Writing an Artist's Statement

I paint. So why do I find myself writing so much lately? I have noticed how important writing has become to my career. In addition to painting, I take time to write artist statements, press releases, letters to galleries and clients, descriptions of my work, and of course, articles for my blog (oh yeah – and my new book due for release August 2010). I happen to enjoy writing. The more I do it the better I feel about it. Sort of like painting. Both mediums - painting and writing - are a form of communication. After a private period of experimentation, building technique and finding our own voice, we can relish the next phase where our work goes public – for better or worse. It’s the true test. Will viewers or readers get our message? What will they feel from our work? And the big existential question – will our work make a difference? I do believe that art makes a difference. Faith in this idea gets me through the rough spots, creative blocks and hard times.

I have written and rewritten my artist statement hundreds of times. As my work changes so does my statement. This may be one of the hardest tasks we have as painters, to describe in words what we create in a mostly non-verbal medium. In the past I tried to describe the images, but now I write about how I feel about the work and why I paint. Here’s the first paragraph of my current statement “Call me an optimist, but I believe that man has the powerful ability to dream, to create better worlds and new realities. And images play an important role in this. Our history begins with images, which go far back in time, even farther than language, and are cross cultural. We are united through images. I keep this in mind daily as I am barraged through news and media with sensationalist stories and events of world crisis. Part of me wants to join the peace corps but instead I paint. I paint with the conviction that my images can heal. I paint my versions of heaven; places that are beautiful and meditative not found on earth. Click here to read the full statement on my website.

Recently I found a cool new blog about art for healing. Manhattan Arts International's "Celebrate The Healing Power of Art 2010" is based on the belief that Art is a natural force that promotes heath and well-being for the creator as well as the viewer. Renee Phillips, Director of Manhattan Arts International, is organizing an online exhibition of positive art that uplifts the spirit, plus collaboration with others who share this belief. Interviews and articles reflect the contributions of Art & Healing leaders and causes. Click here to visit their web site: www.manhattanarts.com. Click here to visit the Blog: http://HealingPowerofArt.blogspot.com

10,000 Hours of Painting

10,000 hours of painting sounds exhausting. Yet, according to Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers this is the amount of time it takes to make your first real masterpiece. While I was pondering this theory of Gladwell’s, another artist coincidentally emailed me with the following request:

“Can you can tell me how you got to where you are with your work. I mean, my art is all over the place. I don't know where to begin or when to finish. There's no commonality in anything I am making. How do I make paintings like the ones that you do?”

In Outliers, Gladwell looks at famous people from many sectors, such as athletes, musicians, physicists, financiers, etc. The common factor for each success story was putting in 10,000 hours which pans out to about 10 years working in a specific field. Many of the successful people he investigated and interviewed had been educated early on, and were skilled and passionate in their area of expertise. Yet it was right at that 10,000 hour mark where they “hit it big” or created something unique, something never seen or created before.

My email response for this artist was to just keep creating, and eventually consistent personal work will emerge. If you could see my work from 20 years ago you would not believe it. I started out as a realist, first mimicking artists and styles I admired. This was different than just copying, even though my work then did reflect the qualities of these artists and styles. Through this period I changed styles, images, mediums, sizes, brushwork, you name it, quicker than you can imagine and I built up quite an array of techniques and tools. At some point after many years of this, I found myself going deeper into my own ideas without looking at other work for inspiration. One thing led to another, and then I realized my work felt different - like work I had never seen. It really felt good to be creating work that held more closely to my own personal ideas and desires. After that point painting took on a whole new quality for me. It became a vehicle for my own transformation (some call it self-therapy - but I like to see it more magical than mere analysis - because for me it is more).

A friend who runs marathons recently told me there was a 20 mile mark where all runners hit a wall, no matter what. He noted that it’s those who continue past that wall that succeed. Perhaps Gladwell is right, that there is a specific hallmark point in time allotted to something that creates a shift.

To create personal work, something unique, an artist embarks on a journey, which according to Gladwell is a lot of hours. This should not discourage us. We all want to get to our final destination, but the real meat of the journey is to enjoy each step - not to find a quick trick to get to the finish. It’s the enjoyment of each phase of the journey that creates the final result. By the way, Gladwell’s other two books, Blink and The Tipping Point are both favorites of mine. And another “by the way” – I just finished writing my new book Acrylic Innovation: Techniques & Styles Featuring 64 Visionary Artists. Another coincidence, perhaps, but in this book I interview artists whose work I find exceptional, offering processes and tips on how they got there. The book is due for release August 2010. Now on retrospect, perhaps I should have just counted up their hours.

The Mysterious Radiant Palette

So what is this “radiant palette” all about? I received an inquiry recently asking about this term, used by Thomas Kinkade and other artists, referring to luminous colors, and an increase in middle tones that shift in light.

In my opinion, there are two ways to get this effect.
First, lay out your palette so that it contains both modern and mineral colors (also known as organic and inorganic). The modern pigments are much more intense, brighter, and yes, I guess you could say radiant. They have only been around for 60 years or so, so the old masters wouldn't have used them. My book, Acrylic Revolution, has a section dedicated to these.

Secondly, adding iridescent and interference pigmented paints to your palette will greatly enhance the colors ability to shift in different light and at different viewing angles. (Both of these are also covered in my book.) You could mix either of these types of paints to your colored paints to make them more refractive - catching the light - and changing accordingly. The iridescent are made with microscopic mica chips to add refraction, and pigmented color to simulate metals such as bronze, gold and silver. The interference are very different. They refract different portions of the color spectrum. They appear milky when applied thickly over light colors and will flip between complementary colors when viewed at different angles. These same interference will shift to a specific color when applied thinly over a dark color, or when a small amount of dark color is added to them. These are very fun to play around with, and to try various combinations on your mixing palette. Use the modern pigments with the interference and iridescent to keep them refractive.

A New Look at Creativity

I found this 19 minute video incredibly inspiring.
Here is a link to view it:
http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=1472

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the well-known book "Eat, Pray, Love", speaks from her heart about creativity. She has an unusual viewpoint, which I embrace, that creative genius is from a universal outside source, and that we all have access to it. That showing up and doing your work is our most important responsibility.

Gold Leaf and Acrylic Paint

A recent email inquiry regarding gold leaf and acrylic paint just came to me, so I thought I would share the question and my response for anyone else using this cool combo. By the way, my book "Acrylic Revolution" has a full step-by-step of this technique, but my response here adds a few hints. (Click here to order the book if interested, or use this link http://www.nancyreyner.com/book.htm)

Question:
Your website popped up after I googled “acrylic paint over gold leaf”. I am using a similar technique to yours but with very different imagery. My technique: rigid panels primed with sandable gesso, sand gesso to eliminate wood grain, gold leaf size, gold or copper leafing, then as many as 30 layers of acrylic glazes. Finish with multiple layers of acrylic gloss varnish. Here’s my dilemma: I accidentally dinged a finished piece down to the gesso level and I was able to peel the entire painting off the support! So now I’m disturbed about the integrity of my finished pieces.

Have you encountered this problem? How have you resolved it? Thanks for any info you care to share and I like your work very much!

Answer:
It sounds like you have an adhesion problem. But also, after you dinged the piece and were able to get a grip on the layers you pulled at it - so this can also create a problem. Sometimes layers can be stable in a painting, but if you get just the right grip and angle you can still pull them up. This doesn't necessarily mean the layers are not stable.

But, here are some things you can do to help adhesion at 2 crucial points: the first layer of acrylic that touches the substrate, and the first layer of acrylic that touches the metal leaf.

(1) I don't know whether your painting came off after the gesso or before, but here are some tips. When using a wood panel clean it with denatured alcohol to remove any grease. If the wood panel is very smooth lightly sand the surface to get a grit. Apply a thin layer of Golden's Gesso (or another brand that is high quality meant for acrylic adhesion). The cheaper gessoes are OK for oil, but not acrylic. Now apply anything else you want - multiple layers of gesso are fine, but I wouldn't water the gesso down too much (not more than 20% water).

(2) After you apply the leaf you need to apply a coat of something that will help the acrylic to adhere. In other words, acrylic will not adhere very well to metal without extra help. By using any clear glossy mineral spirit based acrylic in a layer between the metal leaf and acrylic you help adhesion. I like to use Golden's Archival Varnish in a spray, or their MSA Varnish (same thing in a can that you can brush apply).

Also, if you apply the same archival varnish over the finished painting at the end it will help with dings.

Acrylic paintings need to fully dry for 2 weeks before wrapping them up. This 2 week period is crucial for curing the layers and during this time the painting should not get below 50 degrees, and should have air circulating around it.

I hope this helps.
If you have any more questions you can find great advice by calling Golden at 1-800959-6543 and asking for the tech department.

Break Through to New Ideas

A friend of mine recently described a break-through experience she had. She was having a creative block and went to a well known artist/teacher for some help. The teacher gave her 10 small sheets of glass, about 8” x 10” and told her she had only one hour to complete a painting on each piece of glass during that time. After the hour was over, the teacher took out a hammer and told her to smash them all. After shattering the paintings she was then instructed to create something using the shattered pieces. This exercise had momentous results. First of all, creating many small paintings in a short specified time period gets your creative juices flowing, and you can work through many ideas quickly. By smashing the paintings, it creates a powerful ritual to let go of attachment. My friend did remark how difficult it was to destroy something she just made and liked. Then, by using the pieces to create something else she was creating something new from something destroyed, which shifts the painting process to a cycle rather than a linear process. This reminds me of something I like to use for myself and students in my workshops. I have an idea that I want to use for a painting. As a metaphor I think of this first idea as an “egg”. I use the initial idea to get something going on the canvas. After awhile I get to a point where I can feel a resistance happening. This is the time where the egg needs to be broken to make an omelet. In other words, I need to let go of the initial idea, by removing my reference material from sight, or letting myself paint over sections, or introduce something very new. It’s a point where I need to let the paintings start to have some say in the process, and by letting go of some of the control, not pushing so hard to get that end result I had in mind, I will most likely end up with something very new, maybe surprising, but most definitely more powerful than if I had forced the painting to continue in the same line of thought as in the beginning. I like to let the process change my mind. And in this way painting never ceases to be inspiring.

A Key Ingredient for Painting

To make a powerful painting I believe you need to form a direct channel from your inner self onto the canvas. Sounds easy – but there are many distractions or “static” that can get in the way of this process. Here are some ways to help keep us directed and not distracted: Technical mastery over your tools and materials, having a clear and organized set up for your process, spending time organizing and preparing for painting, clearing the space around our painting area to include only those images and items that are part of our idea, clearing clutter so we can think, avoiding distractions such as phones ringing, deliveries to our door, and unexpected visitors. Staying centered throughout the day is a big plus. Meditating in the morning helps me. Also, all those non-painting tasks we are required to do during the day such as going to a day-job, child care, household chores, computer correspondence, business details and errands could be accomplished with focus, and good-natured intention. If we practice that we can show up for our painting time already warmed up with a good attitude and focus. For me, its better to stay clear and make the most out of limited painting time, then force myself to paint for long “factory worker” hours without preparation and centeredness.