley Quinn) in a computer game – so again totally impossible to have had the real subject to work from.
I realise that these are extreme opposite subjects from a static rose on a shelf but I think that regardless of the subject and whether working from photo or life there is always the opportunity, in fact, the requirement… for the artist to add / remove / adjust whatever they want to try and achieve the image they want to represent. I was hoping to make the cartoonish looking person from the computer game look more like a real person – I didn’t totally achieve it as I’m not skilled enough (yet) but it’s still an aim of mine.
I don’t know if you’ve seen the “Portrait Artist of the Year” on telly? When I first saw it I was surprised to see a lot of them taking photos of the sitter before starting on their paintings, gridding up, etc. Made me feel less guilty even though I shouldn’t really…
What I HAVE found out is using photography to help me see better MY painting and make corrections along the way.