Watch Me Paint: World-Class Art, World-Class Instruction
(Note: this post contains an image that I find offensive. Read at your own risk.) ThĂŠrèse Dreaming, 1938, Balthus, courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museumin New York has refused to remove ThĂŠrèse Dreaming, a portrait of 12- or 13-year-old ThĂŠrèse Blanchard showing her knickers. This 1938 painting by Balthus is ambiguously sexual. …
Mature painters can apply for a residency at one of these great Maine art centers. Courtesy Hog Island This time of year, I can see the water of Rockport harbor from my bedroom window. Iâve been around the world, and Iâm lucky to have landed in one of earthâs great beauty spots. For those of …
Whatâs important in painting? Master the basics and the mark-making will take care of itself. Mother of Pearl and Silver: The Andalusian, 1888â1900, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. This painting demonstrates the power of letting a single value dominate the composition. My husband has this thing he likes to tell …
âThe light changed,â is a ridiculous complaint anywhere, but nowhere more so than on the sea. Somewhere in Eggemoggin Reach, as the rain cleared off. (All images by and reserved by Carol L. Douglas) My intent in going out on the American Eaglewasnât to paint. I planned to relax, talk to new people, listen to …
Every time you paint plein air you make choices. Frequently they turn out to be wrong. How do you deal with them? In the belly of the whale, by Carol L. Douglas When you are painting for fun, you have the luxury of scrubbing out bad ideas. When youâre painting in a competitive event, you …
Painting symbols of death and resurrection, I realized that there is no painting that can’t be improved by the addition of a boat. Overgrown, by Carol L. Douglas The only thing my paternal grandfather left us was his surname. He took off when my dad was a little boy. It was the start of the Great …
None of us see the same way. Itâs more important to achieve the right state of mind than to find the perfect angle. Dyce Head in the early morning light, 12X9, oil on canvas board, Carol L. Douglas. Iâm drawn to lighthouses, even though I know theyâre a trope and a trap. One of the …
Itâs a great idea, but when God ordains something else, youâd best go along quietly. Mary Day returns to her home port, by Carol L. Douglas. Tad Retz is the perfect houseguest. Heâs stayed here twice and is so unobtrusive that Iâve never actually met him. I do know his older brother, animator Zac Retz, …
At their best, nocturnes strip away all extraneous detail, leaving us with powerful impressions and nothing more. Nocturne in Gray and Gold, Westminster Bridge, c. 1871-1874, James Abbott McNeill Whistler. Courtesy Glasgow Museums. Iâm preparing for my workshop at Schoodic Institute, which starts on August 6. There will be a full moon on August 7. According …
Continue reading “How do people stay awake to paint nocturnes?”
What do you do when itâs all going wrong, and thereâs an audience for your fiasco? Can I finish this successfully? Gee, I hope so. I am tossing around a theory that thereâs a sweet spot in composition. On one side, you have the so-called âperfect composition.â Weâre always upset when these donât win prizes, …