tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40447112373687458762024-03-25T08:14:41.819-07:00Pen 'N Paint on Art and WritingPatty Meglio's latest news on creative writing and art notes, art instruction, paintings, shows, and other interesting art and creative writing information.Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.comBlogger162125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-86776478441129477642024-03-25T08:14:00.000-07:002024-03-25T08:14:06.878-07:00The Art of Framing<p style="text-align: left;">Recently, I had the pleasure to sit down and talk to George Aresco
and his son, Dan, from Wholesale Frame Company in Meriden, about framing. I discovered that a lot of decisions depend on
personal taste. However, when pressed, George admitted that there’s a
difference when selecting the frames for contemporary work, traditional
realism, plein air and impressionistic work.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">There’s an advantage to taking your artwork to a
professional frame shop, especially one that has a good reputation. Frame shops
offer personal service, years of experience, and the best equipment. They work
with amateur and professional artists and collectors on a daily basis. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">There’s no limit as to the types of art that can
be framed. Even personal items can be set into shadow boxes. Choosing a frame
is partly a personal preference. However, you should select a frame that
compliments the artwork, but not be too overwhelming. Generally, you want to
put abstract work in contemporary frames, and traditional realistic work in
frames that may have some raised detail. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnB087VGh3ro37tKsTcv-aTHLGrQEp8x_PImv7ngMs9UQaN_DC71szTNi0qDYJIAwA3070jGTjylNRymDyYwqT7Kc_J-nvaj_SEAFK5knDAboxs_Dm97E2dNZFdWdXnW8Sd_nroYpfAHqyOF1EOxNsv1zS5eAK9GiA0Q1T4szSlqR1pMOwie03SyazRqU/s395/frame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="395" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUnB087VGh3ro37tKsTcv-aTHLGrQEp8x_PImv7ngMs9UQaN_DC71szTNi0qDYJIAwA3070jGTjylNRymDyYwqT7Kc_J-nvaj_SEAFK5knDAboxs_Dm97E2dNZFdWdXnW8Sd_nroYpfAHqyOF1EOxNsv1zS5eAK9GiA0Q1T4szSlqR1pMOwie03SyazRqU/s320/frame.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Selecting a Frame</h3><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Choosing a frame is partly a personal preference. However, you
should select a frame that compliments the artwork, but not be too
overwhelming. Generally, you want to put abstract work in contemporary frames,
and traditional realistic work in frames that may have some raised detail. The
best frames are made of wood. Some are painted or stained, and some are coated
with a resin finish to give a unique look. Less expensive frames are made of
composites, but over time, they don’t hold up as well as wood.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When it comes to selecting the color of the finish, you should
choose colors or finishes that are consistent with the rest of the artwork that
you have, especially when you are presenting a show of your work at a gallery
or exhibition. If you have five or six different types and colors of frames,
they can detract from the artwork and confuse the viewer. Renovating old frames
can be done, but it’s not easy to do. You can stain them, paint them, and try
to put gold leaf on them, which is not easy to do. It’s very difficult to match
color, especially golds.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The width of the frame for most traditional styles should be
between two and three inches, for artwork eight by ten inches and up. Plein air
artwork should have a plain flat look, and be about one inch high in thickness.
Be careful when choosing frames with decorative designs that they don’t
overwhelm the artwork. Contemporary pieces look good with narrow, simple frames.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Be sure to check the dimensions of your canvas. Often, canvas is
not square. To ensure a correct canvas size, measure it diagonally from corner
to corner. Canvas may loosen as it is exposed to changes to humidity and paint.
Use keys (those little wooden triangular pieces) to tighten a canvas snugly to
the stretcher.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6LnR7js7RwNbowIq3_kRqKvY4j405kzhHNDAHYDaPUxJ3j9APNnsvlsAU3O8RnABAxdf2kKXeSFxk50EwF7MuNXPE-xBmBt63HeyOHl_NX6MXSTvxLoAzCG0K-xxblhyJUkFPtWbLJTNzszOyXTXNspFoWPcyDfnkh7ZPXGwUxjq3iUh6868zn-DWSSz/s323/clips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="143" data-original-width="323" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6LnR7js7RwNbowIq3_kRqKvY4j405kzhHNDAHYDaPUxJ3j9APNnsvlsAU3O8RnABAxdf2kKXeSFxk50EwF7MuNXPE-xBmBt63HeyOHl_NX6MXSTvxLoAzCG0K-xxblhyJUkFPtWbLJTNzszOyXTXNspFoWPcyDfnkh7ZPXGwUxjq3iUh6868zn-DWSSz/s320/clips.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i>Offset Clips</i></span></div><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Attaching Hardware</h3><span style="font-family: times;"></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">When securing artwork to a frame, use offset clips and screw
it <b>only into the frame</b>. The part that sits on the artwork should fit
snugly on top of it. This allows the artwork to shift with changes in
temperature and humidity. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">When wiring a picture, the screw eyes or D-rings should be
placed one third down from the top of the frame. The wire should be double
wound on each end of the screw eye or D-ring and be loose enough to form a
thirty-degree triangle when hung.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Substrates and Glass</h3><p class="MsoNormal">When matting watercolors, pencil drawings and pastels, you
should use acid free mats for longevity. Select a neutral color such as white
or cream so as not to detract from the artwork. A second mat that has a hint of
color that matches a color in the artwork is also popular. The mat acts as a
spacer to keep the artwork away from the glass. This is preferable to prevent
mold from forming. Never use cardboard as a substrate. Its acidity will burn
and transfer its texture onto the artwork.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">There are different types of glass that will provide various
levels of protection. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Premium clear blocks up to 40 percent of UV light.</li><li>Ultra Vue UV70 blocks up to 70 percent of UV light and has an optical coating to reflections.</li><li>Conservation clear blocks 99 percent of UV light</li><li>Museum glass blocks 99 percent of UV light and has an optical coating to eliminate reflection.</li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">For more information on glass, go to <a href="file:///C:/My%20Folders/Art/ArtClass/Online%20Instructions/Frames/tru-vue.com/products/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Tru
Vue</span></a>. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal">Never put glass over canvas paintings. Canvas needs to breathe. Also, never cover the
back of the canvas. <o:p></o:p></p>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-51246881277684943082023-02-06T09:38:00.004-08:002023-02-06T09:38:45.306-08:00The Seven Elements of DesignThere are seven elements of design, considered to be the building blocks that all modes of art are based. The seven elements are Line, Shape, Form, Space, Texture, Value and Color. If you are an art student, you should look for these elements when designing your artwork. If you are an appreciator of art, you should seek these elements when you observe art.<br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Line</h2>Lines are points in space where the length is greater than the width. They mark the distance between two points and can be straight or curved. In visual art, lines don't only need to be made with marks and outlines, but can also be implied or abstract. They can be used to create shape and form, as well as give a sense of depth and structure. Lines are the foundation of drawing and stand alone as a powerful visual tool. Depending on the types of lines—continuous, broken, vertical, jagged, horizontal—you can drastically change the feeling of an artwork.<br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Shape</h2><div>Shape is the result of closed, two-dimensional flat lines. They can be geometric, such as squares or triangles, or they can be organic, have no defined parameters and are more curved and abstract. Shapes in art can be used to control how the viewer perceives a piece. For instance, triangles can help draw the eye to a particular point, while circles represent continuity.<br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Form</h2></div><div>When a shape acquires depth and becomes three-dimensional, then it takes on form. Cylinders, pyramids, and spheres are some of the more common forms, though they can also be amorphous. In sculpture, form is of the utmost importance, though it can easily be introduced into drawing and painting using 3D art techniques.<br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Space</h2></div><div>pace can be manipulated based on how an artist places lines, shapes, forms, and color. Space can be either positive or negative. Positive space is an area occupied by an object or form, while <a href="https://pattymegliostudio.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=698779f5a934595f363cff806&id=f27f015569&e=c1e18d6d25">negative space</a> is an area that runs between, through, around, or within objects. Artists often think about the foreground, middle ground, and background of their artwork, purposefully placing shapes and lines throughout the space to achieve the perfect composition.<br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Texture</h2></div><div>Texture is how an object looks or feels. Sometimes texture is tangible, such as in sculpture. It also can be implied, as for example a sketch of the fur on an animal. Smooth, rough, hard, soft, furry, fluffy, and bumpy are just some different textures that evoke different responses.<br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Value</h2></div><div>Value is the lightness or darkness in color. The lightest value is white and the darkest value is black. The difference between values is contrast. The lightest value is white and the darkest value is black, with the difference between them defined as the contrast. Playing with value can not only change certain forms, but also influence the mood of the artwork.<br /><br />Value is so important that the Italians created a term—<a href="https://pattymegliostudio.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=698779f5a934595f363cff806&id=6a27940a0f&e=c1e18d6d25">chiaroscuro</a>—that specifically refers to the use of light and dark in a piece of art. Photographer Ansel Adams is an example of an artist who expertly used value to his advantage by using areas of contrast to create interest in his landscape photography.<br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Color</h2></div><div>By working with hue, value, and intensity—three building blocks of colors—artists can tap into a wide range of emotions. There's nothing that changes an artwork's emotional impact more than color. Masters like <a href="https://pattymegliostudio.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=698779f5a934595f363cff806&id=5cc0d2478e&e=c1e18d6d25">Van Gogh</a>, <a href="https://pattymegliostudio.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=698779f5a934595f363cff806&id=a1d36ffb5d&e=c1e18d6d25">Monet</a>, and <a href="https://pattymegliostudio.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=698779f5a934595f363cff806&id=c4b7b2abb1&e=c1e18d6d25">Toulouse-Lautrec</a> all expertly manipulated color in their art to provoke different feelings. Color can be used symbolically or to create a pattern. It can be selected for contrast or to set a specific mood.<br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; min-width: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px; padding-top: 9px;" valign="top"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-22945717419596696232022-12-01T05:46:00.000-08:002022-12-01T05:46:24.060-08:00Snow: Winter’s Whipped CreamI love to paint snow scenes. Snow makes an otherwise monotonous winter landscape come alive. To me, there’s nothing more beautiful than a snow-covered bank on a meandering stream on a bright sunny day. It’s like putting whipped cream on an otherwise ordinary piece of pie!<br /><br />Now don’t get me wrong, going out and painting plein air in frigid conditions is not exactly fun, but I’ve learned to gear up properly and I don’t waste any time when I’m out standing in snow and ice in thirty-degree weather. I usually prep my canvas and lay out my palette with paint in the comfort of my warm home.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxZ3Mk7cjesZsRhynnMwgegMoDtmUyuZLCwoqqfT7qTHO0pMjPvAe5TYZJQOw29pOnDdXX0af7jDDa1RBgz00mqG0wc-_Ae350bhPryZkHt5jC-cnhY0stxrQPkbjH23icaCfjMrYyRvEvixI2iGfGEb9oLXkoCtZee3JT_78iRxSGOvRHXjMgvKjew/s450/photo1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="359" data-original-width="450" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjxZ3Mk7cjesZsRhynnMwgegMoDtmUyuZLCwoqqfT7qTHO0pMjPvAe5TYZJQOw29pOnDdXX0af7jDDa1RBgz00mqG0wc-_Ae350bhPryZkHt5jC-cnhY0stxrQPkbjH23icaCfjMrYyRvEvixI2iGfGEb9oLXkoCtZee3JT_78iRxSGOvRHXjMgvKjew/s320/photo1.jpg" width="320" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">A Bend in the River</span></i></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Gearing Up</h3></div><div>For clothing, I bring my blizzard boots, the tall ones with two-inch soles that look like hand-me-downs from Frankenstein. I also wear long johns under my sweat pants and my long, quilted paint-stained hooded coat and hat. My only concession is that I’m limited on how warm I can keep my hands, so even with thin cotton gloves covered by nylon gloves, they do go numb after a while. I figure it’s an incentive to work fast and have a good plan. I do a value drawing, take photos, and then work quickly, laying in the darks and large shapes first, making sure I get the most exciting parts of the scene. I usually spend from two and a half to three hours capturing the highlights and engraving the picture in my memory, then I beat feet to the heat and finish it in my studio.</div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Tips for Painting Snow</h3></div><div>Here are a few things to consider when painting snow scenes:<br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Shadows</h3></div><div>The shadows and texture of snow can change depending on the weather conditions and time of day. A cloudy day can create a creamy, orangey hue, while a bright sunny day can give off cool blue hues.<br /><br />Shadows in the snow will have more light within them than typical shadows. Notice how light reflects on tiny peaks and drifts and how foreground shadows can appear very, very blue. You will almost never see pure white in a snowy landscape, but a wide range of different hues and values.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hY3Q5kfwduigKkVA6KPFWQvcmO-wkVdQ7u5Er__3e2Rn3lTQrBCWN7ZsgrTDY6GSTgjFIDfW1h-pcNc5c8OvNStQKq8pnmAh5hK83g0HZh4zJ2abpb3EqIHmOWAGuKTLIt4eBoOasz_UO0gpFbanKLGTl5r8Fj-teW9HKlT7NggfbFmXlS0pDdjVkg/s450/photo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="450" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_hY3Q5kfwduigKkVA6KPFWQvcmO-wkVdQ7u5Er__3e2Rn3lTQrBCWN7ZsgrTDY6GSTgjFIDfW1h-pcNc5c8OvNStQKq8pnmAh5hK83g0HZh4zJ2abpb3EqIHmOWAGuKTLIt4eBoOasz_UO0gpFbanKLGTl5r8Fj-teW9HKlT7NggfbFmXlS0pDdjVkg/s320/photo2.jpg" width="320" /></span></i></a></div><span style="font-size: x-small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Snow Blanked Field</i></div></span><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Surroundings</h3></div><div>Keep in mind that snow will absorb or reflect the colors surrounding it. For instance, the shadows in snow will often reflect what it happening in the sky.</div><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Sky</h3><div>Large areas of snow will reflect the sky if there is nothing else around.</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>If the sky is bright blue, your snow should be a more subdued reflection of that hue.</li><li>If the sky is gray with clouds, your largest areas of snow will be gray.</li><li>If it is dusk, your snow may appear pink and purple in reflection of the fading winter sunset.</li></ul><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcSlJNwMzYqzaY-nPQRjkroGjM4rHM6rFp5vkYmtwmIUnHhN_BY52JgdsBcoHU4Fn44ccasffkmguRFITiYW5VE8c--FwmcUeIetiSwhhQgwwfOVOxrZNA-DzAY4FPkW6gg67JGZGMEnHkfZ7hOlBr9ChQo4TK3vE1xQNkDlksAy9sTYnGygVv8ImBqQ/s450/phto3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="450" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcSlJNwMzYqzaY-nPQRjkroGjM4rHM6rFp5vkYmtwmIUnHhN_BY52JgdsBcoHU4Fn44ccasffkmguRFITiYW5VE8c--FwmcUeIetiSwhhQgwwfOVOxrZNA-DzAY4FPkW6gg67JGZGMEnHkfZ7hOlBr9ChQo4TK3vE1xQNkDlksAy9sTYnGygVv8ImBqQ/s320/phto3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Winter Marsh at Town Field</span></i></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Distance</span></h3><div>White tends to appear warmer as it recedes, so incorporate yellows and pinks into your snow as it travels into the distances towards the horizon.<br /><br />Return to purple and blue shadows in the farthest distance.<br /><br />In the foreground, the closer whites will require blue hues. The middle ground in a snowy landscape tends to have a purplish hue; shadows also tend to appear blueish and purple.<br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Brightening Whites</h3></div><div>Use a tiny dot of Cadmium Orange to make the snow appear whiter. A very tiny dot. Small specks of orange, placed in the right area or areas can really make the white pop. Using orange tints in your trees or other plants, as well as dark blue accents, can also make the snow look whiter relative to those hues.<br /><br /><i>“A color will frequently generate its own complement. In the winter, if there is a greenish sky, the snow will look pink and its shadows will appear blue-green.” </i>- Emile A Gruppé</div></div>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-88764609916903488142022-08-08T10:41:00.000-07:002022-08-08T10:41:00.661-07:00Our Feathered Friends One of the most popular subjects in oil painting is that of a warm-blooded vertebra covered with feathers and usually sporting a beak. Also known collectively as birds, these interesting feathered creatures range in all manner of variety and size from exotic South American and African showstoppers to swamp creatures with large feathery combs and long spindly legs, to proud strutting peacocks and honking geese and graceful swans, to the more commonly spotted sea birds, chickens and roosters, and the endless variety of songbirds that visit our feeders every winter. I’ve painted a number of them over the years and still enjoy seeing them come to life on my canvas.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZve6-cTX-p9gLPeJZpQ6BCCyqOhSiQI_PnhdoBcLapvflelEZ_UtukMxporqw_9JsADrEsC_aABFQjgA3y0BwGeD-Zupr74G7qTeXOefH4-VS40SPmrU5EKk3gprTZ-byXR-eyIq0b2l7JkOeUreZ9-eTYWj9brgBHgeO2ishJyZmvj-ALuUE7akxRw/s450/Bird1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="346" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZve6-cTX-p9gLPeJZpQ6BCCyqOhSiQI_PnhdoBcLapvflelEZ_UtukMxporqw_9JsADrEsC_aABFQjgA3y0BwGeD-Zupr74G7qTeXOefH4-VS40SPmrU5EKk3gprTZ-byXR-eyIq0b2l7JkOeUreZ9-eTYWj9brgBHgeO2ishJyZmvj-ALuUE7akxRw/s320/Bird1.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Piero</i></div>I’ve also taught several workshops on painting different species of birds over the years. Some considerations when painting birds include:<div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Start loose, cover large shapes and then refine.</li><li>Alternate your colors, tones, and values to create an engaging contrast on the surface.</li><li>Make sure that your strokes move in the direction that your feathers lay. Layering is key here to get an effective feather look.</li><li>Choose a complementary background.</li></ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TI0GMGx_xWlpXuF1iLyZ76kCKiBX4NKljGzka3hVsnpf0x8Hmk52Zq5G6ONvPoExJHRVjXBfvkqiloXzezvq6IPCBFWgi3TrDypGI-pAMeXd7vx4MJfpUDtTVkuQmPHmzlmNf7YnDsSFLgD8Tw5reFISimlu0UnJDmnNamS4TvwCt4MusRO_5mHZHg/s450/cardinal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="450" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TI0GMGx_xWlpXuF1iLyZ76kCKiBX4NKljGzka3hVsnpf0x8Hmk52Zq5G6ONvPoExJHRVjXBfvkqiloXzezvq6IPCBFWgi3TrDypGI-pAMeXd7vx4MJfpUDtTVkuQmPHmzlmNf7YnDsSFLgD8Tw5reFISimlu0UnJDmnNamS4TvwCt4MusRO_5mHZHg/s320/cardinal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Cardinal in Snow</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXC5fA2NeReaxNbJda7U-56lcYOEwB9ps4d_ar__HnZbg_MQwsBrYB86fYMe-CzL3lvYgWjvIDxHsE3fdfnX4Dw0UA2qyqzv6qjxS1yw_ldCVgVRVOlrusaJdWsLGasTzrbYau9PNrXNIST0O_9D4Ulni9EAWG5vl-ZwXPA_5hDcYBvX8akXSLyJhHHw/s450/rooseter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="450" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXC5fA2NeReaxNbJda7U-56lcYOEwB9ps4d_ar__HnZbg_MQwsBrYB86fYMe-CzL3lvYgWjvIDxHsE3fdfnX4Dw0UA2qyqzv6qjxS1yw_ldCVgVRVOlrusaJdWsLGasTzrbYau9PNrXNIST0O_9D4Ulni9EAWG5vl-ZwXPA_5hDcYBvX8akXSLyJhHHw/s320/rooseter.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Proud Rooster</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbdrvm7zXc7sp72qOv2Xj7He_nGVkVkUBeXZsYMe_8isYz1MrvuefJLVygnzitZzRHdQUqpAlilMVqJOKYxtZZCgDNJbhTnS1VYmcCGcN9hZBmlCVKO-ru-3TtRIgK6BGZaeSTM58nJHj6dh0oP3cs-_n4s5Dh9SXMrjpP60vs8I63WAxBE-2NTWNDIA/s450/finch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="450" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbdrvm7zXc7sp72qOv2Xj7He_nGVkVkUBeXZsYMe_8isYz1MrvuefJLVygnzitZzRHdQUqpAlilMVqJOKYxtZZCgDNJbhTnS1VYmcCGcN9hZBmlCVKO-ru-3TtRIgK6BGZaeSTM58nJHj6dh0oP3cs-_n4s5Dh9SXMrjpP60vs8I63WAxBE-2NTWNDIA/s320/finch.jpg" width="320" /></i></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>House Finch in Verbena Bush</i></div></div>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-48367592793512187882022-04-21T06:21:00.000-07:002022-04-21T06:21:22.841-07:00Drawing the Adult Head<p>Drawing and painting an adult
portrait can be daunting at first, but it need not be. If you understand
proportions, you can begin to get a good idea of where to place facial
features.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f">
<v:stroke joinstyle="miter">
<v:formulas>
<v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0">
<v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0">
<v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1">
<v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2">
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth">
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight">
<v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1">
<v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2">
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth">
<v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0">
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight">
<v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0">
</v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:formulas>
<v:path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f">
<o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit">
</o:lock></v:path></v:stroke></v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_6" o:spid="_x0000_s1029" style="height: 171.15pt; margin-left: 0; margin-top: -.2pt; mso-height-percent: 0; mso-height-percent: 0; mso-height-relative: margin; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-width-percent: 0; mso-width-percent: 0; mso-width-relative: margin; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 159.35pt; z-index: -251649024;" type="#_x0000_t75">
<v:imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:/Users/P/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.jpg">
<w:wrap type="tight">
</w:wrap></v:imagedata></v:shape>One of the easiest ways to figure out the proportion of a face’s
features is to begin with a basic egg shape and divide it into thirds, starting
at the hairline and ending at the chin. The top third will fall between the
hairline and just below the center of the eyes. <o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6qWmhVAklDSGfSjgZwEBGQlhJ3Ts7HhaRx-QAqwa7cQLddugE95nmTwRynDQTdupR-LuFoXAZVtBw_FHqOO0qkvuhwGq5grk-YURuhnG1TvjVtyzMC6U54FN7QWdKGwEjadxAZG9KNQecwzERJq0gkoIHhWNvkstzhVCfG4-wEI8ztE98bpYm5BoQA/s450/Face%20proportions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="419" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6qWmhVAklDSGfSjgZwEBGQlhJ3Ts7HhaRx-QAqwa7cQLddugE95nmTwRynDQTdupR-LuFoXAZVtBw_FHqOO0qkvuhwGq5grk-YURuhnG1TvjVtyzMC6U54FN7QWdKGwEjadxAZG9KNQecwzERJq0gkoIHhWNvkstzhVCfG4-wEI8ztE98bpYm5BoQA/s320/Face%20proportions.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">A third of the way down from the
eyes is the bottom of the nose, which lies halfway between the eyes and the
chin. The bottom third is the area between the bottom of the nose to the bottom
of the chin.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_3" o:spid="_x0000_s1028" style="height: 254.3pt; margin-left: 304.9pt; margin-top: 2.35pt; mso-height-percent: 0; mso-height-percent: 0; mso-height-relative: margin; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-width-percent: 0; mso-width-percent: 0; mso-width-relative: margin; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 246.75pt; z-index: -251652096;" type="#_x0000_t75">
<v:imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:/Users/P/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image002.jpg">
<w:wrap type="tight">
</w:wrap></v:imagedata></v:shape>Dividing further, the bottom of the lip lies approximately halfway
between the bottom of the nose and the chin. The length of the ears extends
from brow line to bottom of the nose.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_4" o:spid="_x0000_s1027" style="height: 248.55pt; margin-left: 8.85pt; margin-top: 27.9pt; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 183.35pt; z-index: -251651072;" type="#_x0000_t75">
<v:imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:/Users/P/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image003.jpg">
<w:wrap type="tight">
</w:wrap></v:imagedata></v:shape>Looking straight at the face, if you draw a line straight down from
the middle of the eye, you will touch the edge of the lips. There is one eye
width between the eyes, with the head being approximately five eyes wide. If
you draw a line straight down from the tear ducts, you will touch the outer
edge of the nose.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZluAXyOjn7hfNsm8pGT1Jucmk5N8z9eq4n2fPbbAav5-ukUnzTgwBJG7oB7ATAajihMwE060OqP3VCuaeKgG7EM0xKZbrOMx41Yve46T9Nrh8wsgtkwS-LAG1SsetC0lquOt0XHca8W2evCrNuabds8Z4YC0zgFQP_0BIl7qRsagWfkRiWxwIDHu4KA/s450/Sideview%20of%20head.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="437" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZluAXyOjn7hfNsm8pGT1Jucmk5N8z9eq4n2fPbbAav5-ukUnzTgwBJG7oB7ATAajihMwE060OqP3VCuaeKgG7EM0xKZbrOMx41Yve46T9Nrh8wsgtkwS-LAG1SsetC0lquOt0XHca8W2evCrNuabds8Z4YC0zgFQP_0BIl7qRsagWfkRiWxwIDHu4KA/s320/Sideview%20of%20head.jpg" width="311" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">In profile, the head fits a
square. If you draw a horizontal line through the halfway point of your square,
it will pass through the lower part of the eye, while a vertical drawn through
the halfway point will pass directly in front of the ear.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUOXHC7PexPnYjLFpalbTMMQ1u9SUr2TkSUJiExF8MbPqbqN3SEDMBgViexehU_iqGA4i4pf-ZsdmeoSzDblUPxGsVlJQ6-W382yfCmkXaMQIy_xqf9HeZXKGuqfyvCk9K-HzH5UiYLBh7B87BNMzU6a98xyGzBRSngQsVX_6Mq4GVfQnhJBBmtHHEAQ/s450/WorkshopPortrait_003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="332" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUOXHC7PexPnYjLFpalbTMMQ1u9SUr2TkSUJiExF8MbPqbqN3SEDMBgViexehU_iqGA4i4pf-ZsdmeoSzDblUPxGsVlJQ6-W382yfCmkXaMQIy_xqf9HeZXKGuqfyvCk9K-HzH5UiYLBh7B87BNMzU6a98xyGzBRSngQsVX_6Mq4GVfQnhJBBmtHHEAQ/s320/WorkshopPortrait_003.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJimoN_sLOaH4CDyAd1IicnFtl_bYCEynETsM1JXjkgHxQQSD0Fq9MNZ2EVlvf1-YM21sMS3IUGbQsEGr-T15u89r5zAtzU0prs152rfkozzqpSegkbJeRQ5lC7A2MgtqVVoOMWSQTrtr4GUSHw05NjA0sTeOcq7cBAzCEO-E7lqaf45KJJygCmJzaJA/s450/WorkshopPortrait_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="343" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJimoN_sLOaH4CDyAd1IicnFtl_bYCEynETsM1JXjkgHxQQSD0Fq9MNZ2EVlvf1-YM21sMS3IUGbQsEGr-T15u89r5zAtzU0prs152rfkozzqpSegkbJeRQ5lC7A2MgtqVVoOMWSQTrtr4GUSHw05NjA0sTeOcq7cBAzCEO-E7lqaf45KJJygCmJzaJA/s320/WorkshopPortrait_001.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_5" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" style="height: 268.95pt; margin-left: 323.8pt; margin-top: 6.75pt; mso-height-percent: 0; mso-height-percent: 0; mso-height-relative: margin; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-width-percent: 0; mso-width-percent: 0; mso-width-relative: margin; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 205pt; z-index: -251650048;" type="#_x0000_t75">
<v:imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:/Users/P/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image004.jpg">
<w:wrap type="tight">
</w:wrap></v:imagedata></v:shape>Not all heads are the same, and head shapes and sizes vary with age.
Use these measurements merely as points of reference to compare to your model
and make adjustments where necessary. For example, your model may have a high
forehead or a wider jaw.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="line-height: 22.8pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>“The reason some portraits don't
look true to life is that some people make no effort to resemble their
pictures."</i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></p><div style="text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-size: 9pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">-<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">Salvador Dali</span></i></i></div><p></p></div><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-10842488840705814942022-02-02T08:44:00.000-08:002022-02-02T08:44:27.227-08:00Bones and Muscles: The Foundation of the Human BodyTo continue on the subject of anatomy, we’ll compare the male and female skeleton and muscles of the human body. Most artists will eventually be challenged with drawing a human figure or portrait. Figures are added to landscapes to depict daily life, record events in history, display symbols of religious faith, and to simply make a statement. Well before photography became popular, portraits provided a historic record and a status symbol of a person’s worth. Then as today, a well-done portrait captures the personality of the subject. As an artist, it’s important to understand the underlying structure of the body and its proportions before you tackle figure or portrait drawing or painting. When you gain this understanding, you will have a strong foundation that will look original, natural and convincing. <br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">The Human Body </h3>Capable of performing all types of tasks, flexible and strong, renewable, and self-governing, the human body has the resilience that is unmatched by any manmade machine. Cartilage and muscles are the glue that hold bones together and upright and aid in movement, with the bones bearing a body’s weight and acting as protectors for the eyes, brain, inner throat, heart, lungs and other organs. <br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Differences Between Male and Female Skeletons </h3>Though men and women share a few structural similarities such as bone types and muscular shapes, there are quite a few differences. <br /><br />The male skeleton’s shoulders are set wider while their hips are narrower. The jaw is more prominent than a female’s, and the neck thicker. The arm muscles in the male are larger and more evident than a female’s muscle structure. The hands are larger, the muscles and bone structure of the fingers more prominent.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglj5RAcp2goom6Ug75T7cBVKgYRZknfhEdTx__m3RUgCfofz3YA_6v1O2wFnpv4FBjXnZmMXPkDHtRrI0QGrNWnILyegAQb_lL-egyEY2jsDrg8orGUru8RInc3j973Pq93KKPbIo0FVepXthXDS-bzQ8gouiYMJC07THGdMUbH_Tdby9BoPTEcc5bRA=s450" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="343" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglj5RAcp2goom6Ug75T7cBVKgYRZknfhEdTx__m3RUgCfofz3YA_6v1O2wFnpv4FBjXnZmMXPkDHtRrI0QGrNWnILyegAQb_lL-egyEY2jsDrg8orGUru8RInc3j973Pq93KKPbIo0FVepXthXDS-bzQ8gouiYMJC07THGdMUbH_Tdby9BoPTEcc5bRA=s320" width="244" /></a></div><br /> <br /><br />The wider hips, longer waistline, lower and larger buttocks, along with more defined thighs and a wider pelvis of the female are designed to support the extra weight of carrying a child. Other than the thighs and buttocks, the female’s muscles are generally less noticeable. Additional shapely differences between a female and male body, besides the obvious ones such as hair and breasts, are the female’s thighs, which are flatter and wider, and the female’s feet, calves, ankles and wrists, which are smaller and more delicate. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRBzD2AtRqFUMtevaoh_D06njBosdBa2Vv8gBjj6S5V5_HAzcdkA4Lf-F8LL-hNI4pJRjV9U-mOen6HFcTaes-k0PNG07P6jh9HsKtru-x3ZMhlB1Ge6zu7wyN4-fPYWiFNFcyrhbbkVdkzYIlz-40gfEYzJV7GW17Zmr_gsxessZ8N9hnEjEg9h8PkQ=s417" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="417" data-original-width="224" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRBzD2AtRqFUMtevaoh_D06njBosdBa2Vv8gBjj6S5V5_HAzcdkA4Lf-F8LL-hNI4pJRjV9U-mOen6HFcTaes-k0PNG07P6jh9HsKtru-x3ZMhlB1Ge6zu7wyN4-fPYWiFNFcyrhbbkVdkzYIlz-40gfEYzJV7GW17Zmr_gsxessZ8N9hnEjEg9h8PkQ=s320" width="172" /></a><br />Abstract drawing of the proportions of an ideal female figure. <br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">Proportions </h3>When drawing the male figure, the ideal proportions are at least eight heads tall, with the navel and the elbow landing on the fifth head position. The waist is slightly wider than one head unit, and the space between the nipples is one head. The male figure is two and a third head units wide. The ideal proportions for the female figure are from seven and a half to eight heads, with the navel falling below the fifth head slightly, and the breast nipples centering at the sixth head. The waistline is one head unit wide, and the wrists are even with the crotch. The width of the female figure is two heads. <br /><br /><i>“It is impossible to draw the clothed or draped figure without a knowledge of the structure and form of the figure underneath. The artist who cannot put the figure together properly does not have one chance in a thousand of success-either as a figure draftsman or as a painter.” </i><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">- Andrew Loomis</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-45056025238749831082022-01-12T06:25:00.000-08:002022-01-12T06:25:18.611-08:00Women in Art: Why Biases Still ExistWomen today enjoy a lot more freedom to choose a profession and obtain education. Art professions are now open to both men and women, and women’s art has gained in stature, albeit slowly. For centuries, women were discouraged from becoming artists, and unlike men who studied art, their instruction was restricted until the late 19th century.<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQufzDRF4r3gBYdoAfNfQ1jgItDMSFQlgWn7xi62ZqoHEPn9Qg0uV8J3i93hDCTckVMuqKg8xAjyA3RtoYtGBFvT-xaBlTSOhv2Y1CLzWWyEftCiEbL0DR-PXv7L7X1emYIv9mjULu82i4HRkhFvRwk5iXyNoaZqQYROq5Q0LRPGM8NteRbrN2L9eIuA=s450" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQufzDRF4r3gBYdoAfNfQ1jgItDMSFQlgWn7xi62ZqoHEPn9Qg0uV8J3i93hDCTckVMuqKg8xAjyA3RtoYtGBFvT-xaBlTSOhv2Y1CLzWWyEftCiEbL0DR-PXv7L7X1emYIv9mjULu82i4HRkhFvRwk5iXyNoaZqQYROq5Q0LRPGM8NteRbrN2L9eIuA=s320" width="226" /></a></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Social Barriers </h2>In France, women were banned from receiving free training at the state-sponsored École des Beaux-Arts until 1897. Up until that time, women turned to the studios of established artists or to private academies, often at the cost of inferior instruction at much greater expense. <br /><br />Women artists were not allowed to attend life drawing classes until the late 1800s. Without access to nude models, female artists could not receive the training necessary for the production of “important” works of art. As a result, women artists were virtually excluded from state commissions and purchases as well as from participation in official competitions such as the coveted Prix de Rome, a prestigious scholarship offered to history painters for continued study at the French Academy in Rome. To make a living as an artist, many women turned to lesser sought subjects including portraiture, genre painting, landscape, and still life.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLKj933UmHKe0ZgsoNgnt7Injtl7OFOXE2NqYCwosKjDafuXlAF784cNDWdq83vcgbT5lLieJbYqWeExP_BYv-wL0qinuP86DffcFzD5gdH7jfJcKKwcxpswfE5hIUoM6RsDb3V0EifaLi_cZnn3P8789RBeafWPHDzp-kbLADSfWb7csICvoozDPMVQ=s402" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="402" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLKj933UmHKe0ZgsoNgnt7Injtl7OFOXE2NqYCwosKjDafuXlAF784cNDWdq83vcgbT5lLieJbYqWeExP_BYv-wL0qinuP86DffcFzD5gdH7jfJcKKwcxpswfE5hIUoM6RsDb3V0EifaLi_cZnn3P8789RBeafWPHDzp-kbLADSfWb7csICvoozDPMVQ=s320" width="249" /></a></div><br />Furthermore, it was considered degrading to one’s class if a woman aspired to become an artist, with many claiming that the profession detracted from their roles as wives and mothers. In a letter to the mother of Edma and Berthe Morisot, their private art instructor expressed the implications of the two girls’ burgeoning talents: “Considering the characters of your daughters, my teaching will not endow them with minor drawing room accomplishments, they will become painters. Do you realize what this means? In the upper-class milieu to which you belong, this will be revolutionary, I might say almost catastrophic.” <br /><br />In general, the most successful female artists of the nineteenth century, such as Rosa Bonheur and the Americans <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cast/hd_cast.htm">Mary Cassatt</a> and <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/woch/hd_woch.htm">Cecilia Beaux</a>, remained unmarried. And, as if staying single weren’t enough, those women artists who became successful were usually associated in some way with male artists as pupils, models or offspring. <br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Turning Point </h2>The slow rise of acceptance of women in the art world paralleled the activism of the women’s suffrage movement beginning in the late 1800s, the introduction of women in the traditionally male dominated workplace during WWII, and in the 1970s, the support of the Equal Rights Amendment and the introduction of birth control. <br /><br /> Still, there remains disparities in representation and income. Today only a few works by female artists enjoy representation in major permanent collections in the U.S. and Europe. At major auctions, women’s artworks sell for a significant discount compared with men’s artwork. In fact, only two works by women have ever broken into the top 100 auction sales for paintings, despite women being the subject matter for approximately half of the top 25. <br /><br />Why this inequality persists today is hard to discern. Differences in gallery representation; the cultural biases of art interpretation; the cliché of the art world “<a href="https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-14-art-bad-boys-macho-work-impossible-ignore">bad boy</a>”; the <a href="https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-women-artists-survive-challenges-mid-career-stagnation">sexism of aging</a>; the imbalanced weight of <a href="https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-why-motherhood-won-t-hinder-your-career-as-an-artist">parenthood</a>; the proportion of curators, collectors, and gallery representatives who are female; and the lack of assertiveness among female artists have all been proposed as hypothetical causes.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgW0KlFZQiGgitUYPuWD5A278kbl1M6RgZw9i8bgZP6rw6On192csJuksfvxHAnfMk9TtiMCaeVuz49gkuHUZH_olom6613m5-JG57lcjA0oHExSQ3djEkuwtUSx29GVofIEInwZBVwjlku2H-U4EDxDxsvIrLVlOUO2ro5y8gpT9uT_2HBAptrgsK1DQ=s357" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="277" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgW0KlFZQiGgitUYPuWD5A278kbl1M6RgZw9i8bgZP6rw6On192csJuksfvxHAnfMk9TtiMCaeVuz49gkuHUZH_olom6613m5-JG57lcjA0oHExSQ3djEkuwtUSx29GVofIEInwZBVwjlku2H-U4EDxDxsvIrLVlOUO2ro5y8gpT9uT_2HBAptrgsK1DQ=s320" width="248" /></a></div><br />Artists pictured, Top to bottom: Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Augusta Savage, and Frida Kahlo. <br /><br /><i>“I found that I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way-things I had no words for.” </i><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">-Georgia O’Keeffe</div></div>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-67076516545575893862021-12-08T07:43:00.003-08:002021-12-08T07:43:56.350-08:00The Paintbox: Ultramarine Blue<p></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In London’s National Gallery is an unfinished oil on wood panel, The Entombment, by Michelangelo. Many of the unfinished parts of the painting, such as the cloak of the missing Virgin, would have required quantities of the expensive blue pigment ultramarine made from powdered lapis lazuli, the only blue worthy of the Virgin Mary’s robe. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxhmAh1RepidT46DcRkokG-xbYoMe-P43R7aH7SAbil0ndoxu8fSacj8skg1UlL1fWWqmXgGBT3hhICm5WJ2CLA77jrLcqXNykmDY1UvFFH8-uoZojbDJXNgb_NI8RcPW9Tn4qQZ4gntG/s325/The+Paintbox+Ultramarine+Blue.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxhmAh1RepidT46DcRkokG-xbYoMe-P43R7aH7SAbil0ndoxu8fSacj8skg1UlL1fWWqmXgGBT3hhICm5WJ2CLA77jrLcqXNykmDY1UvFFH8-uoZojbDJXNgb_NI8RcPW9Tn4qQZ4gntG/s320/The+Paintbox+Ultramarine+Blue.JPG" /></a></div>It’s possible that lapis lazuli was in short supply and had not arrived from his patron, which could explain why the painting was not completed before Michelangelo’s departure from Rome to Florence in 1501.</div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1smo7C-W7TvQ3rt2nq1adUfArM-HcSkXaGMFTjdLMI0zejq2zaAkHJqvz1_dfXSlkQOL9GjSvNcLMkeMm-bdem5rF-Ek8fMTj26eCyLUk6CFWwtjQu2-swtyg9oBSbiYjNleglOaxbMLO/s368/Powder.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="368" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1smo7C-W7TvQ3rt2nq1adUfArM-HcSkXaGMFTjdLMI0zejq2zaAkHJqvz1_dfXSlkQOL9GjSvNcLMkeMm-bdem5rF-Ek8fMTj26eCyLUk6CFWwtjQu2-swtyg9oBSbiYjNleglOaxbMLO/s320/Powder.JPG" width="320" /></a>Definition and Composition</h2><p></p>
Cennino Cennini said of ultramarine in his Book of Arts in 1400, “A noble color, beautiful, the most perfect of all colors.” <br /><br />Ultramarine is a deep blue pigment, originally made by grinding lapis lazuli into a powder. The name is Latin for ultramrinus, meaning “beyond the sea.” <br /><br />Lapis lazuli is a mixture of the minerals calcite, sodalite, pyrite, and lazurite. Finer grades contain more sulphur, which produces a violet color, while inferior grades contain more calcium carbonate, giving it a grayish tone. The impurities are removed in the processing to produce the pigment. <h2 style="text-align: left;">History </h2><div> Between the eleventh and eighteenth centuries, the main west-east axis, the <a href="https://www.encyclopedia.com/places/australia-and-oceania/pacific-islands-political-geography/silk-road">Silk Road</a>, brought Asian materials, including silk, inventions and art to Europe. The Silk Road consisted of land routes connecting East Asia and Southeast Asia with South Asia, Persia, the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa and Southern Europe. Mediterranean trade between the Middle East and North Africa and Europe in the twelfth through fourteenth centuries was conducted largely by Italian and Greek maritime republics. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOv5_9a7n-IHZsXHd7D8rkDZjYuJ0dIjmBCjA1IACyPyMNbAVyxTeHTbHdsfCDLB7vmccchgyDy-FBt-vRPdMCO96rTFY2QQPMvTdSJtyvgk_pqY66rb_73Tah8KH4dH5L21ewpxlVwMI/s251/Lapis+Lazuli.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOv5_9a7n-IHZsXHd7D8rkDZjYuJ0dIjmBCjA1IACyPyMNbAVyxTeHTbHdsfCDLB7vmccchgyDy-FBt-vRPdMCO96rTFY2QQPMvTdSJtyvgk_pqY66rb_73Tah8KH4dH5L21ewpxlVwMI/s0/Lapis+Lazuli.JPG" /></a></div><br />During this period, Italian traders introduced lapis lazuli to Europe from Afghanistan, most notably, from ancient mines in Sar-e-sang, the “Place of the Stone,” a settlement in the Kuran Wa Munjan District of Badakhshan Province. Today, it can be found in other locations including Asia, America, Chile, Zambia, and Siberia but only a couple of Afghan mines produce the highest grade (a very deep purplish blue) of this unique stone. In 1826, French chemist Jean-Baptiste Guimet created a synthetic version of ultramarine by heating kaolinite, sodium carbonate and sulfur. The result was a more vivid color and less expensive to produce than traditional ultramarine. The new color was named French Ultramarine.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGG0CFWoL9q9_LWRN4KpxotRvO9DWuzmvt-iO3AmTV26BgWa-XYVsO2z6ns-s35RVwmct9XC0NRIECDWaE6oP4-IPfnoG5mPD-XDOUcHrBbif_OKoNzGdvHMDJl0u548Ur4wvRgrxGNtm/s371/Lapis+Lazuli2.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGG0CFWoL9q9_LWRN4KpxotRvO9DWuzmvt-iO3AmTV26BgWa-XYVsO2z6ns-s35RVwmct9XC0NRIECDWaE6oP4-IPfnoG5mPD-XDOUcHrBbif_OKoNzGdvHMDJl0u548Ur4wvRgrxGNtm/s320/Lapis+Lazuli2.JPG" /></a><span style="background: white; color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span><p></p></div>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-48984417214987948442021-11-02T04:08:00.002-07:002021-11-02T04:08:36.321-07:00Ochre, the First ColorThe word “ochre” comes from the Greek language, originally meaning “pale yellow.” Ochre is a natural clay earth pigment made of a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in color from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colors produced by this pigment, especially a light brownish-yellow.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpG048OYU9YLq8y34BEaLZZGsLrWbbSEg7s2mQQb5vwPq8F2hVG_idnExVmxYGHdBujN9PIZpp1HWGVX60AHtqtyroxwNqbKxg-jmdKgTNK5lRpHdObVNUUySGIPRfWG4mAfdRYixF86B/s450/Ochre+Granuales.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="450" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpG048OYU9YLq8y34BEaLZZGsLrWbbSEg7s2mQQb5vwPq8F2hVG_idnExVmxYGHdBujN9PIZpp1HWGVX60AHtqtyroxwNqbKxg-jmdKgTNK5lRpHdObVNUUySGIPRfWG4mAfdRYixF86B/s320/Ochre+Granuales.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>A variant of ochre containing a large amount of hematite, or dehydrated iron oxide, has a reddish tint known as “red ochre.” The range of earth pigments include yellow ochre, red ochre, purple ochre, sienna, and umber. The major ingredient of all the ochres, iron oxide-hydroxide, known as limonite, renders a yellow color. <br /><br />Ochre occurs naturally in rocks and soil in any environment where iron minerals have pooled and formed, including valley edges, cliffs or in caves eroding out of the bedrock. Other than serving as paint, ochre was used to tan hides, as mosquito repellent, for protection against the sun or cold, for medicinal purposes, for use in the extraction or processing of plants, and as an adhesive, such as attaching handles to stone tools. Because ochre is a mineral, it doesn't wash away or decay, hence the existence of ancient examples of art and traditions using ochre.<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The practice of ochre painting has been prevalent among Indigenous Australian people for over 40,000 years. Really good ochre was a prized trade item right up until the 1980s.</li><li>In Africa, archeologists discovered ochre mines dating back 40,000 years. </li><li>A highly prized form of ochre came from the Black Sea city of Sinope, in the area now known as Turkey. It was deemed so valuable that the paint was stamped with a special seal, known as sealed Sinope. Sinopia soon became synonymous for red ochre. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIq9jLoFKhrsjYbLuddfU1ucLb2XeRQyoSNom7Uh0lQrCSEQSzOFAxtmULg5tBBwmV15CJRGzXQE4UtI8u8tMps1NjFCAjO3oE0dqI7gEdHDkInCU6U329vh82A7_xoq9JWpTU7_bcZFWK/s346/Paint+colors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="139" data-original-width="346" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIq9jLoFKhrsjYbLuddfU1ucLb2XeRQyoSNom7Uh0lQrCSEQSzOFAxtmULg5tBBwmV15CJRGzXQE4UtI8u8tMps1NjFCAjO3oE0dqI7gEdHDkInCU6U329vh82A7_xoq9JWpTU7_bcZFWK/s320/Paint+colors.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></li></ul><h2 style="text-align: left;">History</h2>Ochre was the first paint color. Traces of it can be found on every continent since painting began. Iron oxide is one of the most common minerals found on earth, and there is ample evidence that yellow and red ochre pigment was used in prehistoric and ancient times by many different civilizations on different continents.<p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The first American settlers named the indigenous people Red Indians because of the red ochre that they used as body paint. </li><li>Red ochre paint was used in ancient China, evident from early examples of black and red pottery dating between 5000 and 3000 BC.</li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Ochre is often found in ancient burials. It’s thought that the clothing was dyed with ochre, but as the clothing decayed, the ochre stained the grave and bones red. Originally thought to be the bones of an indecent woman, the stained red bones of the famous Red Lady of Paviland in South Wales, UK, was actually the remains of a young man who <a href="https://www.livescience.com/57924-paleolithic-pebbles-for-death-rituals-uncovered.html">lived 33,000 years ago during the Paleolithic</a> age. </li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Researchers diving into dark submerged caves on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula have found evidence of an ambitious mining operation for red ochre from 12,000 years ago. </li></ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGB28vk9cTi8ZWzb0_U6jcPdR2CmC1wy2V8lr7CnqrEcal-B-KVV__mciALEbnKv56XyaraQ1bleFuJdrgInGYSqrCHq-KyJuzv7oh662n3U-rTZgNWKIdMe5_2TX5w3DRYD4WrwXhNuoh/s450/Cave+Painting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="450" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGB28vk9cTi8ZWzb0_U6jcPdR2CmC1wy2V8lr7CnqrEcal-B-KVV__mciALEbnKv56XyaraQ1bleFuJdrgInGYSqrCHq-KyJuzv7oh662n3U-rTZgNWKIdMe5_2TX5w3DRYD4WrwXhNuoh/s320/Cave+Painting.JPG" width="320" /></a><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Frequent references in Irish myth to “red men” suggest that the practice of body painting with red ochre was common to the ancient Celts.</li></ul><h2 style="text-align: left;"> Magnetic Qualities </h2>Italian Scientists examining red paint are able to date frescos by studying the direction of the iron molecules in the paint. The molecules act like compass needles, aligning themselves with magnetic north during the time it takes to dry on the wet clay. Because Magnetic north changes every year and fluctuates over a range of 18 degrees, scientists are able to determine what year a fresco was painted. <br /><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivyks4RUrrRHhwUKk1kcFM11uTNJPytZT_uTQAolSXbPU0wBvTwhgaQoPbKvwXR0xduibDI3RgwhHWXttdNKfUnZoUe0x9l8TOzk5V0Y2MKzfuBpGBRR21P_4mTafLA_UNNSgj78ll1Qy3/s450/fresco.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="450" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivyks4RUrrRHhwUKk1kcFM11uTNJPytZT_uTQAolSXbPU0wBvTwhgaQoPbKvwXR0xduibDI3RgwhHWXttdNKfUnZoUe0x9l8TOzk5V0Y2MKzfuBpGBRR21P_4mTafLA_UNNSgj78ll1Qy3/s320/fresco.JPG" width="320" /></a><br /><br /><i>Fresco, “The Flight into Egypt” by Italian artist Giotto di Bondone. </i><br /><br />“The chameleon changes color to match the earth, the earth doesn’t change color to match the chameleon.” ~ Senegalese Proverbs<p></p></div>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-63400684075820945052021-10-04T11:05:00.001-07:002021-10-04T11:05:33.786-07:00Green, Symbol of Hope or the Harbinger of Death<p>The word green is closely related to the Old English verb growan, “to grow.” In some cultures, green symbolizes hope, fertility and growth, while in others, it is associated with death, sickness, or the devil. It can also describe someone who is inexperienced, jealous, or sick. More recently, green symbolizes ecology and the environment.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDCqRmtQg-yWX_0iblYM0LakMJE4zgSooXC5s15qn0jwRYDt5QzPeCLdVW46S1ir_Yr4Hd_4FHVTLc3ykCtIDolI5TzlGxpej5oexeMn43-67azru-W-UlFU-NvdfChnj1osaD_ZPH5gy/s450/Greens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="184" data-original-width="450" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDCqRmtQg-yWX_0iblYM0LakMJE4zgSooXC5s15qn0jwRYDt5QzPeCLdVW46S1ir_Yr4Hd_4FHVTLc3ykCtIDolI5TzlGxpej5oexeMn43-67azru-W-UlFU-NvdfChnj1osaD_ZPH5gy/s320/Greens.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p>Green is considered a secondary color created by mixing yellow and blue. Green pigments have been used since Antiquity. The Egyptians made green from natural earth and malachite.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> Greeks introduced verdigris, one of the first artificial pigments. Copper resonate was introduced in European 15th century easel panting, but was soon discarded.<br /><br />Green was once considered a secret color by the Chinese and more prized than gold, with only a select few able to obtain the dyes for it. In central Asia, celadon was for centuries thought to have secret magical powers. Celadon is a term for pottery denoting both wares glazed in the jade green celadon color, also known as greenware, and a type of transparent glaze, often with small cracks, that was first used on greenware, but later used on other porcelains.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCZ0UOwmUIvjXaBL5j2lyH8SBmI-mIN4kjmbCAulI9wCxbMn4pGHb9E7kaNpbj7awvUWh0At-G8ex54LvJ4HHhVZ2iz-PMPPXN56h4buLlxwq9lEpqtHfLm2KcvhhEXHAzISHiGcFW_Xc/s450/Chinese+celadon.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCZ0UOwmUIvjXaBL5j2lyH8SBmI-mIN4kjmbCAulI9wCxbMn4pGHb9E7kaNpbj7awvUWh0At-G8ex54LvJ4HHhVZ2iz-PMPPXN56h4buLlxwq9lEpqtHfLm2KcvhhEXHAzISHiGcFW_Xc/s320/Chinese+celadon.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">Longquan celadons produced in Longquan, Zhejiang, China in the 13th century.</span><br /><br />Muslims believed the color green to have alexipharmic (antidote for poison) powers. If celadon tableware was used to prepare and serve food, the family was thought to be protected from poison. William Warham, the Archbishop of Canterbury, owned a sea green cup that may have been given to him to protect him from poisonous food, since he was a taster for official dinners.<br /><br />Green was associated with Indian mysticism, and was found in Asian poems and Buddhist artwork. During the Romantic period, green was considered akin to the beauty of nature. Chinese Wallpapers popular among the nobility from the time of Mary Queen of Scotts show green vines creeping up walls with all manner of exotic green plants and birds.<br /><br />But there was a sinister side to the green paint used by artists during this time. A chemist, Carl Wilhelm Scheele patented a new brilliant green paint he named Scheele’s Green. He came upon it accidentally while experimenting with arsenic in 1775. Though he privately noted that the new color might be toxic, it didn’t deter him from obtaining a patent. Soon manufacturers were using the new pigment for paints, wallpapers and all types of household items.<br /><br />Green wallpaper was thought to contribute to the demise of Napoleon Bonaparte. The Longmont estate where he was being held in exile on the island of St. Helena was subject to dampness. It is believed that the mold that formed on the walls reacted with the arsenic in the green patterned wallpaper, causing the air in the house to become infused with the poison. A strip of wallpaper was torn off of a wall and recently scientifically tested. Traces of Scheele’s arsenite was found in the patterns of green and gold fleurs-de-lis.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QVo4HoZMFCUw_Mq-w9vhKvk5dH4ERp8j2A6QSe9NgiGPIdaMfuvL1J04Pbs03x2G7UxpTlqnLuq0U42DgBMjQSbnTaoyI3em_A9NgDs-fsTpMZh6neXgThM6bHWQeljROfZQX3zXaEwF/s348/Napoleon.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_QVo4HoZMFCUw_Mq-w9vhKvk5dH4ERp8j2A6QSe9NgiGPIdaMfuvL1J04Pbs03x2G7UxpTlqnLuq0U42DgBMjQSbnTaoyI3em_A9NgDs-fsTpMZh6neXgThM6bHWQeljROfZQX3zXaEwF/s320/Napoleon.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Around the same time, a sample of his hair was tested and shown to contain a level of arsenic twenty times the safest amount. Though at the time of his death he was diagnosed with stomach cancer, it’s possible that what led to this diagnosis was Napoleon’s exposure to arsenic, which is believed to be one cause of gastric carcinoma. Six years after his arrival at St. Helena, Napoleon died.<br /><br />As it turned out, not only green, but yellow, blue and magenta held traces of arsenic. In 1888, Henry Carr reported that arsenic found in artificial flowers, carpets, toys, and fabrics as well as in paint and wallpaper was responsible for the deaths of children and adults. Still, the allure of bright greens over the dull grays and browns of that time was too strong and its use continued well into the 19th century before it was replaced with the safer cobalt green.<br /><br /><i>“It’s not easy being green.” </i><br /><br /></p><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">-Kermit: Sesame Street frog puppet, singing about identity</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></div><span style="font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro", serif; font-size: 11pt;"></span><p></p>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-67645601747915728582021-08-31T06:12:00.002-07:002021-08-31T06:12:58.029-07:00Watery Reflections<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Reflections give dimension to a picture, add color and depth, and suggest a mood. A reflection is not a mirror image of the object, though it may seem that way. When you paint a reflection, you are painting a distorted version of the reflector and its environment. <br /><br />There are a few things to keep in mind when painting reflections. It’s important to determine the perspective of the reflectors, and your distance from them will determine the size and shape of the reflections. The type of surface of the reflector is also important. Is the reflected surface rough or smooth? A rougher surface gives a rougher, more distorted reflection, while a smooth surface’s reflection can be very clear. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7BGUNLQuXpZjo4ze50UBP2MhtfuEozsPASY6t7CT4mZMgDoinLwWlkygJhSs3vshFhVH-KCC_euKvQg1cdt-icuSGkdySWsQySL1SfmMJhTM2rwYSac9OSwTt-QetewokKXhL3ZhwASX/s450/Ocean+sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="450" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7BGUNLQuXpZjo4ze50UBP2MhtfuEozsPASY6t7CT4mZMgDoinLwWlkygJhSs3vshFhVH-KCC_euKvQg1cdt-icuSGkdySWsQySL1SfmMJhTM2rwYSac9OSwTt-QetewokKXhL3ZhwASX/s320/Ocean+sunset.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: left;">Reflections are commonly found in water ways of all types because of the very nature of water. They also originate in inert objects like mirrors and shiny objects, like metals, and transparent objects like glass. The following are some considerations when painting subjects in water, such as buildings, the sun and the surrounding scenery and sky.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Reflections and Color</h2><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 292.5pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Dark colors in dry land become
lighter when reflected in the water</li><li>Light colors on dry land become
darker when reflected in the water.</li><li>The colors of the sky appear
slightly darker on the surface of the water</li></ul><div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Distance</h2>
<p class="MsoNormal">The distance of the viewer to the water affects how clearly
the image of the earth and sky are reflected.<o:p></o:p></p>
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>When painting objects next to the water, the shadow cast by these objects usually makes it easier to view down below the surface, as the object blocks the reflection of the sky.</li><li>When standing close to calm water, the viewer will see only a weak reflection. Farther away, water will reflect details, acting nearly like a mirror.</li><li>When observing dirty water from a close distance you will be able to see the overall color of the water itself.</li></ul><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Shapes & Angles Reflected in the Water</h2><p class="MsoNormal">Reflected images should not be rendered exactly as a
mirrored object. Here are a few things to keep in mind:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The reflected scene in the water is
the actual object reflected from </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">two</i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> different angles.</span></li><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The
reflected image in the water bounces off the surface of the water.</span></li><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">What you actually see is the
reflected scene below the surface from an angle for as far as your eyes can
see.</span></li><li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">You are actually seeing more below
the reflected objects and even reflection of objects that you cannot see at all
when you look directly at them.</span></li></ul><p></p><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_2" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" style="height: 200.25pt; margin-left: -3.75pt; margin-top: 69.7pt; mso-height-percent: 0; mso-height-percent: 0; mso-height-relative: margin; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-width-percent: 0; mso-width-percent: 0; mso-width-relative: margin; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 266.6pt; z-index: -251637760;" type="#_x0000_t75">
<v:imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:/Users/P/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.jpg">
<w:wrap type="tight">
</w:wrap></v:imagedata></v:shape></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaXd9ds4LrwD4EhmFwukXGIddXkDdMeRHDiZFGnQu-NkbYGrv9nDvR2lUFoV61xHZiqITL44QwQ-BnwSpKAf5w65ttbiNd8ekbug6nsdhUZEFAVqQveDuaDW-ZTMomctwoqy5rn7A6UPp/s450/House+on+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="450" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaXd9ds4LrwD4EhmFwukXGIddXkDdMeRHDiZFGnQu-NkbYGrv9nDvR2lUFoV61xHZiqITL44QwQ-BnwSpKAf5w65ttbiNd8ekbug6nsdhUZEFAVqQveDuaDW-ZTMomctwoqy5rn7A6UPp/s320/House+on+water.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Painting Ripples</h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Ripples combine the
reflected colors from light and dark areas.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Use
quick, energetic brushwork with side to side strokes of a thin brush.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Drag
paint from dark reflected objects quickly into the light areas, clean the
brush, then drag the paint from the light areas back into the dark.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul><!--[if !supportLists]--><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man
has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some. “ <o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-align: right; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Adobe Caslon Pro";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><i>Charles Dickens</i><o:p></o:p></p><br />Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-44222144348236882852021-07-13T06:03:00.002-07:002021-07-13T06:03:32.889-07:00Three-Point Perspective<div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Most of the time, one- or two-point perspective is what you will use when drawing. It’s often the view that you will see when you are observing something from a normal eyesight level. However, when you are viewing a scene from a more extreme position, you’ll want to use three-point perspective. </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">For example, you will use three-point perspective when you want to give the impression of looking up at a subject from a low position or down at it from a higher position.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">A word of caution: your eyes can play tricks on you when you are trying to determine the perspective of an object. Remember to always use some form of measurement when deciding where to place your vanishing points and to determine the size of your subjects. It’s helpful to use a straight edge ruler when working with perspective and to practice drawing it on paper before you commit to other media.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Drawing a Three-Point Perspective</h3></div><div>The following is an example of how to draw a three-point perspective. <br /><br />First, start with a two-point perspective: Mark two vanishing points on a horizon line. Then, draw a line from each vanishing point to a point that will mark the bottom corner of a set of blocks, forming a “V”. Draw two more lines from the vanishing point to the first lines. <br /><br />Directly below the front corner of the nearest rectangle, put a mark. This will be your third point.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfJUansLsoq5ErlhIkHxcaR1h3csoENWsl94P3uiONFJhkruJJP8CuPCS5UHRD0AzlXhhc30RJWWEz3Fx4LhtQYgsDlwxMTLroisQCEbRK8CUVkt2mliyFYRg25tu96i_DQZwfO6WNO3i/s449/3+pt+1b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfJUansLsoq5ErlhIkHxcaR1h3csoENWsl94P3uiONFJhkruJJP8CuPCS5UHRD0AzlXhhc30RJWWEz3Fx4LhtQYgsDlwxMTLroisQCEbRK8CUVkt2mliyFYRg25tu96i_DQZwfO6WNO3i/s320/3+pt+1b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Now, draw a line to the bottom corner of rectangle block, ending it a bit above the third point.<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7Zupy6PpUJX6fDYj7xs0r-Ci43vD8lrukzor8wKYrYfSlFRjJimMPXsQJo8MPptgBMZpPr_klKlSNKcxAcLQzHvJaTbPcTAAE79M-QNouKzerbTZET6CAkQLdGma5wkBhiKYEVSOK750/s449/3+pt+1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7Zupy6PpUJX6fDYj7xs0r-Ci43vD8lrukzor8wKYrYfSlFRjJimMPXsQJo8MPptgBMZpPr_klKlSNKcxAcLQzHvJaTbPcTAAE79M-QNouKzerbTZET6CAkQLdGma5wkBhiKYEVSOK750/s320/3+pt+1a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>Connect the lines from the top edges of the rectangles to the third point.<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qGHs7HCt_WfJiDiIDr2l8K7lHzUmnh6i2lnOKPJHC3qASwu9or-6V2VncvW0wg7ud44k2heN63WlJnrkVaxqT-x17GogIBFf766rf71s6JzKFuEJGlL7VGHUMo8aMaLC_6pPSMvokf6X/s449/3+pt+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1qGHs7HCt_WfJiDiIDr2l8K7lHzUmnh6i2lnOKPJHC3qASwu9or-6V2VncvW0wg7ud44k2heN63WlJnrkVaxqT-x17GogIBFf766rf71s6JzKFuEJGlL7VGHUMo8aMaLC_6pPSMvokf6X/s320/3+pt+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Draw a line that begins at both vanishing points and ends at the bottom of the line of the nearest block.<br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56LNEwzndsikoeVfO0U0y7ZXl5msbVZpKIXwMZCW2uy1F500YZvmqW5uoYJfF3eIQaAhYIaIDAu514LG6Nnummo_eWDRudHhQm9ag8O_DRQCMj7I8tp9cHmmnmtWRo2Vzfd-P800AiG36/s449/3+pt+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56LNEwzndsikoeVfO0U0y7ZXl5msbVZpKIXwMZCW2uy1F500YZvmqW5uoYJfF3eIQaAhYIaIDAu514LG6Nnummo_eWDRudHhQm9ag8O_DRQCMj7I8tp9cHmmnmtWRo2Vzfd-P800AiG36/s320/3+pt+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>The green line shows the group of blocks with the three-point perspective.<br /><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zSLdElV-ueBXuneM-Mzo-uH-0XhEr6J9WSw73BzQvNBhCsU7siKuqUZcxMSTUtQaATefBFlavfuuIbzzCyiV-rASeOy3oKLy6YZUiVHttV875oevB_eH3KPTZ1EDYZ3xPADOt-2UWo0W/s449/3+pt+final2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="449" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2zSLdElV-ueBXuneM-Mzo-uH-0XhEr6J9WSw73BzQvNBhCsU7siKuqUZcxMSTUtQaATefBFlavfuuIbzzCyiV-rASeOy3oKLy6YZUiVHttV875oevB_eH3KPTZ1EDYZ3xPADOt-2UWo0W/s320/3+pt+final2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><br />Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-6297267950963086732021-05-26T05:17:00.000-07:002021-05-26T05:17:22.253-07:00The Passing of a Legend<p>On April 18, 2021, the art world lost a modern legend,
Richard Schmid. <a href="https://www.richardschmid.com/">Richard Schmid</a> was
and will always be an artist that I look up to and one that I have learned a
great deal about art and how to paint. I have almost all of his books and DVDs,
and I refer to them often, their pages well-worn and many sections streaked
with yellow highlights. Now as an art instructor, I often turn to them for
inspiration for art instruction. Some of you may have seen some of his work,
heard me talk about him or read about him in my past art emails.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGcQdE9y2RboIwroj_arIPbnregDiu3c8SYf9cdiMBmXpfAGZNGvzFyDu0DvQsn9CoaEPTmtCWdF3auMt8QOZj9l4NOeJywSM0YB7zn1-yy20qu8h4hA-UBjMDE3uSPSvoYVFtN6M78ry/s450/richard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="422" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGcQdE9y2RboIwroj_arIPbnregDiu3c8SYf9cdiMBmXpfAGZNGvzFyDu0DvQsn9CoaEPTmtCWdF3auMt8QOZj9l4NOeJywSM0YB7zn1-yy20qu8h4hA-UBjMDE3uSPSvoYVFtN6M78ry/s320/richard.jpg" /></a></div><br />My admiration for Richard Schmid goes back several years when I was just beginning to look for alternative art education. In 2007, I was searching the Internet for artists who were hosting workshops in the New England area and came across an artist named Albert Handel. I loved his style, which was modern impressionistic, and I wanted to learn his methods. He worked both with oils and pastels, and his paintings would sing with color in a relaxed manner that belied years of practice. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRg-xvzAkroZW5zzCowjL_6qcIseWHEuF0BPh1oF83pfkNTLHwDEwEI_Gox-kxPTFyjvC46YtUxGcpI6ivyNQm1tA9X3SL-jfqzVPR24OF5WFPi_1tMYZQiVqwvVPMa6ug7q0Olh7jjKg/s450/Albert+and+Richard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRg-xvzAkroZW5zzCowjL_6qcIseWHEuF0BPh1oF83pfkNTLHwDEwEI_Gox-kxPTFyjvC46YtUxGcpI6ivyNQm1tA9X3SL-jfqzVPR24OF5WFPi_1tMYZQiVqwvVPMa6ug7q0Olh7jjKg/s320/Albert+and+Richard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>I saw that he and Anita West were going to do a five-day workshop in Putney, Vermont at the Village Arts of Putney, a reclaimed New England barn turned art studio, so I decided to sign up for it. The first four days were spent at the barn and on location with Handel and West with demonstrations and plein air painting. I was in heaven! On the last day, we were all treated to an indoor still life demonstration by both Handel and the secret bonus artist: Richard Schmid. I had heard of Richard Schmid, read a lot about him and loved his work, but my painting studies came a little late and I missed being able to take instruction from him.</div><div><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisFjxojBzZ7UWIJruPO1N-40_qpRBthlW4LNx81NjpIYHf54W5DEt4JbH2u55GnXnfZ0xUZimn1skVzwLyBAU7tnk_jUHQfIO_F0T65Tutm6crV5JO8hGDhv0CNbbZeCjtRI-N8BBnprb3/s450/NancyAnitaAlbert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisFjxojBzZ7UWIJruPO1N-40_qpRBthlW4LNx81NjpIYHf54W5DEt4JbH2u55GnXnfZ0xUZimn1skVzwLyBAU7tnk_jUHQfIO_F0T65Tutm6crV5JO8hGDhv0CNbbZeCjtRI-N8BBnprb3/s320/NancyAnitaAlbert.jpg" width="320" /></a> Nancy, Anita, and Albert.</h4>I couldn’t believe my luck when they told us that he and his wife Nancy, who is also a fabulous artist, would be there that day. He and Albert painted, each from their own angle, and the class took up positions behind them and watched in awe as both of them turned out terrific paintings, each in their own style, in less than four hours. Richard spoke about his love of his craft, intertwining serious thoughts about art with delightful jokes as he worked, but Albert was mostly quiet and took Richard’s occasional ribbing with graceful ease. They were lifelong friends, so as he worked, Richard regaled us with wonderful stories of their adventures painting together.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><h4 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ3SYuhjlrHMnTrEf6QnhBkY5xnPj5ZnPpEejfkbHfs5BmQkEaPOBCQ1s1DfrsykkMIkIw_rVUuEmRi2HVCJeWgqIOz0i4gO0RdfjwC3xqzNPyl2pM92l8Eu_qjLlEQiHOtt89EO6PJC7W/s450/RichardPaint25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ3SYuhjlrHMnTrEf6QnhBkY5xnPj5ZnPpEejfkbHfs5BmQkEaPOBCQ1s1DfrsykkMIkIw_rVUuEmRi2HVCJeWgqIOz0i4gO0RdfjwC3xqzNPyl2pM92l8Eu_qjLlEQiHOtt89EO6PJC7W/s320/RichardPaint25.jpg" width="320" /></a> Richard painting a floral still life.</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6JHHnxmwNUtoF35iJN4cg9TjO9EESVNi18DVCIfncWk4OnqvrEMzjAZCoknRdKTb8hEqqi4NVF7vfu6_uxsqZvZCZw8aUNVNrybvZ7Ju6sZdp3JmHVfGIJupU8K8z9YbsGahDpSiCmd4H/s450/HandellPainting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6JHHnxmwNUtoF35iJN4cg9TjO9EESVNi18DVCIfncWk4OnqvrEMzjAZCoknRdKTb8hEqqi4NVF7vfu6_uxsqZvZCZw8aUNVNrybvZ7Ju6sZdp3JmHVfGIJupU8K8z9YbsGahDpSiCmd4H/s320/HandellPainting.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Albert's pastel rendering.</h4>I consider myself very lucky to have met Richard and be in his presence as he constructed another masterpiece in front of a enthralled group of students. From my notes of that day: “But the best part was meeting Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik, and getting to watch Richard paint-what a treat!” and, “When Richard painted, all of his strokes were deliberate. He never repainted over an area, and he thought out every stroke.” As you can tell, I was captivated by his methods. I was also entranced by Albert’s pastel rendering, which was so deceptively casual and bursting with color.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><h2 style="text-align: left;">Village Arts of Putney</h2> <br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcNst0f0lnUXygMmPC-8x7tzsjXz9eeFxfkTiVI1M8VFuPYTfO3iqactc-1lNAgeS5RDNIqVwPs82l9AhmEjLep-btvQnbLOejsuZLga1U1spEQW8eI4pePi731lnyG7tPCGWuX3wPLzY-/s450/PutneyStudioOutside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcNst0f0lnUXygMmPC-8x7tzsjXz9eeFxfkTiVI1M8VFuPYTfO3iqactc-1lNAgeS5RDNIqVwPs82l9AhmEjLep-btvQnbLOejsuZLga1U1spEQW8eI4pePi731lnyG7tPCGWuX3wPLzY-/s320/PutneyStudioOutside.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br />At the end of the session, Richard, Nancy and Albert answered questions and signed books and prints. I bought two beautiful prints, one of Nancy’s and one of Richard’s, and a signed copy of Richard’s first book, Alla Prima, Everything I Know About Painting. <br /><br />In 2008, I drove up to Putney, Vermont on Saturdays to take classes at the <a href="http://villageartsofputney.fineaw.com/">Village Arts of Putney</a> with one of Richard’s students, Jack Keledjian. It was a fun place to gather with like-minded artists and to share our thoughts on art and painting, and it’s a memory that I will always treasure. <br /><br />Additional reading: <a href="https://www.outdoorpainter.com/richard-schmid-rest-in-peace/">Richard Schmid</a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><i>“Each one of us is here to make this world a better place through our art. What you create is important and who you are is to be treasured, and that together we can fill this world with beauty and make it a better place for all.” - Nancy Guzik <br /><br />“The most enjoyable experience for me is still plein air painting … and its natural companion, alla prima (painting from life),” writes Schmid. “What could be more exhilarating than getting out under a great sky and feeling a fresh breeze while I paint the delights of nature? Painting on the spot from life is the method I learned from the start of my training, and the one I regard as the most challenging and therefore most rewarding.” - Richard Schmid<br /></i><div><br /><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p></div>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-8444447502501823632021-05-10T10:40:00.000-07:002021-05-10T10:40:12.021-07:00Two-Point PerspectiveRecently, I presented an example of one-point perspective that uses one vanishing point. This week, I’d like to talk about another type of perspective in the Linear Perspective group, the two-point perspective. Two-point perspective is mostly evident in street and building scenes, as well as interiors. However, whenever there is a need to project depth and dimension, you will find that understanding two-point perspective will help in sizing and drawing all of your subjects.<br /><br />The “two point” in a two-point perspective grid is referring to two different vanishing “points,” where each becomes an anchor that we use create a 3D object on a 2D plane (your canvas or paper). <br /><br />Typically, these two points are at the opposite sides of the composition, with one on the far left and another on the far right.<h2 style="text-align: left;">Create a Two-Point Perspective Box or Building</h2><div>To create a two-point perspective box or building, draw a straight line on a sheet of paper. This will be your horizon line or sight line. Place two points at opposite sides on the line.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7EJu_PqWvTnE4ofVaQK1HK6MFmAHIbvkE1JMWitB0rob8FFfM7K0bQyos-PPIVHhVfrDlB6yMjnZGo9Jy9BuUbDvihPdjhwTGDqSp8QqbrQ3pVDhoBs8MCB-PcTHjnnE85L2LUKuGepZ/s450/Points0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH7EJu_PqWvTnE4ofVaQK1HK6MFmAHIbvkE1JMWitB0rob8FFfM7K0bQyos-PPIVHhVfrDlB6yMjnZGo9Jy9BuUbDvihPdjhwTGDqSp8QqbrQ3pVDhoBs8MCB-PcTHjnnE85L2LUKuGepZ/s320/Points0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;">Now, draw a line where the corner of your box or building will be in relation to the horizon line.</div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white;"></span></p><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJNi30q9SDbfWCH0Dn_XRhY71b2Kley1g6qiw2j2vNlZfhYjg28HDubyvDWZ7LnWiTK9maJ_EIb30MBkIPG5g7ycaY7sX_O8N5osTLzAH1IEdfKFZcu7lWRzohd5GiBdsrFaLa9Ea-9uN/s450/Points2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJNi30q9SDbfWCH0Dn_XRhY71b2Kley1g6qiw2j2vNlZfhYjg28HDubyvDWZ7LnWiTK9maJ_EIb30MBkIPG5g7ycaY7sX_O8N5osTLzAH1IEdfKFZcu7lWRzohd5GiBdsrFaLa9Ea-9uN/s320/Points2.jpg" width="320" /><br /></a>Connect the top and bottom of the corner line to both vanishing points.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjER8g9b60wKLdiITPtKeOjr0NVSlWCrk6N2feGSXyDq3avQbjy6Lp74TeFlEaeZGa-IbRPGijpKTndOM_xZUPhDHp0FVpMYtBurDerL5qoCD_B8K9GYzDxGDG-yMBJXcDswwyzAkXuE-BP/s450/2+Point0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjER8g9b60wKLdiITPtKeOjr0NVSlWCrk6N2feGSXyDq3avQbjy6Lp74TeFlEaeZGa-IbRPGijpKTndOM_xZUPhDHp0FVpMYtBurDerL5qoCD_B8K9GYzDxGDG-yMBJXcDswwyzAkXuE-BP/s320/2+Point0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Draw more lines that begin at the vanishing points and end
at the lines that connect the corner line.</div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTi91_NB2av-H35GNkzdkHe07t6XUcPnAMmTiD-wUJHNoUnEJoq9ZDR5n3532q5_uK_V0TwFn5bHZ_qy8k0Gmh63t19UUi4KJAoHVSyOKa0-3-VA4bMYIOK6j3rjLtQTGFO8aWNFbtThk/s450/2+Point1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSTi91_NB2av-H35GNkzdkHe07t6XUcPnAMmTiD-wUJHNoUnEJoq9ZDR5n3532q5_uK_V0TwFn5bHZ_qy8k0Gmh63t19UUi4KJAoHVSyOKa0-3-VA4bMYIOK6j3rjLtQTGFO8aWNFbtThk/s320/2+Point1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /><br />Draw perpendicular lines to finish the outlines of your box or building. <br /><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3Fj1TOE25Ax6NIZ4jEfdhyphenhyphenBPFQwpkz0D3x0RX6Pb4rmL7h5QsLIQ5TNI8-ZFyzvMS-CisY4nA7EnS3e_mcm7pkjINuGZcdeCJPz1uiCoBZwK_-8JARi3iTpzTSixZt1UMnvsKd94QtP9/s450/2+Point3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3Fj1TOE25Ax6NIZ4jEfdhyphenhyphenBPFQwpkz0D3x0RX6Pb4rmL7h5QsLIQ5TNI8-ZFyzvMS-CisY4nA7EnS3e_mcm7pkjINuGZcdeCJPz1uiCoBZwK_-8JARi3iTpzTSixZt1UMnvsKd94QtP9/s320/2+Point3.jpg" width="320" /></a></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;">You can use this method to draw street scenes, such as this one. In this case, the vanishing points are off to the right and left of the scene, the horizon line cutting through the building horizontally. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCAImB6n-UMnOa8bRZ0Ug-U8JYIGL7cPnR98xT6chIh8ML47kCn6LFYEh15-Lko_kLIcfh6qFgXoR5iBsSVd7B1yyPwabRzfgRj_uGnYA6-v5tF52pgmprh4rm40rO9qbBP7F9GbTnpEVm/s450/DressingRoom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCAImB6n-UMnOa8bRZ0Ug-U8JYIGL7cPnR98xT6chIh8ML47kCn6LFYEh15-Lko_kLIcfh6qFgXoR5iBsSVd7B1yyPwabRzfgRj_uGnYA6-v5tF52pgmprh4rm40rO9qbBP7F9GbTnpEVm/s320/DressingRoom.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiqG_hPNFbCsZdHLuWp4o3zmSx_364eGcJkiqrvPTBhIsCL6-H-bkDOXrIMnyUOD-SlPGb0n71AbVlwCQyDAxLRKmfYYSlZAfUL2kayz9nGldTiOOpvukHY5yy-ZenWMwzC3bGaHtul45/s450/PaintingwPer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZiqG_hPNFbCsZdHLuWp4o3zmSx_364eGcJkiqrvPTBhIsCL6-H-bkDOXrIMnyUOD-SlPGb0n71AbVlwCQyDAxLRKmfYYSlZAfUL2kayz9nGldTiOOpvukHY5yy-ZenWMwzC3bGaHtul45/s320/PaintingwPer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><i>“Perspective is to painting what the bridle is to the horse, the rudder to a ship.” </i><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">-Leonardo da Vinci</div></div></div><div><br /></div>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-34241298079066919902021-03-30T06:16:00.002-07:002021-03-30T06:19:48.131-07:00More on Perspective<p style="text-align: left;">Last week I wrote about how, with linear perspective, an object appears to diminish in size as the distance from the viewer increases. Linear perspective is a way to create an illusion of spatial depth in your artwork. It enables you to replicate a 3-D object on a 2-D canvas or drawing surface.</p>There are three types of linear perspective drawing: one-point perspective, two-point perspective, and three-point perspective. <br /><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWoJMq332c5u6oTlf-tKAyq6XVnZCj9PlRfeUC7fZcNZm86XSeQKqiZNtqoIJwJmPYlwF8cU2dRgskH5ITNdoNxcw4KHBbb34BIZ0cZt_9yHBEHcToyrpEcci5pCrOMd5ZdfgJlS8xZ5s2/s450/Converging+road.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="208" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWoJMq332c5u6oTlf-tKAyq6XVnZCj9PlRfeUC7fZcNZm86XSeQKqiZNtqoIJwJmPYlwF8cU2dRgskH5ITNdoNxcw4KHBbb34BIZ0cZt_9yHBEHcToyrpEcci5pCrOMd5ZdfgJlS8xZ5s2/s320/Converging+road.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">One-Point Perspective</h2><div>One-point perspective is a type of drawing created on a 2D plane that uses one point in the distance (the vanishing point) from which everything in the drawing is set out.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">One of the best illustrations of single-point perspective is to imagine that you’re looking at a straight road. All of the elements of the composition—particularly the road itself—will converge at a single point on the horizon line.</div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Single-point perspective can be at any point along the horizon line; the only stipulation is that all lines lead to the solitary point.</div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>“Art happens-no hovel is safe from it, no prince can depend on it, the vastest intelligence cannot bring it about.”</i></p><div style="text-align: right;">-James Abbott McNeil Whistler</div></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Helvetica",sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p></div>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-15238019463361612412021-03-07T10:11:00.001-08:002021-03-07T10:11:30.532-08:00The Horizon Line and Linear Perspective<p> <b>Linear perspective</b>
is a method of representing space in which the scale of an object diminishes as
the distance from the viewer increases. Essentially, objects that are farther
away from us appear smaller than those that are near. </p><p>A <b>horizon line</b> is the
intersection of where the ground or body of water meets the sky. The point at
which diminishing directional lines meet on a <b>horizon line</b> is called
the <b>vanishing point</b>. A city street is a great example of linear
perspective. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTH-aOMg_7YYuOswC2KZ9gXjfIbx6xtGpPqijd-2VAA0SGlbHBC5yvtxYJEA9e9NFeYELgdsnx1GwdlHirMc_3E7_oKNeWTaNkmUm_GaQeX_1qa7UU3zFoQdUmJYmdPEt2AIdLUUvnw4UT/s450/NewYorkStreet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTH-aOMg_7YYuOswC2KZ9gXjfIbx6xtGpPqijd-2VAA0SGlbHBC5yvtxYJEA9e9NFeYELgdsnx1GwdlHirMc_3E7_oKNeWTaNkmUm_GaQeX_1qa7UU3zFoQdUmJYmdPEt2AIdLUUvnw4UT/s320/NewYorkStreet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>On this photo, you can take a ruler and run a line along both
sides of the sidewalk into the distance to where they converge. The red dot in
the second picture represents the sidewalk vanishing point on the horizon.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuObq_W690SUgr61ep0E6w85nuw3hovJOKqs2f7tdFHQZFsfwQ0qGhgCJ3vAjQgAiMcRiG8ICIKGRhIXzD5-rpRNsv7s3u3ewHuGm12eb6s4S29LviG2LYmC44XkMrOfaffcS2nk78Oif/s450/NewYorkStreet2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuObq_W690SUgr61ep0E6w85nuw3hovJOKqs2f7tdFHQZFsfwQ0qGhgCJ3vAjQgAiMcRiG8ICIKGRhIXzD5-rpRNsv7s3u3ewHuGm12eb6s4S29LviG2LYmC44XkMrOfaffcS2nk78Oif/s320/NewYorkStreet2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Skyline Vs. Horizon Line</h2><p>Be careful not to confuse the skyline with the horizon line.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwOrwUn1xEUPu2GbiweSxkBxanUw4_dq0_lC64PIvqz29ST7M94OWpyMnDGvj0XZa46hyphenhyphenGaAnfmRmK-s8Bc23GwgQQyJYetWE4sC-gkLeR25xtuo1LeLko1KMBujIqC6rI5GAgrnjrGfI/s600/JudysMountains1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwOrwUn1xEUPu2GbiweSxkBxanUw4_dq0_lC64PIvqz29ST7M94OWpyMnDGvj0XZa46hyphenhyphenGaAnfmRmK-s8Bc23GwgQQyJYetWE4sC-gkLeR25xtuo1LeLko1KMBujIqC6rI5GAgrnjrGfI/s320/JudysMountains1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The skyline is
also where the sky and land meet, but is generally in reference to mountains,
which are almost always above the actual horizon line/eye level. The red line
in the second photo shows the horizon line.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrDix6J7w3hObEFKzg1s1vGCJ-FwoNO1hlAyr5aKSQ3PhuYe-TqEyx5i2GhBliqr5c6HzvLD0fvoKiyQXlyNW08wOPUoHVvV0oO2e4DW1k30WPedLIceU7myjfZb3D94h0EWyJTVPtJC1/s600/JudysMountains2Line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrDix6J7w3hObEFKzg1s1vGCJ-FwoNO1hlAyr5aKSQ3PhuYe-TqEyx5i2GhBliqr5c6HzvLD0fvoKiyQXlyNW08wOPUoHVvV0oO2e4DW1k30WPedLIceU7myjfZb3D94h0EWyJTVPtJC1/s320/JudysMountains2Line.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><br /><p></p>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-66006819218627753322021-02-16T08:52:00.002-08:002021-02-16T08:52:49.799-08:00Scumbling<p>What I find so
compelling about painting with oils is that there are so many ways to apply it.
To make a strong statement, you can lay it on thickly like impasto. Thick paint
goes hand in hand with coarse brushwork, often using bristle brushes to create
a raised effect. The result immediately draws the viewer’s attention, and the three-dimensional
strokes can evoke strong emotion. Oil paint applied thinly is equally great for
portraits and realistic styles because you can softly blend areas while the
paint is still wet, thus creating a subtle transition from one color to
another. Another method of paint application that involves a “blend” of two
colors is scumbling.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2lUTJvcgOXbKtM41RJbZ1Xzhl_Z9lFVpYWjNvzdOXwMUVErXx-86EWXvC5XANM81nezvpUs9EZKOuWZLQcFs78VJjq-R_eULGLxn2D-98zohZ0C1qwvQCnxsuVs7qd5gjUKcANNOp3Jk/s450/scumble.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2lUTJvcgOXbKtM41RJbZ1Xzhl_Z9lFVpYWjNvzdOXwMUVErXx-86EWXvC5XANM81nezvpUs9EZKOuWZLQcFs78VJjq-R_eULGLxn2D-98zohZ0C1qwvQCnxsuVs7qd5gjUKcANNOp3Jk/s320/scumble.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Scumbling is a painting technique that can be used to modify
the color on a canvas, using a thin layer of paint. The under layer must first
be dry. Using a dry bristle or synthetic brush or a clean lint-free rag, dip
the brush or rag into a slightly thinned, semi-opaque color and loosely brush
or scrub it on over the under layer with a circular or back and forth motion,
only partly covering it. The scumble color should be lighter than the
under layer to be most effective.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"> A unique look can be achieved by using a
complementary color as the scumble color, for example, a cadmium red over a
viridian green. When it dries, you will notice that the green will resonate
through the red layer. Similarly, you can cool down a hot color by scumbling
over it with blue or green mixed with a little titanium white. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Here's the final result of my Composition painting with a scumbled background.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lYgHnf4wkI_1aG5kHvmWnYRdSEgt8_vvBWLu68jxnp-6oBlf8SAH8D9SvbFEXrtkjS6JW8OLZiLELDdpC5Vu-6QGhLIyU6MfsxOMxjWRn5OHXzhsXmYMZR516OffAG3fxe5-sFC_0Zh6/s450/Finalsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lYgHnf4wkI_1aG5kHvmWnYRdSEgt8_vvBWLu68jxnp-6oBlf8SAH8D9SvbFEXrtkjS6JW8OLZiLELDdpC5Vu-6QGhLIyU6MfsxOMxjWRn5OHXzhsXmYMZR516OffAG3fxe5-sFC_0Zh6/s320/Finalsmall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">It’s a great technique that is worth investigating. I’ve
applied a scumble layer to dark backgrounds with great results. Give it a try!<o:p></o:p></p></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-31278051412278354172021-01-26T05:25:00.000-08:002021-01-26T05:25:12.057-08:00A Word About VarnishVarnish is a clear, colorless solution containing a solvent and either a natural or synthetic resin that has been used for centuries on oil paintings and more recently on acrylic paintings. <br /><br />Varnishing your paintings adds a layer of protection and can measurably affect its appearance. <br /><br />Air contains a variety of pollutants that in time will cling to the surface of a painting and will alter the colors. Besides the air, your painting will be susceptible to moisture, including humidity, liquids, dust, and other contaminants. Most conservators recommend varnishing paintings because environmental pollutants are more easily removed from the varnish layer than from paint layers. Some prefer varnishes containing synthetic resins, which allow for the most reversible, least invasive conservation treatments. Some artists prefer more traditional varnishes containing natural resins such as damar and mastic, which are slower to dry than synthetic resin varnishes and, therefore, are more easily applied with a brush. But there are drawbacks to using traditional varnishes.<h2 style="text-align: left;">Color and Surface Unification </h2><div> When you apply varnish, you will notice the color intensifies. A gloss varnish will deepen the color, while a satin finish will slightly strengthen the appearance. <br /><br />Applying varnish also helps to create a unified surface. Sometimes a finished painting will have both shiny and dull areas. This variation can happen for several reasons. <br /><br /><b>Mixing paint brands</b>-Different brands of paint use different ratios of ingredients (binder/pigment) and the types of fillers may differ. This inconsistency results in different levels of sheen. <br /><br /><b>Using Medium</b>-Some oil painters use medium to control the viscosity of their paint. Some mediums, like Liquin, are glossy. If you have a different amount of medium in each stroke, you are likely to end up with an uneven surface. <br /><br /><b>Glazing </b>- A glazed layer of paint will dry glossy. If you glaze only parts of your painting you should varnish it to even out the surface sheen.
<h2>When to Varnish</h2>How to decide when it is safe to varnish is tricky. Drying rates vary greatly based on the thickness of the paint and on the temperature and humidity levels they are exposed to. <br /><br />There’s no hard and fast rule. Thicker paint will dry slower while thin layers of paint will dry faster. The fingernail test is one way to determine if your painting is dry enough to varnish. Press a fingernail on the paint. If it can leave a mark, the paint is not dry enough to varnish. If it doesn’t leave a mark, like a dent, then you can varnish it. If your style of painting is impasto, you may have to wait a year to varnish.
<h2><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Types of Varnish</span><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #111111; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;"> <o:p></o:p></span></h2>
There are several types of varnishes on the market. They include traditional natural varnishes both hard and soft, and synthetic varnishes.<br />
<h3>Traditional Natural Varnishes</h3>Traditional natural varnishes include Dammar, Copal, Amber and Mastic. <br /><br /> Copal and Amber varnishes, referred to as hard varnishes, were used by the Old Masters.<br /><br />They are a golden in color and give a rich glossy and enamel-like appearance. However, they are susceptible to cracking, extensive yellowing and become increasingly difficult to remove from painting over time. <br /><br />True hard Copal and Amber varnishes are rare in the world today, though some specialist manufacturers still offer unique historically-accurate painting varnishes.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SmvzWQpxXaf3NXSV9V1ZyojhOUb6FvBsc9mUppquH1q1Oj7OWNDQ6Mh7Ym8RltySDbu_x9C9VMXyk5rkmxosM9iSdg1d_pyeib0GNZU_P0MTXNv3ra4zSqAPTGAgHezDzGwZ8VSUlDm2/s450/Varnishes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SmvzWQpxXaf3NXSV9V1ZyojhOUb6FvBsc9mUppquH1q1Oj7OWNDQ6Mh7Ym8RltySDbu_x9C9VMXyk5rkmxosM9iSdg1d_pyeib0GNZU_P0MTXNv3ra4zSqAPTGAgHezDzGwZ8VSUlDm2/s320/Varnishes.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Dammar (can be spelled Damar) and Mastic varnishes are referred to as soft varnishes because they dissolve in solvents such as turpentine and mineral spirits. They can be removed from an oil painting surface without greatly affecting the paint layers below. <br /><br />Dammar varnish comes from tree resin and is paler than Copal but has great viscosity and is still used commonly in oil painting today. However, Dammar (because it’s a natural resin) has a tendency to yellow over time. It also becomes more brittle as it dries, leaving your canvas more likely to crack if the canvas is disturbed.
<h3>Synthetic Varnishes<o:p></o:p></h3>
Some examples of synthetic varnishes are MSA, Gamvar, and Alkyd Synthetic Resins. <br /><br />Synthetic varnishes offer a lot of advantages over the traditional natural varnishes including: <br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>A clear coat on the first application that stays clear over time, therefore non-yellowing and more flexible. </li><li>Are available in liquid or aerosol form, are readily available and cost-effective and they come in a variety of sheens, such as matte, satin or gloss.</li><li>They allow for relatively easy removal with less risk to underlying paint layers.</li></ul>Alkyd Synthetic Resins such as Schmincke Picture Varnish provide a glossy, non-yellowing, colorless, highly resistant topcoat. but they must be applied after eight to twelve months. <br /><br />Mineral Spirit Acrylic varnishes (MSAs) have a high molecular weight and tend to offer a better protective surface, have greater elasticity and more resistance to blooming. Must be applied after eight to twelve months.
<h2><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">If You Can’t Wait</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: major-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></h2>
If you need to show or sell a painting before it is completely dry, you can use retouch varnish. Retouch varnish offers some protection and unification of color, though it’s not as strong a coating as a regular varnish. Some recent varnishes also have the great advantage of being able to be applied when the painting is just touch dry – rather than waiting for the painting to be fully cured. <br /><br />Gamblin makes a varnish called Gamvar which has been developed specifically for this purpose.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjAjjHU5WhHChyphenhyphenu1jO08ROfond3ckkBNdJnAYNruUWo-LFEx8sZcOzPJQ0CvNvRQt__YCh4OmZNt4JkseKPvC87BpyiwVn18a49nE6qC9CQNpx3UZ_0F-vTGQKa_dKeLHp_N-Lu3IMUzaJ/s450/Paintings+on+tables.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjAjjHU5WhHChyphenhyphenu1jO08ROfond3ckkBNdJnAYNruUWo-LFEx8sZcOzPJQ0CvNvRQt__YCh4OmZNt4JkseKPvC87BpyiwVn18a49nE6qC9CQNpx3UZ_0F-vTGQKa_dKeLHp_N-Lu3IMUzaJ/s320/Paintings+on+tables.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<h2>Drying Time<o:p></o:p></h2>
Drying times of varnishes vary, depending on the absorbency of paint, ground and substrate layers. Paintings on panel supports, for instance, might absorb less varnish and therefore dry more slowly. At any rate, try to avoid any dust settling into the fresh varnish layer. Place your varnished painting away from drafts and if possible, keep it covered.
<h2><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Varnish Need Not be
Permanent<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
Varnishing a painting need not be permanent. After a varnished painting has lost its luster over time, the varnish layer can easily be removed, taking the built-up of pollutants and particles with it. (As a general rule, varnish should be removed and reapplied every fifty years or so.)
<h2><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Workshop News<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
The first week of class went really well. The room is quite large and the supplies were well organized so that all of the students had everything they needed at their table. The door was open and the fans drew air to the outside. Everyone was careful and wore their masks. As I worked, my actions were taped and transmitted on a large screen. Here’s a photo of the first class at Artsplace. There are eight students, each with their own table.
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRFQsqcbphBDIPpVLdcIgq8CjuoLvqHv7SNvZGf-e5xX3vuS2tTHkhfeoAUD2IJW9vrFWYW1QrO0CEgR8UVlW6nZtys5draU4wMad83RVeKhLdaWbwgipt-G1z6J2PHYhHV8OJPP9xI64/s450/Students.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLRFQsqcbphBDIPpVLdcIgq8CjuoLvqHv7SNvZGf-e5xX3vuS2tTHkhfeoAUD2IJW9vrFWYW1QrO0CEgR8UVlW6nZtys5draU4wMad83RVeKhLdaWbwgipt-G1z6J2PHYhHV8OJPP9xI64/s320/Students.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Everyone seemed to be enjoying their time back in the classroom. It sure feels good to be teaching again!<br /><p></p></div>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-90983179034650183312021-01-19T08:51:00.000-08:002021-01-19T08:51:11.298-08:00Aerial Perspective in Landscapes<p>Aerial perspective or atmospheric perspective refers to
the effect the atmosphere has on the appearance of an object as it is viewed
from a distance, the appearance being its color and value.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In my last post, I talked about the curtains of water particles
that inhabit the atmosphere and how these curtains change the color of the sky
as it approaches the horizon. The same effect holds true for landscape subjects
in the distance. As colors recede from the eye over terrain, they become
cooler, with the exception of white. A cooler color means a color that tends to
contain blue, while a warm color is made up of reds and yellows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this picture, the trees in the distance
appear cooler in color and change to blue in the far distance.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSATs-i5oBXa-T2N-qd-enbDuz3YI4JI_j5Yq45miqxKlu2ty-kj6GgcrtjAPqwkp67GcAwlv2XdYx83qhjz4UMMDuE-NKITeqAN5p_3eqDzTcCBB9QBOWYO0R1zeSx1iodKpQ8Mh6k_sd/s450/ViewOlana1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSATs-i5oBXa-T2N-qd-enbDuz3YI4JI_j5Yq45miqxKlu2ty-kj6GgcrtjAPqwkp67GcAwlv2XdYx83qhjz4UMMDuE-NKITeqAN5p_3eqDzTcCBB9QBOWYO0R1zeSx1iodKpQ8Mh6k_sd/s320/ViewOlana1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h2>Color Changes<o:p></o:p></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal">The greater the
distance and the more atmosphere, the bluer the distant objects become. As your
eye travels, you will notice that the color yellow disappears first, including
all of the yellows that mix with other colors such as yellow green, browns, and
oranges.</p><p class="MsoNormal">A warm yellow green in the foreground will transition to an
emerald green and then a cool blue-green. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In this picture, the closest greens contain more yellow, and
as we look further, the yellows dissipate, until the greens in the distance become
a blue-green. The sky at the horizon is also lighter and changes to a gray-rose
in color.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrHygTqf0-_YHVW0ACMQdzSwvo_7Wc4Vx7YD8Wir-2KPPzcrnTXfQesqGfQasqr_AeC3eX3_yQ3AKMEbKBpsWmq1j_nb-pwXdmwyxoOxrV2eY7Jx8nJ-7Y3eOPZh4Otg7tGv2qnqPj7aKJ/s450/maine+028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrHygTqf0-_YHVW0ACMQdzSwvo_7Wc4Vx7YD8Wir-2KPPzcrnTXfQesqGfQasqr_AeC3eX3_yQ3AKMEbKBpsWmq1j_nb-pwXdmwyxoOxrV2eY7Jx8nJ-7Y3eOPZh4Otg7tGv2qnqPj7aKJ/s320/maine+028.jpg" width="320" /></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Reds will prevail slightly longer than yellow, before they
too succumb to blue. That’s why mountains tend toward a warm purple before they
change in their farthest distance to blue. Atmospheric particles affect the
value of a color as well as the temperature in a landscape. You can see in this
photo of a mountain range, the transition from green to blue-green, to purple-blue
to blue.</p>
<h2>Value Changes<o:p></o:p></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal">All colors will
become lighter as they recede, the lightness tempered by the prevailing sky
color. As I said last week, whites tend to become slightly warmer and darker as
they recede, due to the atmosphere.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvakhc2VeXTkL_T2bCAg4SndRaeJyHIpjv0O9s0Im7n4uPC1MoGq0NpcHLJPwCXHRW7BbhN4Y9S-L0ACOnvFuHcHhGN1j3CY1gVQU-eHozmTLBsHmCAjY6xd3jyOeIMnxMBHuXV_uNm65/s450/goingtosunrd1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZvakhc2VeXTkL_T2bCAg4SndRaeJyHIpjv0O9s0Im7n4uPC1MoGq0NpcHLJPwCXHRW7BbhN4Y9S-L0ACOnvFuHcHhGN1j3CY1gVQU-eHozmTLBsHmCAjY6xd3jyOeIMnxMBHuXV_uNm65/s320/goingtosunrd1.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"> As you would expect, objects close by are deeper
in color, their shapes are sharper and the values are more distinct. <o:p></o:p></p>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWQx5BhPiMutUuz146T-3z90NgglUHhoLHYzJ-_PATRRIZKGgsjap_vMHxR6_FBr19IrI5zEf5mVsAA2JzHG8ey1AsdqggZlG3zEpLXvzPGFMC-tR79hOYv0J2Gr2udrP86xFaxfs-_G4/s450/Snow+in+Field.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQWQx5BhPiMutUuz146T-3z90NgglUHhoLHYzJ-_PATRRIZKGgsjap_vMHxR6_FBr19IrI5zEf5mVsAA2JzHG8ey1AsdqggZlG3zEpLXvzPGFMC-tR79hOYv0J2Gr2udrP86xFaxfs-_G4/s320/Snow+in+Field.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s important to note that a flat ground plane is always
going to be darker than the sky (except when snow is involved), but never as
dark as the upright planes such as trees and buildings. <o:p></o:p></p>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-14169763768841051292021-01-07T09:16:00.001-08:002021-01-07T09:16:33.934-08:00The Sky: A Rainbow of Color<p>It’s tempting to just pick a nice warm blue and cover the
sky in your painting with it. The fact is, the sky is not just blue, but a
whole rainbow of colors depending on which direction you are looking and the condition
of the atmosphere on any given day.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;"><o:p> </o:p>The Earth’s Atmosphere is Made of Curtains of Moisture</h2><h2><o:p></o:p></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal">The earth’s atmosphere is a receiver of light, and it acts
as a diffuser of light. It is composed of suspended moisture in the form of
gases that veil our view like a series of thin curtains. The veil of moisture
fluctuates from dense to light as the weather patterns and the moisture in the
atmosphere changes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking through the
atmosphere from a close distance, the view is decidedly clear and sharp. It is
for the most part colorless. As the distance increases and the atmosphere
becomes thicker, it takes on an opaque blue cast. This blue affects the darks
and near darks more than it does the lighter tones. However white or
near-whites take on a slightly warmer, darker tone as they recede into the
distance because of the particles in the atmosphere.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><h2>The Sky Rainbow<o:p></o:p></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal">In this picture, viewing the sky from different angles on a
long flat plain, you can see how the density of the atmosphere affects its
color. At the zenith, which is approximately 100 miles straight up, the color
is a true violet-blue, but as the angle lengthens, the color changes. It
becomes warmer and lighter as the air becomes more veiled with the suspended
gases.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ozbdk04flPM45NfDAs-0tSzPh07_JrnZWeDOzO4IM3gaVgo8oPOxBEir1kh8xhTajf0upXTRlXHWzRilIi2OaTEjoQlt91nZ2cACypIoCaf8qxfEzjJBWfMl3mvoO1ryDlM_7iiJUahV/s450/Chart+of+Atmosphere.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ozbdk04flPM45NfDAs-0tSzPh07_JrnZWeDOzO4IM3gaVgo8oPOxBEir1kh8xhTajf0upXTRlXHWzRilIi2OaTEjoQlt91nZ2cACypIoCaf8qxfEzjJBWfMl3mvoO1ryDlM_7iiJUahV/s320/Chart+of+Atmosphere.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">The color gradually shifts from violet blue, to true blue,
to green-blue. At sixty degrees, it becomes a yellow-green, then orange-yellow,
and near the horizon, it turns into a rose-gray hue. This rose-gray hue turns
darker as it approaches the horizon, transforming to a hazy warm rose-gray. The
reason that it turns darker at the horizon is that the atmosphere is at its
densest, and any color or light seen through it has to penetrate a thicker veil
of gases. For this reason, when the sun sets, it appears to turn into a red
ball.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-56857506495098546102020-12-20T09:32:00.003-08:002020-12-20T09:32:59.620-08:00Pattern and its Unifying Effects<b>Pattern </b>is an underlying structure that organizes surfaces or structures in a consistent, regular manner. Pattern can be described as a repeating unit of shape or form, but it can also be thought of as the “skeleton” that organizes the parts of a composition. It is one of the most effective ways to unify a painting.<br />A compositional technique that is not new, Pattern can be found in ancient Chinese, Egyptian and Greek art. It was used extensively as a mode of design by artists in the 17th century when the chiaroscuro technique became popular. Chiaroscuro is a method of painting using strong contrasts between light and dark. <div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTUqarxhsrDxmycpd84p4myS0QT2xofGrXXhqJnolz92RMsEVbsY8CjI71zatLqShCvILIXpenr_LNSSYcZWxzHBnieNcM8A_JKU9yn49_1Oh1EsKzBaPS-ngbQD0ebhrXRvMErw1s0sC/s450/Descent+from+the+cross.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="287" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTUqarxhsrDxmycpd84p4myS0QT2xofGrXXhqJnolz92RMsEVbsY8CjI71zatLqShCvILIXpenr_LNSSYcZWxzHBnieNcM8A_JKU9yn49_1Oh1EsKzBaPS-ngbQD0ebhrXRvMErw1s0sC/s320/Descent+from+the+cross.JPG" /></a><br /><br />An excellent example of pattern is “<i>Descent from the Cross</i>,” by Peter Paul Reubens. In this painting, the eye is drawn first to the white drapery, and then to the figure of Christ. The eye flows downward from the upper right side toward the lower left and then the middle, with strong contrasting shapes, using light values and vibrant color. <br /><br /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NzsKq45RLr904YAji5q2xyhTKWXZq44ignVBI_I5b5rfgPJaRtk9qiol2odqfAo6sP9zGfQJMS5wn9uNsWfhNLNbNquKM2dZ77UZBZgu9KBYJ2PsSUb8I-vdDjZTO6b3V_03NwSrGvRi/s443/Storm+on+the+Sea+of+Gallilee.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="443" data-original-width="358" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2NzsKq45RLr904YAji5q2xyhTKWXZq44ignVBI_I5b5rfgPJaRtk9qiol2odqfAo6sP9zGfQJMS5wn9uNsWfhNLNbNquKM2dZ77UZBZgu9KBYJ2PsSUb8I-vdDjZTO6b3V_03NwSrGvRi/s320/Storm+on+the+Sea+of+Gallilee.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><i>Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee <br /></i> by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn <br /><br />Another example of pattern is Rembrandt’s "<i>Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee</i>," where the lighter values emphasize the focus of the painting, while the darker values deemphasize everything else around it. The brightest shapes, the waves that are lashing the boat and the crew that is struggling to manage the sails are bathed in light, while the rest of the passengers, including the sleeping Christ are in shadow. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQZLFpX-MDwIA_C1r7p-II6KSzm3neSZb70-GJq8WRo1z8BAFPoGCYJxhmSZn6sl6cOup87sEY0A-iXk-abJ740VC-WVzjiF6-sh6HY4UCiE8I4TyxAzDvua150e-Cg7D91Iv4xdPr3zo/s450/cumbrian+waterfall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="336" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQZLFpX-MDwIA_C1r7p-II6KSzm3neSZb70-GJq8WRo1z8BAFPoGCYJxhmSZn6sl6cOup87sEY0A-iXk-abJ740VC-WVzjiF6-sh6HY4UCiE8I4TyxAzDvua150e-Cg7D91Iv4xdPr3zo/s320/cumbrian+waterfall.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> "<i style="text-align: center;">Cumbrian Waterfall" </i><span style="text-align: center;">by Richard Schmid</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="text-align: center;"><br /></i></div>Nature sometimes provides excellent examples of pattern. In “<i>Cumbrian Waterfall</i>,” Richard Schmid used the natural formation of a waterfall and created a single connected shape of light value that winds its way downward between two shapes of contrasting dark values. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the flowing water and follow it downward.<h2 style="text-align: left;">Creating Pattern</h2>Pattern can be a large shape (or a grouping of shapes) within a picture that forms an abstract design. You can create this shape by connecting dark or light shapes of a subject against a contrasting background. Sometimes nature provides a ready-made pattern. Other times, as in still life setups, you can manipulate your subject to achieve an interesting pattern. <br />Patterns in Nature <br /><br />Peter S. Stevens, a Harvard biologist, in his book entitled “Patterns in Nature” claims that there are only a finite number of ways that patterns can be structured in nature. <br /><br />He says that pattern can be classified in five different ways: <br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Flow </li><li>Branching</li><li>Spiral</li><li>Packing</li><li>Cracking</li></ul>All things Flow, following paths of least resistance. Flow can be seen in water, stone, and the growth of trees and other plants. A meandering form of flow shows a movement and repetition of an undulating line. <br /><br /><b>Branching </b>occurs in the plant world in trees and many plants, but it can also be seen in geological formations, including river deltas. <br /><br />Galaxies form <b>Spiral </b>patterns, but you can also see evidence of spiral patterns in the opening “fiddlehead” buds of ferns and in nautilus shells. <br /><br /><b>Packing </b>refers to the way in which compacted cells define each other’s shape. A densely packed cluster of mushrooms will grow together, deforming the circular form of each cap because of crowding. <br /><br />Cracking Surfaces (like mud or old paint) that shrink as they dry may experience <b>cracking</b>, resulting in a similar cellular pattern.</div>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-6898240811888795372020-12-03T16:47:00.000-08:002020-12-03T16:47:03.420-08:00Subject and Focus<p> Recently, I wrote about two methods of composition, specifically the Golden Mean and the Rule of Thirds. Both have been popular techniques for designing a composition for centuries and are still valid today. I’d like to take a step back and talk about the first stages of designing a picture. Before you can decide how to arrange a subject, you need to have an interesting subject, one that you are drawn to and one that attracts the viewer. Along with that decision, you should be thinking about the main focus of your composition. Without a focus, the viewer will become confused, and the design will seem as if it is missing something.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Choosing an Interesting Subject </h2>The decision to paint something revolves around two things: 1. the object, person, or view and 2. your interpretation of that subject. Both are related. What you paint has to be interesting enough to make you want to paint it, beyond thoughts of how pretty it is or how different it is. You need to see your subject as you would interpret it. You should be emotionally drawn to it, with the thought running through your mind, “There’s something about this subject that stirs my imagination. I need to draw/paint it!” For example, I was interested in this old red farmhouse that was surrounded by lush old oak trees with a meandering dirt path leading up to it. But, when some guinea hens began to strut toward the house, I knew I had my subject. I deliberately brightened the area around the leading hens to draw the eye inward onto the hens and up toward the house. <div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu23VHi6QMJjeWy7JhRhKFgwCzN9FaBHX4JF6c2OPwCSHArVaaTgIlZb8H0gLD-2PzZnn-rn1knrQ0ktmePnPqWJgIQk1ykmek7q2z3pwEBhtvCrWCxpLZ5diNzgjM-aGPDMC7Mtrj7vMe/s450/GuineaHensonParade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu23VHi6QMJjeWy7JhRhKFgwCzN9FaBHX4JF6c2OPwCSHArVaaTgIlZb8H0gLD-2PzZnn-rn1knrQ0ktmePnPqWJgIQk1ykmek7q2z3pwEBhtvCrWCxpLZ5diNzgjM-aGPDMC7Mtrj7vMe/s320/GuineaHensonParade.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />A good painting unites both the subject before you and your interpretation. When you decide on your picture, you should take into account the values, light, shapes, and negative spaces and arrange all to make a unified whole. <br /><br /><br /><br />“The artist brain is the sensory brain: sight and sound, smell and taste, touch. These are the elements of magic, and magic is the elemental stuff of art.” Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way <br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Your Composition Should Have a Focus </h2>Whether it’s a drawing or a painting, your composition should include something that represents the central focus. <br /><br />Wherever we look, our eyes naturally find something to focus on, and as we do, everything else becomes secondary. It’s impossible to focus on more than one thing at once. You will see things in your peripheral vision, but not as clearly as the subject your eyes are focused on. So, too, should your picture have something that draws the eye, with everything around it holding a subordinate position. Without a central focus, your picture is just a collection of artifacts. A focus is where the lines of direction and movement should lead the eye. That place should draw a person’s attention and keep it in the picture. Sometimes it’s obvious what the focal point is. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPdHJf9MTBMiOZ3XEpQaeol2Q87uUBD6XLhl7nYIbhvBfWtU14oD064aWEikStBQ9U600ZKjeMVgNq-FdWjmjcIQn9NhvHqUXPIDoMOCZjc25k_ahQa62rd9JKqjcUT7v4rx-L-C88MHN/s450/duckonfalls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPdHJf9MTBMiOZ3XEpQaeol2Q87uUBD6XLhl7nYIbhvBfWtU14oD064aWEikStBQ9U600ZKjeMVgNq-FdWjmjcIQn9NhvHqUXPIDoMOCZjc25k_ahQa62rd9JKqjcUT7v4rx-L-C88MHN/s320/duckonfalls.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />This picture, Duck Sitting on Falls, is a perfect example of a strong focal point. I remember that it was a pleasantly warm summer day so I decided to check out the park where a fresh water pond with a stone bridge stretched several blocks. There were ducks and geese enjoying the water on one end of the pond. At the other end, the sound of a slow waterfall called me like a peaceful lure. A few ducks were lazily swimming about, but I was taken by the nature of the scene on the falls in front of me. A duck is resting in the sun near the edge of the falls. He appears to be enjoying the cool, rhythmic flow of the water below. It inspired me emotionally and I knew right away that he would be my focal point. <br /><br />The focal point is the most interesting part of the picture and it’s what draws the eye on first sight. But how does one figure out the focal point in a scene where there are a number of things vying for attention? This is where interpretation comes in. You are the artist, it’s up to you to figure out your focal point, emphasize it, and subdue or eliminate the other items. </div><div><br /></div><div>To create a single powerful center of interest, use the brightest colors, the sharpest edges, and the most contrasting values to make it stand out. The trees in the background of this picture have softer edges and receding values. The waterfall below the duck directs the eye vertically upward. The brightest area of the picture is the body of the duck, and it has the sharpest edges and strongest contrast. <br /><br />The next time you decide to paint or draw something, keep in mind both the importance and emotional investment of the subject and how it can become the focal point of your picture. <br /></div>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-18092799017256941592020-11-25T05:55:00.000-08:002020-11-25T05:55:08.372-08:00My Favorite Gardens<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This week I'd like to share some of my paintings of the gardens that I have visited and enjoyed painting. I love to paint en plein air at all types of places, including urban landscapes, beaches, lakes, fields and farms, but I love painting beautiful gardens the best of all. When the daffodils come out and hail the beginning of spring, I get excited by the bright cheerful colors that pop up among the dull browns left from winter's cold embrace. As soon as the weather permits, I'm hunting for garden spots all over the state. Here are a few wonderful places that I've visited lately.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-SiF6dWrku1eBN7kaeRBM0eJht1Mg4P43f6Ap8_CagHDe-6C74UCfePH8_cXmQ0ksZGZoQr9gIKIEcTnbdXo_YXCglEu3fmwgqbSp17VzzAe9_GfsESaKztnbtLtLSRorSTc9J82j4_Wz/s450/TrellisPardeeRoseGarden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-SiF6dWrku1eBN7kaeRBM0eJht1Mg4P43f6Ap8_CagHDe-6C74UCfePH8_cXmQ0ksZGZoQr9gIKIEcTnbdXo_YXCglEu3fmwgqbSp17VzzAe9_GfsESaKztnbtLtLSRorSTc9J82j4_Wz/s320/TrellisPardeeRoseGarden.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /><h2 style="text-align: center;">The Pardee Rose Garden </h2>The <a href="https://www.newhavenct.gov/gov/depts/parks/our_parks/garden.htm">Pardee Rose Garden</a> in Hamden is a hidden gem. It's small, just about two acres, but the roses are not to be missed. It's quiet and somewhat hidden, but a wonderful secluded place to paint, draw, or just take a stroll. The garden is sectioned off with stretches of wild and hybrid roses and other flowering plants. The park established in 1922 was a gift from William S. Pardee. It is part of Edgerton park and is maintained by the city of New Haven. <p style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnz9wDYiBiNm1RILqx_56vweouJVVZcbVG9OK1rb9xG7SpGmJGDm3_PMWmeRWJNgdq_spRetjQjAhSvhGuDnljf-nzclMb3SIjYiu8bFJjGhs1_6uNFQBkp9ZbnkssOOEmrmMLbHRBFZR/s450/DuckBoyFountain%25232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="335" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnz9wDYiBiNm1RILqx_56vweouJVVZcbVG9OK1rb9xG7SpGmJGDm3_PMWmeRWJNgdq_spRetjQjAhSvhGuDnljf-nzclMb3SIjYiu8bFJjGhs1_6uNFQBkp9ZbnkssOOEmrmMLbHRBFZR/s320/DuckBoyFountain%25232.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><h2 style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Harkness Memorial State Park</span></h2>I often go to paint at <a href="https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/State-Parks/Parks/Harkness-Memorial-State-Park">Harkness Memorial State Park</a> in Waterford. There are several gardens to choose from and they all have their distinctive design. The scene here is the Duck Boy fountain in the West Garden. The gardens are maintained by the state with the help of many volunteers. <br /><br />The mansion, ‘Eolia’ named for the island home of the Greek god of winds, was built in 1906 and purchased by Edward and Mary Harkness in 1907. The 200+ acres were a working farm and the Mansion was the Harkness’ summer home. <br /><br />From 1918 to 1929, Beatrix Jones Farrand (landscape designer, one of the founders of the American Society of Landscape Architects) redesigned the west garden and created and installed the East Garden, the Boxwood Parterre and the Alpine Rock Garden.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXI7tx2T22dbpn2c_FZ-d5WqxgsUibnR5q0jyjUyjqfGW5zk83j3o1iAvejKO_DNTMV1xe61521ZLnj4LDEZeVlEwacHzmRQ_mAu7IB2zobcY0GC2LFOjCp170Vu79Ut_H0qFE26h5kz_/s450/Elizabeth+Parksm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXI7tx2T22dbpn2c_FZ-d5WqxgsUibnR5q0jyjUyjqfGW5zk83j3o1iAvejKO_DNTMV1xe61521ZLnj4LDEZeVlEwacHzmRQ_mAu7IB2zobcY0GC2LFOjCp170Vu79Ut_H0qFE26h5kz_/s320/Elizabeth+Parksm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><h2 style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth Park Rose Garden </h2>The <a href="https://www.elizabethparkct.org/garden/rose-garden">Elizabeth Park Rose Garden</a>, located in Hartford, is a great place to paint if you love roses. The arches are in full bloom in mid-June into early July, and are just spectacular. <br /><br />The Helen S Kaman Rose Garden is the center of Elizabeth Park. It is the first municipal rose garden in the United States and the third largest rose garden in the country. <br /><br />Elizabeth Park's Rose Garden became the first official test garden in 1912 for the American Rose Society founded in 1892, with the idea to test and to provide accurate information about roses for the public. This is when the half-circular section of the garden was added on the south side of the main square. In 1937, the American Rose Society asked the Park to add another semi-circle, which completes the garden of 2.5 acres as it stands today.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXchta8CcFuR8wnTRoLA8uf_3pUClUu_T_W4DLlOk9DfU6du5OfhJwLvAMHuaUuSeeB3AaKV6JDslf-og0gcRnDYyEsIU2lGTUguzysCkaIMk3oO_hwe2vSKEp7ZaS8ahzv1bVFX5jtlF/s450/Griswald+Museum+Flower+Garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmXchta8CcFuR8wnTRoLA8uf_3pUClUu_T_W4DLlOk9DfU6du5OfhJwLvAMHuaUuSeeB3AaKV6JDslf-og0gcRnDYyEsIU2lGTUguzysCkaIMk3oO_hwe2vSKEp7ZaS8ahzv1bVFX5jtlF/s320/Griswald+Museum+Flower+Garden.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><h2 style="text-align: center;">Florence Griswold Museum </h2>With the twelve acres of scenic beauty, there's plenty of places to paint at the <a href="https://florencegriswoldmuseum.org/visit/museum-campus/#Gardens_and_Grounds">Florence Griswold Museum</a> in Old Lyme. Miss Florence’s garden and orchard were the subject for so many paintings by the Lyme Art Colony artists in the early 1900s. Florence Griswold was a keen gardener. From seed catalogs and references to gardening books among her correspondence, she was constantly in search of new and unusual plants. She helped others, including several of the Lyme artists, to establish their own gardens with “good, old-fashioned flowers” and filled her own home with small, informally arranged bouquets of fresh flowers.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLPtA9pMN3kMZQRGE6MHxuL4N8mUabhsLBNNkmAjzlDAvlulRsBH9eEd4qgivS8pZBgCsrZI6VJS6XvAfq4HV7wK0nOSVi4h5FD5CmkFz56Uxqu0n8auJaURqMWp8qvvh3S_cuUb-QFU9/s450/Walled+Garden+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfLPtA9pMN3kMZQRGE6MHxuL4N8mUabhsLBNNkmAjzlDAvlulRsBH9eEd4qgivS8pZBgCsrZI6VJS6XvAfq4HV7wK0nOSVi4h5FD5CmkFz56Uxqu0n8auJaURqMWp8qvvh3S_cuUb-QFU9/s320/Walled+Garden+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><h2 style="text-align: center;">Hollister House Garden </h2>I recently discovered a beautiful, magical place to paint, the <a href="https://hollisterhousegarden.org/">Hollister House Garden</a> in Washington. <br /> Designed with American interpretation of classic English gardens, it is formal in its structure but informal and rather wild in its style of planting. Begun in 1979 by George Schoellkopf, the garden is sited on the southeastern side of a rambling but serenely dignified eighteenth century house on 25 acres of mostly wooded countryside.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The garden unfolds in successive layers of space and color with delightful informal vistas from one section to the next. Eight-to-ten-foot walls and hedges with dramatic changes in level define the progression of garden spaces – “rooms” as the English like to say – and create a firm architectural framework for the romantic abundance of the plantings. A winding brook and a large pond at the bottom of the lawn add to the variety of the garden scene. They welcome plein air painters every Wednesday morning from 8 am-12 pm. It’s free. Just sign up on their website.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkl6whZHShDqo6oid_w87RqUi01TnMfpCJYEHhcPKHZasV1_IN_Uc8taV9P47qKm8iTbBQx5sYICKiIRRPUc7sbJn-5ToZHFLwBZuW8rbEO_S6YhvtzOq8CpOoAL85hDr-dRqNCOCh1pD/s450/Jeanne%2527s+Garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNkl6whZHShDqo6oid_w87RqUi01TnMfpCJYEHhcPKHZasV1_IN_Uc8taV9P47qKm8iTbBQx5sYICKiIRRPUc7sbJn-5ToZHFLwBZuW8rbEO_S6YhvtzOq8CpOoAL85hDr-dRqNCOCh1pD/s320/Jeanne%2527s+Garden.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><h2 style="text-align: center;">Jeanne’s Garden </h2>I happen to know a few people who are avid gardeners, and my friend Jeanne is one of them. Not a day goes by that she's not out working hard in her gardens. There’s one large sunny one with meandering crushed stone paths that flowers most of the spring, summer and fall. She also has a peaceful shade garden replete with a wooden swing for those lazy days spent with a good book. If she's not in her garden, she's in her shed re-potting plants, making markers for her plants, or starting seedlings.<br /> It's easy to find something beautiful to paint there.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGF0U0ldSjO8oLmrmf0c9HhveQ8rUaDgQmDgE1yFIWE7q-Bl87BIIa3gsJJ2jxbPHcmyJGMiMU78EEPKNeW9VI4y0ID99mAMvlFgRiHMlJpc3gf_hKp_3OTVf1pEMTHYk4uLiFDUusmgPw/s320/Quince+Bush.jpg" /></div><h2 style="text-align: center;">My Quince Bush</h2><div>My quince bush was especially beautiful this year. The blossoms are mostly pink, but here and there some red petals appear, adding an interesting twist. I love to garden and this year was a good one for flowering plants. From the white and yellow daffodils to the pale pink and fuchsia peonies, the fiery bee balm, peach and ruby day lilies and tall orange centered pink cone flowers, it's fun to see what colors are going to appear next. And, it's fun to watch the hummingbirds, butterflies and bees hover around the blossoms as they gather their food. Sometimes, your backyard is as good a place to paint as any.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPTIA5G0i0hIGfMbG1gwnD9C_6fsl1IQp10JpWhrDh5hnCyMDrKG8befUOwc3uNOdB7u82HY96pQGGet2lsFFUagCiqUXg3paehauydb6xUSDAsoFZfoXN-ScAQM0q3h7WCBlaSRo8xTt/s450/Christie%2527s.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPTIA5G0i0hIGfMbG1gwnD9C_6fsl1IQp10JpWhrDh5hnCyMDrKG8befUOwc3uNOdB7u82HY96pQGGet2lsFFUagCiqUXg3paehauydb6xUSDAsoFZfoXN-ScAQM0q3h7WCBlaSRo8xTt/s320/Christie%2527s.JPG" /></a></div><h2 style="text-align: center;">Famous Paintings of Gardens </h2>From Sargent to Sorolla, Jonas Wood to Winston Churchill, Berkshire to Bali — here's a video and some reading on how artists have found solace and inspiration in gardens the world over.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.christies.com/features/The-most-beautiful-gardens-in-art-10362-3.aspx">Christies' Are these the most beautiful gardens in art?</a></div>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-62940699961579725902020-11-16T10:01:00.002-08:002020-11-16T10:01:49.881-08:00The Golden Mean and the Rule of ThirdsThe composition of a drawing or painting is crucial to its success. A strong and solid design draws the eye and stirs emotions. Though there are no hard and fast rules for composition, there are guides that are helpful when designing a layout. Two of the most popular guides that have been used throughout history are the Golden Mean and its relative, the Rule of Thirds. <br /><br />The Golden Mean The Golden Mean or Golden Ratio has gone by many names through the ages: The Divine Proportion, The Golden Section, Medial Section and Golden Cut. Its visual representation shows up again and again in the world that surrounds us, from the architecture of The Great Pyramids to the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci to the Fibonacci Sequence that we see in nature and the galaxies.<br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Golden Mean’s Origins </h2>The Golden Mean’s origins are rooted in mathematics. The unique number known as “Phi” — 1.618 — represents a “Golden Ratio” that can be found in art, theology, cosmology, nature, architecture — even financial markets. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOlYkMAJOM0-alG2zIT4x0MzlsrdTcjHwjKcI_i2AcqiPssZ2Y6FMpdmKVelul5hUjrydRtUwlgYiDqtAqZr_6tDPU1S77UZ2wnbDvmHZ7qL2oIzqILIHu9KWwWEkePLmyj4JrR2st-ft/s450/Golden+Mean2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgOlYkMAJOM0-alG2zIT4x0MzlsrdTcjHwjKcI_i2AcqiPssZ2Y6FMpdmKVelul5hUjrydRtUwlgYiDqtAqZr_6tDPU1S77UZ2wnbDvmHZ7qL2oIzqILIHu9KWwWEkePLmyj4JrR2st-ft/s320/Golden+Mean2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Phi is derived by dividing a line so that the longer section divided by the shorter is equal to the full length of the line divided by the longer. You’re probably scratching your head if you are anyone like me. I’m not a mathematician and the very thought of math gives me agida, so I need a visual example. Here’s what Phi looks like when it’s geometrically reduced down several times into what are known as Golden Rectangles. <br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Philosophical Interpretation </h2>Thousands of years ago, ancient Greek philosophers, notably Aristotle, started converting the mathematical Golden Mean into a philosophical interpretation. The Greeks felt it was an attribute of beauty and believed that there is a close association in mathematics between beauty and truth. They believed there were three "ingredients" to beauty: symmetry, proportion and harmony. <br /><br />Similar interpretations can be found in ancient Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, Hindu, and Judaism teachings. Its definition varied a bit from discipline to discipline, but the essence was always the same: Stay away from the extremes. Find the middle track. Out of moderation, comes virtues. Truth. Beauty. Balance. If you can travel the middle path of moderation and temperance, goodness and beauty will accompany you. The Mean was so essential to Greek philosophy that they inscribed it on the Temple of the Apollo at Delphi: μηδὲν ἄγαν μηδὲν ἄγαν — “nothing in excess.”<br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Golden Spiral </h2><p style="text-align: left;">Using Golden Rectangles as a guide, you can create a design guide known as the Golden Spiral. Connect the nesting points of the Golden Rectangles with the arcs of 1/4 of a circle, sizing each to fit. The Golden Spiral design integrates movement, direction, and asymmetry in a pleasing arrangement. You will find several examples of the Golden Spiral in Renaissance art, including Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam.</p>When designing a picture, whether a painting or drawing, keep in mind how you want to direct the eye. Using the Golden Spiral, you can draw in the eye with shapes, lines and colors and gradually lead the eye to your center of focus. You can turn the spiral around and flip it in any direction and use it as a guide to place your center of focus.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAkCt2O6fQQ_kPbSjVboe0kggVRO20_YxbZfpqjCo6LVOXUf47L4er_3zH1OdpIMHjgcsvMBwculAmuQmF4yr7TtSxhI8tP7Nkf6xxAgY3qdFgxRB7FUelgnAZ0ZdKSruxKIA3ajyId1-/s450/Spiral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAkCt2O6fQQ_kPbSjVboe0kggVRO20_YxbZfpqjCo6LVOXUf47L4er_3zH1OdpIMHjgcsvMBwculAmuQmF4yr7TtSxhI8tP7Nkf6xxAgY3qdFgxRB7FUelgnAZ0ZdKSruxKIA3ajyId1-/s320/Spiral.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In this painting, the brightest area (the yellow building), is the middle of the spiral, and the eye is drawn along the shoreline and upward and around to it.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGnv6Gw7tyLqdURthdQT3Sn2-io9C1zyOI3MkvValYhcyvRDvUM4khHaDZ6XHIkwBgJ0ZSS54aKB1E_Mi1IPTeFoBUp9oxJ_UZQBYzQtu1_nrfm0qTaNjTWeVR3q9-pAUflD0Ehtf0e8-/s450/MadisonBeachArrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglGnv6Gw7tyLqdURthdQT3Sn2-io9C1zyOI3MkvValYhcyvRDvUM4khHaDZ6XHIkwBgJ0ZSS54aKB1E_Mi1IPTeFoBUp9oxJ_UZQBYzQtu1_nrfm0qTaNjTWeVR3q9-pAUflD0Ehtf0e8-/s320/MadisonBeachArrow.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br />A variation of the spiral can be found throughout nature, including flowers and plants, weather patterns, outer space, and sea shells.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlEWDyEiIfQIwN9N1UkKhOkNv-oyN3Vhikvht-r40xRD5QoIWbiptzrlJE_NDdXfoAqxurR4l5x3K5DopiyLrhOBosGXEtqnoZX2CA11VqORmwePG2bQgOZC0q14VTeIe2csQC0jswXJA/s392/Hurricane.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlEWDyEiIfQIwN9N1UkKhOkNv-oyN3Vhikvht-r40xRD5QoIWbiptzrlJE_NDdXfoAqxurR4l5x3K5DopiyLrhOBosGXEtqnoZX2CA11VqORmwePG2bQgOZC0q14VTeIe2csQC0jswXJA/s320/Hurricane.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztohbohq62j5eAg-iJxUSntGsuJvAVxrRKGfiCqa_bmqb2dZhMteZzMpzFIS4RiGK1WArDBMVYGjvNRRmuu3_RJ95YiHbTnkQkyIkjBT5ig4P6kfgWyp0zpGs_cOLxZM5EI2dO3Qe058g/s371/Milky+way.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztohbohq62j5eAg-iJxUSntGsuJvAVxrRKGfiCqa_bmqb2dZhMteZzMpzFIS4RiGK1WArDBMVYGjvNRRmuu3_RJ95YiHbTnkQkyIkjBT5ig4P6kfgWyp0zpGs_cOLxZM5EI2dO3Qe058g/s320/Milky+way.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlOlMbT1-ye8wQsgUNcLcEI4v3QnDNDflInqFwiNmN85erD3GOmrjDpqEJTCoqh4wpOP7-xg6biKUAYF0DoGuIUiTh4ka2mFpGqQbvAOYI4S_i7GrH0IxABKSFf8YPzfhgDpDVIAVsRFQ/s387/Nautilus.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlOlMbT1-ye8wQsgUNcLcEI4v3QnDNDflInqFwiNmN85erD3GOmrjDpqEJTCoqh4wpOP7-xg6biKUAYF0DoGuIUiTh4ka2mFpGqQbvAOYI4S_i7GrH0IxABKSFf8YPzfhgDpDVIAVsRFQ/s320/Nautilus.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div><h2 style="text-align: left;">The Rule of Thirds </h2>A relative to the Golden Mean is the Rule of Thirds. The Rule of Thirds states that an image is most pleasing when its subjects or regions are composed along imaginary lines which divide the image into thirds — both vertically and horizontally. Here’s an example of the division of a rectangle using the Rule of Thirds:<br /><br />You don’t need to perfectly align everything with the thirds of an image. The important thing is to place your main focus approximately where the lines cross. In most cases, try to avoid putting the focus in the middle of the picture. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbggcsqXKL_Z9CNvw1NQ-CtjJHTXpKHmP6Ltnnxqj77K89iBOuNR5ZTa4Ya3IpO0CpCLkpaKiJ-Vys6n77IC3bsqoG7ykyB4BCLmrkA2YrpExOKMEcHeyS68ALniz3T1Etkj7vd0chs73R/s450/Eyes+of+Rectangle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="294" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbggcsqXKL_Z9CNvw1NQ-CtjJHTXpKHmP6Ltnnxqj77K89iBOuNR5ZTa4Ya3IpO0CpCLkpaKiJ-Vys6n77IC3bsqoG7ykyB4BCLmrkA2YrpExOKMEcHeyS68ALniz3T1Etkj7vd0chs73R/s320/Eyes+of+Rectangle.jpg" width="320" /></a><br /><br /> For landscapes, this usually means having the horizon align with the upper or lower third of the image. This can make landscape compositions much more dynamic. Also, placing your subject off center can provide a sense of direction for the eye. I find that I often use this method to place the focus of my paintings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLjMGXwpR-JJUwcPpyoojdnjt0ox3KXVfuS1-p0S8NV9ki4dI-WwmHg15RwuObHA4zMxCBMxu42ZETcmxIChy8KtoXRuc9c3o05UHbhRPmvps1LtPbOEsOrg-BB0J0bF7ggUZStKPIpmxo/s450/Field+in+thirds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLjMGXwpR-JJUwcPpyoojdnjt0ox3KXVfuS1-p0S8NV9ki4dI-WwmHg15RwuObHA4zMxCBMxu42ZETcmxIChy8KtoXRuc9c3o05UHbhRPmvps1LtPbOEsOrg-BB0J0bF7ggUZStKPIpmxo/s320/Field+in+thirds.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><h2 style="text-align: left;">Next </h2>I hope you enjoyed this lesson on the Golden Mean and the Rule of Thirds. Hopefully, you will think about these methods when you draw or paint a picture. Next time, I will take a break from my online instruction and show you some of my latest artwork. I’ll include my recommendations for beautiful places to paint and draw.<br /></div>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4044711237368745876.post-44200697826141173312020-11-02T11:03:00.000-08:002020-11-02T11:03:04.521-08:00Alkyd Mediums<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">You can use oil paint straight from the tube or dilute it with thinners. However, you can also experiment with drying oils, resins, waxes, and diluents to alter the characteristics of your tube color. Most manufacturers offer several types of medium that can improve the flow of paint, provide a satin or gloss finish and speed up or retard the drying time of oil paint. Last week, I explained how drying oils work as binders and as mediums. This week, we’ll take a look at Alkyd mediums. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGhD79X3isZ4ze5gJern3pEky4y2ny2WLDXbCFcVG9Sn2z0AM2FH9QaNPZNUqITBBLxQ5d-p8ZAuAIz17aeuFPHbakU6VaZ3gsiZ407HltnPSzSSrGHhnxmMn9o2m8GlgCEs8LXe0QJnx/s330/Liquin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="208" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGhD79X3isZ4ze5gJern3pEky4y2ny2WLDXbCFcVG9Sn2z0AM2FH9QaNPZNUqITBBLxQ5d-p8ZAuAIz17aeuFPHbakU6VaZ3gsiZ407HltnPSzSSrGHhnxmMn9o2m8GlgCEs8LXe0QJnx/s320/Liquin.JPG" /></a></div><br /><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Composition of Alkyd Mediums </h2>Alkyd mediums are made up of resins produced by a reaction of natural oil with a poly-functional alcohol and poly-basic acid. <br /><br />There are two ways of introducing an alkyd into your painting. The first and most common is the use of an alkyd medium. Alkyd painting mediums are popular because they are made with milder solvents and speed the drying time of oil colors. Liquin and Galkyd are the best-known alkyd mediums. M. Graham also makes a walnut oil-based alkyd, which is the glossiest followed by the Galkyd, with the Liquin having a more satin finish. Liquin and Galkyd contain lead, which speeds up the drying time, but can be toxic in a closed setting. For this reason, you should only use alkyd resins in an open area with good ventilation. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWRxBZVnSPDxz4xb7fgmWoLTT0tpu3FEdO84EdJ48heXrMvzZAXom1Y6waOVwJteyGpQ7U4T5GuwFPZwB9QOKyseWEMuNVEJOs4khnohwMAbBHEBdnMmB6CV-FUpxqEx9tK_YTMaHHC-C/s427/walnut+akyd+med..JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="206" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeWRxBZVnSPDxz4xb7fgmWoLTT0tpu3FEdO84EdJ48heXrMvzZAXom1Y6waOVwJteyGpQ7U4T5GuwFPZwB9QOKyseWEMuNVEJOs4khnohwMAbBHEBdnMmB6CV-FUpxqEx9tK_YTMaHHC-C/s320/walnut+akyd+med..JPG" /></a></div><br /><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Benefits of Using Alkyd Mediums </h2>Thin layers of oil colors mixed with alkyd resin painting medium will dry in twenty-four hours and make very tough, yet flexible paint films. Alkyd-based painting mediums can also add gloss and transparency to paint layers and help prevent drying in, which is when the darks in a painting lose their gloss and look matte compared to other parts of the picture. Good for layering, alkyd mediums can be used for very complex glazing applications. Drying time can be extended by adding a few drops of linseed oil. Mineral spirits can be used for thinning. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MVCLJ1R537Z69VKVAaqbP4QPVv4tRiz_0xpUkGDNsd7VuGtFc_5ecQEbFCsWKCqhxr28W1B7mDXM7dwbJomIUyz0BVIHRRS6s-SnBCYTkOmbO3hP2KkpyC6BO-x52EzBf_dC0lyWYDrj/s326/Galkyd.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="171" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MVCLJ1R537Z69VKVAaqbP4QPVv4tRiz_0xpUkGDNsd7VuGtFc_5ecQEbFCsWKCqhxr28W1B7mDXM7dwbJomIUyz0BVIHRRS6s-SnBCYTkOmbO3hP2KkpyC6BO-x52EzBf_dC0lyWYDrj/s320/Galkyd.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><h2 style="text-align: left;">Thick Vs. Thin Alkyds </h2>Alkyds are available in a variety of properties, including thinning, thickening, glossy finish, matte finish, fast drying time, slow drying time and come in fluids or gels. Fluids can be obtained in both fast or slow-drying, high viscosity (thicker, can show brush marks), or low viscosity (great for washes). Gels are thicker than the high viscosity fluids, and can be used to show pronounced brush marks in the paint film and will not turn into a fluid as they are worked. Gels also come in various viscosities aimed principally at the painters who want to develop more impasto in their work. <br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Alkyd Paint </h2>The second means of introducing alkyd into a painting is the use alkyd paints. There are several available, including Da Vinci, C.A.S., Gamblin, Grumbacher, and Windsor & Newton. Note: As a binder, alkyd resin cannot hold as high a pigment load as linseed oil. Alkyds can be mixed with regular oils and are reduced with the same solvents. To speed up the drying time of regular oils, you can substitute a few of your most frequently used oil colors for alkyd colors, such as white and ultramarine blue. Because these colors are used in so many mixtures, it speeds up the overall drying time of all colors. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEUgGXzJQx6piMstIJ0YPS72d8q5fQbhQDQyzK-PksSwwF3FZEpwmOrQlzycaC0mywZ0E0mW3oQnsg20lM77uD-lF0IjhIwIikYiujteH92O5w627rgTveRl9e1tjuNdKCJ9SLvYJS_ivA/s522/Alkyd+Paints.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEUgGXzJQx6piMstIJ0YPS72d8q5fQbhQDQyzK-PksSwwF3FZEpwmOrQlzycaC0mywZ0E0mW3oQnsg20lM77uD-lF0IjhIwIikYiujteH92O5w627rgTveRl9e1tjuNdKCJ9SLvYJS_ivA/s320/Alkyd+Paints.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Some Cautions </h2>For optimal adhesion, alkyd mediums should not be used over the top of traditional oil painting mediums or unmodified, slow-drying paint. Regular oil paint can be layered over alkyds, but it is not recommended that alkyds be layered over oil, as the less flexible alkyd film may crack. Adding an alkyd resin will make a color layer fatter, while adding solvent will make a color layer leaner. Therefore, only the lower layers should contain solvent and the upper layers should contain increasing amounts of alkyd medium. <br /><h2 style="text-align: left;">Conclusion </h2>Alkyd resins can change the look and feel of your paint. Some artists don’t use any alkyd resins, claiming that they dilute the color intensity and lack the "jewel like" look of oil paint. While alkyds are a very durable material, they can become brittle with age and must be used judiciously by the artist. It’s worth experimenting with alkyd resins, especially when it’s important to speed up drying time. Just be careful to use them safely, correctly and sparingly. <br /><h4 style="text-align: left;">Note on Comparing Food Grade to Artist Grade Oil</h4></div>Last week, I forgot to mention that it’s best to use products that are made and sold for art production. An artist friend pointed this out to me and I thought I would pass this on. You should always use artist grade dryer oils when painting, since they have a longer shelf life than food grade oil, are of superior quality and there’s less of a chance of them going rancid. Artist’s linseed oil’s long shelf life is due to Alkali refinement (a ‘washing’ process) that removes most of the free fatty acids, mucilage and other impurities that can lead to rapid spoilage. How prone a particular oil is to going rancid is due to fatty acid composition. Flax oil has a shorter shelf life than safflower oil, due to higher percentage of fatty acids. Drying oils are mostly made up of unsaturated fatty acids (e.g. linolenic and linoleic acids). These fatty acids are the components that produce an “off” smell through oxidation, and also what makes oil paint dry. <p><br /></p>Patty Megliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10679296372695090123noreply@blogger.com0