Stop it, Stop it, Stop IT!!

This is the final rendering from the step-by-step I shared with you in my previous post. This is also a good indication of why I don’t do tons of sketching. I find it hard to stop myself from tweeking a piece to the ‘enth degree because I’m having so much fun in the rendering part of it. So much so that sometimes things look a little too “finished” when I get finished. Sometimes when you go too far, a piece loses some of its freshness. This didn’t completely happen here mind you, because I could’ve really kept working this baby up. But I didn’t. To me that’s the difference between a “sketch” and rendering. This piece is more of a rendering. The saying “Less is more” comes to mind here.

 

Come to think of it, that basically sums up my whole struggle with my paintings sometimes - I have a tough time pulling back and leaving more of a “sketchy” unfinished look to my work. Leaving something for you, the viewer, to fill in on your own makes the piece more interesting for you to look at. (I will try to do my best to let you participate in the future!) Plus the fact that when a piece is done in a more loose fashion, the artist can play with various brush strokes and techniques as opposed to getting that glazed photo-realistic look. But it’s just so easy to fall into and it’s so Damn’ much FUN!

That’s why I’m enjoying this Sketchbook Project thing. With the exception of this piece, much of what I’m doing is some of the freshest, quickest work I’ve done. The boys at Art House made the sketchbook small (something like 5 x 8 inches) so I can complete a few a day if I want, and the paper is so thin that if I erase too much, or are too heavy handed in working it up, the thing just gets destroyed.

Guess that’s why they call it a SKETCHbook.

Scroll through my previous posts to see more of my sketches for the Sketchbook Project 2011 and let me know which is your favorite by e-mailing me at joe@joewinklerart.com

Latest Sketchbook Stuff

Here’s the latest sketch from my book for the Sketchbook Project 2011.

And here is a progression of  the “tighter” still life sketch in that same sketchbook. This can be worked up to a ridiculous degree, but I will do just one more session with it to pump up the volume on the contrast and really darken those darkest darks.

Book Addiction?

In past posts I've mentioned how my penchant for buying art books and DVDs compairs (perhaps favorably) to that of one who is addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. Lets face it, I have a problem and will one day be buried in books and DVDs. What a way to go though!  But I digress...

The other day, as happens on so many occasions, I was taking four box-loads of books to be traded in at my local Half Price book store. While waiting for the girl to appraise my, um, ... stack, I came across two super nice Caravaggio books.

The first (pictured at left) is actually a very recent hardback catalog for a Caravaggio exhibition that ran from February 20th to June 13th of this year at a museum in Italy called “Scuderie del Quirinale” in Rome. It has got the best reproductions I have seen in any book about Caravaggio. I love exhibition catalogs mainly for that reason, the images are super quality. I also love catalogs because the book won't be reprinted in various additions over time since it's specific to a certain exhibit, which in my mind makes it more unique. Of course the book also contains essays on each piece in the exhibit by such noted Caravaggio experts as Francesca Cappelletti, Sergio Benedetti, and Mina Gregori. All of whom I read about, and can put into a certain context in my mind, thanks to a fantastic book I read back in the spring called “The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece” by Jonathan Harr. (I can’t plug that book enough. What a great read!)

Click here to go to the Scuderie del Quirinale Caravaggio exhibit page. I've been toggling back to the museum’s site as I write this and it looks really interesting, and is housed in a location with quite a history.

The second find (pictured at top right) is a Taschen book in their artist series. These are concise little paperbacks that you’ve probably seen before, although some are probably out of print. I have bought a few of these over the years, but didn't actually know there was one on Caravaggio, so I couldn’t resist.  I've found the writing and the "facts" in these books to be somewhat questionable but they're still nice books to have.

So to end this post I’ll tell you that all I got for my trade in at Half Price was a measly fifty cents! While I spent about eighty times that on these two gems!

Yeah, it's an addiction.

Recent Sketches

The latest progress on what will be a more finished sketch for The Sketchbook Project 2011.
Prepped some palettes and organized paint tubes in my studio today.

Art, Ads, and Juice Newton

I always marvel at the commercial side of the art world using classic fine-art images.  I'm talking specifically about fine-art paintings from history being used in ads and other commercial print work.  You don't see it too often.  This has been going on for many years of course and it's totally fine, and most times not real surprising.  For instance we've all seen Michelangelo's angels appear in ads, book jackets, or posters.  It just always happens when I least expect it and makes me smile every time!

Sometimes I'll notice an artists' work who I'm a huge fan of, but is less known to the general public, being used in some commercial way.  An artist like J.C. Leyendecker for instance.  Granted, he was an illustrator, and his art was created for commercial use to begin with.  I just always get a kick out of seeing an image he painted, lets say for a magazine 80 or so years ago, being used commercially today.  How many people, other than those who know his work, would recognize it?  Not many, but I'm sure if it's being used like that it's probably totally legal since most images of old master paintings are available to use commercially.  It still makes me laugh whenever I notice it though!  Probably because there's just so much other imagery available to the advertising world for designers to use.

Today, I came across a real unexpected one.  I was browsing songs on iTunes and clicked on Juice Newton's "Angel of the Morning" song and saw a painting of St. Matthew by Caravaggio used on the cover of the iTunes album!  I recently read two books about Caravaggio, and love his paintings, so his paintings and time period are something I always have right up there in my head (if not in front of my face).  Juice Newton however is never in my head!!  Which is why I guess I laughed at seeing that particular image on that particular album cover!

I know it's a literal interpretation of the song, but it just seems so out of place!!  Not to mention they flipped the image.  Just seems to cheapen the painting a bit to use it that way I guess. Sorry Juice Newton fans.  Didn't mean to offend.  I just slapped down ninety-nine cents for the song if it makes you feel better.

If you ever notice any popular (or not so popular) paintings or illustrations from history being used on ads and such, e-mail me at joe@joewinklerart.com  and tell me what you think about it or my comments today.