Capon / Curtis Painting with Impact

1. Auflage 2015
ISBN: 978-1-84994-325-3
Verlag: Batsford
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 128 Seiten

David Curtis is one of the most successful and loved artists in the UK. His books are bestsellers and in his latest publication he talks about the secrets of producing paintings with impact. Although his work is not showy, they are powerful and are much-sought after. His secrets for painting with impact are the sensitive consideration of balance and contrast in tone, colour, handling qualities and compositional elements. Whether you're working on location with a limited palette or in the studio with all the time and materials at your disposal, the author talks you through the ways to capture the essence of a subject matter and the mood or sense of the place, and always with a something that will grab the viewer. The key elements are covered: Selection - what to paint and if necessary how to simplify or dramatise those elements; Mood - creating a strong sense of mood through choice of medium, colour and painting technique; Colour - choosing the right colours to suit the intentions of the painting. The book discusses a range of inspiring locations, from marine subjects, beaches and harbours to city scenes, trees and the light of the Mediterranean.

Robin Capon was an experienced author and art journalist. He wrote several books, including with co-authors, David Curtis: Light and Mood in Watercolour 9780713489552 and Abstract and Colour Techniques (with Claire Harrigan) 9780713490558. He was a regular contributor to The Artist and Leisure Painter.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Capon, Robin

Curtis, David

Leseproben

2

Key Elements

I started painting on a regular basis in my early teens and almost from the beginning, encouraged by the example of some very experienced local artists, I adopted a practice for assessing the key elements of a subject, known as the ‘factor of three’. The three elements were appeal, composition and tone. The idea was that by considering each of these within a painting subject you could judge its worth, both in terms of its possibilities as an interesting painting and, ultimately, the painting’s potential for exhibition and selling. Then, as now, all of my work was inspired by subjects and I found the ‘factor of three’ method of evaluating them both helpful and reliable. I still use it today.

Winding Lane above Holmfirth

WATERCOLOUR ON ARCHES ROUGH

38.5 × 28.5cm (11 × 15in)

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Appeal

Because I am a tonal painter who prefers to work outside whenever possible, usually the aspect that I find most exciting and appealing in a subject is the particular quality of light and how this influences the mood and impact of the scene. My preferred approach is to paint (into the light), so that the tonal effects are enhanced, although recently I have been working more often with the light behind me, which consequently creates greater emphasis on colour. Often, the subjects that have most appeal are those that I find during the early morning or late afternoon on a bright, sunny day when there are strong contrasts of light and shadows.

While a stunning light effect will add drama and impact to the subject matter, it must nevertheless work in relation to certain other factors if the proposed painting is to be a success. The content, and in particular the principal shapes within it, are equally important aspects to consider. Those main shapes will provide the basic structure for the painting and ideally not only must they instil a degree of energy and excitement in the design, they must also be carefully observed and well drawn. Look at the wonderful cliff shapes in , for example. Note also in this subject how the strong, low light creates interest and variety in the tones, with areas of mystery contrasting with others that are more clearly defined.

Penryn Harbour, Cornwall

OIL ON BOARD

25.5 X 30.5cm (10 X 12in)

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First reactions

The initial reaction to a subject is important, because if there isn’t a sense of excitement about what you see – and a strong desire to paint it – then the eventual painting is unlikely to be a great success. However, before rushing to unpack the paints, it is always a good idea to spend some time making a more considered assessment of the subject. This will help avoid disappointment. When you are enraptured by something truly original and moving within the subject matter, it is easy to overlook a lesser feature that could ultimately prove a serious weakness in the design and impact of the work. Generally speaking, it is best not to be too hasty.

With this type of assessment, the ideal approach lies in striking a balance between relying entirely on inspiration and impulse and being too analytical about what you see and feel. My advice is to base the composition on whatever aspect of the subject matter first attracted you but, through a process of selection and perhaps inventiveness, ensure that the painting as a whole will work in relation to that main focus. Check the principal compositional elements, the colour contrasts and harmonies, and so on. If some kind of adjustment seems necessary in order to reinforce the impact of the main elements, check that it is not simply a matter of altering the viewpoint. Sometimes just a slight modification to the viewpoint will dramatically improve the composition – by just moving to the left or right a little – see , for example.

Cliffs and Beachscape, Porthcothan, Cornwall

OIL ON BOARD

20.5 X 30.5cm (8 X 12in)

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Now, with accumulated experience, I find I can make the initial assessment of a subject – its individual strengths, nuances, design and structure – very quickly. With , for example, I loved the classic lines of the boat and instinctively felt that the dynamics of the design would be emphasized by painting it from that particular angle. I could see that the boat would make a great composition when viewed with relatively little interest to its left and contained nicely by the variety of shapes on the right. As is so often the case, the light was a factor, creating some lovely strong dark areas that helped emphasize the bold form of the hull and the sense of depth towards the horizon.

Skill and ambition

Ambition is always a good thing. In choosing subject matter and deciding on the approach and techniques to use, my advice is to aim for work that tests your ability and involves ideas and methods that are at the edge of, if not slightly beyond, your ‘comfort zone’. If the painting places demands on you in this way, it is more likely to succeed as a strong, interesting image. Moreover, you will find that it is only by confronting even greater challenges – and persevering at ways to solve these – that you will improve your work and gain in confidence and skill.

The difficulty lies in judging just how ambitious you should be. By playing safe you gain nothing, whereas if you are over-ambitious the challenge could prove beyond you. It is a matter of finding the right balance. While you are gaining experience, I would say look for subjects that have bold, simple shapes, giving a sound compositional structure, as in . Here, the main shapes are easily defined and they work well together to create an effective design. It is what I would call a traditional subject and, given the necessary care in the observation and drawing of the principal shapes, it is the type of subject that should prove a reliable and rewarding one to attempt.

In contrast, with a painting such as , the demand on ability and experience is much higher. As you can see, in that particular subject, irrespective of the technical skills required to master the form of the boat, success depended very much on decisions about viewpoint and content. In fact, to help with those decisions, I started by making a small pencil sketch – just a few lines in a 10 × 5cm (4 × 6in) sketchbook. With more complex subjects, making a sketch is a useful way to help plan the essential elements of the design, even if I also decide to take some photographs.

Harbour Activity, Castletown, Isle of Man

WATERCOLOUR ON ARCHES ROUGH

28.5 X 38.5cm (11¼ X 15¼in)

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Bridge and Stream, Aberdaron

OIL ON CANVAS BOARD

40.5 X 51cm (16 X 20in)

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Keeping an open mind

My most popular paintings are my beach scenes but, as you can see from the wide range of illustrations in this book, I enjoy the challenge of different subjects. I do not think it is a good idea to confine yourself to one specialist subject area. As well as being ambitious about how a subject will test your ability in expressing it in a convincing, original way, aim to keep an open mind regarding new types of subject matter.

I am always on the look out for quirky, challenging subjects. Even when I paint at Staithes in North Yorkshire, which is one of my most familiar painting locations, I try to find new, unexpected views. For me, the more important concern is that the subject will make a good painting, rather than be instantly recognizable as a particular place. Also, of course, light and weather can play their part in influencing the look and mood of a scene. What inspired me to paint , for example, was experiencing the scene masked by a heavy sea fret, or fog, which gave it an eerie, almost satanic feel. In fact, just ten minutes before I started painting this subject, it was barely visible. So, essentially the challenge was to capture the dramatic atmospheric quality – it is Staithes, but a different Staithes!

Rising Mist, Staithes Beck

WATERCOLOUR ON TWO RIVERS TINTED PAPER

38.5 X 28.5cm (15¼ X 11¼in)

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Roland with the Morning Paper, Rahoy Lodge, Scottish Highlands

OIL ON BOARD

25.5 X 30.5cm (10 X 12in)

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