Illumination for Painting

If you remember your art history, lighting was considered by most artists to be the single most important element in capturing a particular scene; and it remains so. Lighting can create a mood--it can set the tone and make or break the reality of a scene. Incorrect lighting of an object will give a surreal look except, possibly, for Rembrandt's ingenious use of light. Achieving proper lighting either outdoors or inside the studio is essential for really seeing the subject and for rendering it in an absolutely life-like way.

Outdoor lighting is pretty much left up to nature, and it is the task of the artist to leap when the scene is right. That might mean starting for a destination before the sun rises to be set up and ready when that golden moment occurs or closing up the easel and paint box well after dark if capturing a sunset is your goal. Artists such as Monet, van Gogh and countless others worked feverishly to capture that perfect moment for posterity. We're more fortunate than they. With all of today's options, we can recreate an image with projected slides or photographs and work without the need of being outside. But what about painting indoors? What options do we have?

Natural lighting is simple if your studio has a glass roof angled perfectly to allow many hours of overhead, slightly softened, flattering light. But it is unlikely that any of us have that. Our consolation is to use one of the many artificial alternatives. Incandescent and fluorescent lighting are available to assist in achieving the proper feel and look you want.

Regular incandescent lighting has a warm, golden glow or temperature (around 3500 degrees Kelvin--Kelvin being a measurement of light emission). This can be especially helpful for lighting still life setups or portraits when the replication of morning or late afternoon light is desired. For more realistic light situations, those that closely mimic natural light, bulbs are available that have a coating on the inside. This coating alters the temperature of the light emitted and changes it to a color that is bluer and thereby more natural.

Fluorescent lighting provides a light with a slightly greenish tint that is not very flattering to skin tones or whites in general. It is a cold light, where incandescent is warm. But here, too, are choices that will make the tone and temperature of your work area more natural. Special fluorescent tubes are available that balance the red and blue parts of the spectrum, and the light that is emitted compares very closely to outdoor sunlight at noon. With equal parts of both red and blue tones, the result is a temperature around 5000 degrees Kelvin.

Within either of these lighting types are several options for the studio artist. Clamp-on lights with flexible goosenecks and tungsten elements (incandescent) are the least expensive and offer lighting that is easy to take right to the spot it is needed. Swing-arm lights are available in either incandescent or fluorescent. Some clamp to work tables, offering a long-reaching, swiveling hood. They hold their position with a compound tensioning mechanism of springs and joints. Floor standing lights can be moved to give light from any angle desired. Overhead lighting provided with fluorescent tubes can be inexpensive to install and is capable of filling a large area with good light. Although each 40-inch tube costs around $12 to $15, full spectrum tubes will generate a light that is most like natural light.

Halogen lamps contain tungsten elements and a special halogen gas within the bulb enclosure. They provide bright-white lighting for drawing boards or drafting tables. Because the heat emitted from the halogen light is high, be sure to select a lamp with a safety extension bar on the side of the shade. This safety bar prevents contact with work surfaces or other flammable materials. Remember, too, that if you work close to the bulb, expect to feel the same heat that makes it somewhat dangerous indoors.

Magnifying lamps offer another advantage to the artist who does fine detail. Here is a light that not only illuminates a small, close work area, but enlarges it as well. This type of lighting usually includes a traditional fluorescent tube light with the normal temperature emission or a halogen bulb with clear white light with the added element of magnification. These lights are equipped with a heavy-duty clamp to affix them to the worktable and a strong tensioning system to hold the light and magnification in the exact spot needed.

The choices are many with costs ranging from under $10 to over $100 per unit. But once you decide the lighting that best meets your studio needs, the purchase of the fixture is a one-time cost. Replacement bulbs and tubes are an infrequent necessity, but for bright, clear lighting the fees are acceptable. So head out to the art supply center and check out what they offer. You might be amazed at what you will find.

6th Annual Miami University Young Painters Competition
for the William and Dorothy Yeck Award

Young painters, U.S. residents ages 25-35 as of competition entry, are invited to participate in an annual competition for the 2005 William and Dorothy Yeck $10,000 Best of Show Purchase Award. Entrants should have achieved a significant degree of success as an emerging artist of noteworthy talent. The winner will become part of the Miami University Best Young Painters of the Twenty-First Century Collection. Non-representational paintings only. Juror: Lauri Firstenberg. Prospectus: Ann Taulbee, 513.529.1883; www.fna.muohio.edu/paintcomp. Deadline: September 3.

Spectra '04 National Photography Triennial
Nov. 21 - Dec. 22
Silvermine Guild Arts Center
New Canaan, CT

Spectra '04 invites the submission of recent, original two- and three-dimensional art from artists residing within the U.S. whose imagery utilizes photographic processes. Maximum size must not exceed 72 inches in any dimension, including frame. Juror: Barbara Hitchcock. 203.966.9700; www.silvermineart.org. Deadline for receipt of slides: August 9.

Degas Pastel Society
10th Biennial National Exhibition
Entergy Building, New Orleans, LA
    Oct. 18 Nov. 19
Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Laurel, MS
    Dec. 14 Jan. 14

This competition is open to all artists, and work must be done predominantly in soft pastel and not be over three years old. Size limit is 52" in height and width, including the frame. Juror: Maggie Price. 504.393.5233; www.degaspastelsociety.org. Deadline: August 21.

Wood Block Printing/Dry Point Etching

Printmaking is an art form with a rich and lengthy history. Few innovations in the history of civilization have played such a key role in the evolution of thought as the development of printed images. The cultural impact was without parallel until the advent of computers, photography and mass communications.

The earliest printed images were relief prints, and the best known of this type were wood block prints. A relief print gets its name from the fact that the printing surface is raised above a background. The background is carved away, leaving a dimensional surface or design that becomes the positive for the process. It is this raised portion of the woodcut that is inked and printed. This style of image creation actually predates actual printing by many centuries.

One critical innovation that opened up the world of printmaking was the invention of paper in China around 105 A.D. With this material, impressions could be taken of tiles or stone reliefs by a simple process. The paper was lightly dampened and set over the relief. The paper was then brushed rigorously to duplicate the relief. Eventually, someone added color to this method and what we now know as printing was born. It is known that Buddhism, like Christianity and Judaism, uses the written word as promotion of its doctrine. This sped the development of the earliest large-scale printmaking method, what we now refer to as block book printing. It wasn't until around 1380 that woodcut prints were made in Europe.

To create your own wood block print, the method is nearly the same as it was centuries ago. With a set of wood carving tools, a block of fine grain wood, a pencil and a sketch, you are set to carve your own master wood block. In your sketch, be sure to keep in mind that the print will be the mirror image to the image on the block. Transfer the sketch to the smoothest side of the wood block. It helps for the drawing and the block to be the same size so that you do not have to deal with excess wood around your image.

Begin your carving process by carefully outlining the areas that are to remain high and thereby be printed. Be cautious about areas of the image that overlap or recede, so plan carefully. You want the closest part of the image to be clearly in the foreground and the supporting design to be behind.

Once you have separated the relief from the background, remove the background with shallow gouges or other tools. What remains is the image that will print. Running a proof copy will show you if there are areas that need additional removal. Woodcuts last a long time with reasonable care.

You can also build up from a base to create a printable master. This can be done by gluing materials of the same thickness to the base wood. If you choose to use wood for this buildup, cut shapes and glue them down. You can also use mat board as the relief and then seal the surface with polymer.

Ink the plate with a roller and printing ink, available in both oil-based and acrylic. The roller is charged by rolling through the ink and then evened out on the roller by repeatedly moving the ink forward and backward in a clean area of the inking surface. (Glass is ideal.) Once the roller is evenly coated, roll it over the high spots on the woodcut. Set slightly dampened paper on top of the plate and press the back of the paper to push it against the inked areas. A press speeds the process or you can use a smooth tool, such as a wooden spoon, to press the paper against the inked plate. Remove the paper and voila! You have a print.

You can print in more than one color using a wood block master, and it can be done in one of two ways. First and easiest is to carefully roll color onto spots on the woodcut. More difficult is to create a separate master for each color. That makes carving more challenging but greatly simplifies multiple color printing.

Dry point etching is a very direct way to create prints in a line drawing style. Dry point uses the opposite theory of woodcut/wood block prints. It is the depressions that become the image rather than the high spots. An etching can be inked in sepia, black or any color and then hand-colored with watercolor once dry.

A fast-track method of dry point etching uses almost any pointed tool to deeply scratch a piece of acrylic sheeting. Once the deep scratches are carved into the surface, it is inked in much the same way as the wood block with emphasis on working the ink into the grooves. All excess ink is rubbed off the plate with a soft rag. The paper is set over the top of the plate and once again pressed firmly to retrieve the ink from the scratches. This can be done with a press or hand-rubbed baren (a smooth round hand tool) or spoon. The resulting print is much like an ink or line drawing--super fast and easy!

You can also use a metal plate for etching. Special scribes are used to etch the surface to create your image. The metal plate is inked and printed in exactly the same way as the plastic plate. While metal plates last almost forever, the plastic ones last for only a few dozen prints.

Try a simple printing method and see how much fun you can have. Cards, posters, games--You can do it!

For all your printmaking needs, see your art materials retailer and visit www.graphicchemical.com.

Fun with Flowers

There is no better time than now to try an old practice of preserving flowers. Flower presses help you preserve and enjoy flower blossoms at any time of year and offer the basis for many craft projects.

Flower presses can be purchased from almost any craft store or art supply center. They are designed to be easy to use and are not costly. It is, however, easy to make your own. Following are two different ways, and each gives great results and is very cost-effective.

Press number one is a bit involved but easy to make. You will need two pieces of plywood in any size you want up to about 10" x 10"; three (or more) large sheets of very absorbent paper (Blotter paper, 2-ply rag paper, or cotton linters for making handmade paper work well for this and all are available at art supply stores.); four long bolts about 3/16" thick and 3" long, along with 8 washers and 4 wing nuts; a drill with a 1/4-inch drill bit; and medium sandpaper.

Begin by drilling holes one inch in from all four corners. Sand around holes and all edges. Cut absorbent paper into squares the same size as your plywood. Cut off corners so that the paper will not interfere when you tighten the bolts.

Set the absorbent lining sheets between the plywood pieces and thread the nuts through the sets of corner holes. Attach the wing nuts to the bolts to complete the press. You are now ready to go out and collect flowers for pressing.

Another press can be made almost instantly. Simply use two pieces of plywood (or thick Plexiglas, Masonite, etc.) and hand clamps (those that look like giant clothespins) to press the top and bottom together. This is faster to make and works as well as the bolted style. It is especially handy for field collection.

With either press, allow two sheets against the top and bottom covers. This is added absorbency and cushion for the collection of natural materials being pressed. Check the tightness of the wing nut press after 48 hours. When working with thicker items, it might be necessary to tighten the press more as the flowers flatten.

One suggestion that really helps you get the best results possible is to collect your specimens after morning moisture has evaporated and before the heat of the day. Wet flowers will mildew or yield inferior colors. Ideally, the day would be mild with very low humidity.

Pressed flowers make wonderful additions to handmade greeting cards. They are so special that each card becomes a piece of artwork suitable for framing. Bookmarks are also a great application for pressed flowers. The fastest way is to use the instant lamination sheets. Lay out your pressed flowers in a pleasing design on the laminating sheet; then set another sheet on top, sticky side to sticky side. Cut with scissors or craft knife to make any shape or style of bookmark you want. Add a ribbon at the top and you have created a useful, permanent keepsake. Youngsters especially enjoy making these for teacher gifts.

Papermakers or those artists who like to decorate commercial papers will love using pressed flowers in their work. To attach the flowers to the surface of any flat, dry paper, be it handmade or commercially manufactured, use an adhesive that is all natural and dries without sheen. There are several acid-free adhesives that work well, or you can use acrylic painting medium in a matte finish. It can also be brushed over the top of the flowers to give a bit of protection to their fragile surface.

Glass can be decorated by using acrylic gel medium to attach and seal flowers. Candle jars, vases, or the underside of clear glass plates are just a few places to use pressed flowers for home decor projects.

Once you have your press, plan to get out there this summer and start collecting! You will find many creative ways to use your beautiful pressed natural treasures.

Books from North Light

Color Harmony in Your Paintings by Margaret Kessler cuts through all the confusion of mastering color with a friendly and encouraging approach to the basic principles of color harmony. Artists at all levels will learn the basics of color and how proper color can help them create expressive moods, unity, rhythm and eye-catching design. Included are lots of colorful charts and examples as well as simple color sketches throughout to give an immediate understanding of every color concept. North Light Books, 128 pp., hard cover.

The Big Fat Book of Watercolor Basics, edited by Pam Wissman, Bethe Ferguson and Gina Rath, is a collection of basic instruction that makes it fun and easy to create brilliant paintings in watercolor. Designed to give a strong working foundation to both beginning and intermediate painters, this comprehensive guide delves deep into important qualities of watercolor painting. Complete illustrated projects teach readers to use the skills they'll learn to create beautiful works of art they will be proud to showcase. North Light Books, 304 pp., paperback.

Joan Mitchell (1926-1992)

Joan Mitchell is often referred to as the "painter's painter." Sometimes this reference is made because of her talent and expertise in handling her medium. Her work, abstract and intense, was reminiscent of actual landscapes and subjects but blurred as if being viewed through a mist. While Mitchell's work might have been considered fresh and spontaneous, the term "new" was seldom used in describing her work. She seemed to ignore the critics and was in pursuit of a style that came to be called abstract expressionism.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, on February 12, 1926, Joan Mitchell became one of the most significant painters associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement that marked American art in the 1950's. She was a strong voice in the movement, although there were few women expressionists. Mitchell quickly made an impact with her bold, stylized and nearly gesture-like paintings. Most of her work was inspired by the natural world. Late in her career she abandoned painting in favor of large-scale lithographs and multi-paneled canvases, but all had a connection to nature.

In her early years, Mitchell was exposed to great amounts of literature and the arts. She was bright and inquisitive and developed a love of the natural world early. Her education included studies at Smith College from 1942 to 1944, the Art Institute of Chicago, and Columbia University in New York City. In her early 20's when she moved to New York City, she soon became settled in the Greenwich Village art scene. Here she befriended painters like Willem de Kooning and Franz Kline and poets like Frank O'Hara, John Ashbery and others.

Mitchell's work was influenced by early impressionists like Cézanne and Van Gogh. Although affected by these great masters, she strove less to express emotional states than to convey her experience of landscape. She developed a unique style of nonrepresentational work, one that sat outside the bounds of previous categorization. To this style she remained dedicated throughout her 40-year career.

Joan Mitchell's work has been described as abstract meditations of light, rhythm and space. All of her artistic life was devoted to the subject of landscape, choosing sunflowers, trees and wild grasses along a riverbank as favorite themes. It was her inventive use of color and the frequent habit of leaving blank canvas, allowing the white to add its own expressive element, which set her work apart from her peers. Often large-scale and multi-paneled, each work had its own character but had connection to the others in the "set."

From 1968 until her death, Mitchell lived and worked in France. Her expatriate years were spent in her adopted home of Vetheuil, a small town near Paris where the painter Claude Monet had lived. Although she and this famous painter viewed the same natural surroundings, Mitchell adamantly denied being influenced by his work. She seldom painted outdoors, as Monet did, and preferred to paint her views of nature in her studio. Mitchell called this "a mind's eye view," where she created her abstract landscapes more from emotional memories than from visual prompts. She wanted to express a natural rather than constructed rhythm of composition and to relay the expansiveness of nature's color, texture and immensity.

Joan Mitchell died at the age of 66 from lung cancer, but to the end, her work conveyed the same elegance and instant joy. There is excitement in Mitchell's art, an excitement that is full of emotion like anger and pain, but also something more profound.

Frisket Film for the 21st Century

Up until the 1970's, when an airbrush artist needed frisket (a transparent self-adhering stencil material), he had to prepare it himself. There was a paper called "frisket paper" (sometimes referred to as "onionskin paper") that was used in both watercolor and airbrush technique as a stencil material. This was water-resistant and could be coated with a diluted solution of rubber cement without buckling. The artist prepared the frisket paper beforehand and stored it for later use.

When used, the frisket paper tended to leave deposits of rubber cement on the painting surface after the stencil was cut and removed. If the residue was not removed, it created a problem for the artist because the droplet of rubber cement blocked the spray and left a white spot. This whole process of preparing frisket paper in the "old days" was laborious, time-consuming and messy, not to mention the possibility that the rubber cement could ruin an illustration.

Today, however, the airbrush artist has the advantage of working with prepared self-adhering transparent frisket film, with various types for several different applications. Artool produces four different ones: standard FrisketFilm; Artmask, which is designed for canvas; Stretchmask, which can be utilized on three-dimensional objects; and Hobby Mask, which is used for a variety of hobby applications.

The traditional FrisketFilm is specifically designed for use on paper surfaces, photographs, illustration board, ClayBord, drawing and watercolor paper, ultrasmooth canvas, glass, plastic, metal and glazed ceramic surfaces. This particular frisket is low-tack and will not lift the surface of the paper. It can be used with most painting mediums: acrylics, watercolor, gouache, airbrush colors, etc. The backing sheet that covers the adhesive is translucent so that the film can be placed and then moved around before adhering. This film cuts very easily with a stencil knife and can be used not only for stencils, but also for protecting artwork when handling. FrisketFilm is available in both matte and gloss finishes, won't wrinkle, bleed or flutter under air pressure, and can be removed and repositioned. It comes in rolls up to 24 in. wide x 10 yd. long and in sheets up to 20" x 24".

Artool's Artmask is a medium-tack masking film that adheres to nearly all porous surfaces and is especially suited for gessoed canvas, but also can be used on Gessobord, Claybord, and illustration board. This mask is ideally suited for the artist working in acrylic colors on gessoed canvas. The adhesive backing will not release and will adhere to the painting when acrylics are sprayed in a heavy manner at a high air pressure. This film is easy to cut and remove, is quick to apply to large flat areas, can be repositioned on gesso and acrylic surfaces and is also solvent-proof when working with lacquers and automotive paints. Artmask is available 18 in. x 10 yd. and 18 in. x 25 yd.

Stretchmask is a multi-medium stretchable and flexible masking film that can be repositioned. It is designed for use on three-dimensional objects: sculpture, motorcycle tanks, car fenders, ceramic bowls, and helmets, etc. It's a clear, thin film that cuts very easily with any brand of stencil knife, art knife, or single-edge razor. This is a revolutionary frisket film that allows the painter more freedom of application. Rather than covering the surface of a motorcycle tank with overlapping bands of masking tape, which is not transparent, the artist can now simply wrap it in Stretchmask, draw on the mask, and cut out the areas to be painted. Stretchmask is available in 18 in. x 10 yd. and 18 in. x 25 yd.

Hobby Mask is designed for the model maker, glass painter, and hobbyist in general who works on scale model autos and trucks or paints decorations on windows or plastics. This film is ideal for use when painting camouflage or panel accents such as weathering on railroad cars or striping on model racecars, trucks, aircraft or ships. Hobby Mask is available in a roll of 6 in. x 10 yd.

No matter what you wish to airbrush, there is frisket film suitable for use on that project. Ask for the new types of frisket film available through Artool at your local art supply store. See www.ArtoolProducts.com.

New Airbrush Website

Iwata-Medea has announced the launch of their new 400-page Web site. Intended to be the ultimate airbrush destination on the Web, the site includes extensive product information on Iwata airbrushes, spray guns and compressors; Medea paints; and the full range of Artool offerings, along with expansive sections on resources, uses, technical support, contact information and info about the company. So don't delay--go to www.iwatamedea.com.

Groundbreaking Planned-On July 4th ground will be broken for the Freedom Tower to be built at the World Trade Center site. The 1,776-foot glass and steel tower was designed by architect David Childs and will have an open area with energy-generating windmills above 70 floors of office and retail space--and be topped by a 276-foot spire.

Portraits Unveiled--Official portraits of former President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton by artist Simmie Knox have been unveiled at the White House. Knox is a graduate of the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, has taught at various colleges, universities and public schools and has specialized in oil portraiture since 1981. Commissions by respected political and civic leaders, sports figures, entertainment celebrities, religious leaders and others fill his resume. See www.simmieknox.com.

Awards Given--The Japan Art Association has announced the recipients of the 16th Praemium Imperiale, including Georg Baselitz (Germany) for Painting and Bruce Bauman (USA) for Sculpture. The artists are recognized and awarded for their achievements, for the impact they have had internationally on the arts and for their role in enriching the global community. The five recipients each receive $135,000 and a diploma and medal presented by honorary patron of the Japan Art Association Prince Hitachi in an awards ceremony in Tokyo on October 21st.

Mobile Refurbished--The 76-foot-long mobile designed by Alexander Calder for the central court of the East Building of the National Gallery of Art has been removed from public view for the second time since its installation in 1977. Gallery staff and engineers, including Paul Matisse, disassembled the sculpture in order to clean the multicolored parts and repair the worn metal surfaces. It will be reinstalled by summer 2005.

Site Winners Chosen--The Joyce International Dance Center, the Freedom Center, the Signature Theatre and The Drawing Center have been chosen from 100 applicants to anchor a new cultural space at the World Trade Center site. The Drawing Center's new home will provide program and administrative space and feature up to six gallery spaces for historical and contemporary drawing exhibitions as well as a gallery space for a new initiative to bring world-class fine art together with related drawings that show the artist's creative process. There will also be dedicated spaces for public programs, educational programs and special events.

Estate Sale Triumphs--Sotheby's two-day auction of property from the estate of late actress Katharine Hepburn brought a stunning figure. The most expensive lot of Miss Hepburn's own artwork (and the entire sale) was her 3" bronze bust of Spencer Tracy (which sold for $316,000) that she considered to be her most-prized possession.

Artists Named--The Port of Los Angeles Bridge to Breakwater Art Panel has announced the artists for the first of three public art opportunities that will transform 400 acres of Port waterfront into a dynamic public area that incorporates promenades, plazas, gardens and spaces for future recreational activities. The selected regional artists are: Veralee Bassler, Stuart Bender, Roberto Delgado, Trace Fukuhara, Frank Minuto and "Slanguage," a San Pedro artist collective. This project includes a series of 24 benches surfaced with original tiles to be located in the Cruise Ship Promenade, with a projected completion date of Dec. 2004. Also, San Francisco artist Douglas Hollis has been commissioned to create a major work to be located in the same area.

NEA News--Boston U. Professor David Steiner has been appointed Director of Arts Education. He will be responsible for the panel selection and grant-making process in arts education and will provide professional leadership to the field.

--Recipients of the NEA National Heritage Fellowship, the highest honor in the folk and traditional arts, have been announced. Ten fellowships, which include a one-time award of $20,000 each, are presented to honorees from 10 states.

--$7 million through 366 grants in the Challenge America: Access to the Arts category will be awarded. These awards support projects that provide opportunities for people to experience and participate in a wide range of art forms and activities, enable arts organizations to expand and diversify their audiences, and emphasize the underserved populations whose access to the arts is limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability.

--$58 million in awards through 576 grants in the second major round of grantmaking for Fiscal Year 2004 has been announced. The funds will be distributed to nonprofit, national, regional, state and local organizations and fund projects in the categories of Arts on Radio & Television, Folk Arts Infrastructure, Heritage & Preservation, Learning in the Arts, and State and Regional Partnerships.

Exhibitions:

New York, NY -- The Frick Collection -- The Unfinished Print addresses the complex issue of "finish" in art through the presentation of more than 60 print impressions in varying degrees of completion. Featured artists, European masters from the fifteenth to the early twentieth century, include Durer, Goltzius, Parmigianino, van Dyck, Rembrandt, Piranesi, Manet, Degas, Rodin, Bracquemond, Gauguin, Munch and Villon. (NOTE: Children under 10 are not admitted to the Collection, and an adult must accompany those under 16.) Through August 15.

Bermuda -- Bermuda National Gallery -- The Bacardi Limited Biennial 2004 features 82 selected works from 42 artists and ranges from paintings, drawings and photography to sculptures, conceptual works and video installations. This sixth Biennial includes work completed in the past two years by Bermudian and resident artists and has charted the development of the island's modern art scene. Through Sept. 3.

New York, NY - Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum -- Constantin Brancusi: The Essence of Things seeks to capture the essential character of Brancusi's sculpture. This carefully selected group of works, primarily carved from wood and stone, traces themes that preoccupied the sculptor for more than 30 years. Through Sept. 19.

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Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 14 No. 9 -- July 2004