Local Artist

The need to represent the third dimension in paintings is sometimes overlooked, particularly by beginners to the medium.

Working in two dimensions (paint on paper or board), it is easy to forget that we need to create form in three. Omitting brushstrokes that travel around the branch of a tree, adding shading to each extension of the human body or natural phenomenon results in flat surfaces. Shape is created by shading, light to dark or vice versa. Abstract forms, are the exception to the rule. No shading is required.

Beginners can find the concept of the third dimension difficult and, thus, wonder what is missing from their work. Form and depth.

Let there be no doubt - colour is what painting is all about.  Whatever the medium, the depth and intensty of it is one of the most rewarding aspects of the work.

Many new artists approach the blank page with only the most basic idea of its importance. Giving no thought to the effect of the choice of colour to the finished work they just hope the subject they are copying or working from will have somehow sorted it all out for them. It would not occur to them to change it. More experienced artists know that they have the power to control mood, atmosphere, temperature and impact by using the correct colours. The increased application of pigment  emphasises shape and depth but does not spoil tonal equanimity.

Using shadows in a painting can affect the way the subject is viewed.  The temperature is altered by their colour, blue creates a cooler effect. Warmer colours such as grey or purple are used to create the suggestion of shadows on a warm day. Deep shade throws the subject into near darkness against bright lighting; lighter ones provide a softer effect.

During the time between the two world wars there came a period of introspection initiated by Sigmund Freud and psychoanalyst thought, greatly persuasive in the art world, particularly.

The main protagonist of the kind of art brought about by looking beyond the classical view of things was the French artist, Henri Rousseau (1844-1910). Surrealists who followed much later were inspired by his way of seeing the world as if in a dream-like state. His naive style was rather child-like but artists saw his fantastical images as thought-provoking and his sylization as another version of the real thing.

The four elements are well-known - Fire, Water, Air and Earth

In Art they may be interpreted thus:- 

• Fire - Desire, Heat, Re-birth, Torture, Inspiration
• Water:- Emotion, Birth, Movement, Calm
• Air:- Thought, Light, Peace, Turbulence
• Earth:- Stability, Firmness, History, Growth