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The Hidden Revealed

Cheryl
Watching a large bird soar on the wind, for a moment I could glimpse the invisible currents of air as it rose and dipped without any movement of its wings. And I thought, isn’t it like that with all invisible things? They are seen only in the effect they have on things nearby. We are surrounded with a substance we cannot see, the air, but we understand it primarily by the effect that it has on objects within it. When I say “a windy day”, images of tree branches or leaves moving come to mind. Even fog is  simply water droplets floating in the air – we never actually see the air itself. The same with gravity. And so are other invisible things understood by the effect that they have on those who are near. Things like love, hate, kindness, are never seen with the eye. They only become visible in the words and actions of those who are moved by them. In some ways God is like that too – invisible but seen in the actions of those who are near to God. And as far as art is concerned, when it is expressing a heart felt emotion, whether it is pure emotion or an emotional response to a subject, it is making visible that which was previously invisible. A high calling indeed. 
Castle150

Lines on Canvas

Cheryl
Sometimes drawing lines on canvas to start a painting is useful, and sometimes they are a handicap. It’s one of those things where you need to experiment to see which method brings out the best in your painting. Beginners often assume that the more lines to start with the better, but that’s often not true. Too many lines can make for a tight (read: uptight) rendering rather than a free painterly expression. Granted, there are time I recommend lines. Certainly in portrait work, many artists start with a light pencil sketch on the canvas to help with accuracy. Difficult angles in architecture are helped by some lines as well. However, starting without line allows the painter to freely block in shapes and get an overall sense of composition and values more quickly. The best advice I can give is to start with as few lines as possible. And, if you like to start with a pre-coloured canvas that is medium to dark in value, white chalk is a great thing to draw the lines with. 

Playing with Fire

Cheryl
Oooooooh – I love this! Dale Chihuly: Playing with Fire “If you know exactly what you’re doing and make it everytime, it’s not going to be interesting. Go beyond what you can do – it’s more interesting that way.” (And thank you to The Art People for posting this on Facebook.) 
Mnt3T

Your Amazing Voice

Cheryl 2 Comments
Some things have a way of causing a sense of awe to well up inside me – such as those amazing photos from deep space, the deep stillness by a mountain lake – and your amazing voice. “What?”, you say. Do I even know you? I actually don’t have to. Here’s the thing. Everyone has a very unique individual voice. Not necessarily the one you talk with, although those are special too – I’m thinking of the one you create with. In creative arts, painting is what I’m most acquainted with. Imagine this – a class of 14 students. Let’s say they are pretty new into art and so I’m helping them step-by-step through a painting – carefully giving colour and technique instructions. At the end of the class we set the 14 paintings against the wall – and guess what? NONE of them look the same! Each bears the stamp of the unique individual who created it! Then as students get more proficient, their individual voice gets even stronger. How amazing that we should each have our own distinctive creative voice! I think I have one of the best jobs ever, helping people discover this. What do you think? Do you know that you have an amazing voice? 
BegT

What You Love, What I Love

Cheryl 2 Comments
The fact is, the arts are subjective. The dictionary defines subjective as “…the nature of an object as it is known in the mind  as distinct from the object itself.” In art, this means that a painting I love is not necessarily one that you also love. And what is really tricky, there’s not necessarily a right or wrong about differing opinions on art. Perhaps you have a hectic life, and would love a painting that reads as calm and peaceful in your home. Perhaps you are high energy and want a painting that reads the same. Maybe you delight in a detailed realistic rendering, or perhaps you love to let your imagination explore abstract shapes. And so our mind rules our opinion of the artistic object, in this case a painting, aside from what the actual object is. Subjectivity is, I think, a good thing by and large. It allows for a great many different artistic expressions appealing to a large range of audiences. It means that there is no one best way to interpret a subject artistically. That all said, I’m never going to love your painting of Elvis on black velvet, but I do respect your right to have it above your couch… if you really must. 
Picasso-dora212

Picasso

Cheryl
I was delighted to see the current Picasso exhibit at Toronto’s Art Gallery of Ontario last week. It’s a wonderful overview consisting of paintings that he did not want to sell, or purchased back in order to have a ‘diary’ of his work. I really enjoyed it even though Picasso isn’t one of my favourite artists. And somehow it struck me as a bit funny that, by the end of the exhibit, faces split into two profiles and body parts in seemingly odd places really didn’t seem so strange at all anymore. The show is on until Aug 26th if you are wanting to see it.