PAINTING: SKIN TONES

Painting has a lot of amazing qualities about it from the color, detail, size, and subject matter. One of the things that amazes me the most about paintings is how artists' portray skin tones. There is such a variety of ways to portray a person and the tones of their skin can set the whole mood of a painting. Now, paintings during the Neoclassicism and before used basic skin tones. For instance:

Anton Raphael Mengs, Perseus and Andromeda, oil on canvas, 1774-9, Germany

(http://www.arthermitage.org/Anton-Raphael-Mengs/Perseus-and-Andromeda.html)
Notice the skin tones used are probably mixes of white, pink, Indian yellow, Naples yellow, burnt umber. Nothing too drastic besides the reds or slight purple tones. 
Now compare this to later artists like Vincent van Gogh: 

Self Portrait of Vincent van Gogh, oil on canvas, 1888

(http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/aug/21/vincent-van-gogh-painting-stolen-cairo)
As you can see during the Impressionism movement artists begin to see colors in shadows of skin tones. van Gogh includes brilliant colors like Alizarin Crimson and Prussian Blue. When I first was learning to see colors in shadows, it was like a whole different world before me. I never would have noticed how colorful a corner of a white room could be. 

One of my favorite artists, Lucian Freud (grandson of Sigmund Freud), used color in a more natural sense even if there are still purples and blues. Although, he often got criticized for having lifeless looking paintings because of the colors he used as well as the Cremnitz white that makes a unique texture.

Leigh Bowery, Lucian Freud, oil on canvas, 1991

(https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/freud-leigh-bowery-t06834)
Now there are still lots of differences between the colors these painters use and how they apply them. But I do think the simple idea of seeing colors in places you wouldn't definitely is important in becoming an artist or appreciating pieces of art. Try it out!

SNOW DAYS: KEEPING THE CREATIVE MOMENTUM

Since there has been this crazy snowy weather going on and it’s been hard for some people to get to work, I’ve been thinking… What do artists do to not stop their momentum? So I want to put this out there and see what you guys do when you find that you cannot make it to your studio?

I know a lot of people just stick to their sketchbooks when they can’t get in and work on a current piece. Others might just sit around and lose the creative flow they’ve got going. But it seems like there is something else we can do instead of just sit around and wait for the snow to melt.

Some of the things I thought of were:

- Really research your artistic lineage. It’s important to realize who inspires your artwork. But diving in a bit deeper and finding who inspires them and so on can really expand your current mindset.

- Watch an art documentary. Hopefully you’ve seen most of the ART21 videos. But have you seen “Lucien Freud: Painted Life” by BBC Two? Or “Degenerate Art” which is all about the Modern movement being attacked by Hitler? There are tons, and I mean TONS, of great art films out there that are inspiring.

- Copy a Master. Research what your favorite Renaissance Painter would do to improve. Copy his mindset and his pieces (or do mini versions in a sketchbook). Really study Ruben’s use of reds and how he uses them to his advantage. Get in their brain.

- Personal Advertising. Use the day to connect with people over the various sites you promote your work on. Maybe update your artist statements or the layout of your blog.

So what about actually creating things? What can us artists do to still create when we’re not in the studio? Well… how about trying these things out:

- Photoshop. If you draw or paint from pictures, get those pictures going and start making your upcoming compositions. Have you ever tried to image your work the size of a billboard? What about Photoshopping that mock-up and see how it’d work. You could use that as an upcoming project and even figure out what it could cost. With Photoshop, or really any advanced photo editing software, the ideas and opportunities are endless.

- Trying new mediums. Let’s say you’re an oil painter. Have you ever thought about your current collection includes a few tiny watercolors to complement? Smaller pieces in general are more intimate, so maybe connecting and getting your concept across in a more sensitive manner?

These are just a few things I do whenever I can’t get to my studio. Share what you guys do and maybe we can get a real awesome list going!!

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