Dana Brown

Back to Watercolor

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:09:47 -0500

I feels strange to not be comfortable with watercolor — but that is the case! I’m pausing to think about how to do it and that is bizarre. I’ve painted in watercolor for almost 20 years but I’ve been totally focused on casein. So, I’m doing a fairly simple piece to get back in the groove.

I’m putting the first washes down now, thinking a great deal as I work. My watercolors progress very slowly in the beginning and pick up speed when they’re past the halfway point. In the beginning, I put down a lot of value changes, working with larger areas - thinking much less about actual color and more about value development. And I’m putting colors down that I hope will peek through the transparent watercolor later in the painting. Those unexpected under colors can perk up a painting later on.

This composition seems overly simple right now but I haven’t added the shadows yet. I think the shadow patterns will bring the energy to the piece. Cross your fingers.

Good bye Casein, Hello watercolor

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:11:55 -0500

I finished the last casein in my industrial architecture group — I could have developed this one further but I like it at this point. And I took the picture with my phone and now can see how much better my camera is for this! I can really tell the difference.

I set this piece aside to breathe, swept the floor and petted Smooch, then went directly over to the watercolor table. It was a strange experience - it felt like a moment that mattered. I do caseins at a small drawing table facing the interior of the room — natural light is less of a concern for me when doing casein. In fact, I really don’t want to focus on light as much so my table is turned away from the windows. Smaller mental space, more of an interior mindset, and lots of concentration are my general attitudes

My watercolors are at a large commercial drawing table set next to the windows. Lots of light splashing over my work surface and I’m facing toward the front of my building - a busy street, walkers passing by outside, my front porch, and the door. My golden retriever has laid under my feet while I painted since he was 7 weeks old (and he’s now almost 6 years old). And Carmela the cat loves to lounge right beside my painting as I work. Today, when I returned to the watercolor table, both of them were thrilled for things to return to what they know best. And I paint in watercolor with a lighter mood because it is the medium I’m most comfortable with - generally, an easier mindset.

I almost felt like I’d changed clothes, seasons, and my place on the map. It reminded me how much the landscape changes with my mental perspective. We have all the power within us to be content and focused — it’s simply a matter of deciding to be. Swiveling my chair from one table to another only five feet away put me in a while new place. So very interesting — and again I’ve learned something from my art making that I can use in the rest of my life.

Finishing

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:58:26 -0500

I’ll punch up a few areas of this painting but it is nearing completion. The orange board below is the underpainting for the next piece. I put a couple of thin coats of casein on the board before starting my drawing.

Casein is such a slow medium for me. It seems that the physical painting takes a long time and that I do more pondering before I paint. I’m comparing to watercolor here, my medium of about twenty years. I thought it was because it is a new medium for me but I’ve been painting several years in casein. It must be more than that.

I’m beginning to think that I have fallen into a new rhythm with my painting. I’m not as driven as I once was — I’m actually enjoying the process more now and have more patience. I once pushed paintings out — keeping them rolling along even when I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. Now, I feel more able to walk away for a few minutes and let my head settle.

Consequently, I think I like what I’m doing better now. I’m in a calmer frame of mind and I associate the work with the positive energy. I still get very antsy about the slower pace of work and I question my productivity but I know from experience that questioning myself is natural. And VERY natural for me.

So I’ll try to remain my friend and allow the paintings to develop the way they should. No stopwatches. No guilt. No counting paintings after I go to bed to decide if I’m doing enough. All that measuring —- I’m giving that a rest.

Why do we do what we do?

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:25:56 -0500

I’m continuing to develop this painting. It’s interesting how photographing these pieces at the end of each painting session is helpful. It’s a little strange to see them midway like this away from the drawing table, but not a totally bad thing.

One of the most telling decision an artist makes is their subject matter - or choice of no subject matter. I can only speak from my experience and as an art purchaser but I think it is a reflection of the maturity of an artist. Cy Twombly as well as others I respect speak of the importance of finding our “mark”. I think we all make instinctive choices about how we want to attack a blank piece of paper. We have a natural mark and a personal way of seeing color.

I admire artists who have the courage to listen to their inner voice and use their personal strengths. When they do that, I feel like I’m viewing confident art It doesn’t have to have a clear message because the messages received are personal and varied, no matter what the artist intends. I want to see honesty and confidence that comes from experience and thoughtfulness.

So the goal for me is to always listen to my own inclinations and work in a way that is natural. I try to stay open to outside comments and reactions but I don’t let them direct my work. If I’m not doing what comes naturally and doing it in a way that uses my personal strengths, then why am I making art? I don’t think I’d be making art — I’d just be making.

A new casein

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:33:57 -0500

I’m sticking with the old sugar mill subject. The plan is to do the exterior and two interiors of this old structure in Louisiana, so this is painting number two. We visited this wonderful building a couple of years ago but it didn’t seem like an interesting subject for watercolor - I’ve been waiting till I “got to it” with casein.

This is the first day of painting — some thin paint on a simple drawing. I think this will be a very dark, grungy painting. At least I see it that way right now.

My last few caseins have been much more representational than previous pieces — not intentional. It may be simply that I’m enjoying all the details in these industrial buildings. And it seems to come off better in casein. They’re little 9”x13“‘s so they aren’t huge picky paintings that come across as “big demanding tiny detail” ordeals. Any painting can become an ordeal though — no doubt about it!

I think three paintings of this subject will be right.

Such as it is...

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:32:06 -0500

I thought I was basically finished with this today but I’ll probably work on it a few hours tomorrow. And I shouldn’t. It is what it is and it’s time to move on! I still have a nagging belief that there is is a way to improve this piece or make it work better -so I’m sure I”ll tinker with it tomorrow. I think I need to focus on big block areas and the overall composition rather than develop detail. Enough of that already, I know, but I’m not convinced yet that it is “all the way there”.

The truth is that painting is consuming - decisions piled on decisions, second guessing, squinting and reassessing. And balance is an overrated word but it truly feels like there is a tight rope to be walked. I push a dark until it is too dark or develop a contrast until it is garish so then must pull it back only to discover that it is wimpy. I want a painting to look confident. I don’t care if anybody likes it but I do want it to appear to have reached it’s destination. When it has said all it can and holds together well — then I can leave it. Whether it is a “good or bad” painting doesn’t matter to me as much as knowing it has done all it can do.

And oddly, by the time I’ve finished I have forgotten that I dreamed up the idea, drew it, and should take total responsibility for it existing in the first place. It’s a little like dreaming up a problem so we have something to worry about. All that matters now is that it DOES exist and deserves to be as strong as it can be. We all deserve that.

Picky picky

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:15:08 -0500

I think I’ve figured out what my problem is with this piece. Large block shapes that are only made interesting with lots of picky icky detail. For me, the large shapes should hold the viewers attention without the help of tiny lines and realistic detail. And I should have realized this before I started this piece - in fact, I knew I had selected a marginal subject. A flat subject with lots of similar shapes….the problems were there from the beginning! And the consistent colors and textures doesn’t help the situation

I’m not giving up though. I learned a long time ago that every painting is an opportunity to learn. And in my case, I have to learn most things over and over again! And truthfully, if I only choose subjects that are defiinitely going to work then my work won’t ever improve.

So I’ll keep at it tomorrow. This will either pop out at the other end of the tunnel or it will dribble down to a ho-hum painting. Either way, the only way it will get there is if I finish it. So….back to the studio tomorrow.

I don't have a clue....

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:52:35 -0500

I don’t have a clue where this painting is going! This one could very definitely tank - I’m preparing myself for that. Feeling my way along and probably working too cautiously is not helping matters. I guess the fact that I’m aware of that is a good thing. So there! I got the self doubt out of my system. One of the things I’ve had to learn is to not take myself too seriously. Painting is a learning process and I can’t learn without suffering though the uncertainty. As hard as I try to relax, the truth is that a painting has many many hours in it, even at this stage. It’s frustrating and painful when it doesn’t work out, not to mention difficult to gracefully give up all the time invested.

And of course, every single painting has this stage where I’m convinced I’m totally off track and this one can’t be saved. Painting is ridiculously exhausting — no one would believe the emotional investment required and the mind games that I play to keep myself engaged and encouraged.

It’s really sort of nuts. Oh well. It’s what I do.

Finished...maybe...

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:33:00 -0500

The key to finishing is quitting. Just quit painting for a while….and that is different from stopping! Quitting doesn’t mean you can’t go back to the piece tomorrow or next week, but quitting early is tons better than later. In the beginning, the only way I knew I was finished was when I had done one thing too many - and was sorry. I would nudge a painting forward and only knew I should stop when the painting WAS right an hour ago.

It’s a common dilemma and experience helps the most. That’s why I tell people to just paint. Paint, paint, paint until you’ve made every mistake you can — then think of new challenges so you can make new mistakes to learn from.

As far as when a painting is finished, I don’t know the answer. I only know what is right for me. When I start to lose my momentum and doubt starts to creep in then I know I need to step away from the painting. I will actually sit with the brush hover over the piece and get anxious. I now know that I’m searching for something to do so I can keep working on a painting that I’ve become friendly with - a clear sign that the end is near.

Another trick I use is to have a new piece drawn and hovering on the edge of the table. It’s easier to wind up a piece if I have another I’m excited about working on.

It’s all about tricking ourselves —- into making good decisions and staying focused. I’ve learned what works for me - most of the time anyway!

Push and Pull

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:15:00 -0500

A little of this and a little of that — this composition has a lot of detail and I’m deciding what should stay and what should be tied together. And the truth is that I’ve left a lot of detail out already! There are so many decisions to be made while painting and those decisions are where 90% of the painting is done.

My first concern is the overall impression - are my shapes interesting and do I WANT to look at this painting. Where does the eye go and is that what I want to emphasize. A perfect replica of the sugar mill would be boring but I want to capture enough of the structure for it to intrigue the viewer. As I develop, every decision impacts another area of the painting — if one area is darkened then another area is suddenly too bright. I knock the bright area back and suddenly ANOTHER area is too bright. And so it goes….so much happens as a reaction to what was done fifteen minutes ago

I think the trick is to react to what is on the board at that moment — not to what I expected to be there or what is on my reference photo. The longer I work, the more the painting is taking on it’s own mood and statement. It’s a moving target until one day I think I might be there. It feels close. Then I stop painting. Right or wrong, I stop.

But I’m not stopping yet. This one has a little way to go. And the hundred decisions I make in a painting day are what it’s about. THAT’S painting.

The mask is off

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:22:40 -0500

Learning to work with interruptions is an art in itself! I’ve had a ton of distractions while working on this little piece. I managed to get a few hours to remove the masking and start building some detail. I’m building form in some places in others I’m deciding how to get some interesting contrast — where to push a light against a dark and vice versa.

So many decisions are made while actually painting. I plan ahead a little and pretend I have a plan but it only serves to give me confidence to start a painting session. Most decisions are made intuitively while painting without a lot of thought! Not all of them work out but the best choices are the ones that flow onto the board — so I jump in an hope for the best.

Blue sky...

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 09:17:00 -0500

I really don’t mind Mondays! After the weekend adoption event and house renovation, I enjoy getting back in the studio. I’ve masked off the edges of my structure so I can build a sky. I like a flat sky - it creates a nicer composition and we all know what a sky looks like. This is the second layer - it is still wet in this photo. I’ll build a couple more layers today then remove the masking fluid. The primed board is preparation for my next piece. I’ll work on the drawing while this piece is drying. I’ve decided to paint an old sugar mill in Louisiana that I’ve been wanting to do something with, sort of keeping with this rural industrial idea I have going. I have in mind to do two or three more caseins before I go back to watercolor.

Coming up...

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 09:40:09 -0500

So it is back to watercolor….thanks to Blue Spiral Gallery. I was leaning that direction and they helped me make the decision yesterday. They sold several watercolors — thank you thank you thank you! I’ll finish up my last Midwest casein, varnish the last two groups, and start thinking watercolor again! And by the way, Blue Spiral is an outstanding gallery. I say that because I buy something every time I go in. Wonderful work, great staff, and an enjoyable experience. Stop by there when you’re in Asheville, NC. www.bluespiral1.com

Starting a new casein

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:25:13 -0500

I’m starting the third casein in this group. On day one I did the drawing on primed illustration board (acid-free) and blocked in the major shape. Yesterday I defined more shapes so I can consider the overall composition. I’ll tie a lot of these details together with a wash later but for now I want to get an idea of what is IN this composition. I’m thinking about what I’ll keep, change, focus on, and kill.

I’ll probably mask the major shape so I can build a strong sky. Working around all these little shapes with casein paint would be difficult. It dries so quickly and blending can be awkward. Casein paint doesn’t “move” easily on the board. The minute I lay the brush on the board it is drying - even while I pick up more paint on the palette. It takes a special touch that I have some days but not others!

I’m enjoying the casein work but keep thinking about going back to watercolor for a while. I’ll either change subjects and stay with casein or pull out a big piece of watercolor paper and get back in to that groove.

Seventh Session

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:22:00 -0500

This one is almost finished. I’ve put it aside so I can take a break from it. I’m sure I’ll make some little adjustments in a day or two. Knowing when a painting is finished is tricky and takes experience to feel confident about. There is never a definite completion point — I think that decision is very personal. How far we take an idea and our expectations are part of what determines our style. How easily or difficult it is to turn loose and move on to another idea. How confident we feel about our decisions - do we correct, second guess, reevaluate? Do we stroke and nudge a project to completion or do we work with gusto and stop abruptly.

These are the kinds of decisions that go in to creating the work. They come natural to us because they’re based on who we are as people. I think we probably make all our decisions in a similar way to our creative decisions.

For me, a piece feels completed when I run of energy for it. If I find myself holding the brush poised over the piece and not moving then I know I’m almost done. I keep making adjustments until the next thing to be done isn’t obvious to me. And by the way, I think of painting as adjustments - especially toward the end. If I’m searching too long for the next brush stroke then I realize I should stop. It’s time to just let it be.

Session Six

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:45:00 -0500

Taking a couple of days away from this painting was the right decision. The board was totally dry today so I didn’t have a problem with lifting paint. As I created form, a little lifting to blend with was okay — on the brink of disaster at times but still a good thing. By letting it dry thoroughly, I can start building again and get some crisp edges.

I sharpened up some of my detail today, refinding stuff that got mushy as I built form. I’m also thinking about contrast, realizing that each value affects the value next door. The shadows are added and will be developed more - at this point I’m thinking about how they fit in to the composition and work lightly so I can make changes if necessary.

Painting is really one decision after another…it’s like walking down a path, one step at a time. Each small decision is built on the last small decision and the piece starts to head in a direction that is SOMEWHAT planned and somewhat by chance. It’s like life, right? Even a tiny decision made while my brain is on neutral can lead to another decision that makes a huge difference. Balance is an overused word but it is what I strive for. I want to relax and paint intuitively but also look at the piece objectively as it progresses. Too much emotion will run me off into the ditch and all reason will make a boring piece.

I think this little painting is starting to pop but I’d like more confidence to show through — more drama maybe. I want to do that without being overbearing though, so I ramp the color and contrast up gently.

Session Five

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 23:56:45 -0500

The mask is off….

I developed more form on the large forms (which happen to be tanks) and reached a point where I felt I needed to stop. I have a decent gradation and feel the transition is smooth enough — I would have liked smoother but it is bordering on overworked, so I’ll leave it for now. In watercolor, my primary medium for years, there are no brush strokes or marks visible so I always lean toward that kind of finish. I”m deliberately trying to get more comfortable with brush marks and appreciate them as part of the painting. Shaking off some of my watercolor habits is difficult - it’s hard to be objective enough to know which ones enhance my casein technique and which ones don’t.

When I was satisfied with the values on the white tank I let the paint dry for an hour or more. Then I removed the masking fluid with an eraser — a rubber cement pick up would have been better but the cats ate mine!

As I mentioned, masking is a mixed blessing. My forms were preserved but the little bit of paint that I had developed them with came of with the masking. So, I’m basically starting over on these forms. Not a big deal - I hadn’t done anything I loved but what if I had!

Anyway, I’ll let the painting dry completely now. Casein feels dry to the touch but it takes days or even weeks to dry totally. I worked over the tank forms a great deal today so they have a lot of paint on them and are quite mushy. If I try to paint too soon then my brush will pick up the paint and lift big ugly chunks - leaving big ugly holes.

So patience is the key for now. Actually, with casein patience is ALWAYS the key.

Contact

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:15:00 -0500

Feel free to contact me:

dana.danabrown@gmail.com

http://www.twitter.com/browndana

http://www.facebook.com/danabrownart

Slow but steady

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:17:18 -0500

It doesn’t look like I did much - I actually worked very hard today! I worked on this little piece as long as I could until it needed to dry overnight. Builidng form on the white tank, I realized I was working too long and awkwardly at preserving the non-white shapes. Masking seemed like the right thing to do. Masking fluid is still on the protected shapes tonight - I’ll remove it tomorrow after I build a little more form.

Masking fluid is tricky for me. I feel like I lose the spontaneity and unity of the piece if I’m not careful. It seems like a good idea until I remove it — and the protected shapes have very hard edges and are underdeveloped compared to the rest of the piece. I usually prefer to cut around my edges and let the whole piece develop more naturally.

This subject is a little different. Because casein dries to the touch so quickly, it is difficult to get gradual transitions in color. I would like for this white tank to be blended nicely before I develop the shapes in the foreground along with their shadows but it is difficult to work quickly enough since there are other shapes to cut around.

I’ll keep at it tomorrow. At this point, who knows? This is such a simple composition that it could fall flat very easily. I love simple, slightly abstracted subjects like this —- I’m not giving up!

A little faith helps....

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:06:00 -0500

This is the third session for this little piece so it is making less sense rather than more at this point. Casein is a very weird medium, if you ask me. Moving the paint around takes practice and a certain touch that is easier on some days. A lot of the drawing details and shadows aren’t added yet - I’m trying to build form on the two grain silos (or whatever these amazing, huge cylinders are). As I paint from the dark side to the light….or the other way around….it is difficult to keep the change gradual. There is no “flow” with casein even though it is a waterbased medium - like with watercolor, for instance.

And to work in a watermedia but opaquely is odd to me, probably because I was a watercolorist for so many years and am more comfortable dealing with transparent color.

So we’ll see where this one goes. The middle development of a painting reminds me of the teenage years — I’m pretty sure where I’m going but I could fall off a cliff at any minute. I’m either exuberant or depressed right until the piece starts to click and I’m able to be more objective.

I’m never truly objective but it’s always the goal.