Intermediate Painting

Rudimentary Paintings

1. Texture with paint
(Ever varied -Texture with paint - ala Elkins -monet)

Make a painting with varied texture in the paint - brushstrokes or palette marks - that has an ever-changing texture with no pattern.

Read the section of chapter 1 in the James Elkins book What Painting Is, about the Monet texture.

2. Paint Space/ Light

Make a painting from observation of natural light on a wall, the sky or an area of dark shadows. The intent here is to study by observation an area of ambient light and work to make a painting that addresses these visual effects.

alternative motion or the elapse (passage) of time

3. Rhythmic/Action/Marks

(expressionist rhythmic action marks) Study some works of abstract expressionists. The artchive site has a good overview with many images: http://artchive.com/artchive/A/abex.html Create a system/process of expressionistic markmaking/painting. Important elements here are the source of the marks, the balance of control and freedom in the marks, the viscosity of the paint (does your brush flow slickly and smoothly or dryly and draggy). It works well to work dark to light in general. You can start in charcoal or with traditional underpainting and washes - with whipping and smudging. You can begin by putting anything down and then respond to the painting. Attach your process to any variety of thoughts, actions, observations, sounds . . . . It also works well to turn your canvas often especially in the early stages of the work. In terms of the process it is important to maintain a productive balance between attachment and detachment.

alternative -painting as associated with a ritual or activity

4. Copy Material

Recreate a surface at 1/1 scale. Paint a simulation of a surface or material at one to one scale. Select a source that is regular and varied. Match color and detail enough to trick the eye upon first looking. Work to have the painting have integrity and interest on it¹s own.