Eggs-aspirated? Art For What Ails You
- At March 24, 2017
- By katzp
- In Thoughts On Art
0
Art has long been used as a form of therapy to improve well-being.
The central idea is that expressing ourselves creatively in artistic ways helps us improve self awareness, manage feelings, and reduce stress.
It’s often a way that we can explore in images what we hesitate to express in words.
It matters not what the product looks like. The product is really the process of working / playing things through.
I loved this recent ‘prescriptive’ post by Neeti Chopra: 15 Simple Art Hacks You Can Use To Control Your Mind & Channel Your Emotions.
Have fun with it. Doodle to your heart’s content!
Art Nouveau…Who Knew?
- At March 21, 2017
- By katzp
- In Thoughts On Art
- 0
The more I learn about the history of art, the more fascinating it becomes.
This post links you to a brief article on the Art Nouveau Movement of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
English designer and businessman, William Morris, is the person credited with being the philosophical father of the movement.
He described Art Nouveau’s main goals this way:
“To give people pleasure in the things they must perforce use, that is one great office of decoration; to give people pleasure in the things they must perforce make, that is the other use of it.”
Simply put, I interpret this to mean:
If you have to MAKE something and you have to USE something, why shouldn’t it be beautiful as well as functional?
What a concept!
Of course, there were and are many different ideas about what constitutes beauty and good design. Central to the early Art Nouveau works were inspirations from nature – curling vines, tendrils, and other organic forms.
Aubrey Beardsley, Gustav Klimt, and Louis Tiffany (he of the stained glass lamps) are some of the more well known artists who played with these ideas and contributed to the movement.
Hector Guimard, who designed the entrances to the Paris Metro stations introduced for the 1900 Paris World’s Fair, created one of the best known examples of Art Nouveau still alive and well today.
Hope you have as much fun reading about this period in art as I did.
PS – It’s fun to think that when I was drawn to sketch this Paris Metro light standard, that I was actually inspired by Art Nouveau efforts from a century before.
With Or Without? Survey Says…
- At February 07, 2017
- By katzp
- In Behind The Scenes, Process, Recent Work
- 0
One of the things I love about watercolor is the brilliance of the pure white paper. To preserve that freshness, I’m often inclined to leave a lot of the white paper showing. – especially in some of the vignettes that I create.
On a recent excursion with the Saskatoon Plein Air painting group, I sketched a sweet little daffodil blooming in the Mendel Conservatory. I initially left the background white, with the flower framed by a black line squiggle.
After scanning that image in its ‘natural state’, I decided to experiment by adding a contrasting blue background inside the frame.
I then posted the two images to Facebook along with the questions: “With or without? And why?”
53 Facebook followers weighed in with their opinions. A huge majority (a whopping 94% of the voters) preferred the image ‘with’ the blue background.
They gave these reasons: contrast highlights the flower, makes color more vibrant, makes it look warmer, gives it depth and dimension, makes it more positive, feels more finished and complete, makes the flowers pop, and gives context.
The two votes for ‘without’ chose the image with the white background because of its simplicity and understatement.
One of the ‘without’ supporters mocked up a couple of images with colored mats to show how the frame choice could make the image pop in different ways. This reinforces the point made by another respondent who was squarely on the fence, saying the preference for a white or color background ‘depends on the frame’.
One artist that I studied with (can’t remember who) noted that if you are wondering whether you should or whether you shouldn’t (change a line, add a color, tweak the background), the answer is always, ‘Yes, you should.”
His point was that the change just might be successful; and if it isn’t successful, at least you’ve learned something about what NOT to do next time. Grand experiments in the pursuit of learning!
PS – Are you wondering which version I prefer? That’s just like asking a parent to choose a favorite child. I demur. I love them both.
Can You Tap The Tropics On The Prairies?
- At January 30, 2017
- By katzp
- In Behind The Scenes, Recent Work
- 6
Our Saskatoon Plein Air painting group met on Saturday morning at the Mendel Gallery for a couple of hours of sketching, painting and artful camaraderie.
When it’s too cold to paint outdoors, there’s always the Outdoor Indoor option.
Most of us chose to park ourselves in the Conservatory where the air was warm and humid and the foliage was green (unlike the trees and shrubs outdoors).
The potted daffodils and tulips were just bursting into bloom, offering hope that spring will soon be on its way.
I plopped myself down on a stool in a corner of the conservatory nearest the cacti – being careful not to back into any surprises.
Pots of bulbs nestled in amongst the permanent display of succulents delivered pops of color.
First to catch my eye, my pen and my brush was a cluster of yellow daffodils.
While I waited for the daffodils to dry, a sweet little barrel cactus called my name.
He and his buddies served as the focal point for sketch number two.
And finally, for something just a little bit different, I decided to create a botanical sampler with each of the six squares on the page devoted to a different type of foliage or blossom.
It was a sweet way to spend a winter morning – basking in the sun streaming through the greenhouse glass, breathing in the tropical atmosphere, and hanging out in the company of plants and fellow artists.
PS 1 – If you’re interested in joining the adventures of the Saskatoon Plein Air group, reach out to the fine folks at Hues Art Supply. They serve as headquarters for the group and support us by sending out information on upcoming gatherings. Events are generously coordinated by Jean Dudley. No special supplies are needed to join in. In fact, all you really need is a sketchbook and a pencil.
- PS 2 – A click on each of the Daffodils and Barrel Cactus sketches will take you to a larger version of these images on my fine art website. Originals and reproductions are always available for purchase.
Up The Coulee
- At January 24, 2017
- By katzp
- In Behind The Scenes, Process, Recent Work, Special Events
- 0
Sometimes inspiration springs from more than one source.
Such was the case with this painting titled, Up The Coulee.
I worked on this during a recent Watercolor Workshop taught by landscape artist, Alison Montgomery.
Alison’s work inspired me to try some big sky clouds.
I stumbled across the inspiration for the sky (with the bonus of a really colorful rock outcropping) in a photo shared by Jamie Angus in the Saskatchewan Scenery group on Facebook.
I was also drawn to the beauty of the rolling hills and fall foliage of the Slade Ranch in southwestern Saskatchewan.
The ranch is featured in this image posted by my friends, Brenda Baker and Art Slade.
I played around with combinations that would partner the two inspirations in a combined sketch. See the black and white rough shown on the right.
It seemed to work. And so I dove right in with paintbrush and color!
You still have a few days to see Up The Coulee in real life along with a couple of my ink and watercolor abstracts created in a class with Anne McElroy.
All three pieces – along with the work of other workshop participants – are on display in The Workshop Show at Hues Art Supply (1818 Lorne Avenue in Saskatoon) until the end of January.
