the sky, bacteria and pastels

9x12 pastel and watercolor on Uart

Another memory painting done completely by James McNeil Whistler's guidelines:

*watch a scene, then turn your back and in words describe in detail. If you have someone with you have them correct if you are wrong. Do this till it is secure in your head. No photos or sketches.

* Wait at least 12 hours, allow the scene to be created in your head

* Paint, using only that memory. Your knowledge and understanding of light will stream in and guide you.

Yesterday's painting was a sunrise, today's painting is a sunset. Notice how different the colors are from sunrise to sunset. A deeper warmer orange is present at sunset. I wanted a golden orange glow, but I also wanted the dusty grayness of the moments after the sunsets to be present. The watercolor was the gold, although I completely covered it with new pastel color of oranges or golds. Your underpainting affects everything about the painting, even when you cover it. Not one part of my underpainting is peeking through. The underpainting guides your heart and sensibility about your goal. Underpaintings are like your skeleton, they support the painting even when they aren't seen.


On another note, I have received many emails from fellow pastel painters worried that pastels were the cause of my infection. I want to put your creative lungs at rest, pastels did not cause it. A bacteria, similar to TB, grew in my lung. Still the pastels most likely aggravated and added stress and junk to my lungs, making it easier for the bacteria to grow. The disease's ability to grow also had a genetic component. It wouldn't grow in most lungs. The bacteria is actually available in the aerated water (read from a shower head) and dirt (read gardening) in everyday living. Will you get it? Probably not, but why not use it as a wake-up call to create a safer studio. Wear a mask indoors when using airborne particles (or get a artists air filter.) Choose safer products...read labels, research. Spray fixative and varnish outdoors. Keep all of your painting rags in a metal, air-tight container. Always cover gamsol, turp, and all mediums; do not allow them to permeate your air.
Stay safe, paint happy.

December 13, 2007 Key Bridge Twilight

Lately I have been reading about Whistler. He was an outspoken critic of everyone and everything. Funny enough, he didn't like JMW Turner. He ridiculed Turner's outrageous 'sun paintings.' "Who would paint the sun?!?!" Whistler, instead, paints the moon. His small landscapes are quite amazing, most have three bands of color, with very subtle transitions. There are many in the Freer Gallery, downtown. After a critic referred to his Girl in White as a symphony he began naming his work by musical terms: overture, symphony, composition. I like that idea.
So this one is for Whistler. He makes it look so easy...it's not!