Friday, March 22, 2013
Watercolor Musings: From Whence Subject Matter?
Watercolor Musings: From Whence Subject Matter?: I teach a class on March Mondays for a group of painters in South Orange County, California. They meet every Monday morning and ha...
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
From Whence Subject Matter?
I teach a class on March Mondays for a group of painters in South
Orange County, California. They meet every Monday morning and have a different
teacher for each of the months that they meet. They are an uncommonly welcoming
and wonderful group – eager for new experiences, new approaches and they
treasure their time together.
I have taught, nudged and watched them over the past 5 years
during our month together and this last week talked “turkey” to them. It was
done with love and concern for their growth as artists but let’s face it, that
sort of conversation is fraught with peril. To my delight and thankfulness,
they took what I said to heart and thanked me for my candor. What did I say?
Number one, I reiterated my cautionary comments of last year
when I told them that by receiving so many views, so often from a group of
instructors was tricky business. Having space between and ample time to work is
optimum. They then have a chance to take what makes sense for their own work
and release that information that does not. Lacking that, they needed to be
very choosy about what they chose to include in each teacher’s offerings. Most
of these folks paint on Mondays only, which complicates growth by itself.
Then I shared my observation that most of the group used
source material from others, whether it was sketches or photos or magazine
photographs, the common occurrence was the use of material that was not their
own. There is nothing wrong with using other resources as long as permission is
granted or if the image is only a jumping off spot for a new work. But too
often, the painters were copying someone else’s composition, color choices,
value patterns, etc. All the important decisions are made. We have “no skin in
the game” if we choose another’s viewpoint. Working from the work of others is
fine if it is for the purpose of learning but the issue of copyright looms if
the work is a copy of another work and then is offered for sale. Drawing and
interpreting is much easier and more pleasurable if the subject has meaning to
the artist.
The above is especially true of artists finding their way to
their own voice as painters. Subject matter that is familiar and enjoyed frees
the artists to “play” with new approaches, color schemes, compositional motifs,
etc. With their enthusiastic reception of my comments, I am optimistic and looking
forward to see what they do in the future.
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