paint box section/2008-09 fall-winter/art-to-art palette journal print edition

7/28/2019 Paint Box Section/2008-09 Fall-Winter/Art-to-Art Palette Journal print edition

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Treasured Things {23"x 22" 140 lb. cold press paper}ArtistTrish McKinney of New Carlisle, Ohio. This piece is about how true treasure isfound in the lowliest of creatures and the contrast of girlie girls with tomboys. It is about neverforgetting the little child in all of us! On a technical note, I used this particular subject for thebook to illustrate how color choice should enhance and compliment the thought behind theartwork. The thought of contrasting the tomboy and worms with the red fingernail polish wasenhanced through the deliberate use of complimentary colors.www.trishmckinney.com.

2008-09 Fall/Winter Edition - 3

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Tips and Techniques

40 - The Art-to-Art Palette - The Paint Box Section/Tips & Techniques department - 2008-09 Fall/Winter Edition

PAINT B OXhe

Molly Ann

SANDING WATERCOLOR PAPERTo achieve an interesting texture onwatercolor paper - try buffing up a piecein a horizontal and vertical motion with asmall piece of sandpaper. The results willvary depending on the amount of sandingand the roughness of the sandpaper. Thesanded surface seems to soften the

appearance whenwatercolor is

applied. It appearsas if paint wasapplied to cloth.

USING SAND FORTEXTUREAdding sand tomodeling pasteallows aninteresting texture toa painting. Apply topaper, board or

canvas with brush or palette knife. Board

is best for heavy applications of modelingpaste combo.

The artist Utrillo (1893-1955) usedvarious natural materials to create hisbuildings of Paris. When I was in Arizona,I collected a plastic bag full of red soil touse for a future painting of the GrandCanyon. In this case, I most likely will usematt or glass varnish instead of modelingpaste because the soil is very fine. For areal hearty effect, gravel can be used.

FREEZING WATERCOLOR ON PAPERApply watercolor washes to a piece ofwatercolor paper and place in freezerovernight. The next day, remove the icefrom the paper to reveal the interestingpattern. (Remember to label not food -think about it.}

FROM TABLE SALT TO ROCK SALTMany artists have used table salt on wet

watercolor paper, to produce interestingeffects and surprises, that leads to creativeimages. For a layer pattern, try using rocksalt for fields of flowers, ice winter treebranches and much more.

CREATING TEXTURE WITH GESSOApply Acrylic Gesso to paper, board orcanvas using a palette knife or brush,depending on the desired effect. Sand,gravel, dried flowers etc can beembedded into the wet Gesso. When dry,acrylic paint or watercolors can be used

to create the desired image.

USING OLD POSTCARDSA fun way to put a drawer full of oldpostcards to good use, is to paint directlyon the surface using acrylic paints. Forexample, if you have a card with a parkscene of trees, you can enhance theimage by painting directly over theexisting trees. Leave parts of the image onthe postcard to show through.

CREATING INTERESTING SHAPESWITH MINERAL SPIRITSBY dropping small amounts of mineralspirits onto a wet water based ink wash,you can create various shapes. Dragginga brush across the surface will alsoproduce interesting effects.

MORE FUN WITH GESSOAnother texturing idea is to draw an idea

on wet Gesso, using a toothpick, creatinglots of strokes to produce lots of texture.After Gesso is dry, the painting can begiusing acrylic or oil paints.

SUN PAINTINGSpray a piece of watercolor paper withwater; pour inks onto it. Place objects onthe wet paper, such as, leaves or shellsand let dry in the sun. When paper is dryremove the objects to reveal a print.

FOLLOW THE EYESWhen doing a portrait, Ruth Ann SturgillLima, Ohio always starts with the eyes. Ashe puts it, the eyes are the gateway tothe soul. that enables this artist toestablish an association with the model,and thusly, the rest will follow.

TEXTURED PAPERSApplying soft pastels to Japanese paperscan provide interesting results. Washipaper is one good example because of ilong fibers.


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The Art-to-Art Palette - The Paint Box Section/Tips & Techniques department - 2008-09 Fall/Winter Edition

Making Leaf Sun PrintsThis is a fun technique that leads to a lot of creativity.Tape a piece of watercolor paper to a board; hot pressed worksbest. Then spray the paper with water.

Drip, pour or brush on watercolors. I suggest two-three colors to maintain afreshness. Lay leaves on the wet paper in a pleasing pattern and gently pressdown. Salt can be sprinkled around the leaves for added texture. Place paperin bright sunshine. You mayneed to put small stones ontop of the leaves if it isbreezy.

Leave in sun until paper

is dry. Remove leaves andbrush off salt. The paintingmay be left as it is or youcan cut up in sections tocreate note cards orbookmarks. Placing a smallmatt over various sections of

the dried paper helps me to make mini compositions.The results often lead to expanding your imagination. For example, I studied a 4 x 6 print and spotted an arrangement of

leaves that looked like bird wings. All I had to do was use a black marker to complete the bird.BEWARE - Once you start this technique, it is hard to stop.


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42 - The Art-to-Art Palette - The Paint Box Section/Tips & Techniques department - 2008-09 Fall/Winter Edition

Sometimes I do little drawings ofpatterns I see on TV. I look at thingsin the background the hill at the

opening of Little House on the Prairie isa good example and try to divide thepicture shape into interesting andvaried values (lights and darks), shapes,and sizes.

Sometimes Im lucky enough to beable to use one of these quicksketches as a basis to develop apainting. (Ive been known to turn themupside down to stimulate my imaginationand find a new picture hiding in thevalues.)

Sometimes I just turn to a new

sketchbook page and try somethingelse. But any time spent drawing isexcellent practice, and sometimes I lookback at these sketches and come upwith a new idea. One thing toremember if you do this: Keep thesketches small. If it helps, draw alittle rectangle on the sketchbook pageand stay within that area. Workingsmall keeps you from getting hung upon meaningless detail. If you also

paint, use these drawing exercises tokeep your mind open to new ideas.

S

ometimes a good picture comes

from an accident. In a watercolorworkshop a few years ago, I was usinga drybrush technique which requiredwiping excess ultramarine blue paintoff my brush onto a large piece of scrappaper. At home, a day or so later, Ilooked at the scrap paper and noticedthe markings made an interestingdesign with a strong pattern of lightand dark. (The white paper was the light,and my wipe-off marks were the dark.)

There was a good variety of shapesand after looking at the paper fromall sides I could imagine a barn withsnow on the roof and a line of treesnearby. So I added some middle tonesand used a small brush to indicate treetrunks and barn details. It lookedpretty good, so I took a large sheet ofwatercolor and made a full colorpainting from my impromptu valuesketch. The main pattern of values wasalready worked out for me (thanks to thehappy accident of wipe-off brush patterns)

and all I had to do was polish it up.

As you do things like this, dont be

trapped into just enlarging what ysee. Any kind of painting or drawingexciting, and much of your sketchingwill be spontaneous. You should trykeep some of that spontaneity in youpaintings. Try to make the painting aindividual that stands on its own, notjust a copy of your small original ideaThis is true whether you are workingfrom a sketch or a reference photo.

Dont just copy what you see; drawout in your own way and dumpdetails or unnecessary things (telephonpoles, trees, etc.) that detract from themain design. If you wanted it to lookexactly like what youre painting ordrawing, than you might as well justtake a photo and enlarge it.

Art is supposed to reflect theartists personality. So cutloose and have fun with it!

By Kay R. Sluterbeck

Practice makes a fast drawSometimes if someone asks me a question alongthe lines of how should we hang thesedecorations, how do I get to such-and-such aplace,etc., I find it easier to draw what Imtrying to get across than to say it in words. And

often people ask me how I can draw so quicklyand freely.

Being a fast drawisnt something youreborn with. Although many people have anatural talent for drawing, to get really relaxedabout drawing so that it becomes secondnature you have to practice pretty much everyday.

It doesnt have to be formal practice, likedoing the scales on a piano. I keep a sketch pad

next to my sofa, and in between televisionprograms I often do five or six small pencilsketches and value patterns in one night, strictlyfrom imagination. I also like to sketch things Isee on TV. (For instance, last night I was trying todo a quick drawing of Nancy Grace, sketching madlyevery time the camera focused on her.)


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Located in historic Centre Market, ARTWORKS around town Inc, is a nonprofit charitable and educational organizationoperating a Gallery and Art Center to benefit the artists and general public of the region.

2200 Market Street - Wheeling, West Virginia - www.artworksaroundtown.org - 304-233-7540

The Art-to-Art Palette - The Paint Box Section/Tips & Techniques department - 2008-09 Fall/Winter Edition

Q estionsartists ask . . .Art organizations often getquestions from artists andpeople interested in art. Hereare some common questions,along with the answers.ABOUT BEING AN ARTIST:Q. Do I need formal art training tosucceed?A. Not necessarily. Many successfulartists are either self-taught or informallytrained. A degree in fine arts is noguarantee of success!Q. Do I have to have a studio?A. Its nice to have a place set aside foryour art tools, but a special studio doesntmake your artwork better. Many artistspaint in their bedroom or kitchen. Thewell-known artist Tasha Tudor does most ofher paintings at her kitchen table,sometimes by candlelight.Q. How do I know if my work is good?A. First, keep in mind that anythingsomeone says about your art when yourejust starting out probably isnt an accurate

and look at it again after youve beenpainting for several years, and youll beable to answer your own question.ABOUT EXHIBITING:Q. Can I make lots of money enteringcompetitions and selling my work?A. That depends on how good you are.Both technical skill and originality aremajor factors in how well youll do. Manyartists enter competitions for rewards otherthan money, such as recognition,publicity, and meeting other artists. As forselling artwork, statistics show that one outof every four artists has another job toprovide a living wage. Most artists nowmaking a living with their art have had towork extremely hard to get to that position.For example, artists Thomas Kincade andJim Gurney started out by hitchhiking andriding boxcars together across the U.S.,sketching and painting along the way.They were dead broke and spending thenight on a pier when they got the idea ofputting their work together into a how-to-sketch book. The book got them on theroad to fame.Q. Do exhibit judges show favoritism?A. As a general rule, no. Most judgesand jurors judge each artwork on its ownmerits, not on their knowledge of the artist.Q. I received a prospectus for an exhibit,but I dont understand some of therequirements for entry. What do I do?If theres time, call or write theorganization for an answer.Q. Why do art competitions haverestrictions on the size and weight ofartwork?A. Size and weight restrictions are

necessary to prevent crowding walls anddisplay areas with large pieces, to prevedamage to walls from overweight hanginpieces, and to help staff and volunteers toreceive, move, and hang entries. Mobiliand ease of handling is a big concernwhen hundreds of works are involved.Q. I buy ceramic castings and then painthe pieces in great detail. OR I paintpictures from how-to-paint books. OR copy pictures from calendars andmagazines. Is this considered originalwork eligible for entry?A. No, it would fail every test in a judgeexhibit. Unless the creative effort is totallyyours, it should not be entered in exhibitsrequiring original work. If someone couldlook at your artwork and recognize it asbeing copied from someone elses art orphotograph, even if it is a differentmedium from the other artists work, then is not original and not acceptable forexhibiting or selling as being your ownwork.Q. My work was not accepted for anexhibit. Can I still attend the openingreception?Mot opening receptions are open to thepublic unless stated otherwise in theprospectus. (Some organizations haveprivate pre-openings open only to showparticipants and invited guests.) If yourenot sure, call the organization to see if thereception is open to the public. If you caattend the reception, youll be able to seewhat kind of work was accepted into theexhibit and decide if your work iscomparable.


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Everyone knows that painters usebrushstrokes. But did you know thateach brushstroke is important to thesuccess of the painting?Brushstrokes can be thought of as the handwriting of an artist; every artist uses different brushstrokes, and brushstrokescan even show how skilled an artist is. Some artists paint so smoothly that no brushstrokes can be seen. NormanRockwells work is a good example of this. If you look closely at a Rockwell painting, its almost impossible todetermine that he used a brush. The surface of the painting is as smooth as glass, and the colors are perfectly blendedYou can picture the artist gently stroking the painting with a fine brush to blend everything perfectly.

are the artists handwriting

44 - The Art-to-Art Palette - The Paint Box Section - 2008-09 Fall/Winter Edition

For comparison, look at a painting byVincent Van Gogh. Not only can everybrushstroke be clearly seen, but also itlooks as if he actually used his brush tocarve the picture out of paint. Each strokefollows the line of the subject. There islittle or no blending; instead, Van Goghdipped his brush in a color appropriate tothe area he was painting (dark forshadows, light for highlights)and laid thepaint down without going back to touch itagain.

For some reason, the public oftenequates loose painting with sloppiness. Awatercolor teacher who works in a veryfree style commented that one student saidhe joined her class because he couldnt

draw and thought her style would be agood one to copy. He didnt realize thatexpressive brushstrokes are based onsound drawing ability. Good artistsliterally draw with the paint. Every strokecounts. The artist must have the right sizestroke, of the right value and color, in theright place.

Artist Emile Gruppe commented that asa young man he had the good fortune towatch the great Robert Henri paint. As akid, Id be amazed at the way he did ahead. One stroke for an eye Bang!Then another for the chin. He was amaster! And when his pictures werefinished, theyd look more like the personthan the person!

There seem to be two basic kinds ofpainters. Some like to work in line, andothers prefer to work in mass. Some,especially those who draw very well, tento work with lines, enjoying the process odrawing the details of a scene. If theylook at a pile of leaves, they see theleaves first and work them into a pile.Others prefer to work in mass, seeing thesubject in terms of large units and bigrelationships. These artists look at the pilefirst, and use texture to get the effectwithout even painting the leaves.

For each of these two kinds ofpainters, different kinds of brushstrokes arimportant. The linear painters tend to usesmaller brushes that allow great control,and each brushstroke is small and carefulTheir style is often referred to as tightpainting. Painters who work in mass loose painters -- often use big, flatbrushes that let them lay down a lot ofpaint at one time.

If an artist is very, very good he or shmay be proficient in both tight and loosepainting. For a good example, we canreturn to Norman Rockwell.

Everyone knows about his fine, tightpaintings which adorned magazine covefor years. But when Rockwell felt his worwas getting too tight, he broke a piece oa roofing shingle and used it as a brushto make fast, loose paintings for practice.

If youre an artist who would like toloosen up, this is a good method. Youcan also paint with Q-tips, toothpicks,sticks, toothbrushes, and your fingers.When you go back to using a brush, youmay find that this kind of extreme

paintingpractice helps you make moreinteresting brushstrokes.

S culptural Jewelryand focal buttons in clay by Alicewww.alicehuntstudio.com

Available at Fine Art Fairs and selectgalleries and gift shops. See web sitefor complete listing.


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The Art-to-Art Palette - The Paint Box Section - 2008-09 Fall/Winter Edition

When we think of oil paints, we automatically think of brushes. Artist Ken Gore, however,applies his paint with knives not just ordinary kitchen knives but the specialized toolsknown as painting knives. I use a knife,he says, because I can do with it what I want tdo. He uses a brush only at the beginning, to lay on his turpentine underpainting to be sure thedesign is right before he starts to lay on the paint. Otherwise, where would I start?he says. Butbrushes always gave me trouble.

Gore says that he always hadproblems in art school. He studied

with George Rich, a fine painter whohad a loose style and paintedeverything with one-inch brushes, evengetting fine detail in a 9 x 12 inchpainting. Gore spent two yearsstudying with Rich in art school, andanother six years studying onSaturdays and Sundays. However, nomatter how hard he tried he couldntseem to control his brushes when itcame to laying on color.

During his studies, Gore struggledwith brushes continually, getting moreand more frustrated. Rich provided a

variety of models for the students topaint from, and one day the model wasa little girl with pink skin and a pinkdress against a pink background. Theclass was scheduled to workwith the model for 12 hoursspread out over several daysand, Gore says, as usual I

got down to the last hour ofthe last class with about 48dirty brushes in my hand andeverything going wrong.

Gore says that his main

trouble was that he had nodiscipline. Rich often toldhim that only four brusheswere all hed ever need -- onebrush for light warm colors,one for dark warms, onebrush for light cool colorsand one brush for dark cools.But Gore didnt seem to beable to follow this advice anddirtied dozens of brushes ashe tried to get the look hewanted.

Finally, he was down to

the last hour allotted for theclass, and his painting was amess. I had nothing tolose,he said, so I picked upa palette scraper no kind oftool at all and began tohorse around with it. Heimmediately discovered hewas getting effects hecouldnt get with a brush. Inthat one hour, he managed to save thepicture. He thought, If I could do that

at the end of a painting session, whynot try it at the beginning?

Rich had been watching his studentfooling aroundwith the palettescraper. He brought over a French-made painting knife and put it beforeGore. If youre going to work thatway,said Rich, at least use the righttool. And he walked away.

From then on Gore used painting

knives exclusively. He moved frompainting still life and figures tolandscape work, where he could swing

the knives to create grand sweeps ofland, trees and water. He preferspainting from nature. Thats where I

get inspiration. I like to do em, pack em and bring em in,he says. Later, inthe studio, he makes the finaladjustments on each painting.

In my opinion,says Gore, art isthe only place left where you can stillbe free. Free to paint as you want as

long as it pleases you, withoutworrying about whether it pleasesanyone else!

Changing tools made all the difference

SpringOil on canvas 24 x

Courtesy of R.H. Lowe Galleries, Chicago, Illi


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46The Art-to-Art Palette - The Paint Box Section- 2008-09 Fall/Winter Edition

FromStarttoFinishDavid&EstellesWhiteIrisBy Joan Crawford-BarnesThe concept for this white iris arose out of a visit to afriends garden. This photo was shot because of thesunlight and shadows that were seen, as the light of thesun left, its wondrous mark on this beautiful piece ofGods creation. Because I cannot cant resist paintingwhite flowers, I tackled this with that concept in mymind. I am learning through myyears of painting experience,that concept is the first step incomposing a painting.Minimalism has become asignificant thought process, as Ipaint single white floralpaintings. Because I preferhighcontrast, this is the concept I wasseeing as I started to composethis painting. I wanted verymuch to center on the light hitting the iris, and the darkbackground was the way to bring this to the forefront.

Step 1 As always the first step with the pencilsketch, which in my case is my favorite. In thisprocess the contour of the iris is drawn and then thefun part of drawing in the values and how they fall onthe flower itself. It is almost like a puzzle. I establishthe white areas that are left white and draw a shapeto protect it from the shading that will take place invarious parts of the flower. The concept is vividly inmy mind at this point. The negative space of the darkis established so that I can distinguish clearly thesubject. I continue with this process, putting in themedium darks and lights in this same way.

Step 2 As I transfer the drawing to the watercolorboard, I decided to venture out and try the newClayboard texture for watercolor. The drawing contourwas traced onto the Clayboard using graphite paper.


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The Mountain Climber aka Nita Leland

Editors note:In the summer of 1953, while takingsummer classes at the University of Colorado and still a juniorat Ohios Otterbein College, Nita climbed Mt. Neva inColoradoshe rose about 12,814 feet.


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She raised

herself up

Tchaikovsky once said, A self-respecting artist mustnot fold his hands on the pretext that he is not in themood.This quotation appears on Nita Lelands website because of the reality it holds when describingthe ambition and determination of this formerMountain Climberwho has become a well-knownauthor, teacher, lecturer, juror and, watercolor artist

throughout the United States and Canada.

A graduate of Otterbein Collegein 1955, Nita majored in English,her sights planted in a career inteaching. But newly married to BobLeland, who had signed up withthe US Air Force for the next fouryears, teaching did not seem quiteas important as traveling to Franceto be with her new husband. Nitaremembers moving into their first

off base apartment, located inIssoudun, France, an experience tosay the least. I suffered from cultureshock, leaving a crowded dormitory andmy family to live in a little (foreign)town where no one spoke mylanguage.

While Bob was working, Nitabusied herself intheir new home,sewing theirown clothes,baking sixcookies at a timein a tiny, gasoven andwriting essaysabout theirtravels andexperiences. Sheadmits that noone has everread this material

(should not have told us that, Nita).Returning to the states, four kids

followed and teaching was limitedto her immediate household. Butstaying home and raising familiesin the 50s and 60s wascommonplace andrewarding. The streetswere safe andcommunities were strong.

Teaching values to yourchildren and making surethat they were strongenough to face the worldwas never compared to what yourfuture could have been, if only. . .However, today Nita and Bobsgrown children represent an

expansion ofNitaspolishedability to

teach. Kurt,the oldest,lives inBoston, aclassicalmusiccomposer,poet, andpublishedauthor offour books;

Dream OnA portrait of Jenna, Nita Lelands granddaughter wa

painted from a photograph. She used Rose MaddGenuine, Aureolin and Cobalt Blue in this transpare

watercolor, 9 x 6. The work was published in The NeCreative Artist and placed first in watercolor at Weste

Ohio Watercolor Society show

Carl, assistant coach of womensgymnastics at the University ofDenverand excellent photographer

Wes, former high-school scienceteacher, course designer, certifiedski instructor and river guide,mountain climber, guitarist andpotter; and Kathleen, executive

editor for Xerox, an excellent writeand editor. Kathleen and herhusband, Tim, also have twochildren,Jenna and Daniel.

Although one is never preparedto see their children grow up andmove on, it is inevitable that it willhappen, and when it does, youknow your life will never be thesame. Its almost like moving to astrange place with strange people,


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beginning life all over again.Nothing feels comfortable and it ishard to find meaning in a different,daily routine. Nita Leland refusedto let this new phase of her life turninto memories, pictures andwaiting on grandkids. She got upand got to work, even when shewasnt in the mood.

In 1970, Bob bought Nita her first

set of watercolors and encouragedher to take a class in painting. Busywith a career as an attorney, Bobknew it was time for Nita to finallyhave a chance to expand on hervery own interests. She jumpedin with both feet, her husbandnot surprised in the least. WhenNita first picked up that brush,she appeared to have grown aset of wings. Teaching, writing,and painting, the tireless artist

seemed to have no end to hercreating, sharing a world full ofenthusiasm and knowledge ofcolor and design with others.

Almost immediately (once Ibegan studying watercolor) myearly efforts at painting sharpenedmy visual awareness to a greaterappreciation of the world aroundme. Somehow this raised me out ofmy sheltered world where my familywas growing up, and would soon be

going on their own.Nita has written three best

selling art instruction books andhas contributed countless articlesto art publications. Also theauthor and publisher ofExploring Color ColoringBook - a workbook for artists,Leland also works as a freelanceconsultant to manufacturers ofart materials. In the past sixmonths, she has conductedworkshops in Canada,

Wisconsin, Colorado, Texas andFlorida.

Lelands approach towarddeveloping the differenttechniques, learning to get yourmind in focus, theexperimentation andrealism are much differentthan other how to booksbecause of the great detailin approaching color and

exercises on trying-it activities tocreate your own sense of becomingan individual and unique colorist.Her newest book, Confident Color:

An Artist's Guide to Harmony,Contrast and Unity lives up to itspromise of being more descriptivein its step-by-step demos, showinghow different artists use color intheir work. Over fifty

contemporary artists contributedtheir work for illustration.

Leland does not consider herself

to be a teacher extraordinaire,moving and shaking the earth as none else can. She merely presentsthe facts; using simple techniques tawaken a vividness of color andendless ideas that lie deep in ourminds, ready to be released. Kids,travel, color; life-Nita has seen bothsides, with and without a brush.Like a bee without clover, like a

Mother without her children, NitaLelands brush has brought a newchapter in her life.

Music of the spheresThis fluid acrylic monotype, 11 x 10 work began with artist Leland pouring fluid Quinacridone Magent

Cadmium Red, Hansa Yellow Light and Turquoise Blue on a Plexiglas printing plate. Before pressing a piecof illustration board onto the paint to make the print, Nita said, I played with the colors


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Running throug h the daisies, by Elizabeth Layton, dispels the idea that love is only for the young. She and her second h usbaGlenn, run toward one another through a field of flowers, each clutching a plucked daisy on which a single petal is l

rawing helped artistovercome depressionElizabeth Layton (1909-1993) was an unlikely artist who begandrawing very late in life. Without previous art experience ortraining, she produced artwork notable for its detail,composition and depth of emotion. The history of art is full ofefforts to express our universal feelings. What sets Laytonsdrawings apart is their wide scope, their freshness, and theirexpression of hope in the face of adversity.

Continued top of next page

By Kay Sluterbeck


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Layton: Kansas artist Continued from previous page

She was the managing editor of herhometown newspaper, and came froma long line of writers and journalists.She raised five children by herself aftera divorce. She also suffered fromsevere depression that came and wentthroughout most of her life. All of theseconditions combined to produce a

woman of extraordinary strength andimagination who had great sympathyfor people who struggled and suffered.

Whatever wellspring produced herartwork, Laytons talent was notevident in her early life. A native ofWellsville, Kansas, she was strugglingwith bipolar illness and profounddepression in 1977, when she was 68years old. As a reach for therapy, shetook a drawing class at a localuniversity. In the class she learned thetechnique of blind contour drawing inwhich the artist looks at the paper only

for points of reference, concentrating on

the subject, or its reflection in a mirror,rather than watching the line drawn onthe paper.

The effect of this learning experienceon Layton was amazing. Art becamemore than therapy for her. She credited

it with saving her life and pulling herfrom the depths of despair. Every dayshe drew self-portraits that reflected herresponse to her life, her feelings, andthe social issues around her. She drew

herself in all kinds of scenarios and ascharacters such as Cinderella, LadyMacBeth, and the Greek Muses, allmorphed into older women.

Her work dispels the myths andmisconceptions of old age. She did nohesitate to use personal and painfulsubject matter. Her drawings have theenthusiasm and eye for detail of a mucyounger artist, and reflect herexpectations as a woman, a wife and

mother, and a strong-willed socialactivist.

Not many artists can producedrawings that reach such a breadth ofemotion, from devastating rage toabsolute joy. And few have depictedsuch strong social concerns aboutsubjects such as capital punishment,homelessness, hunger, racial prejudiceAIDS, aging, and the right to die.

When asked why she took on suchsubjects rather than drawing hometowissues, she responded, These arehometownissues to me.They are closeto my heart.

Laytonsextraordinarydrawings andwritings havebeen exhibitedat theSmithsoniansNational Museumof American Artand in morethan 200 art museums and centersthroughout the United States.

Layton didnt care whether or nother work was art. She said that if oneof her drawings conveyed a particularfeeling that other people could identifywith, then the drawing was successfulto her.

Her self-portraits were part of ajourney toward self-healing. Whatcame out of this process was anunprecedented representation of oldage that neither romanticized it nor

apologized

for it. Herwork tellsus thathumanexperienceis universaand theemotionsshe depictsmay be feltby all of us

Getting ideas and recording themThe most basic problem in painting or drawing is coming up with a subject. Very

few artists are able to work from their imagination only. For most people there has to besome kind of source material to use as a springboard. Also, the best paintings are ofsubjects that really interest you. If you hate painting flowers but try to do it becausemany of your friends like flower pictures, the resulting paintings will probably belifeless because you arent truly interested in flowers.

One of the best magic books for source material is your own sketchbook. Fill itspages with drawings of things youve observed from life. Sketch objects around the

house and yard, people, and family pets. If you go on a trip, take your sketchbook anddraw things that interest you. Later on when youre looking for an idea, you can use asketch or combine elements from several sketches to make a picture.

Many artists carry cameras to catch fast-moving scenes or as a way to make visualnotes for future reference. Inexpensive disposable cameras are perfect for this use.You can put one in your pocket if you go out for a walk, and use it to record goodpainting subjects. Another good place for photography is at the zoo, where you cansnap pictures of the animals as they move around in their enclosures. Dont forget totake pictures of the people looking at the animals sometimes they are just asinteresting.

Cameras are also a good tool for portraits and paintings of children, who usuallyarent able to sit still for long. It saves time in portraits of adults as well. The artist cantake a number of different poses and later select the best to paint.

It should be kept in mind that photos are great raw material. You dont have to copy

the photo line for line. A photograph is like clay; how you use it and what you designfrom it depends on your own creativity. You can change the lighting, move thingsaround or take them out, or combine things from several photographs to make the bestpainting or drawing possible. In other words, just think of the photo as another tool,like your brushes or pencil, and dont let it boss you around.

With the advent of camcorders and cell phones which can record moving scenes,another recording tool is available for artists. Some DVD and video players can freezethe exact frame you want long enough to do sketching and painting. This is great if youhave moving footage of a fast sporting event, or scenes from a dance class orgymnasium. Be sure you have permission to photograph.

If you get in the habit of carrying a small sketchbook or camera, you can quicklyaccumulate plenty of ideas for paintings.


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Collecting shouldmake you smile

People have always enjoyed collecting things. Maybe the firstcollection started when someone painted a picture on the wallof a cave, and someone else said, Hey, thats nice. Would youdo one on my wall? Or did statues come first? Spirits oranimals carved out of wood or stone would have served a

purpose, as well as being decorative. However collecting began,people now collect just about everything. You can collectimportant things, or you can collect things that have no purposeor use, and that may not even look pretty. You can even collectbooks about the things you collect. If someone wrote a bookabout the history of collections, book collectors would probablyadd it to their collections.

Meanwhile, its inspiring tocontemplate people who collect originalart. An artist creates a unique item nothing else in the world is exactly like

it. Art collectors can have whole roomsfull of one-of-a-kind items. They canhave things worth millions, or thingsworth nothing except to the collectorand the artist.

There are endless kinds of art tocollect. Some people collect art done bytheir relatives. Maybe Aunt Fanny isntthe greatest artist in the world, but herstill life paintings include her ownvases and flowers, and maybe shespainted a picture of things that youyourself own. This makes for anenjoyable personal art collection, and it

probably makes Aunt Fanny happy aswell.

Other people specialize in certainkinds of art. They collect only pottery,or only oil paintings, or only handmade

jewelry. You can get even morespecialized and collect, for example,pottery that is useful. Then every timeyou stir up cake batter in that beautifulhandmade mixing bowl, you get extraenjoyment from an ordinary task.

Sometimes a collector lucks into

something really unique. HunterDavies is an ordinary British citizen,who enjoys collecting paintings. He hasabout 30, mostly without

any kind of theme orpattern. None of themwas expensive; he boughtthem simply because heliked looking at them.

In 1975, when Davieswas the editor of theSunday Times Magazine, afreelance photographersent some transparenciesof paintings done by alocal landlady inPlymouth, England.Davies loved the pictures,

thought they were wortha story, and rushed intothe magazines artdepartment where hewas told the paintingswere boring, boring, totalamateur, crude andderivative.

Davies was alwayshaving arguments withthe art department, and heusually gave in because

they knew so much, and were awfullyclever. But this time he insisted ondoing a story about the artist. He calleher up himself and interviewed her onthe phone. She really did run aguesthouse; she painted pictures on thside, and she was about to have her firexhibition.

To help her out, Davies bought oneof her paintings. He chose a whimsicapicture of three women in bright bikin

sunbathing in a tiny back yard. Heliked the painting because it made himsmile, and also because it reminded himof his twin sisters whod lie prone in thetitchy back garden of our house wheneverthe sun came out.

The painting cost him only tenpounds (at the time, about $20 U.S.). Heintended to buy more of her paintings,but didnt get around to it. He nowwishes that he had. During her firstshow, the artist, Beryl Cook,immediately became so popular thather prices rocketed. She is now

arguably the most popular artist inGreat Britain, and gets up to 45,000pounds (about $67,000 American money)or more for a painting.

Davies could sell his Beryl Cookpainting and make a lot of money on itbut he wont give it up. It has hungprominently in his home for years, andit still makes him smile. Which isprobably the best reason for buying ankind of art that it always gives youpleasure.

Granny and her Pet Mouse Beryl C


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come in several forms, includingwayang golek, which are flat, painted

rod puppets, and wayang klitik, whichare painted, flat woodcarvings abouthalf an inch thick. Wayang kulit, orskin puppets, is now the best-knownform of Indonesian puppet theatre.Wayang kulit shows display only theshadow of the puppet instead of thefigures themselves. These puppetswere developed because as Islam cameto Indonesia, displaying actualrepresentations of a god or gods wasprohibited, but shadows wereacceptable..

Making a wayang kulit figure takes

several weeks, with groups of artistworking together. They begin bytracing a paper master model ontoleather, skin or parchment, providingan outline of the figures and indicationsof any holes that must be cut (such as forthe mouth or eyes). The figures aresmoothed, usually with a glass bottle,and primed. More smoothing andinspection follows. The figures arepainted by specialized craftsmen, eventhough during the shadow performancethe colors and painted details will notbe seen.

The final stepis to attach themovable parts(upper arms, lowerarms with hands,and rods tomanipulate the

parts). Thepuppet has acentral staff onthe body whichthe puppeteer

holds. Up to ten figures at a time canbe made during a week. For the most

part the traditional puppet designshave changed very little in the last 300years, although some performancesnow include objects such as airplanes,cars, and bicycles which are added forcomic effect.

Less expensive puppets,often sold to childrenduring performances, aremade of cardboard insteadof leather and painted withspray techniques, usingstencils, and with adifferent person handlingeach color.

All the puppets are manipulated byone man, the dalang, who speaks all th

voices as well. The performance isaccompanied by a gamelan orJavanese orchestra of 12 to 40instruments.

Shadow puppet performances areheld at night. The shadows of thepuppets are projected on a stretchedwhite cloth screen by a flickeringcoconut oil lamp; this, combined withthe lifelike movements created by thedalang, brings the shadows of thepuppets to life. Nowadays, electriclight bulbs are often substituted for oillamps, and some modern wayang

performances use colored lights andother innovations.

Performances include short,humorous plays and epicperformances. The epics are sometimelong and very complicated, often basedon Hindu literature and othertraditional stories. Only a smallsegment of the epic plots are presentedin one evening.

Although the plays have many levewhich are difficult for non-Indonesian

observers tounderstand, th

beauty of theshadows, theskill of thedalang, and thesounds of theorchestracombine tocreate a movinexperience forthe viewer.

he Shadow Puppets of IndonesiaIn our country puppet shows are often thought of as amusement for children. But in many areas of theworld, puppet theatre performances are entertainment for both adults and children. The IndonesianWayang is the most ancient and most popular form of puppet theatre in the world. The first recordedwayang performance is mentionedin an inscription dated 930 AD.

Many features of this traditionalpuppet theatre are carried on justas they were in earliest times.Hundreds of people will stay up allnight long to watch the superstar

puppeteers, called dalang, who get extravagantfees and are international celebrities.

The wayang figures are rod puppets which


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I have lived in various places andobserved the landscapes of the coast,the desert, the plains and the forests.What has always stopped me in mytracks is the light of the sky during

daybreak and sunset.


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Reaching for You

Father can you see me nowAt nineteen years of age, Ober-Rae Starr Livingstone decided to embark on a journey around the world.He hitchhiked, took buses, trains, and even worked on sea-going freighters. India, Nepal, Afghanistan, Iran

and several other countries taught him one significant lesson, beauty can be found everywhere-in thelandscapes and in the people. He arrived back in the states with a renewed awareness, wanting to share theworldwide phenomenon of peace and beauty, returning us to the Eden within ourselves and to rememberthat we are all a part of this experience.Coming from a large, supportive family, artist Livingstone credits his Father with being his most importantmentor. Returning from my travels, my Father recognized the need I had to express creativity and led metoward art, says Ober-Rae. He encouraged me every step of the way and created projects that he askedme to help him with. Forty years later and his Father now gone, the path that they once shared will beforever present. See Father next page

Ober-Rae Starr Livingstone


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Father Continued from next page

Livingstone is an abstract painter whoworks with acrylics, layering to achieve abalance of shapes and colors. The

intensity of color is what brings his work ta heart stopping experience. Usinganywhere from six to twenty layers of coloon most parts of the canvas, Ober-Rae isable to achieve a healing, energeticinspiration from a God-made wonder, thesky.

He approaches each new paintingwith a sense of challenge, not unlike ourown lives. The problems, the learningprocess, the struggles and frustration thatfinally lead to that light at the end of thetunnel motivates him to seek theawareness that makes his work stand outand speak.It is not unusual for me toentirely paint over a canvas that I havebeen working on for several days if itbegins to feel like the painting is stuckand I am getting into a mental strugglewith it, says Ober-Rae. Although self-taught, many artists throughout the yearshave had an influence, mainly in theircolor fields. Mark Rothko, Sam Francis,various artists of the 60s and one of hisfavorites, M. Katherine Hurley, whosework amazes and inspires him to keep

working and improve his techniques.Ober-Rae Starr Livingstone has made huge statement in the last ten years and hpaintings have been featured in suchplaces as: The Knoxville Art Museum,Miller Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio, and theUniversity of Cincinnati. Publicationsinclude: The Artists Magazine, CincinnaEnquirer, City Beat, Art DraglaisMagazineand Mount Shasta Magazine

Ober-Rae has found a purpose thatmany of us only dream of finding. I painthe landscape with the hope that, throughdepicting the beauty of Creation, otherswill remember that feeling of awe andpeace that we often experience when westop to watch a sunset, or to observe theplay of light dancing on water, or whenwe take the time to observe sun andshadow sweeping across a valley.

Artist Livingstone lives in Cincinnati,Ohio and hopes to be represented inmany more galleries in the future. For moinformation, www.newageart.com.

Being Still

Still Time

Our Secret Place


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(also called Whistle register). A goodvocal teacher is absolutely essential fortraining the voice in breathing,resonance, volume, phrasing and warmups to achieve Opera status.Disciplining ones voice to perfect operquality is not merely a passion forsinging but a way of life.

Performing well for a

hall full of operaenthusiasts is like hitting ahome run on the baseballfield to most singers. Themagnitude of havingcomplete control of aperfected voice andthrowing tones with eachchange of a scene isincredibly thrilling to boththe players and theaudience.

The electrifyingperformances that

were once onlyfound in Europeanopera houses orfrom singers trainedabroad is no longer

just a dream tomany musicallytalented youngpeople. Severalschools exist in theMidwest where awish can becomereality when, at onetime, the opera

seemed too far away to touch. TheClevelandInstitute of Music in Ohio,the Indiana University in Indiana or thWestminster College in Pennsylvaniaare excellent places to begin for moreinformation into a world of music,language and acting.

Becoming a diva is possible andrewarding but only if you have thefortitude to make it your life's journey.

choes of spectacular voicesOpera is not for everybody, says Blanche Thebom, co-founder of the Opera Arts TrainingProgram in San Francisco, California. The feeling today is that the average young person doesnthave much discipline because with TV and computers, everything is so facile, so easy. Criticized attimes for her lack of compassion in the three-week rigorous training program, often reducing

the 13 to 17 year olds to tears during challenging workouts, Thebom knows that these young girls arewilling to push their voices beyond physical limits to become a part of the opera world and she doesnot flinch in showing them what it takes to get there.

star, she continued in the public eye onTV and served on several committees,including being Chairperson of theMetropolitan Opera

Considered a musical instrumentwithin the human body, the voice is aninteresting but complex machine.Positioning the tongue or lip position,loosening or tightening

vocal chords andregulation of airpressure can create analready near perfectvoice into one of graceand substance,traveling far over asixty member orchestraand beyond, strokingeven a rock outside ofa packed theatre.

The registers involved in the humanvoice are Chest, Middle voice, Headvoice and Super Head Voice/Falsetto

Thebom sang with theMetropolitanOpera in New York City for twenty-three years and was the first Americanartist to sing at the Bolshoi Opera inMoscow. Born in Pennsylvania in 1918,Blanche spent a large portion of herchildhood in Canton, Ohio, where herfamily had relocated, and she alwayswanted a career in singing. The lack of

money in the thirties left Blanch topractice her voice in any way possible.The church choir and weddings helpedher keep a glint of promise toward a lifeof song as she worked as a secretary topay the bills.

Her chance arrived in 1938 when heremployer offered to pay for her studywith prominent voice teachers. Yearsof study and intense training couldnever prepare her for the harshcriticism of reviewers of becoming anew, young rising star but she refusedto be beaten and today, passes this

knowledge along to others.Another prime example of the

tireless, extreme career of a celebratedfemale singer, often referred to as adiva, is Brooklyn born Beverly Sills.Devoted to voice lessons with EstelleLieblingat the age of nine andgraduating from the ProfessionalChildren's School in 1945 at age sixteen,ten years of grinding work began as shetoured with opera companies. But itwas not until 1955 and eightunsuccessful auditions later that Sillswas finally received in her dbut at theNew York City Opera as Rosalinde in"Die Fledermaus".

Beverly also proved that you don'thave to be of international breed tomake it in the world of opera, marryinga journalist from Cleveland, whoworked at the local newspaper, ThePlain Dealer. Always a smile on her faceand known for her warmth, intelligenceand humor, her nickname of Bubbles

just seemed to fit. When Bubbles had torelieve her singing career as an opera

paint box section/2008-09 fall-winter/art-to-art palette journal print edition

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