PAINT-ing Figures III - Deeper Descriptors

The purest, time-tested, and very effective way to sharpen skills is to keep challenging oneself, to push past those self-imposed (even buried) boundaries, which are not easily discerned or often clear enough to address head-on. But with an enthusiasm, drive, or inspired passion, one seems to either ignore, overcome or break through those boundaries, with unexpected and/or gratifying results. Perhaps it's like an override, where one finds another gear, another degree of engagement that dissolves those intangible obstacles. It would seem that approaching, if not crossing, that subtle threshold into a field of arresting energy or inspiration is the very point described in Robert Henri's still very relevant book, "The Art Spirit". A twelve minute introduction to this seminal work, and Henri's paintings can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGLsBgs29h

In the case of Ava, I was painting in a parkland with my good Vermont friend Tony Connor for a plein air show in Cranford, NJ, when this young sprite came bounding in, watching and asking what we were doing. She was taking a walk with her Mother; but her unfettered interest, natural exuberance, radiant skin color and a flowing, remarkable mane of hair, moved me such that I invited her to sit for me at a scheduled demo at the gallery the next evening (not having had any idea of what subject to paint). Of course, I had to convince the Mom, suggesting she talk to the gallery owner, whom she knew, to verify this artist's intentions. Ava sat nicely still for a few 1/2 hour stretches, with two breaks, allowing first for the pencil contour drawing on a hot press Lana paper, then the sequence of watercoloring the features; then the glorious hair, before finishing this demo for about a dozen folks. The Mom was very proud of her daughter's willingness to sit, and of her composure during my explanations of process and attempts to keep her at ease; and Mom later purchased the piece.

John, a Vietnam veteran who had lost an eye and suffered other wounds while on duty there, was clearly an engaging and intriguing subject because of the unusual patch (which I don't recall seeing live on another person over many decades), together with his naturally reserved demeanor. As a local neighbor, we also shared some professional architectural background and frequent conversation, so he was an agreeable and well-posed sitter for this gallery demo. John's casual gesture and gaze seemed to take him to another place, making his one good eye (of an angular shape) a strong element to offset the triangulated dark patch. His skin coloring was the key to the entire palette, blended subtly with various hues, and contrasted nicely by the somewhat military color of his shirt, which then suggested the split-complimentary background color, lightly washed onto a hot press Lana paper. John also acquired the work.

Blessed Brother Bill's BBQ was a piece long awaiting realization. Taken from a photo some twenty years earlier, during a home backyard barbecue, the image somehow needed the right confluence of circumstance to actually undertake the work. I decided it should be the subject for an invited demo for the New England Watercolor Society (NEWS) during their annual Signature Members show in Boston. The demo was not only the incentive, but was the right motivational circumstance to get past that inertia, described in the above introduction, and show appreciation to my youngest brother for a magnanimous travel gift he provided to me and my wife. The challenge was not only celebrating the relaxed gesture, but preserving that narrow edge of light on his figure, and the white t-shirt was the larger highlighted shape to contrast with the dark hues. The saturation of background color, and controlled wet on wet washes for the surrounding smoke required a planned but deft touch to convincingly achieve the vaporous effect. These elements of the painting were completed in studio. The intention for the piece finally became my gift to him for Christmas as well as his Holiday birthday. The "Blessed" in the title reflected a high regard for my brother, as it also describes the meditative manner of his engaging in the simple and honest pleasure of preparing food for family and friends.

So the driving force for the three examples above was not just the subjects, but the emotional and arresting forces that motivated my efforts to capture some essence of the sitter, but further imbue the work with my own sense of enchantment, kinship and/or gratitude - intangibles conveyed in pigment, and enjoyed by the sitters. That impact - from energy and idea and execution - seems to be the strongest reason for really doing any work. The sitters can now sit and enjoy the watercolors too.

This last piece, "Fishin' Friends" was executed in Cranford, NJ's Nomahegan Park during one of its plein air events, where I came upon these two young schoolgirls fishing for guppies in the small park lake. I situated myself on higher ground across the stream, elevated above the pair, and asked if they minded my painting them. They were only briefly self-conscious of my starting to draw them, but then they forgot I was there, as they fished, talked, switched places, reeled in some catches, and generally stayed put at the edge of the water. The strength of a summer's setting sun, with its contrasting light, shadows, and shapes, dictated the strong palette and deeper cast of all the hues. Though the image captured these two friends whiling away a summer afternoon (Mark Twain & Huck Finn came to mind), it somehow suggests a moment that extended beyond the present time period and represents something more universal in the spectrum of childhood friendship and shared fun. This piece too was executed on an Arches hot press paper, on site.

As artists become captured by some deeper levels of emotional, spiritual or intangible engagement with their subjects, their work will undoubtedly reflect that energy; if only for the artist's satisfaction, if for no one else's. These examples did that for me; it did so for these subjects; and I hope these selected pieces convey a bit of that for you, the LI viewers. Thanks for reading...

Postscript: The Fishin' Friends piece (along with four!! other framed watercolors) were "lost", by the unrepentant corporate deliverers during a UPS delivery to NJ. And it's still an unresolved issue. If anyone has come across this or other works with my signature and labelling on it, I would be extremely grateful to know about it.