On completing a Commission

A Commission will take you on a journey and as with any journey, you want to be prepared. Not to take the adventure out of it, but to avoid unnecessary anxiety and stress as you get further down the road.

I suggest that you ask your client to check out your website or facebook page,  to view your work so they can see the type of paintings you paint.  The fact that they have commissioned you to do a painting for them means that they like what you do, but I still feel it is important to gain clarity from them about colour, size and more or less what they expect from you. Clear direction is imperative as they may have a picture in their head about what they would like and you may have a completely different picture in yours and this could be a disaster.

Once I have a clear idea of what they would like,  I prepare my canvas and do a quick sketch before getting into the painting, and I put some paint out to do the underpainting.  This is a time, where I can be very loose and do virtually anything that makes me feel good. It really does not matter at this point as nothing will stay the same. This stage is wonderful and free.

As the journey continues, I hit blocks every now and then. At various stages one may feel that an area of the painting is so lovely that you are terrified to lose what you have got, nevertheless, the show must go on and so must you. We have to push through those times where we have no idea what to do and just keep putting paint onto the canvas.  (Perseverance is the key) Until you reach a stage that you are feeling utterly despondent, then you put the painting aside and have a cup of tea, go for a walk, take a break and put the brushes down.

 I do take a photograph and send the Client an image at this point, just to get some feedback from him, as to whether he is happy with it so far. I explained that there were still additions ie a cottage to be added.  He responded positively to the colouring and the general feeling of the work, which gave me the confidence to continue, knowing that I was on the right track. This was an intuitive thing to do.

When I went back to it, it was with fresh eyes. Sometimes I even go and paint on another painting, or start a small painting, just to take me away completely from what I am doing. which is wonderful.

 This last Commission I did something I have never tried before. I did some abstracts when I put it aside. This was an interesting experience for me. It gave me complete freedom. I did not even have to think about what went where and whether it looked like something in particular. I put squiggles and made any marks that took my fancy and I enjoyed it and had so much fun. When I finally went back to the Commission,  somehow that freedom came with me and I was able to complete it effortlessly.......

The Client was delighted and so was I...

"RADIANCE' -  Oil on Canvas Stretcher

"Art is not necessarily what you see, but what you make others see"

Inspiration at Sunrise

I always seem to harp on about getting inspired by going out into nature and absorbing the natural world into our being.  This morning once again I was surprised and delighted at how true it actually is, that when one walks into a sunrise one is immediately inspired. One's whole being comes alive with the possibilities of the oncoming day.

We cannot help noticing how the colours change from a deep red, to orange, to yellow, as with the sun itself, which affect the colours in the sky, the sea, the sand and the land.

Our senses are heightened at this time. We are "tuned in" to what is happening around us and all the while, absorbing these colours that are so magnificent, into our being, through our eyes.

This miracle is "given" to us as a gift, daily.  It is our duty to make sure that we do not miss this moment in time, this gift of being present to receive what is being presented to us by our Creator.

The fact that we receive this opportunity, at no charge, daily is the biggest Blessing we will ever receive. As artists' we need to feed ourselves daily on inspiration such as this, to keep our Spirit and our creativity alive and fresh.

We then, in turn, are able to share this gift with others, by painting from our Soul.

If we merely copy what other artists have done, we are replicating, and although it may look like a pretty picture, there will be no substance and soul to the artwork. So please go out there and take yourself into nature at sunrise and receive the gifts that await you. You won't be sorry...

"The principal of true art is not to portray, but to evoke"

Jerzey Kozinsky

How to get started with a painting

 I seldom start a painting in the same way each time. I  have no recipe or formula. What I sometimes do,  is use up paint left over on my palette to start a new painting at the end of a day.  This painting can often turn out to be amazing,  because all you want to do is use up the paint quickly to clean the palette, so you are in a very spontaneous and loose frame of mind.

This is one way to start a painting.

 If I have an idea of what I want to paint, I use my references to block it in.    If I dont have something specific in mind I will simply take one colour of my choice and coat the canvas with a colour mixed down with genuine turpentine or medium (which could consist of alkyd and/or one third linseed oil and two thirds genuine turpentine. This leaves the canvas open to any idea I may have and does away with the stark white canvas.

Yesterday, I had finished a session of painting on my large commission,  and had a substantial amount of paint left on my palette.  I had planned to paint a series of small seascape impressions, so I laid my canvasses out.  I then took my references and did some underpaintings with the left over paint from my day's painting. I had fun, drawing out some of them in ultramarine blue or burnt sienna, (for this you can use any colour of your choice.) Others I blocked in with large brush strokes.

This is the perfect time for experimentation because you have nothing specific tying you down.

I leave these overnight or even for a day or two, so the underpainting is completely dry before I carry on. Each process of painting should be fun, spontaneous and joyful and this process makes for a really good start.

 "Spontaneous Seascape"

     

"Spontaneity is being present in the present moment" 

Wei Wu Wei

Sometimes Commissions can be intimidating.....

 For 3 days now, I have been staring at a large white canvas on my easle.  I was very excited to receive a commission recently and couldn't wait to get started, however when I got the canvas up and ready I suddenly hit a blank.  Now don't get me wrong this was a painting I was REALLY excited about doing.  In my head it was half done, but when confronted with that blank canvas on the Easle, for some reason every bit of inspiration flew out of the window! I looked and looked at it everytime I went into the studio, but there was always something to distract me from picking up the brushes. They were little things , I told myself I wanted to get rid of any of the small "things to do" before I started, but it was pure procrastination turns out.

Yesterday, I finally decided that I would paint the edges of a few smaller paintings that were completed and were standing around for weeks, waiting for a signature and edges to be done.
I squeezed some fresh paint out to paint the edges and did what had to be done. It felt good to finally be in my studio again.  I put my music on and just did it. 

There was a fair amount of paint left on the palette once I had completed the edges, and I added some genuine turps to make the paint fluid and thought I would just slap it onto the large canvas to break the white staring back at me...... and then it happened , I started having fun, not trying too hard or even having reference material, I just went with the flow and voila....... I realized that I had started my Commission. What a great feeling!

It just takes a smalll action to change the energy that can stop us from getting started.  Almost like it opens the airways.  I like to look at it as energy, because I find this can happen with anything. If we get out of a routine that is healthy for us, one small action, like going for a dip in the ocean can cleanse the soul to such an extent that you feel revived and restored again, to start something that you have been dragging your heels to get into.. In the same way by squeezing out some fresh paint, can be like diving into the Ocean.....

"The key to successfully working on a Commission is your ability to be flexible 

and communicate with the person who hires you"

Struggling with Artists' Block...

We all at times struggle to feel inspired.  Even the great Artists, The Old Masters, struggled with this. I didn't  believe it, until I read a number of autobiographies by great artists and the common thread was that they ALL from time to time, struggled with a feeling of emptiness,  with no bright ideas on the horizon, and this often led to what is known as artists block
  .
This is how I overcome Artists' Block.


TAKE A BREAK......This is when one has to force oneself to get out into nature, take a walk , have a swim, smell the roses.

MAKE A COMMITMENT..... Then get to your easle, no matter how many stories you tell yourself that you have no desire to paint, or even to be at your easle. Sometimes by forcing yourself to JUST BE THERE, is enough to get the flow going.   Tell yourself, it's a good day to clean up, wash your brushes, clean your paints, get your painting area tidy.  That is often enough to get the ideas going.  Suddenly you see something, an old painting, a photograph or an idea randomly pops into your head. Before you know it, you're on your way.  You may just end up with a masterpiece!

HAVE A TRIGGER ..... A piece of music that you love has a way of getting you directly into the zone. Always start a session in your painting space/studio with the same piece of music so it becomes synonymous with your painting time. I also like to light a candle/and or some incense which reminds me of my connection to the Divine.

PREPARE CANVASSES .......You can  prepare some small (or large) canvasses when you are not inspired. That way they will be ready for you to pick up whenever you are wanting to try something new or when you need to get the juices flowing. I like to do a small painting first if I have an idea for a large one. It helps me to get the colour balance and the composition correct.

And lastly ...................................SKETCH SKETCH SKETCH!

"Homeward Bound" Southern Drakensberg, KZN. www.dianeerasmus.com 

"INSPIRATION EXISTS, BUT IT HAS TO FIND YOU WORKING"

Pablo Picasso

What inspires you?

I believe that you must paint what you love. If flowers inspire you, paint them. If it's trees, then sketch them, and paint them.

I am a firm believer in painting what excites you. For me, a walk along the shore at sunrise, puts me into a happy space. Breathing in the sea air, the rising sun peeping over the horizon, as a seagull flies solo or the light dancing on the edge of the wave. These are the special moments that get my artistic juices flowing.

I remember reading once that watching the sunrise balances the Chakras, as the entire colour spectrum is absorbed through your eyes. By the time the sun is up you can start your day feeling perfectly balanced in body mind and spirit.

The reason it is important to paint what you love, is that it shows in the painting.

Start with a loosely painted or sketched impression so that you dont feel any pressure "to produce a masterpiece"  When you start in this way, with the focus on having some fun, you will not only get into the zone quickly, but you will enjoy the process immensely.

Mix the colours mentally as you watch the sunrise (or whatever your chosen subject is).
Think to yourself  " How would I mix that colour?)

Put the emphasis on "playing" and dont try too hard. LET GO AND LET GOD.

REMEMBER to do a ten minute sketch daily, of anything. Sketching will help develop your "artist's eyes". Take note of the spaces around your subject i.e. the negative spaces.

HAVE FUN!

"ART ENABLES US TO FIND OURSELVES AND LOSE OURSELVES AT THE SAME TIME"

Thomas Merton

Lets start at the very beginning.... the sky's the limit

If you are new to Art, you are about to embark on a life long journey of discovery.

You will start to see things in an entirely different way.  Everything you look at will have colours you would never have believed were in them. A sky for example, that you thought was blue with white clouds, will take you through a rainbow of nuances, from greys to yellows to

violets. You will wonder how you never saw these colours before.  It is as if a switch has been flicked and you have a new set of eyes! These are your painter's eyes. It will change your way of looking at things forever. Looking at a simple sky, for example, becomes really exciting!

Skies can vary depending on the mood of the day.  The most uninteresting sky will be that of a perfect day, where the whole sky is one colour.  The more interesting skies will have a mixture of three or four colours. The trick is to get the right amount of each colour mixed, and that can only come with practice. So the more you paint, the quicker you will learn about colour.

To paint from life is best and it is where you learn the most.  When you are staring at the sky and trying to match the colours, it is much easier than painting from a photograph, which is dull and uninteresting. Painting from life will enliven you and you will have a rapport with your subject.

The mood will grab you and enhance your painting more than you can ever imagine. 

It will at times be challenging as the changing light happens fast, but that is where you learn the most,  from Nature itself.  It is our teacher in many ways and especially in painting.

"Aim for the sky, but move slowly, enjoying every step along the way. It is all those little steps that make the journey complete".  - Chanda Kochhar