In the most recent issue of Plein Air magazine, painter Lori Putman is quoted saying, "Paint adverbs and adjectives, not nouns." YES!!!
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO PAINT NOUNS?
Nouns label the subject - a tree, a bird, a face. Nouns tell you nothing about how to paint that
subject. Rather than seeing the shadow patterns of a tree, you're most likely to paint some memory of treeness. Rather than finding the unique shapes within a woodpecker, you're likely to do just an outline of the bird.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO PAINT ADJECTIVES?
If, on the other hand, you looking for degrees of values within shadow areas of a tree or a woodpecker or even a face, you begin to discover
the unique characteristics caused by shadow patterns. If you focus your attention on the nuances of color changes within the shapes, you're seeing even more. These observations tell you how to paint the subject.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO PAINT ADVERBS?
Adverbs tell you what the subject is doing, how the shapes are moving. They tell you the direction of movement. Rather than just make an outline of the bird's silhouette, you begin to see directional
movement of lines within the shape.
Using as your subject this photo of a horse, do a quick study in which you switch your total attention to the shadow patterns within the horse
itself. Make these shadow patterns in one single value.
Here's an example of how that might work: no lines, no divisions between shapes in shadow, just the shadow pattern itself. This process is painting adjectives.
_____________________________________________
Many thanks to all of you who've sent me cards, emails and other messages, wishing me a full recovery from my knee replacement. I have made miraculous progress from the beginning and now can safely say that the knee is
about 80% towards full recovery. I'll be finished with physical therapy next week and plan to be back in full action in July. Stay tuned!
You can access the archive of all my newsletters at anytime by going HERE. |
|
|
|
