Environment Friend or Foe
A friend of famous artist S. C. Yuan, Walter Georis, describes Yuan’s painting habits, “I remember that he was constantly trying to break some rules. He felt it necessary, In order to be a little bit mad at painting or bitter. He needed to be somewhat bitter in order to create the excitement or the stimulus that sometimes the city offers, that Carmel didn’t offer.”
Living in Morgan Hill, although driving distance to San Francisco, definitely is quieter than most, a typical bedroom community. I have become a contemplative living in the solitude of the country, and completely understand what S.C. Yuan was trying to do.
I believe as Oprah would say, that I am having an ah ha moment. I believe living in a small town has also influenced my style. I find a need to create a problem that needs to be solved every time I paint; such as using unusual pallets, have contrasting under-painting, try difficult compositions, use brushes that are large relative to the canvas and attempt subject matter that I am unfamiliar with.
Is this how I create more passion, more creative energy?
How important is where you live for an artist? Does it affect your art positively or negatively? Do artists that live in the country normally paint landscapes? Are abstract painters mostly found in the cities? Where do you live and how has your environment affected your art?
This is my fortieth painting of my #paint52 challenge, medium Atelier Interactive Acrylic on vellum, measures 10" x 12" price $300 plus Shipping and Handling.
*All art from Janet Vanderhoof’s Fine Art Gallery, maybe seen in Janet’s studio at Morgan Hill, CA. You may purchase through contacting my email jvander51@msn.com or phone (408) 460-7237. Thank you!
Ernie's
Artists have you ever had a chill while painting a painting?
Influenced by the movie “Vertigo” directed by Alfred Hitchcock, I was drawn to paint a scene taken place at Ernie’s Restaurant in San Francisco. It became more enticing to paint, since it could also used as part of my San Francisco series.
There was no avoiding the red; it became very psychological, just as Hitchcock wanted it to be. He purposely used certain colors in certain scenes indicating warning, guilt, polarity, ambiguity and death.
It is hard to paint a red painting without be moved emotionally. Using a touch of pink softened the aggressiveness. The Hitchcock blue intentionally used in the suit of Jimmy Stewart's was to indicate guilt, I didn’t realize this until more research was found.
While painting the painting, my father showed up, with his familiar hairline, stature and common gesture of placing his hands in his pocket. No matter what I did, the painting resembled my father, my father who passed away 52 years ago. That’s when the chill came, my own little Hitchcock experience in my studio appeared.
This is my thirty-third painting of my #paint52 challenge, Atelier Interactive Acrylic on velum, measures approximately 8" X 8", price $175.00.
*All art from Janet Vanderhoof’s Fine Art Gallery, maybe seen in Janet’s studio at Morgan Hill, CA. You may purchase through contacting my email jvander51@msn.com or phone (408) 460-7237. Thank you!
One Glass At A Time #paint52
This is my fifth painting of the #paint52 challenge and also another addition to my San Francisco Series. It measures 8" X 11" painted with Atelier Interactive Acrylics on velum. How appropriate it is called "One Glass At A Time", echoing my one painting at a time to complete 52 paintings in one year. I first painted a bright green underpainting and I used the Binder Medium to make sure it stayed put. The Binder Medium prevents the paint from bleeding through or being picked up when painting over it. I wanted to make sure that bits and piece showed through, since the color theme of the painting is a silvery pinkish color; it allowed the neutrals to vibrate. It also created a sensation for me while painting, a push pull effect, a term used by Hans Hoffman. I used mostly neutrals in this painting. I made a pile of half dark and half-light, and added my colors to these neutrals to create a pearlescent quality. I'm still getting used to using acrlyics, and love that I can paint quickly, creating a much looser painting. This is a desire of mine to paint loose, less is more. THIS PAINTING IS SOLD
Thank you for following me on my #paint52 journey!