Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
On being "self-taught".
Ever heard of a "self-taught" artist? I have. Ever seen a "self-taught" artist? I haven't. I hear the term used often and I've even heard it applied to myself but I am quick to correct anyone that I* am not self-taught. At best, the term "self-taught" is a misunderstanding or mis-appropriation of credit and at worst is ignorance and arrogance.
I have only a rough idea as to the history of representational painting. What I do know, is that there have been many points along the way where one man took what everyone was doing, built on it, and then everyone did things a little different (until the next innovator came along). Here we are now, hundreds of years later, and we have the benefit of all of this knowledge automatically and without even needing to be aware of how we got here. We have any number of thousands of resources to discover anatomy, for example, which at one point had to be discovered. The first man who cut open a cadaver to look at muscles was the self-taught man. Now, all we do is crack open an anatomy book and the knowledge which took him a lifetime is ours in a matter of dollars and minutes.
Look how late in the painting game impressionism came onto the scene. Vivid color! And now we have the benefit of all of that knowledge by simply typing in a search on google and looking at hundreds or thousands of impressionist paintings. Artists didn't always know that there was color in the shadows. Just look at paintings from hundreds of years before impressionism. Figures emerging from black voids. Was the past filled with black voids? I think not. Artists didn't know that color is everywhere!
And here we are now with supposed "self-taught" masters running around with the knowledge that somehow took thousands of artists hundreds of years to collectively learn and pass along. How is this even possible? If anyone is honest, it's not. What I am NOT suggesting is that it's easy to get the skills we have now. I'm also not saying that these "self-taught" artists haven't worked hard. They have. But they've had the benefit of hundreds of years of knowledge laid at their feet in the form of any painting they have ever looked at in person, on the internet, or in a book/print.
The real self-taught artist would be the one who's work is indistinguishable from that of an infant. How long do you think it takes to be able to teach yourself to see properly? To visually measure distances, perceive perspective, create any sort of atmospheric depth, and understand value, let alone formulate, mix, and tube your own paint would take one man a hundred thousand lifetimes (since, at my rough estimation, it has taken tens of thousands of men hundreds of lifetimes **). Any self-taught artist would need to discover all of these things himself. Since we can see how many lifetimes it has taken some of the greatest artistic minds to make even the smallest headway on a single facet of the diamond of things we now know it is safe to assume that a single "self-taught" artist would have so very little to actually bring to the table that their entire life would be spent in discovery of things we've long surpassed centuries ago. And all I've mentioned are the technical aspects of painting.
What would be the point anyway? To go through the entire attempt at being "self-taught"? If many artists have spent entire lifetimes discovering useful knowledge, why set it aside only to arrive at the same destination after many (wasted) years? Arrogance? I don't understand why anyone would willfully cast aside something brilliant and useful, just to claim that they "discovered" it themselves. Just because nobody can be the first to summit Everest doesn't make it much less of an achievement. How many climbers get to the top and then walk around thumping their chest at having been the first ones to get there? Only Hillary and Tenzing, who acknowledged their ascent as a team effort. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Everest#First_successful_ascent_by_Tenzing_and_Hillary
This doesn't mean we can't learn anything on our own. To the contrary, I think with so much information readily available it's become as easy as it ever has been to learn new things on your own. It's difficult to learn something by taking a crumb of information and attempting to understand and apply it. Incredibly difficult. We're still getting the information from somewhere (most of the time).
I'm also not suggesting that we worship the past or hold as ideal the works of the masters. Our goal should be to surpass what they have done. We should be a generation of artists who all paint better than Richard Schmid or any other "master" (another future blog post "The Illusion of Mastery" Coming soon!). We've got the benefit of everything he knew and a lifetime of our own to improve on it.
All this blog post is meant to suggest is that we stop throwing around the term "self-taught" as if it actually means something really important and special. Maybe it means somebody sat around in a basement for 10 years copying other people's drawings and never went to art school. That doesn't mean that they were so isolated that they somehow discovered, without any help, all of the things we already know (and even if they had, we already know them, so..no big deal). The reality is that it doesn't really matter if somebody is self taught, learns on their own, goes to a prestigious school, or not. All that really matters is the end result they're able to produce and anyone who can produce a worthwhile result has had many teachers. Being "self-taught" is hardly ideal and I would suggest that it's not even real. This isn't to diminish the accomplishments of artists working in the here and now but to put in proper context that the heights we can fly to now are possible because of the artists who came before us and that we should take the very best of what they have to offer and build upon it ourselves.
*I studied at the Art Institute of Seattle for 2 years, Watts Atelier in San Diego for 1.5 years, and Studio Second Street in San Diego for 1.5 years. I also read a few art books, look at a lot of art from masters present and past, and watch a few instructional DVDs by Richard Schmid, Yim Mau Kun, and Scott Christensen. I am a long way from self-taught, though I am currently developing my skills on my own.
**Any mathematical errors are indeed wrong and accidental. I went to art school.
I have only a rough idea as to the history of representational painting. What I do know, is that there have been many points along the way where one man took what everyone was doing, built on it, and then everyone did things a little different (until the next innovator came along). Here we are now, hundreds of years later, and we have the benefit of all of this knowledge automatically and without even needing to be aware of how we got here. We have any number of thousands of resources to discover anatomy, for example, which at one point had to be discovered. The first man who cut open a cadaver to look at muscles was the self-taught man. Now, all we do is crack open an anatomy book and the knowledge which took him a lifetime is ours in a matter of dollars and minutes.
Look how late in the painting game impressionism came onto the scene. Vivid color! And now we have the benefit of all of that knowledge by simply typing in a search on google and looking at hundreds or thousands of impressionist paintings. Artists didn't always know that there was color in the shadows. Just look at paintings from hundreds of years before impressionism. Figures emerging from black voids. Was the past filled with black voids? I think not. Artists didn't know that color is everywhere!
And here we are now with supposed "self-taught" masters running around with the knowledge that somehow took thousands of artists hundreds of years to collectively learn and pass along. How is this even possible? If anyone is honest, it's not. What I am NOT suggesting is that it's easy to get the skills we have now. I'm also not saying that these "self-taught" artists haven't worked hard. They have. But they've had the benefit of hundreds of years of knowledge laid at their feet in the form of any painting they have ever looked at in person, on the internet, or in a book/print.
The real self-taught artist would be the one who's work is indistinguishable from that of an infant. How long do you think it takes to be able to teach yourself to see properly? To visually measure distances, perceive perspective, create any sort of atmospheric depth, and understand value, let alone formulate, mix, and tube your own paint would take one man a hundred thousand lifetimes (since, at my rough estimation, it has taken tens of thousands of men hundreds of lifetimes **). Any self-taught artist would need to discover all of these things himself. Since we can see how many lifetimes it has taken some of the greatest artistic minds to make even the smallest headway on a single facet of the diamond of things we now know it is safe to assume that a single "self-taught" artist would have so very little to actually bring to the table that their entire life would be spent in discovery of things we've long surpassed centuries ago. And all I've mentioned are the technical aspects of painting.
Pictured: The work of a "self-taught" artist.
What would be the point anyway? To go through the entire attempt at being "self-taught"? If many artists have spent entire lifetimes discovering useful knowledge, why set it aside only to arrive at the same destination after many (wasted) years? Arrogance? I don't understand why anyone would willfully cast aside something brilliant and useful, just to claim that they "discovered" it themselves. Just because nobody can be the first to summit Everest doesn't make it much less of an achievement. How many climbers get to the top and then walk around thumping their chest at having been the first ones to get there? Only Hillary and Tenzing, who acknowledged their ascent as a team effort. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Everest#First_successful_ascent_by_Tenzing_and_Hillary
This doesn't mean we can't learn anything on our own. To the contrary, I think with so much information readily available it's become as easy as it ever has been to learn new things on your own. It's difficult to learn something by taking a crumb of information and attempting to understand and apply it. Incredibly difficult. We're still getting the information from somewhere (most of the time).
I'm also not suggesting that we worship the past or hold as ideal the works of the masters. Our goal should be to surpass what they have done. We should be a generation of artists who all paint better than Richard Schmid or any other "master" (another future blog post "The Illusion of Mastery" Coming soon!). We've got the benefit of everything he knew and a lifetime of our own to improve on it.
All this blog post is meant to suggest is that we stop throwing around the term "self-taught" as if it actually means something really important and special. Maybe it means somebody sat around in a basement for 10 years copying other people's drawings and never went to art school. That doesn't mean that they were so isolated that they somehow discovered, without any help, all of the things we already know (and even if they had, we already know them, so..no big deal). The reality is that it doesn't really matter if somebody is self taught, learns on their own, goes to a prestigious school, or not. All that really matters is the end result they're able to produce and anyone who can produce a worthwhile result has had many teachers. Being "self-taught" is hardly ideal and I would suggest that it's not even real. This isn't to diminish the accomplishments of artists working in the here and now but to put in proper context that the heights we can fly to now are possible because of the artists who came before us and that we should take the very best of what they have to offer and build upon it ourselves.
*I studied at the Art Institute of Seattle for 2 years, Watts Atelier in San Diego for 1.5 years, and Studio Second Street in San Diego for 1.5 years. I also read a few art books, look at a lot of art from masters present and past, and watch a few instructional DVDs by Richard Schmid, Yim Mau Kun, and Scott Christensen. I am a long way from self-taught, though I am currently developing my skills on my own.
**Any mathematical errors are indeed wrong and accidental. I went to art school.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Art with a Heart Gallery
Saturday, July 9th, I'll be participating in the Artists @ Work at Art With a Heart Gallery http://artwithaheartgallery.com/
I'll be set up there doing drawings, feel free to come in and have a portrait done.
Saturday July 23rd I'll be participating in their show all about women. I'll be there with many of my female life drawings. Check out the website. I spoke with one of the owners, Jack. He's a cool guy doing cool things in the community.
Hope to see you peeps there!
I'll be set up there doing drawings, feel free to come in and have a portrait done.
Saturday July 23rd I'll be participating in their show all about women. I'll be there with many of my female life drawings. Check out the website. I spoke with one of the owners, Jack. He's a cool guy doing cool things in the community.
Hope to see you peeps there!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Upcoming Daniel Smith Demos
I'll be teaching two drawing workshops at Daniel Smith Art Supplies stores. I'll be running through the basics on how to draw from life and helping participants learn the basics. Bring a piece of fruit and something to draw with (and some tracing paper, if possible). I'll be demoing and answering any questions, then coming around and helping people draw.
July 13th, Bellevue Store, 10am-noon
July 20th, Seattle Store, 10am-noon
For more info, see the Daniel Smith website. http://www.danielsmith.com/
Let me know if you have any questions, peeps! See you there!
July 13th, Bellevue Store, 10am-noon
July 20th, Seattle Store, 10am-noon
For more info, see the Daniel Smith website. http://www.danielsmith.com/
Let me know if you have any questions, peeps! See you there!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Doing what it takes.
Are you willing to do what it takes? Oftentimes I think that "success" or just accomplishing something gets very overcomplicated. Getting something done is pretty basic. You do it.
What I'm not saying is that it's easy. I'm saying that it's simple. For example, if you want to dunk a basketball, you have to get in good enough shape to jump high enough. It's not easy to get in good enough shape but as far as knowing what to do, it's basic. You have to discipline your diet and work out your body. The hard part is in disciplining your diet every moment of every day and disciplining yourself to work out enough to build up the muscle to do it.
Another example, let's say you want to run a marathon but right now you can't even run a mile. It's basic. You discipline your diet to be healthy. Then you run as often as possible as far as possible as fast as possible. As you push your own limit on a regular basis your limit becomes further. Soon you're running a mile. Then you're running two miles. Then five miles. Eventually you're running a marathon. The hard part is in eating less, or eating healthier, or running several times a week, and having the willpower to push yourself to do better at all times. Every moment is another moment to be distracted or derailed the same way it's a moment to be disciplined and accomplished.
If you're not willing to do what it takes you will never get the result of what happens when a person does what it takes. You can't be a master artist without practicing for hours nearly every day. You can't get into shape if you don't work out several times a week. You can't develop any skills to a proficient level without a significant amount of regular practice. If you're not willing to grow your own food or go to a store or restaurant, how will you eat? Of course, we're all willing to do that, but what else is within our grasp that we ignore?
This hit me with the Bauhaus project. When I started the project I had some fliers printed out to hand out to people but I was nervous to be the guy annoying people. I didn't want to disturb people or approach them. The first night I went, I sat at a table for about 90 minutes torturing myself with every possible bad outcome. Then I finally said to myself, "If you want to do this project, this is what it takes. If you're going to be an artist, you have to do stuff like this. So..are you going to do it or not? If you're not going to do it, you might as well forget being an artist. You have to do what it takes." So....I quit thinking about it, went and handed out fliers, did that for 26 nights, and completed the project. Doing the project was basic - do the drawings. However, the amoount of work was massive, it wasn't easy. (read more about it in an interview I did about the project http://www.earthwalkersmag.com/community/all-blogs/a-i-had-made-up-my-mind-beforehand-to-finish-it-or-diea-.html)
The point I really want to make is that there is no need to overcomplicate anything. Getting something done is as simple as doing it. Don't put it off. Don't waste time. Don't wait until you can take a class. Don't wait until somebody can come along. Don't wait! Almost anything can be done now. How often do we let our own mind convince us otherwise!
A recent example that inspired this post is the painting hat I bought. I've been doing a lot of plein air painting outside. Lots of exposure to the sun. I needed to get a hat that would keep the sun off of my head and neck, and be versatile for painting conditions. I needed a functional hat. Sadly, the hat that perfectly fit the functional aspect of what I required (so I can focus on painting, not on getting burned or sun in my eyes) is a hat that I would NEVER wear otherwise. I hate it. I can only stand that hat because it serves the purpose I need.
Sweet fancy moses! There isn't even the right words to properly describe a hat like that. HOWEVER, wearing the hat will allow me to focus on the painting, not worry about the elements, and therefore, paint better. Am I willing to wear a hat that I hate to paint better? Sure am. It's just another step (albeit a small, funny one) on the path of things required to get to where I want to go.
Ultimately, you'll never get what you want if you're not willing to do what it takes to get what you want.
What I'm not saying is that it's easy. I'm saying that it's simple. For example, if you want to dunk a basketball, you have to get in good enough shape to jump high enough. It's not easy to get in good enough shape but as far as knowing what to do, it's basic. You have to discipline your diet and work out your body. The hard part is in disciplining your diet every moment of every day and disciplining yourself to work out enough to build up the muscle to do it.
Another example, let's say you want to run a marathon but right now you can't even run a mile. It's basic. You discipline your diet to be healthy. Then you run as often as possible as far as possible as fast as possible. As you push your own limit on a regular basis your limit becomes further. Soon you're running a mile. Then you're running two miles. Then five miles. Eventually you're running a marathon. The hard part is in eating less, or eating healthier, or running several times a week, and having the willpower to push yourself to do better at all times. Every moment is another moment to be distracted or derailed the same way it's a moment to be disciplined and accomplished.
If you're not willing to do what it takes you will never get the result of what happens when a person does what it takes. You can't be a master artist without practicing for hours nearly every day. You can't get into shape if you don't work out several times a week. You can't develop any skills to a proficient level without a significant amount of regular practice. If you're not willing to grow your own food or go to a store or restaurant, how will you eat? Of course, we're all willing to do that, but what else is within our grasp that we ignore?
This hit me with the Bauhaus project. When I started the project I had some fliers printed out to hand out to people but I was nervous to be the guy annoying people. I didn't want to disturb people or approach them. The first night I went, I sat at a table for about 90 minutes torturing myself with every possible bad outcome. Then I finally said to myself, "If you want to do this project, this is what it takes. If you're going to be an artist, you have to do stuff like this. So..are you going to do it or not? If you're not going to do it, you might as well forget being an artist. You have to do what it takes." So....I quit thinking about it, went and handed out fliers, did that for 26 nights, and completed the project. Doing the project was basic - do the drawings. However, the amoount of work was massive, it wasn't easy. (read more about it in an interview I did about the project http://www.earthwalkersmag.com/community/all-blogs/a-i-had-made-up-my-mind-beforehand-to-finish-it-or-diea-.html)
The point I really want to make is that there is no need to overcomplicate anything. Getting something done is as simple as doing it. Don't put it off. Don't waste time. Don't wait until you can take a class. Don't wait until somebody can come along. Don't wait! Almost anything can be done now. How often do we let our own mind convince us otherwise!
A recent example that inspired this post is the painting hat I bought. I've been doing a lot of plein air painting outside. Lots of exposure to the sun. I needed to get a hat that would keep the sun off of my head and neck, and be versatile for painting conditions. I needed a functional hat. Sadly, the hat that perfectly fit the functional aspect of what I required (so I can focus on painting, not on getting burned or sun in my eyes) is a hat that I would NEVER wear otherwise. I hate it. I can only stand that hat because it serves the purpose I need.
Sweet fancy moses! There isn't even the right words to properly describe a hat like that. HOWEVER, wearing the hat will allow me to focus on the painting, not worry about the elements, and therefore, paint better. Am I willing to wear a hat that I hate to paint better? Sure am. It's just another step (albeit a small, funny one) on the path of things required to get to where I want to go.
Ultimately, you'll never get what you want if you're not willing to do what it takes to get what you want.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
New Drawings
I've been working on a larger scale with portrait drawings lately. Here's a few new ones. Also started a new landscape sketchbook. Here's a few ink drawings. Sketchbook is 3''x5'', so the sketches are displaying at about life size. I've included a picture of myself next to the drawings so you can see the larger scale of the portrait drawings.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)