LandscapeS
Problem Statement: Landscapes are an ideal subject for exploring light and color with paint. To that end - you'll be doing a plein-air study of a landscape on the school grounds that demonstrates knowledge of compositional techniques, value, and color (ish!)
3 stages of color development in landscape paintingClaude Monet, Meules, 1890
STAGE 1: Painting the colors we see
We all start learning about color by trying to paint the colors we see. This is often referred to as observational color. Here we are concerned with the color of something as it appears to our eye, under the influence of a particular color of light. We see a color and try to accurately record its value, hue, temperature and relative intensity. This teaches us a great deal about the properties of color and how to control them. It teaches us how to mix colors that can produce the effects we are after, and how the colors of the landscape translate into paint. Perhaps the most profound realization of Stage 1 is that replicating the colors we see is not entirely possible (which seemingly contradicts the premise of observational color). Pigments on paper or canvas are incapable of expressing the range of brilliance and luminosity generated by natural light. No matter how intense we make our colors, or how strongly we may render their value contrasts, our pigments can never compete with the brilliance of natural light. To achieve the effects we want, we must be willing to alter and modify the colors we see - and that’s when we transition into Stage 2. Mitch Albala, July Cottonwood
Stage 2: Modifying the colors we see
In Stage 2 we begin to metamorphose into true colorists. We realize that painting representationally is not only about trying to paint the colors we see; it is also about altering and interpreting those colors. However, our ability to appropriately modify the colors is based upon our fluency with observational color. How will I know which colors need to be altered if I’m not evaluating them correctly? If I can’t read values well, I may not recognize that one needs to be darker or lighter? Scott Gellatly, Late Summer Warmth
Stage 3: Intuitive color
Inevitably, as we get better and better at modifying and altering colors as needed, we reach a place where our choices start to become more intuitive. When does this transition begin? I’m placing it in Stage 3, but in fact it assert itself in every stage of our development. It would be almost impossible for it not to. After all, color is the most emotionally based and expressive aspect of the painter’s practice. We can all aspire to operate from a more intuitive place, but it’s also important to remember that the more foundation we have with observational color, the better able we will be to make intuitive choices. In other words, an intuitive response to color is fueled by experience and knowledge. |
Landscape artistsJeffrey Reed Frank Bruckman Mitch Albala Marc Bohne Frank Serrano Robin Weiss Eugene Brouillard Richard McKinley Gregory Stocks Thomas Paquette Joan Fulerton David Adkins Michael Workman Paul Balmer Liza Hirst John Constable Norma Stephenson Fairfield Porter Barbara Jaenicke Anne Packard Oliver Akers Douglas Jennifer Woodburn Paul Cezanne Richard Diebenkorn George Inness Claude Monet Vincent van Gogh Auguste Renoir J.M.W. Turner Chauncey Foster Ryder Andrew Wyeth Edward Hopper Sir Kyffin Williams Paul Bailey Stock Schluete Dave Santillanes Brian Blood Jeannie Sellmer Paul Bailey SKETCHBOOKTask: Create a tonal painting of your landscape using only 4 values and focusing on simplifying the mass shapes of observed value.
1.Convert photo to black and white to help you see values rather than getting distracted by colors at this point.
2. Lay down a ground of value #2 and plan out the main shapes of your landscape with value #3.
3. Place #4 value to define the darkest areas. This basic structure allows you to easily evaluate your composition.
4. Pull out light with #1 value and develop your composition further, using all 4 values to interpret shapes.
5. Articulate some values and shapes further - don't paint every shape you see - simplify by combining smaller shapes into larger ones until you convey the essence as economically as possible.
|
GT Extension homework: Learning from a Master
Step 1: Scour the list of landscape artists I have provided for an artist who you really dig (or you can go rogue and find a legit landscape painter on your own) You wish you could make art just like them. Now's your chance.
Step 2: In your sketchbook, answer the following questions to verbalize what it is you find so appealing.
1.What does it look like? In a few sentences, describe what you see.
2. What do you notice? Analyze at least 2 things your eye is drawn to in the painting - What choices did the artist make to draw your attention to them?
3.What do you want to steal from the artist? List at least 2 tips or techniques.
Step 3: Now, copy a painting of theirs as closely as possible, focusing on:
1.COLOR - local color, ish color, the value of color...
2.Markmaking – painterly, smooth, choppy, etc…
3.Specific techniques you can steal for your own painting.
When you're finished, don't forget to give credit by writing the artist's name and the title of the original paintings below your version.
Step 2: In your sketchbook, answer the following questions to verbalize what it is you find so appealing.
1.What does it look like? In a few sentences, describe what you see.
2. What do you notice? Analyze at least 2 things your eye is drawn to in the painting - What choices did the artist make to draw your attention to them?
3.What do you want to steal from the artist? List at least 2 tips or techniques.
Step 3: Now, copy a painting of theirs as closely as possible, focusing on:
1.COLOR - local color, ish color, the value of color...
2.Markmaking – painterly, smooth, choppy, etc…
3.Specific techniques you can steal for your own painting.
When you're finished, don't forget to give credit by writing the artist's name and the title of the original paintings below your version.