You pissed me off Terry Miura!

A few months ago, Terry Miura, an artist that I really respect ( you can link to his site from this blog), wrote on his web site that it's challenging for him to frame his art for galleries and sales. He must pick the appropriate frame and at a price point that won't break his pocket book. If any of his pieces don't sell immediately, hopefully they will in the near future and defray the framing cost. He's a fantastic studio and plein air oil painter and believes (no ifs, ands, or buts) that he MUST frame his work. Well... I commented back that if an artist is as good as he is, he doesn't need to do this! His work speaks for itself, and the buyers have the option to choose frames of their liking. "No, no!", Mr. Miura shot back. He was taught, and he believes that one must put one's best foot forward. Well, a few weeks ago, a very good gallery in town accepted some of my acrylic plein air paintings to display and sell (hopefully and keep my fingers crossed!). The owner insisted that I frame them! Miura's words came back to haunt me! But first, let me say this: I have had numerous medium to large paintings on stetched canvas sell at another gallery with ZIPPO framing! I asked this latest gallery owner, "Do I have to frame them?". Not one iota of hesitation... "Sure, it's the cost of doing business". Now what was I to say?.. "NO!" Of course not. I want to be in his damn gallery! He has a reputation for selling art. This afternoon, I picked up my framed pieces. Most all of them are 8"x16" on stretched canvas. They are all floated in a simple gallery-style frame. Hot damn, they look good! It has now dawned on me that if you do not let the framing cost get out of hand, the enhanced presentation increases your odds of selling (even if the buyer plans to later reframe). And, that extra mile you go, ultimately enhances both your sales and your reputation as an artist. As far as very large canvases are concerned, many buyers hang them on their walls as is, and indeed, if the sides are finished off nicely, there is nothing wrong with that (especially with more modern style paintings such as I paint). Come to think of it, one does not always have to frame small pieces either! But... I think most of the time, it's awfully hard to beat that framed look. You can't go cheap, but neither do you have to break the bank. And, you need to get just the right type of frame. OK, OK, Miura!.. ya dun got a point!..it can be a pain to frame but the frame can add to your fame. Now that's poetry to any artist...even a plein air wannabe.

Block This!

Whether outdoors or in, starting a painting begins with the "blocking in" process. Simply outline the shapes to get your composition (usually a drawing process with a small round brush). Then you can paint in large areas of tone (value) and simple color to finish this initial blocking in stage. From this foundation, you can start to detail or polish your painting to a point where you say, "Looks good! I'm done." Never do you want to start with a lot of fine detail with all the time committed to it. You most likely will end up with a poor composition and a reluctance to "erase" what you have done, considering all the time and effort put into it! Blocking in is relatively fast, and if your composition heads south, it's no biggie to start over. Never settle for less when you can get more by blocking! Here is an easel shot of my blocking in stage. Yes, I worked from a photo I took early in the morning of a U.S. Postal worker taking five and reading the sports page. Loved his left leg on the dash board the the sun piercing through the paper. The second photo is the completed polished painting. Sometimes I take a break from plein air, especially when it's raining...nowhatta I mean?!

Eat My Dust!

Three hours of painting here "en plein air" and another 3 "en studio" (fake french for sure!). If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, someday I'll finish an acrylic en plein air! This piece must have at least 12 exploratory painting layers on it...at least! I played! I played with color schemes and brush work. All this painting activity was completed within a time span of 3 days, working off and on. This is something that you would fined very difficult to do in oil because of the medium's slow, slow drying time. Did I say slooooowwww? But with acrylic...nooooo problem! I like my work to have brush marks and not a lotta fine blending. Acrylic's fast drying time (between 5 to 12 minutes, depending on the day's humidity) precludes super fine blending unless you can do it fast. Even a drying retardent medium added to your paint doesn't really buy you much extra time. What can I say...I just like bold painterly strokes and this rough hewn, urban gritty look with a cherry Mack 4 Mustang in your face. Yea...eat my dust!!

A Fine Kettle of Fish

Ya know...being a plein air wannabee, I sometimes do not know what I'm getting into. Thought these industrial huts would be a snap, and the truck and car in front would be fun too. Three hours later, my painting looked like shit (if I may put it ever so delicately). So...as often happens, I took a photo and finished the next day in my studio. Another half and half! Half plein air and half photo referenced studio painting. Go to: terrimiura.com. It's a fabulous and very educational web site. He is a phenomenal plein air artist. His new Sept. post shows his latest paintings. One has a wrought iron gate in it. A COMPLEX wrought iron gate. He writes about this challenge and mirrors the kettle of fish I got into. But ya know, ya gotta face these challenges, however frustrating they may be, to learn and grow.

Dust, Steam, and other Vapors

Ever seen some atmospheric Whistler or Turner paintings? I've always loved them! Maybe its because I have always loved the transition of Summer into Fall here in the Great San Joaquin Valley. The temperature cools down, and we start to get misty, hazy days that eventually transition, as we go into the winter season, to deep "tullie' fog. No sun for days and weeks on end! Driving conditions are horrible. But to see things such as trees, people, buildings, being shrouded and obscured in the fog is amazing. Well, we are only on the cusp of that season, but I'm already limbering up. About a week ago, when I was doing my plein air thing in downtown Sacramento, I saw a street person who spends his days randomly sweeping. I have dubbed him "Mr. Clean". He was sweeping dirt in the early morning and was somewhat back lighted. Wow! Fortunately, I had my camera at hand, and took a few reference snaps. I'm not sure at this posting if I'm finished with this acrylic... sometimes I polish my paintings too much. I think I like it the way it is. I especially like the billowing dust. I took some photos over 35 years ago when I was a college student (that's just after they invented college) of a car wash in Stockton (where I grew up) during the fog season. They had a young man, handling a steam hose, cleaning off the cars as they went through. So not only was there fog in the background, but this billowing steam coming out of the kid's hose. That's a double wow, and the image has never left my mind. I'll try to dig out the photo soon and post it. Meanwhile, as you can see, I'm getting limbered up to transition into tullie fog season here in the Great San Joaquin Valley.

Paint the good, bad, and ESPECIALLY THE UGLY

If you can go out there in the big world and find something "ugly" to paint and make it into something beautiful, well...I think you are going to become a better painter. Instead of relying on beautiful pastures, mountains, ocean beaches etc., etc., to draw in the viewer, you start to think more about composition, brush and color work, dramatic values etc. I know... you think about these things anyway , but guess what?... you think about them even more when painting the "ugly". For me, at least, the so-called ugly or prosaic is really not at all ugly or prosaic! We all grow up to dismiss a lot of what we see as not worthy to look at for more than a second or two. I suppose this is OK, because we have to get on with our lives. But when one takes the time out to paint something, its fun to look these types of things for maybe an hour or 2 or 3 or more! And like I said, you need to dig deeper down into your bag of artistic tricks to end up with a compelling painting. This I am learning as a plein air wannabee.

Plein Air AND Abstract Wannabe

Sometimes one takes artistic side excursions. I've been invited by a Northern California art supply chain store (University Art) to teach acrylic painting workshops here in Sacramento. This means representational AND abstract painting workshops. Now as a plein air wannabe, I feel that the skillsets I'm developing and practicing are really not too different from abstract art. I have not ever specialized in abstract painting, but every time I've done it, I find it very challenging and exciting...gee...just like plein air painting, come to think of it. But unlike plein air painting, there is nothing to look at. I find that a little daunting! To overcome this very scary situation, I like to mull over thoughts and feelings and maybe even do a thumbnail pencil sketch with notes. Do I want a hard line feel? A geometric look? Something natural and organic looking? Do I want vibrant colors or monotone or earthy? Texture and impasto? Mystery? Anger? Softness? Do I want a highlighted element? Do I want the eye to travel about the painting or come to rest on an element? I could go on and on at the expense of boring you dear reader. The point I am trying to make is that these are all similiar questions I ask as a plein air wannabe! With a great deal of humbleness, I present an abstract canvas I've just completed.