Brushstrokes's Importance

I could have called this post "How to find your style in oil or acrylic...", but it's actually applicable for different techniques.

Artists sometimes think too much about brushstrokes, so much that they lose spontaneity, and it's not pleasant to see a non spontaneous painting, which has been too thoughtful, as if the hand had not known exactly what to do in each case. Others, try to make the brushstroke not to be noticed as if they were afraid of mistaking. All these is normal when we start to learn how to do things, but it's clealy shown in the final artwork.

Talking about this, there is a style that stands out by the force and the thickness of the stroke, without being impressionist, that plays with lights and shadows in such a way that the elements seem to shine from the canvas, almost as if it were a 3d effect. Obviously, only a very experienced hand can do this, taking the eye of the viewer to the whole work and giving it a relief that it still don't have.

It is surprising how this type of work, even without being realistic, may look like that providing an interesting visual game that leads us to complete the missing blur.

Therefore, it is important that we don't hesitate in every brushstroke, that our mental object can be represented by our hand beyond the hyperealist vision without losing the accuracy of what we want to show. Sometimes this takes months, other years, it all depends on how much we practice and how much we let ourselves go with regard to our own vision of things. We don't have to fear or hesitate when painting since sometimes it's better to make mistakes and learn from them than have lot of shy arts from which we learned nothing. 

As an example of this kind of artworks, I want to show you Samantha Black's ones. Currently, she basically works with oil and acrylic and she always knows how strong, thik, clear or dark the stroke has to be in order to give the viewer the perfect idea of what she wants to show. Click on the images to enlarge them and see her work on detail, you'll find she developed other styles with great skill to represent beauty as well. 

Art that Comes from the Heart

Artists have many motivations to paint and they are all valid. But there is one in particular that I, personally, have always considered remarkable and that is the one that comes from the heart.

It's interesting to see how people express their emotions and feelings in a different way. Some sublimate what they can not control in life through sport, excessive order, disorder, food, alcohol, drugs, ... among other things, while others, very few, do it through art. Art then becomes an extension of the spirit, of the soul. It is a way of dealing with pain, anguish,  uncertainty and all the emotions and feelings that the soul can shelter, which are almost endless. Sometimes situations or emotions overflow us and then our instinct leads us to behave either positively or negatively. 

Some people, I insist that few, manage to create beauty from the worst. While most would use all these destructive feelings in a negative way a few use them to create beauty. However, there are two ways of using pain and anguish in art: 1) create as a distraction and 2) get the pain involved in the work. The first case is one of the best ways to put our mind and soul somewhere else, outside us. But the second one, when pain revolves inside us and we're not even able to manage it but we instinctively throw all those feelings in a mass of creativeness, when we are able to pick up those sharping pieces of anguish transforming them in colors and shapes in a canvas, then my friends, then it is when you really are a great artist. It's about sensitivity and row soul, it's about your heart drawing and painting in an even unconscious way.

Of course art is a subjective issue, but paintings that tell us about inner stories are those that personally touch me since the author shows him/her heart naked. It's about courage and braveness as well, and that deserves all our respect and admiration.

I was inspired for this article on Emily Page's artworks, who knows much about feelings and emotions and perfectly managed to create beauty from sadness. Besides being a great artist she gives us a lesson as human beings. I don't want to talk a lot about her work since I prefer you to see it yourselves, I just have to say that she is a fabulous realistic artist who innovates in techniques, and artist with amazing hands and an amazing heart. Click on the images and know more about her, she deserves it. I also invite you to visit her blog  https://emilypageart.net/ and her site  https://emilypageart.com, where you'll not only  be able to know more about her artworks but also about "Fractured Memories: Because Demented People Need Love, Too", an Emily's book which I strongly recommend.

I leave you with this artist today who, by sure, will touch your heart.

The world around us

Artists often paint what surrounds them, sometimes realistically and literally while other times they show that world adding imaginary or symbolic elements. Personally, I prefer the second case. 

It always amazes me the way in which an artist can take to the canvas certain symbolic elements in a practically unconscious way, and not just the elements but the colors. Obviously, this shows how wonderful the plastic arts are since we extract visions and experiences from our deep interior.

Today, I want to show you Maria Woithofer's artworks, I think this could help all those who love painting to improve their ability and know a bit more about what they do and why. She started painting with oils but she currently works with acrylics and watercolor as well. The case is that Maria had two vivid experiences about what was around her as she was born in Poland but moved to Greece, what is a big change for anyone indeed, and we can see that in her paintings, she tells us about her world with her own vision and portrays the wonderful nature for us. 

There are two main things which mainly call my attention about her works and this are: elements and colors. Regarding elements, as you can see in her "Summer" work below, for example, she adds symbolic concepts that takes us to a complete world in a painting. It's her idea of summer, her feelings and experiences playing together to make us have a real sense of what she wants to show us. Besides that, there is some kind of joy in her work. If we visit her gallery we'll see that she's also a great realistic painter as she shows in most of her works, but it seems as if she resigned some perfection to highlight "meaning" in each of her brush strokes, what is in fact contemporary art. 

Regarding color, this calls my attention as well since she has a great use of it linking colors with moods, seasons and personal visions adding, this way, another symbolic element to her works.

What can we learn about all this? Well, in your paintings:

- Put your personal touch.

- Use non traditional elements in a composition.

- Take into account that colors mean emotions.

- Each brush stroke is important.

- Let yourself go ...

Click on the images below to know more about Maria Woithofer, you'll enjoy it.

Find your style in oil - 2 - Beyond Realism

As we've been talking about, having your own and personal style makes the difference in art. There isn't a better or worse style, it's just about how you want to let your creation go. 

About oil, one of my favourites mediums, you can work with it in so many different ways that it would be impossible to describe in just a few lines. Besides, let's take into account that an artist is always improving her/his work, changing, tasting, facing challenges to find the perfect style that fits their inspiration. We grow as human beings, as persons and as artists as well. 

Regarding this post, realism is one of the most extended styles in the history but don't think that they are all the same. Each artist has a special brushstroke and a concept of contrasts and colours as well as a vision of the elements. There is one style in realism in which converge the classic figurative realistic style with the contemporary artist's vision and hand adding the effective touch of modernism that is needed now a days. This kind of art takes us further than the classic one pushing us into a reality which goes beyond the simple figure but to its environment and circumstances as well. 

As I mentioned before, we can find lot of realistic artists in history but they are not all the same even the same, just the opposite. Fortunately, we still have some artists who work with this style and oil medium and who give us as a present their wonderful artworks to our delight. As an example of this, I want to introduce you Dominique Amendola's art, which is already well know around the world. She works with realism but with her special touch and style in which she constantly works. You can click on the images to enlarge them and know more about this excellent artist and visit her site http://dominiqueamendola.com .

Find your style in oil - 1 - Magical Spots

As there is so much to talk about finding a personal style, we better start using numbers and separate them.

Let's imagine that we are in front of a landscape, there are thousand of ways to paint it but each one will determine different reactions in those who see our painting. There is a particular style that is based on (larger or smaller) spots which determine the element's shapes, as well as lights and shadows. When the painting is seen at a distance it seems to have much details, however it is not like that since it is a visual effect. It is what happens with Impressionism, for example.

Is it easy to make this kind of artwork? Of course not. Unlike hyper-realistic work, the artist must have a special ability to know what the final result will be. How can we make that what seems to be a group of simply spots at close range could look like a perfect flower in the distance? We need to have a clear idea of what we are painting, and a great knowledge of form, light and contrast of the elements. We also need to get carried away, realizing that what we see with our eyes should not necessarily be reflected on the canvas as it is, since art painting is partly capture our own assessment of what surrounds us. Moreover, the human eye tends to complete itself the missing parts, and by doing this each observer will have a subjective view.

This is a very artistic style and plays with lights and contrasts that highlights the shapes more than others. It's neither easy nor simple, it's very complex, but if you like this kind of style it will be very pleasant to develop once you get the technique and ease. Anyway, remember that it is not only about what we like but what we feel when developing a style.

As an example of this, I want to show you Katerina Iourashevich Ricci's artworks. She developed a wonderful and lovely style that, at least to me, inspires some kind of tenderness as if what she paints had gone through her personal filter of beauty and vision of the world before capturing it on the canvas. Click on the images to enlarge them and visit her gallery, which will not dissapoint you.

About oil. Do you have a personal style?

Let's talk about oil paintings today. Do you use oil? Do you have a personal style? Some artists create beautiful works, but they fail giving them a personal touch, which is essential if we want others recognize our work at just seeing it. No matter how good we are, if we don't get to define our work with a special style we'll never be truly appreciated and our name will never be truly recognized.

When an artist sees a landscape, for example, she/he highlights certain details in her/his mind, details that the artist usually takes into account in each work of the same characteristics. Moreover, when painting, the artist will surely choose a range of colors, a texture, a type of individual brushstrokes which make the difference.

We can talk a lot about personal styles, we've already done in fact, it is an inexhaustible subject. Today I want to show you Judy Jones artworks, she works with oil and acrylic and her art stands out because of its freshness, perspective, colours, lights and contrasts, which make her works perfectly recognizable. She usually works with realism but leaves the door of imagination open, making of each element a particular and undeniably personal creation.

You can find some examples of her work below, just click on the image and you'll find more details. I invite you to visit her profile as well where you'll find her gallery.

And seeing this artworks I remind you: it's not just about painting but creating as well. Enjoy the visit!

The pleasure of being an artist

Back to oil painting. There are several ways of using oil and each one gives us the opportunity to show something different. Whether it's of realism, surrealism, conceptual, abstract or impressionism, among others, each serves to express ourselves in different ways and, moreover, fits our personality. Sometimes it's not easy for those who begin with painting determine the style that best suits their needs.So we should ask the following questions:

 - What I want to show?
- What it is the most important of what I want to show?
- Are lines what should prevail?
- What I want to show is best achieved with spots?
- Are contrastsrelevant in the subject?
- Is the softness of shapes and vanishing which enhances the idea?
- Are colors important or I prefer to enhance the central figure?

Once we have answered these questions we find it easier to know how to start and where we're heading.

Today, I want to show you Marla McPherson's artworks. She is a painter and photographer as well, but I'll talk about her paintings now. Marla express herself in vibrant colors and conveys the peace and beauty in her artworks basically through an impressionist style that characterizes her. She has no doubt about the above questions since she gets exactly what she wants to show. It seems natural to her the use of colors to capture the idea of beauty as well as a splendid use of shadows and lights that enhance her works.

 As Marla McPherson says in her biography: "I find each time I work I take a spontaneous journey into the unknown. Every time I pick up a brush, palette knife or shoot photos with my camera, I experiment with the power and relationships of color, line and form. I feel very fortunate to be an artist because of the pleasure and excitement I get to experience from this process of continual rediscovery. "

Painting and create are real pleasures, no one can be an artist without feeling it. Recreate the world according to our own look is a privilege. So, let's be as Marla, let's enjoy our work knowing that comes from the depths of our soul.

 Click on the images if you want to see more:

Acrylic, oil and mixed media

Acrylic, oil and mixed media

This time I'm glad to talk about a multidisciplinary artist who can expressed himself by different means, Nacho Recio. He develops in his paintings the oil, acrylic or mixed techniques with complete ease and prevailing his inner vision of the external or internal facts of life and universe. In fact, this is what it is abstract about, a personal and unique vision of the world.

Here you have some of his paintings that teaches us how to let ourselves go and creat from the deepest of our soul.

Here you can find more information about him and his different artworks:

http://www.nachorecio.com/

What about oil?

What about oil?

Some think that the oil is out of fashion today, they relate it to the old Renaissance painters. Others complain about drying time, the difficulty of handling and cleaning materials. Personally, I believe that oil is for certain types of artists and works, but can provide great satisfaction.

You need to have some of these features to use it properly:

1. Do not be lazy
2. To be organized
3. Do not go crazy every time you tha you have to clean brushes, palettes, etc.
4. Be patient
5. Be aware that learning is long, and
6. love this technique

There  are no limits for oil painting, you can develope any style (not only portraits and landscapes). I believe that in a world that seems to move ever faster we want everything to be done right now, but oil gives us the opportunity to evade the rush and focus on our work and creativity. Why not try?

I let you one of my works as an example with oil:

Laura Greco

Helplessness

Oil on canvas

50 x 70

Illustrations and commercial artworks

Illustrations and commercial artworks

Most of us work with illustrations and commercial works to earn our life. There are many ways to sell our work, some better than others. The matter is that during the last decades things changed a lot. 

There was a time when we had to go with our portfolio (on paper) to show the potential clients what we do. Now, things are different, and we have the opportunity to show what we do online. 

Like this:

And remember, when a door closes an other gets opened...

Starting point

Starting point

There are two ways to start a work: we know what we want to say from the very beginning and we try to find de way to express it or we simply know perfectly well what we want to compose. The other is when we want to please the others, so we try find a subject that could be interesting to other people.

Both are valid, one is for our own pleasure and the other is to earn our life with a commercial artwork. Whatever the reason is let's not stop to do what we love: "painting".

But going back to the tittle of this, the only way to start is just starting, forgetting about what other people might think about our work, that's what make us original.

Woman and social stablishment

Oil on canvas

50 x 40 cm

Why not sharing?

Why not sharing?

I have had several initiatives to build sites to share the work of other artists, however, I have found that many don't want to show their work in the midst of other authors.

It makes no sense to feel insecure to show what we do with others, since there is no comparison in art. The perception depends on the other, but we will not be better or worse for that. It is a matter of parameters, some judge the technique while others favor what is expressed. So, why some artists refuse to share a space with other artists? It's a way to make our way in its difficult world that is art.

Let's forget about ancient parameters and let's trust ouselves. if you want your work appear on this blog just send me a message and I'll be pleased to add your works.

Are we doing well?

Sometimes we wonder if we are doing well, we try to please others with our creations but not ourselves. We should try to enjoy what we do, despite it's just an artwork to sell or as an expression of our soul.

No matters what other people think, just be yourself.

Exclusion

Oil on canvas

40 x 60 cm

There are so many ways to feel onseself excluded, it's not necessary to belong to any marginal sector to feel like. It's enough to be different.

What is art?

It has been much disussed through the years about what is art or not. I think art is anything produced by men that brings you an emotion.

Let's start this blog with one of my pictures.

Inner World

Oil on canvas

50 x 70 cm

Sometimes we need to seclude ourselves and get away from the bustle outside. Real peace is just inside you.