Blog/News
3/30/2020 6:47:25 AM
Gaudy?
Snow & Light, 8X10," Oil on Panel
What do you do to keep a sunset painting from looking like a cheap paint-on-velvet horror? That's insulting as phrased. Sorry. What I'm trying to say is that some subjects in nature are very gaudy, and representing them can also be gaudy. What is done to keep that from happening? Is it the artist's skill? Is it technique?
Sidney Oliver
Sid, there might be a lot of variables, so let's explore a few ideas:
Your question reminded me of what painter Jim Gray used to say back in the sixties. "Fall is that time of year when [...]
3/28/2020 8:44:30 AM
Ideas?
Above is the reflection of a sunrise in my kitchen window. I ran outside with my camera to take the sunrise and, when I turned around, I saw this.
Ideas even come from beauty behind us...
and, no, I haven't painted this.
Ruthie, if I may ask, where do you get your ideas for paintings? Do you see a scene from, say, outdoors and see it whole, or do you see vignettes? What makes an idea viable?
Sidney Oliver
Sid, light matters. It matters a lot. Light is the entire reason for being a painter.
Yes, I do realize that I have begun to paint [...]
3/25/2020 7:07:55 AM
Color Phases?
During your life as a painter, have you gone through certain 'phases' with certain color preferences.....and any idea as to why?
Betsy Brantley
Note: In preparation for the postponed Creative to Creative actor Betsy Brantley and I were kicking around the type of questions we might ask each other. I nixed any question on this order because I felt the audience might find it too much in the weeds, however, it's quite perfect for a blog post, so here goes.
Betsy, there might be more than one answer as to why there might be phases and I am not sure any of [...]
3/19/2020 7:25:41 PM
Optical Illusion or Just a Lack of Comparison?
In the Light of Day, 10X10," Oil on Panel
Some paintings seem to have optical illusion properties, and I don't mean intentionally built-in techniques. One 10 x 10 inch painting can "read" as 30 x 30 inches , whereas a similar small painting "reads" as a small painting. What's with that?
Sidney Oliver
Without something to use for comparison, things are difficult to gauge, hence misreading occurs.
To get an accurate read, a comparison needs to take place.
The more we have to compare, the more accurate we will be.
Perhaps I need to take more shots of the [...]
3/16/2020 4:38:33 PM
Being Creative Amidst Chaos
The daffodils are in bloom and I intend to take full advantage of them.
Not to be pollyanna-ish, or to minimize other moods that contribute to it, it seems to me that disciplined artmaking requires a pretty open and giving state of mind. Our public context, by contrast, is increasingly tense, defensive, and closed. How does an artist maintain a creative, productive frame of mind in an ever-worrisome, increasingly besieged public environment?
Sidney Oliver
Sid, for those of us who work in isolation on a daily basis, this might not as difficult a time for us as it is for [...]
