Art quotes

"For the last 20 year period I've been working with ideas conceived as a child." -Red Grooms

Friday, February 28, 2020

Omwake and The Fine Art of Art


       Invites to early spring art shows are being fulfilled. The studio is beginning to feel like home. And a few paintings are completed. To get to this point meant a few rough times, the paintings just did not have a smooth natural flow. Smooth easy painting times are such a gift. When the effort to paint is difficult, we artists have our own methods to get back in the groove.

Wet Beach   20x24   oil on canvas
       When I am having difficulty, I go to my books the ones that have a pleasant feel about making art. A short visit usually gets the paint flowing easier. In my library I found a book previously purchased, but I had not given it the time to pursue. With three unfinished paintings, now was the time. As I began to read the first several pages I realized this author has a lot to give to those of us trying to produce satisfactory art. A little more into the book and I recognized that through content, research, but mostly through experience this author really knows the soul of the artists. In The Art of Fine Art, Essays, and Guiding Lights After 50 Years of Work the author, Eo Omwake, puts into words what the artist feels. He explains the complex world of those who create art in an approach that is insightful and humorous,  holding  the reader’s attention sometimes causing noisy outbursts of agreement and laughter.
   
       For me knowing when a painting is finished is more difficult than getting started. In one of Eo Omwake later sections of his book he presents a discussion titled Finishing. My university oil painting professor told me it takes two people to complete a painting, one to do the painting and one to tell you when to stop. When a painting feels like it is coming to conclusion I have to step back, take a deep breath, look away, get a sip of tea and slowly turn around for a quick sneak peek. If I don’t get a “hell yeah!”,  then the process has to be revisited until the effort has been completed and a welcome sense of satisfaction confirms - that was fun!
                   Post script – For artists The  Art of Fine Art….  is a book to treasure and revisit often. Check it out wherever and however you buy books.

Autumn Embrace   16x20   acrylic on canvas
Getting back to it now, with successful wishes for your making and enjoying art, Joel