Celene Farris, A Maine Artist

Sunday, November 19, 2023

Creating not Copying

Last week I decided to paint a still life. I looked through my collection of "stuff" in my studio. I was looking for - a tall object, a shiny glass object, something colorful and some small fill-in objects.

Back at my easel, I placed my objects in my shadow box in a pattern that appealed to me. I use a shadow box to confine my objects and eliminate any distractions. My single light source comes from a spotlight. (You can see extra highlights from my regular studio lights but I ignore them.)

So now I had my basic composition. A little boring perhaps.

After laying in a basic underpainting as a foundation, I rarely look at the set up again. I just paint. I try to remember the basics of good composition - unity, variety, balance, color, edges and values.

I'm not interested in just copying these objects. I'm not creating a catalog for a department store - I'm creating a painting.

As you can see in the finished painting - I changed the little glass vase and added the flowers. And then made a few more changes...

My set up

Late Summer Roses, 9x12

Something to think about... Are you an artist? Or a copyist?

Give yourself the freedom to create. Enjoy the painting process!

Celene

Saturday, September 9, 2023

What do you see?

I asked this question awhile back when I posted one of my night scene paintings to my Facebook Page (Celene Farris a Maine Artist) and to the various Facebook Art Groups that I have joined.

The responses were fascinating. So many different interpretations. So much imagination. And so much fun to interact with my viewers.

Thank you all for joining in on the fun. So let's continue....

I find night scenes fascinating to paint. Trying to capture the night without getting too dark... Adding artificial lights, mist and fog and rain... And maybe the stars and the moon... Creating a sense of mystery and atmosphere... Adding a figure or two... Trying to tell just part of the story...

So, "What do you see?"

Waiting For Him, 8x10, oil

Available in my eBay Store or directly through me.

Celene

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Still fascinated with night paintings...

Night Patrol, 8x10, oil on canvas panel.

Night paintings are fascinating. Just how dark can I go...

Everyone sees a different story. What do you see?

Celene

Available in my eBay Store or directly from me.

Friday, July 21, 2023

Taxi ! Another night painting

Taxi ! - 8x10, oil on canvas panel, available

I am still fascinated with night paintings and the mystery of their untold stories. What do you see?

Celene

My Ebay Store

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

Class notes - Composition

I was an art instructor for almost 20 years. I taught at our gallery in Belfast, Maine and later in my home studio. It's hard to stop being a teacher, especially when a friend asks for a critique. "What's wrong with my painting? It's not working! Here's the photo - see, I copied it exactly!"......... Well OK, let's go back to the basics and review our class notes.

First of all - You are an artist. The camera isn't. A camera is a mechanical tool that arbitrarily records everything it sees - the good and the bad. You, as the artist, have to take the scene apart and put it back together. You have to shift your mindset from just copying the scene to the hard, cold, technical facts of composition - and the importance of line, values, placement and shapes. If they are not there, you have to create them.

All the elements in a painting should be designed and placed to serve the focal point. If they don't serve the focal point - leave them out. Remember the focal point is what the painting is about. It's where you want the viewer to look. It is where our most important objects are located. The focal point should have the most contrast, most intense color and the sharpest edges. Objects on either side of the focal point are seen in our peripheral vision and cannot be in sharp focus. This is the way our eye naturally sees.

Simplicity is the key to a strong painting. It's not how much you can add - it's how much you can leave out and still tell your story.

Compositional guidelines -

Diagonal lines give energy, direction and movement. All the major diagonal lines in the scene should lead toward the focal point.

There should be a straight, strong vertical line or shape near the focal point to serve as an anchor and to stabilize the composition.

The painting is divided into three planes, the foreground, the middle distance and the distance. Each plane must be treated differently to show the natural effects of aerial perspective in the scene.

Foregrounds are for lead-in purposes only. They should be composed of diagonal or curving lines, using value and color changes to lead the eye into the painting. They are never just a straight horizontal line going across the bottom of the canvas. And they are never detailed because, when you are looking straight ahead, foregrounds are seen in your peripheral vision.

Placing the focal point in the middle distance creates a larger foreground area which gives support to the focal area while adding weight to the bottom of the painting. This also gives the foreground space to create direction and movement. It is in the middle distance where your major objects, color and values are located.

The softer atmosphere seen in the distance is the result of aerial perspective. This help to create a feeling of depth.

To help in developing a strong painting work out your composition first in either sketches or a tonal underpainting. Tonal - without color - using black, white and grays. Later you will add the magic of color - but only if the underlying structure is strong and correct.

Above is my acrylic tonal underpainting on a red primed canvas. Note the use of directional lines. The strong verticals in the building provide stability. The main figure, my focal point, is in the middle distance. The value design is created to support my focal point.

So, don't just copy what you see. You are the artist. Create. Build a strong composition and add only the elements that are necessary to tell your story.

Happy painting.

Celene