Is it Done or Is it Finished?

These two photos of two of my most recent paintings give a better sense of the size of the water color sketches to the finished work.   For these two acrylics, the sketches are about 1/4 the size of the finished work.

With the large watercolor I did  of the Amonoosuc River, the ratio was more like 7 1/2 to 1.  At this point, I don't do a detailed scale down or up from sketch to finished painting, it is more just a part of the process.  Trying to keep this as simple as possible for quick and efficient sketching in an attempt to capture the moments which catch my attention.

I'm quite motivated by the idea of capturing the different moods of a subject, and even imagining them based on earlier observations of nature.  Both of these paintings are realistic subjects - they do exist, but in imaginary perspective for the old mill pond, and imaging a winters evening full moon light at a local farm.   I really enjoyed these different exercises in the studio.  Working on location remains my first joy in painting, but studio work is gaining in its standing and enjoyment for me.  

I also try to keep the advice of two well known and highly successful artists front and center as I paint.  John Stobart advised putting only as much detail into a sketch as would be needed to execute a finished painting later.  This was to avoid "copying" even one's own work and maintaining room for the spark of creativity.

The late Bob Harris (Robert George Harris) was very encouraging to me through our correspondence and phone calls.  One of my favorite quotes of his is:  "It's important to know when a painting is done before it is finished."  

I also remember vividly the original illustrations by N.C. Wyeth and Howard Pyle on display at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine.  The paintings were monumental in scale, composition, color, and use of limited detail.  They knew how to lead your eye where they wanted it to go.  A large area of background scumbled in with virtually no detail in no way diminished these paintings.  On the contrary, the contrast made the paintings even more powerful.  You really had to be on the lookout to even notice these techniques.

Artists in Studio - Charles LaSalle

I find artist studios fascinating (not that I've been too many in person).  I was looking through some photos of Charlie La Salle at work in his studio in Scottsdale AZ @ 1958 and I found my eye eventually drawn away from the large oil Charlie was working on to the tantalizing glimpses of other paintings and artifacts that Charlie had around his studio.  I wondered about the stories behind each of them.  One of the pictures is below along with a painting by Charlie of his neighbor and one of his closest friends in Arizona - Larry "speed" Richardson.

I also wonder how (or if) an artist's studio reflects the artist, their personality, their working methods.  I think the artists studio must be a reflection of the artist - whether consciously or not.

I then took a quick look around my studio and noticed some of the items that I had around me for inspiration - ranging from mementos from family, close loved ones, as well as professional artists, some of whom took some of their incredibly valuable time to meet and to encourage me on my journey as well as a few I knew only through some of their books and artwork.  The artists that I'll be posting about in the near future include the nationally and internationally known artists:  Charles LaSalle, Robert George Harris, John Stobart, Bill Maudlin, Aiden Lassell Ripley, and Walt Disney.

I'll also be sharing more about those artists that I've been lucky enough to know and love in person and who have enriched my life immeasurably including Aiden LaSalle, Ed LaSalle, Cathy Kahler, and my wife Julie.

Charles LaSalle (Lassell) 1894-1958 - Scottsdale AZ - 1958

Charles LaSalle - A portrait of his neighbor and friend - Speed Richardson

Prints of this were published by Arizona Highways in the 1970's

According to newspaper articles from the 40's as well as interviews with Charlies surviving friends and co-workers his studio was always neat and well organized.  Without a doubt, some of this was necessary for him to be able to juggle the responsibilities of meeting multiple deadlines for illustration work - as he was one of the top contributors to many national magazines (Saturday Evening Post, Liberty, Colliers and many more)  from the 1920's through the 1950's as well as for national advertising accounts for Ford, General Electric, United Airlines and more.  If he'd been disorganized in this sense, despite his clear talent, he would not have been able to meet the necessary deadlines and this would have undoubtedly reduced the high demand for his work.

Some artists prefer to work alone and go to great lengths not to be disturbed. Charlie was not one of those artists.  Charlie moved to New York and shared a studio in the Beaux Art Studio with his life long friend and fellow illustrator Harold Anderson. While this may have started out as a cost saving strategy, the two later shared a studio in Westport Connecticut when they were both highly successful and nationally known.   Socializing was a huge part of the illustration business, but for Charlie it was very much part of his personality.  Gregarious seems to be understatement when used to describe Charlie and his fascination with people and life in general.  He enjoyed company in his studio, friends and family were always welcome.  Jazz music was likely to be playing.  His studio was filled with props related to the subjects he was painting and he would talk while working.  He would also go out of his way to help younger artists get started in the business or with any challenges they were facing with their artwork as he had been helped in his early days by the likes of N.C. Wyeth and Harvey Dunn. Charlie worked in oils, casein, gouache, charcoal, and watercolor.

Charlie moved to Scottsdale Arizona in the early 50's for health reasons and his work focused on his life long passion for the West.   He'd suffered a heart attack and he'd hoped the move would grant him another ten years with his wife and daughters.  Sadly, that was not to be the case.  Charlie suffered a second heart attack while he was painting in his studio in December of 1958.  He was conscious and alert when the ambulance arrived, but he passed away before reaching the hospital.

Charlie died seven years before I was born, but he has been and continues to be an inspiration to me.  More about that at another time. 

Midcoast Marsh, Brunswick Maine

This painting was started and completed in one session in my studio.  So it took me 51 years and two and half hours to paint!

The inspiration for this painting (Acrylic 12" x 16" on canvas board ) came from trips along the mid coast and an acutal location in Brunswick Maine.

While I often paint on locations that I've never been to before, when I do studio work I try to link it to actual on location sketches.  In this case I'd done an on location pencil sketch and some larger charcoal drawings where I attempted a number of different compositions which both simplified some elements of the landscape and elaborated on other elements of the scene as it existed.

We just returned from a vacation to Pennsylvania where I completed a few quick sketches and attempted one painting on location but, to be frank, the Pennsylvania landscape and conditions kicked my a$%.  More on that for another post.

What I did do differently in this painting was that I painted over the Pennsylvania sketch with burnt sienna which gave me a more fully prepped and smoother surface to work on.  I also liked how that base helped warm the painting up more than simply using a white canvas.  Have seen a number of artists do this, but I'd never tried it before.  Something I definitely will continue to experiment with.

If you've never tried painting outdoors - I encourage you to do so.  Check out John Stobart's  "The Pleasures of Painting Outdoors" and "Worldscape" series one and two.  I had the pleasure of meeting John a number of times on his trips to Maine and he is such an inspiration to so many!