Weekly Book Suggestion

This weeks read is one of my favorite books on oil painting, An Artist Teaches: Reflections on the Art of Painting by David Leffel.

David Leffel is a master oil painter and a god among many painters today. He does mostly still life and some portraits but can, of course, paint anything. His style is Alla Prima, which means the work is started and finished in one painting session, but the term is also more loosely applied to any painting done in a direct, expressive style.

To put this book into the “how to” category seems somewhat of an insult, but in essence that’s what it is. It is also my most treasured book on oil painting partly because it has so much useful advice, and partly because it is a thing of beauty to have and to hold.

Pretty much every sumptuous page has either beautiful reproductions of his paintings, and/or very insightful and useful advice on painting. Sometimes the artist gets a bit too deeply philosophical in talking about his art and painting in general. At times I found myself thinking, “Yeah, whatever that means. What kind of brush is he using there?” but hey, I guess when you’re great and you know you’re great, you just can’t help yourself.

My copy of this book is like all other books I hold in high esteem, highlighted, post-it noted and dog-eared to death. But I took special care with this one because I love it so. I mean this book has everything; close-ups of paintings to see texture, idea generating material for my own still lifes, and in the back some really nice inspirational graphite and charcoal sketches which the artist has done in warm dark pigments on earth tone, and textured paper for an added visual connection to the old renaissance masters.

Everyone who appreciates beautiful representational art loves David Leffel’s work and his influence is huge in many circles. As a result many artists paintings these days look much like his. But is that really a bad thing? I don’t think it is, but you judge for yourself. They’re beautiful paintings and this is one of my favorite books of all time!

Thoughts or suggestions -  Joe@JoeWinklerArt.com

Orange Oil Sketch

I returned to oil sketching last weekend for the sketchbook project. As usual, had trouble stopping work on this, but after getting all the essential elements down, forced myself to stop.

 

Now honestly, which do you prefer, this or the colored pencil rendering from a couple posts ago?

The Art of the Oil Sketch

This small sketch is something I did last year. After working on a larger painting, I didn’t want to waste what was left on my palette, so placed this can in front of me, lit it and sketched it up real quick. I was, and am, so pleased with it that I keep it pinned up on a wall in my studio to remind me of the unrestrained feeling I had while executing it. After comparing this with some of my finished work, I made a pact with myself to work smaller and looser.

Pacts (like rules) are made to be broken, and this one was no exception. However I have done some other loose little still lifes since this one for use in my Sketchbook Project 2011 sketchbook that I am happy with and that I continue to learn from.

Share those with you next time!

New Weekly Feature!

In past posts I’ve mentioned my zest for buying art, books and DVDs. Since I have collected so many of them now, I have decided to feature one every week here on the blog. A “suggested read of the week” if you will.

Mind you, these will not be new releases, but they will still be in print in most cases. And they are all books I’ve read or use in my own work. Which is to say, they will be fine art, graphic art, design, or photography related; however, I may throw in a history book for good measure.

To kick this new feature off, I’ll start by a suggesting a real entertaining little pocket book called The Accidental Masterpiece, On the Art of Life and Vice Versa by Michael Kimmelman.

Mr. Kimmelman is an art critic that covers the European arts beat for the New York Times. This book is basically a very enjoyable long essay that connects certain aspects of fine art and artists’ lives to the way we all live our own lives, and the “stuff” that we see everyday. One highlighted review on the back cover of the book comes from Vogue magazine: “... bits of memoir, travel writing, and biography, with wide-ranging and brilliant critical reflections on finding the art in everyday life.”  That’s basically what it is.

A refreshing and enjoyable read, this book helped me see things like modern art as well as art history in a different (and better) light. I actually went to my local Borders book shop and came real close to buying a how-to book on abstract painting shortly after reading Mr. Kimmelman’s book.

The Accidental Masterpiece touches on points such as, why people collect things (like lightbulbs), how and why museums changed forever the way we perceive works of art, and, in a chapter called “The Art of Maximizing Your Time” comments on how we can learn from people throughout history, who in really difficult circumstances, were able to create their best art.

So big thumbs up for this book! I’ll leave you with a quote from the author’s introduction:

 “...I have come to feel that everything, even the most ordinary affair, is enriched by the lessons that can be gleaned from art: that beauty is often where you don’t expect to find it; that it is something we may discover and also invent, then reinvent, for ourselves.”

Quite.

Vatican Splendors Exhibit

Went to see Vatican Splendors A Journey Through Faith And Art at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh’s historic strip district. Very Impressive. Each period from the history of the Vatican was well represented with various artifacts. I could’ve done with seeing more paintings however.

My favorite pieces of course were the baroque period paintings and sculptures. I saw a painting that was similar to some of Caravaggio’s work. A huge painting of an angel attending to St. Sylvester who the Romans ran through with arrows because he wouldn’t stop preaching. I do not have an image of that painting unfortunately. There was no information posted abut who painted it either, but the Caravaggio influence was obvious. When I see those types of pieces I’m always amazed at how thin and even the paint is applied, and also at how the weave of the canvas is so coarse compared to paintings today.

They had a few cool Michelangelo pieces. Off to the right of a second generation cast of the Pietà (photo of the original below) there was an original, relief sculpture by Michelangelo. I spent more time looking at that little gem. Partly because there was no crowd around it and partly because it was not finished so you could see the chisel marks he himself made. Never thought I’d see anything like that outside of Europe!

Here is a link to the Holy See. Really cool site, if you're interested.

First and Last?

As promised (sort of) I took up and did a sketch using the old colored pencils today. And just as I thought, the novelty wore off fairly quickly. About half way through I found myself thinking, “This would be so much more powerful if I did this up in oils”. 'Half way through' being only about 25 minutes mind you.

So until further notice, I will only work with colored pencils to augment certain pencil sketchs, or to play around with my logo or some other one dimensional design.

I’m way too in love with oils to continue this sort of thing.

A Quick Look Back

I’m planning to break out the colored pencils for the first time in a long time for the sketchbook project thing. But first, here is an example of an early color pencil rendering I did back when I was just turning drinking age. I don’t think I’d even touched oils yet.

It’s always nice to keep some early stuff to look back on and gage ones artistic growth (even if it is at glacial speed). Most times I look at old work and cringe, but I’m actually not hating this one too much. This was an aggressive crop of a Tennis magazine action shot, which explains the contortrd expression on Boris Becker's face. Looks like I was too concerned with accuracy at the time to free up the pencil strokes. And a nice dark background would've really helped pop him off the page.

I’ve been wanting to do something in colored pencils recently and this Sketchbook Project thing might just be the excuse I was looking for. Probably won't be able to tear myself away from the oil paints however.

Stay tuned...

Oil Sketchn'

Awhile back I mentioned I was planning to integrate some oil sketches into my Sketchbook Project 2011 sketchbook. Well it has come to pass. Here are the first two of, ...oh I don’t know, maybe four or five I’ll do for the book. These are extremely fun, but the problem is, I have a tough time stopping at the stage where it’s still just a sketch. I always want to refine them further.

 

However, I refuse to work these up beyond one session that lasts only a couple of hours at most because to me, the loose look of these, along with the time spent doing them, is what defines a sketch. The challenge with these I suppose, is to simplify them even further. The really great artists I admire, like John Singer Sargent, were able to get the essence of a subject in the minimum amount of brush strokes. Until you actually try it, it’s tough to appreciate how hard it is to pull off. That’s true with anything really - The great ones always make it look easy don’t they.

 

Bottom line is, I love working with oil paint in the early stages and leaving it for a day or so, then returning to it in its semi-dry state. The next sessions then become all that much easier to get the effects that oil paint was made for. So I’m only going to do a few of these for my sketchbook and learn what I can, then return to doing full blown oil paintings while finishing up the rest of the sketchbook with pencil and maybe some colored pencil work.

The Best of PSI

Probably the most talented pool of artists I am associated with is a group called the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators. (Visit their website by clicking here). Over the weekend PSI opened a new exhibit simply called “The Best of PSI” in the McKees Rocks area of Pittsburgh. The show runs through early December and lives in a nice new building called the Father Ryan Arts Center right on the main drag.

The opening reception was held on Saturday and got a much better turn out than some of the quick photos I’m showing you here. A great time was had by all! Always nice to see some good art and talk to fellow artists. Plus the fact that this was the first art reception I went to with my new wife by my side. REAL nice.

This is me with my oil painting “Packard”.

This is my good friend (and mentor) Dan with his montage tribute to Roberto Clemente. See more of Dan's design and illustration work at danhartdesign.com

Of course it’s hard to take in all the great work at an opening reception, so I’ll probably be happening by the show one or twice before it’s gone. Hope to see you there! Here's a link to "The Rocks" section of Pittsburgh by the way.

Tennis as a Sketch Theme

Here is the latest from my Art House Co-Op sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project 2011. Worked on this during the first quarter of last weeks bummer of a Steeler game. I love tennis and I love photography. I shot this at a USTA men’s “Futures” event that is held in the sunny South Hills suburbs of Pittsburgh every summer.  I have a load of these types of shots to sketch from. Come to think of it, this could’ve been a nice theme for the entire book. I could’ve started out with sketches early on in the book, worked into some full blown renderings of players, then capped it off with a small oil on canvas slapped into the book. Oh well, as they say in Paris, “If ifs and buts were candy and nuts...” or something like that.

The good thing about sketching tennis players in action is that you get practice at the figure and proportions, as well as getting to do some clothing folds and “drapery” so to speak, which is always useful practice for backgrounds in oil paintings. The only bad thing I can think of is that the style of sports clothes follows the “pants on the ground”, hip hop look, that’s popular with kids today. Those baggy clothes really makes it tough at times to see the figure under there. Ever see what Andy Roddick wears on court? Looks like he’s wearing a hefty garbage bag. Slowly though, the style seems to be changing (Thank you Under Armour brand!).

I did this painting a few years back of tennis great Pete Sampras and his baggy clothes. Didn't shoot this one however. Perhaps I went too far with all the folds. Another lesson learned - simplify.