Painting

Painting on Panels

Painting on panels is a very old technique. But because of climate conditions, very few examples of early paintings exist. The earliest remaining examples are from the extreme desert climate of Egypt and are estimated to have been painted before the birth of Christ.

Documentation of panel preparation includes one method that was used for hundreds of years.  It employed a construction and preparation that was very laborious and began with a carpenter who would construct a solid wood piece the size of the required panel.  The type of wood varied with the location.  In Italy where the documentation originated, the choice was seasoned poplar or willow.  The plank would be planed and sanded and joined to other planks if a larger size was needed.  The wood would be coated with a mixture of animal skin glues and resin and then covered with linen.  Once the surface had dried, layers of ground marble dust and water would be added.   Each layer would be sanded to achieve the final smoothness needed for finite detail.

When the panel was ready, the design would be planned and drawn out, usually with charcoal so that corrections could be made before painting began.  Encaustic painting was the method of pigment application (pigments mixed with heated wax).  These surfaces held up well to the humidity and dampness of the buildings where the paintings were hung. 

By the early 1000’s, encaustic panel painting was replaced by egg yolk tempera.  Small brushes and very small strokes yielded detail unlike that possible with encaustic.  Hundreds of panels created with this method, although it seems delicate, have survived well.  The egg yolk acted as not only a binder but also as glue to hold the paint to the panel surface. 

In the beginning of the 15^th century, oil painting was developed and became the medium of the day.  Those paintings were created with meticulous layer over layer methods to create a luminosity that was spectacular.

Wood panels that were stored in improper humidity were at risk of paint/surface separation.  Conversely, those hung in extremely dry areas tended to warp and crack, causing irreparable damage to the art.  Because of these facts, many of the earlier panel paintings have been painstakingly transferred to canvas for preservation.

Forgeries of old panel paintings are prevalent in the history of art reclamation.  When wood panels are scrutinized through carbon dating, the actual age can be determined to within 20 years.  The type of wood used is another way to determine age and origin of panel works.  Pine was popular in Poland and the Netherlands and Dalmatian wood was used in Italy (along with the willow and poplar mentioned above). 

How fortunate we are to have modern panels to use, without the labor of recreating the type of panels of old.  One company that has been creating premier quality artists’ panels for nearly 13 years with a wide selection of surfaces and material compositions is Ampersand Art Supply.  They manufacture specialty surfaced boards and art panels and accessories for the fine artist.  Their panels are created with long-lasting wood substrate and primed with the finest grounds available.   Ampersand offers panels and boards in a wide range of sizes and can create custom sizes, too.  Whether you like working on smooth, masterfully coated Masonite boards or cradled panels with varying depths, you will be pleased with Ampersand products. 

Explore the possibilities by visiting www.ampersandart.com to see the wide range of premium art panels (Claybord, Gessobord, Hardbord, Aquabord, Pastelbord, and Scratchbord), accessories, kits and instructional items available; and be sure to visit the Gallery and artists’ websites included to see how well-recognized artists are employing Ampersand products in inventive and exciting ways.  Also see “The Artist’s Marketplace” below for new products from Ampersand.

Art Events

Seattle, WA -A Walk in the Park, Olympic Sculpture Park, 2901 Western Ave.  Explore aspects of the Olympic Sculpture Park with local experts.  Monthly walks are led by organizations that specialize in the environment, land management, art and architecture, natural and cultural history and ecology and ecosystems of the Puget Sound area.  Free and open to the public.  Reservations:  206.654.3121.

Sept. 8, 1-2 p.m. – Park for the People led by the Trust for Public Land.

Sept. 8, 2-3 p.m. – Walk on the Wild Side led by naturalists from the Woodland Park Zoo.

Winterthur, DE - GardenFair, Winterthur Museum, Sept. 14–16.  This fourth annual event offers innovative ideas for today’s gardens through lectures (including “Fine Art as Inspiration for Garden Design”), seminars and demos by top garden experts; and it features more than 60 vendors offering a wide array of plants, garden tools/equipment, furniture, sculpture, décor and more.  The Galleries will feature a special display of floral arrangements to create a horticultural homage to the beauty of American decorative arts.  Admission.  Visit www.gardenfair.org or call 1.800.448.3883 or 302.888.4600.

Tarrytown, NY - Fall Crafts at Lyndhurst, Lyndhurst Estate, Rt. 9, Sept. 14-16.  This New York tradition for 23 years features 300 nationally acclaimed artists

and benefits the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Admission, free parking/offsite shuttle.  Call 914.631.4481 or visit www.artrider.com.

New Orleans, LA - Family Workshop—Scrolling Through Life, New Orleans Museum of Art, Sept. 16. Participants will create their own Japanese-style paintings using ink on rice paper, which will then be framed with cloth and hung from a rod.  Pre-registration requested.  Fee.  Call 504.658.4131.  Also, on Sept. 28, Love in the Garden will feature delectable dining and dancing under the stars in the Bestoff Sculpture Garden—in honor of 12 local artists.  Visit www.noma.org or call 504.658.4121 for tickets.

Las Vegas, NV, Artexpo - Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Sept. 28-30. Designed to complement the 29-year-old New York show, West Coast art enthusiasts will now have an opportunity to visit their favorite publishers, galleries and artists at this inaugural event.  Visit www.artexpos.com.

Pasadena, CA - Learning & Product Expo:  ART!, Pasadena Conference Center, Oct. 12-14 (Classes begin Oct. 11.). Don’t miss this unique learning/buying experience for artists where you can visit an exhibit hall packed with art material manufacturers and choose from a program of 200 art classes. Visit www.learningproductexpo.com for information/registration.

Artist Profile

David Smith (1906 – 1965)

Like many artists, David Smith began work in a field that had virtually nothing to do with art.  Born in Decatur, Indiana, he lived in that area until 1926.  During this time he worked as a riveter/welder/lathe operator on a frame assembly line in the Studebaker auto plant.  In 1926 Smith moved to New York City, where he began studying painting full time at the Art Student’s League.  At this same time he started experimenting with sculpture, a media that would eventually become his claim to fame.  In 1927 he met and married Dorothy Dehner, also a painter and sculptor. 

New York was teaming with artistic change at this point and Smith soon discovered he was part of this vanguard movement.  With friends like Willem De Kooning, Arshile Gorky and Milton Avery, he led the way towards new dimensions in painting and sculpture.  Throughout his life, Smith continued to paint and draw, but sculpting drew upon his riveting and welding experience obtained as a young man at the auto plant.

Best known for his monumental works in steel, Smith was a pioneer constructivist, utilizing found objects and recycled materials in his works.  His use of silhouettes and directional lines creates illusion of space and ties them to their surroundings.  Open totem styles and similar vertical forms were prevalent in this work.  Smith also created many works that include abstract variations of natural subjects.  As Smith’s career developed, his works became larger, more abstract and architectural.  Smith used squares, rectangles, cylinders and circles made of polished and textured steel (often stainless steel for its glassy appearance). 

In 1931 the Smiths bought an old home on 86 acres in Bolton Landing in upstate New York and converted it into living quarters/studio to which they came during the summer until 1933.  Smith also leased space at an iron works in Brooklyn and created a studio that was used until the 1940’s.

In 1937 David Smith joined the newly organized American Abstract Artists group and exhibited sculptures in 1938 and 1939.  His first one-man show came in 1938 and it included his first arc-welded pieces.  In 1939 he exhibited at the New York World’s Fair.

While working at the American Locomotive Company disassembling army tanks and reassembling the casts into locomotives--plus employment at the Saratoga Funeral Monument Yard doing marble work--he was able to finish the Bolton Landing studio with a concrete floor and cinderblock walls.  He added a forge and anvil to outfit the area for his continuing sculpture work.  In 1940 Smith moved permanently to the studio and home. 

In 1943 he installed an exhibit of 18 sculptures and 5 drawings.  The next summer Smith exhibited a one-man show that included 54 sculptures.  Working full time in the studio, Smith was able to pursue many ideas and processes including welded aluminum, marble and castings.  His first European show came in 1950.

In 1950 Smith was awarded a Guggenheim grant that gave him better financial stability and allowed him to experiment with different media.  From this period his works took on more structural weight – utilizing steel and iron and new methods of construction.  Found machine parts were added to these base materials; and beginning in 1951, he created a new series of works that incorporated this new dimension. In 1952 Smith and Dehner divorced and he married Jean Freas.

In 1955 Smith began to create a sculptural garden around his studio because his work did not sell well (scale and cost) and because he enjoyed watching the changes and growth in his own work.  He began to use painted surfaces on the planes of his work and retained this addition for the remainder of his career.

In 1961 Smith created two series of work, one of which would become the work for which he is most remembered.  First came a seven-piece series called “Zig” and then his most famous works, “Cubis,” 28 large-scale geometric stainless steel sculptures burnished to a near mirror sheen.  The following year he visited Italy and was invited to create two sculptures for exhibition in the Fourth Festival of Two Worlds.  However, instead of two, he created 28 that were comprised of tools, found objects and created shapes.

After this time the complexity of his work diminished while the scale increased.  The largest parts of these works were cast at a commercial foundry with final assembly completed at Bolton Landing.

In February 1965, Smith was appointed by then-President Lyndon B. Johnson to the National Council on the Arts.  However, his appointment was short lived.  Smith died on the evening of May 23 after having been injured in a car crash early that day.

Focus:  David Smith is part of the Museum of Modern Art’s (New York City) series of special collection displays highlighting noteworthy aspects of the Museum’s extensive collections.  Smith’s sculpture conceptually and physically grapples with themes including nature, life and the self.  The exhibition is on view through Nov. 26.

The Artist’s Marketplace

New Windpower Watercolor Paper and Translucent Vellum from Strathmore

The new Windpower WatercolorPaper from Strathmore is the latest addition to this popular line that is manufactured with windpower and bears the Green-e logo.  This natural white cold press paper is suitable for all wet media techniques, including watercolor, gouache and acrylic.  It is acid free and has excellent wash and lifting properties.  Ideal for mastering watercolor techniques or for finished artwork, it is available in a pack of 10 sheets measuring 22” x 30” and in four sizes of spiral-bound pads with 15 sheets each.

Strathmore’s Translucent Vellum is now available in Gold (20 sheets/pk.), Silver (20 sheets/pk.), White Parchment (25 sheets/pk.), Ivory Parchment (25 sheets/pk.) and Ultra Bright (30 sheets/pk.), with sheets measuring 8.5” x 11.”  Enhance your cards or craft projects with a touch of elegance or sophistication, create a frosty or antique look or add brilliant colors—creative possibilities are endless!  See your retailer and visit www.strathmoreartist.com.

New Panel Line and Kits from Ampersand

The Artist Panel is an exciting new introductory line for panel painting from Ampersand Art Supply.  It offers all the advantages of a panel but with the touch of canvas.  Coated with acrylic gesso for oils and acrylics, this line is perfect for the student, leisure and budget-minded painter—at a value price. The Artist Panel is available in three different profiles and 14 popular sizes: Gallery Profile, 1½”, is made with a light birch plywood frame that can be stained, waxed or painted; Traditional Profile, with a ¾” profile, is made with a birch plywood frame; and 3/8” Profile is a flat panel that is perfectly primed with a hang hole for easy hanging and framing. 

In addition, four new Scratchboard Kits have been added to Ampersand’s Creating with Claybord series by Sally Maxwell.  Each new design features animal motifs and comes complete with pattern, scratch knife, Claybord Black and instructions.  See your retailer and visit www.ampersandart.com.

Sculpture

Chainsaw Sculpting in Wood

Wooden chain saw sculptures abound in many regions of the country including the Pacific Northwest and the Adirondacks in upstate New York.  Replicas of bears, moose, fish, eagles, and other wildlife as well as unique signage and furniture are popular décor items for lodges, inns, cabins and second homes.  Skilled chain saw artists can be seen and heard carving away at festivals and fairs, trade shows, competitions, parking lots of businesses and malls and even at their roadside shops or homes. Indeed, chainsaw artists have even been featured on popular television programs.

A chain saw is a portable power-cutting machine perfect for heavy-duty sculptural work.  If properly used, a chain saw can help accomplish incredible results.  If used unwisely or without regard to safety, it is a very dangerous and potentially fatal tool.  Never attempt to use a chainsaw without first understanding its safety features and maintenance procedures; and ALWAYS wear safety goggles, hearing protection, trim fitting clothing that affords ease of movement, and sturdy, snug fitting shoes.  Extreme caution is in order! 

That said, many artists enjoy creating large, interesting sculptures with a chain saw.  It’s suggested that you first consult with an experienced chain saw artist in regard to equipment and materials, techniques, and safety procedures.  Perhaps you can take a course or arrange for basic lessons or work as an apprentice for a time.  A search on the Internet can be of great assistance here.

There are many chainsaws on the market and each has good working possibilities.  Total unit weight, distribution of that weight, balance, blade length and strength and fuel capacity are all important issues to consider.  Cost varies by power and ruggedness, but even a budget-priced machine can do some pretty cool art.  In a perfect world, you should try before you buy, so ask friends or instructors about the saws they might have and get ideas/suggestions from the people at the point of sale. Gasoline powered or electric models are available. 

Thin strip removal and general shaping are skills that will serve you well in sculpture making.  Never attempt to cut through logs or stumps that are thicker than the length of your blade.  This is a recipe for trouble, because the blade might become lodged within the log and will be amazingly difficult to extract. 

Exercises to sharpen your skills include the removal of small precise pieces of wood from a large chunk.  The best idea is to start with a stump that is considerably larger than your desired finished piece.  A stump close to the finished size does not allow you the “excavation” depth necessary for good detail.

Sharp chains are essential to good cutting. You can tell when the chain is dull because of poor performance.  When dull, you have to use more pressure to achieve cuts and that increases the possibility of injury to you or the saw.  A dull blade is easily sharpened with a file (described in every owner’s manual) and a depth guide.  Also, the chain needs to be tightened periodically because it stretches during use. 

Once you have a bit of experience, it will be fun to experiment with your ideas for shapes and designs.  Most chain saw sculptors have a signature style; objects can be true-to-life, have cartoon-like features, wear “clothes” such as overalls, or anything in between. They can be left natural with no finish, stained or sealed for protection against the elements or be colorfully painted.  The choice is yours.  Very much like a stone sculptor, you will be doing reduction sculpture, so remember:  Once you have removed shapes, it is difficult to replace them and re-cut.  Above all, remember that extreme caution is essential when working in this genre. 

Art Contests

13^th Annual Cray-Pas Wonderful, Colorful World Contest 2008 by Sakura of America

Attention art teachers!  School is back in session and your students will be thrilled to design works of art and submit them to a competition with great prizes and recognition, too.

Students in grades K-1-2, 3-4-5, and 6-7-8 are eligible to enter this contest where the majority of the piece must be done in oil pastels—and Cray-Pas, the original oil pastel with an extensive range of color options, is recommended.  Entries may also have combinations of pen and ink, pencil and/or watercolors with oil pastels. 

Subject matter may be individually determined or a class project, but each entry must be the work of one student only.  Entries are judged based upon image originality, creativity, emotional content, oil pastel skills and age appropriateness. 

Three winners from each age category will receive a U.S. Savings Bond, generous art supplies, imprinted T-shirt, recognition in national art publications, posting in the online contest gallery and a Cray-Pas Award Certificate.  In addition, there are Teacher Awards, School Awards and awards for Honorable Mentions and 150 Student Finalists.

And what happens to artwork that is not chosen?  Well, 300-500 pieces are selected for an annual International Youth Art Exchange Program administered by the World Awareness Children’s Museum in Glens Falls, NY.  The remaining artwork is archived at Sakura of America and is used to promote art education in public schools, provide artwork for promotional catalogs for school suppliers and by various non-profit visual arts organizations specializing in children’s creative arts.

For further information or entry forms, visit www.sakuraofamerica.com or call 1.800.776.6257, Ext. 177.  Entry deadline is December 14, so don’t delay.  Good luck!

Airbrush

Watercolor — An Airbrush Medium

Watercolor was one of the first mediums employed in airbrush technique.  Early on it was used for photographic retouching and illustration, and today it is used in both of these applications as well as fine art painting.  Watercolor is especially good for use in airbrush technique because it’s easily reduced to the correct consistency for spraying.

Both pan watercolors and those in tubes can be thinned quickly with just water.  Pan watercolors can be lathered with a paintbrush and then transferred to the airbrush color cup (or reservoir) for spraying.  Tube watercolors, those most commonly used, can be thinned in a paper cup or jar and then poured into the cup.  These are less likely to be contaminated from one color to another, as watercolors in a pan or block can easily be turned into “mud” when inter-mixing colors.

A few tips follow:

—To enhance the bleeding effect and flowability, add a few droplets of the dispersing agent ox gall to your colors.

—Clean watercolors from the airbrush with just soap and water.

—To make watercolors more water resistant, add a few droplets of acrylic medium to thinned colors.

—To enhance paintbrush watercolor washes, airbrush back into them to fortify the color, e.g., make blues deeper in the sky; or accent detail or develop more three-dimensional space by airbrushing in shadows.  You’ll discover that an airbrushed shadow looks realer than real.

—Establish an intensity of color through a traditional glazing technique by building up transparent layers of color.

—When selecting paper for airbrush technique, remember that rough papers in watercolor technique are used to develop highlights at the high points of the paper and darks at the valleys.  But when you spray onto this surface, the paint tends to mimic the texture of the paper and that texture becomes evident in the artwork.  Experiment on different surfaces of paper:  hot press, cold press and rough.

—And, as with traditional watercolor technique, remember that completed artwork should always be displayed under protective glass or Plexiglas.

Watercolors are great for working with the airbrush—from simplicity of use to discovering new techniques and enhancing your work in ways you probably never thought possible.  And there’s no clogging of the airbrush—another plus!

ArtPourri

Painting Discovered—The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, have discovered a painting by Vincent van Gogh underneath the artist’s painting Ravine, owned by the MFA.  X-Rays and close examination of the paint surface confirmed this is likely the painting entitled Wild Vegetation, a drawing of which Van Gogh sent to his brother in mid-1889.

NEA News—The NEA has announced the 2007 recipients of the National Heritage Fellowships, the country’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.  Twelve fellowships, which include a one-time award of $20,000 each, will be presented to honorees from 9 states. The awardees were chosen from among 259 nominations on the basis of their artistic excellence, cultural authenticity and contributions to their fields.

Stamp Issued—The USPS has issued the Louis Comfort Tiffany commemorative stamp, which pays tribute to all of Tiffany’s artistry and is the seventh in the USPS “American Treasures” series.  Titled Magnolias and Irises and dating to around 1908, the stamp art is considered a “detail” of the memorial window featured on the stamp, since the original photo had to be slightly cropped.

Agreement Reached—After lengthy and complex discussions, an agreement regarding antiquities has been reached between the Italian Ministry of Culture and the J. Paul Getty Trust. The Getty will transfer 40 objects in its collection to Italy, including the Cult Statue of a Goddess, which will remain on display at the Getty Villa until 2010.

New Gallery to Open—The Metropolitan Museum, New York City, will inaugurate the Joyce and Robert Menschel Hall for Modern Photography on Sept. 25. The Hall is designed specifically to accommodate large-scale photographs, and the inaugural installation is entitled Depth of Field:  Contemporary Photography at the Metropolitan.

Exhibitions:

Denver, CO – Denver Art Museum –Capturing America’s Game:  Photographs of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig features about 20 photographs as well as baseball bats, rare baseball cards and a poster.  The images capture the excitement of baseball in the ‘20s and ‘30s, as well as the larger-than-life personalities of Ruth and Gehrig. Through Sept. 30.

Blue Mountain Lake, NY – The Adirondack Museum – Adirondack Rustic:  Nature’s Art 1876-1950 features art, architecture and furniture from throughout the region with some of the best examples of rustic artistry.  Photos, documents and ephemera enhance the story and illustrate “rustic” as an aesthetic, an architectural style, and a way of life. Through Oct. 2008.

SIGN UP -FREE ARTtalk e-Newsletter©
Search all of ARTtalk!!

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 17 No. 11 — September 2007