Designing a New Landscape With Retractable Awnings
August 31, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Landscapes
Evolving landscape designs make balconies, patios, and yards more usable, even more beautiful. Adequate sun protection helps both people and plants thrive, and versatile retractable awnings lend both stylish grace to outdoor architecture and heat and UV-controlling functionality.
Moving Outside
The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) revealed in January that landscape artists are moving toward making outdoor areas true living spaces, beyond traditional grilling. Gentle outdoor areas create a festive yet peaceful atmosphere that’s perfect for daily living and entertaining.
A major part of landscape design is determining how an area is going to be used and finding ways to unite those elements seamlessly. Retractable awnings accomplish this by delineating areas, like providing shade over seating while leaving the cooking area open. They can also provide a consistent design theme which complements the structure of a home and unifies different areas. Most importantly, retractable awnings are shields from glare, UV rays, heat, glare and sunlight so that the outdoors feel more friendly.
Dean Hill, a landscape designer for Terratecture in Indianapolis and a member of ASLA, agrees that retractable awnings have an important place in landscape design because they combine the functionality of creating a comfortable outdoor room with a timeless, harmonious style that can be incorporated into almost any yard or home. Effective landscaping balances home architecture, natural environment, garden layout, and usability. “We try to look at everything cohesively and how it might fit together,” Hill explains. “It’s looking at every piece of the puzzle.”
The key to creating that outdoor haven, says Hill, has three parts:
1. Have a plan. “It’s a roadmap,” Hill explains, recommending getting a design from a landscape architect or gardener, which can circumvent common pitfalls. A plan identifies the kind and placement of plants and high-use areas, so you can determine where to place retractable awnings for the most effective sun protection.
2. Figure out what your needs are. Do you want a play area for children, a small space for intimate family use, or entertaining areas for a dozen people? How are your needs going to change? Knowing how the area will be used helps you identify what design elements (retractable awnings, flowers, decks, trees, play sets, water features) to incorporate.
3. Determine the level of maintenance. Grassy turf is resource-intensive, requiring constant watering, fertilizing, mowing, weeding, and care, as well as money. Flower and vegetable gardens, native plants, and “hardspace” (like decks and patios) are much easier to maintain than lawns. Retractable awnings are maintenance-free. Decide up-front how much time and money you can devote to keeping up your landscape, and you’ll be happier with the long-term results.
One of the most critical elements for all three – planning, needs, and maintenance – is adequate shade. Controlling sunlight is important for UV protection and for heat. “Incorporating shade elements (like a retractable awning or patio cover) is going to give you more usability,” Hill says.
For living spaces, there are a lot of instances where you can integrate shade elements. For instance, vertical drop screen retractable awnings can encircle a sitting area to block bugs, while patio retractable awnings provide shade for pets which have to stay outside all day or are left behind during family vacations. Traditional lateral-arm awnings can be attached to a pergola for additional shade in the middle of the yard; there are all kinds of retractable patio cover systems which can be used over patios or walkways to create comfortable sitting spaces.
Retractable awnings can even be a way of saving your gardens. According to George Gustafson, a master gardener with the Oklahoma State Extension Office, heat and dryness are two of the biggest threats to gardens, even for full sun plants. “What full sun means,” he explains, “is sunlight all day for areas north of Kansas City (latitude). That’s pretty much an industry standard. In the south and southwest, the afternoon sun gets way too hot, even for full sun plants. The heat will burn them up.” Retractable awnings protect sprouting plants from glaring sunlight, allowing full sun in the morning and filtered light in the afternoon. Retractable awnings for shade gardens even make them easier to maintain – slowing evaporation means that you water less and stunt the growth of sun-loving weeds.
Awning Solutions
As spring planting begins and entertainment moves outdoors, it’s time to take a fresh look at how you use your outdoor spaces. The indispensable asset for retractable awnings is their flexibility: they can be installed in many different areas, they can be closed or adjusted to control both shade and light, and they don’t need any maintenance. Retractable awnings can be used on patios, over balconies, over hot tubs or water features, and even over gardens.
When picking a retractable awning, look at how you plan to use your outdoor space, and find the retractable awning that harmonizes with those needs:
• Insect and pest protection with vertical drop screen awnings
• Accessories like timers or sensors for sun, motion, wind, and rain which automatically close retractable awnings to protect them from damage – even if you’re not there.
• Different retractable awning styles, from traditional lateral arm awnings to free-standing butterfly awnings, plus hundreds of different awning fabrics in vibrant colors, bold patterns, and harmonious neutrals.
• Solution-dyed acrylic fabrics endorsed by the American Skin Cancer Association for UV protection.
• Lower temperatures (between 8 and 15 degrees) and less indoor heat buildup (up to 77%) making both indoor and outdoor areas cooler, more comfortable, and more energy efficient.
“People spend so much time picking out furnishings, curtains, for the inside of their homes. The outdoor areas can be a direct reflection of their personality, too,” encourages Hill. “You really have the opportunity to make an impression on the outdoors. Don’t hesitate to put your fingerprint on it.”
Using stones in landscaping: Are man – Part 1
August 31, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Landscapes
There are several factors when deciding between natural and man made stone. Which will serve your purposes more exactly? Personally I prefer the look and texture of natural stone.
Natural stone is much more durable, in most cases, than man-made stone. Over the years I have purchased different types of man made and have found that they are to lightweight. My land has very young trees, not anything that can really stop the wind yet. Therefore, the man made stone is constantly scattered across my yard.
The main advantage to using natural stone is that it will retain its appearance after many rainstorms. You will not have to tuck it away in the corner of your garden shed for the winter. Many of the resin products tend to loose their coloring over the course of a couple of winters. Often times it will appear as though paint is coming off. Natural stone will appear authentic, because it is. Whereas man made will often times look man made. I have yet to find a man made stone that looks real.Typically the man made stone appears to look very cheap as well.
If your desire is creating a landscape that looks and feels natural, the obvious choice is natural stone. One examples would include edging a rock garden, unnatural looking stone will only detract from the incredible work that you have done.
Do not forget that natural stone can be free if you want it to be. Yes, it can get expensive if you purchase it from a supplier. Man-made can also get expensive, especially if you want stone that looks and feels real. Unfortunately, if you are wanting to use a stone that isn’t necessarily native to your area, you will have to pay for it. Something that I have started doing is contacting local farmers in my area, they are all to happy to have me come and remove the stone pile from their field.
It is also true that natural stone can get heavy, especially larger pieces. Unless you are willing to call upon friends and family, or have a way of hauling it, you may need to spend the extra money to hire a contractor.
In the end, I feel that the natural way is always best. And besides, your helping to save the environment by not purchasing man made…who wants to help pay for the manufacturing process?
Short stories: Love
August 31, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under News from the Artworld
Excursion into Philosophy (related to Edward Hopper’s art)
The usual crowd shuffles into the smoky air, usual all except a young lady. Her scent agitates our nostrils, tearing them away from the pungent aroma of spirits me and the other guys are used to. We all look up from our glasses, the poor girls walked straight into the lion’s den. She is going to be walking away in one of these mens arms tonight, and these dogs will do anything to get a girl into their trousers, I’ve seen it. She sits down at the bar next to me but were still separated by one chair If I don’t act quickly one of the lads will sweep in and take the seat, ruining my chances. But no, a touch of luck, she takes off her scarf and handbag and places them on the seat, taking out a pack of cigarettes.
“Hi, sorry, do you have a light?” She’s talking to me. Too shocked to react at first I turn and just stare at her beautiful breasts. “Hello?”
“Oh yeah, of course sorry.” I take out my clipper and hand it to her, expecting that to be the end of our brief and passionate relationship. She puts the cigarette to her mouth and cradles the butt with soft succulent lips, staining it with a deep red lipstick. This is enough to turn on half the guys in the bar already, but I have to play it cool if I have a chance.
“So what’s your name?” she’s turned on me straddling the white stick with her fingers and leans on the bar-top.
“My name?” Is this a joke? Of all cities and all the bars and all the losers like me, this gorgeous thing is asking my name. The hands been dealt, and I’m in. “John Smith”
“Would you like another drink, John?” Now its getting intimate, she doesn’t know what she’s getting herself into, its gonna be a long night, poor girl.
The receptionist at the desk of the hotel knows what we’re here for as well as I do. This girl is so totaled I’m having to grab her under the arms to hold her up. Fringe pressed to her forehead, sodden with sweat, she’s not the fox we all remembered at the bar, but she’ll do for a quick night.
“Room sixteen up the stairs on your right.” The old lady at the desk in this sleazy hotel looks topped up to the eyebrows on coffee, and she’d have to be, at this hour. As I’m heaving my trophy up the stairs, I see a picture hanging on the wall, identical to the one hanging in our hallway My wife chose it.
I hate it when this happens, spreading waves of guilt over my body like honey on toast. Last week I was carrying another young girl to a hotel when we walked
What Is It Worth? – How We Value Things
August 31, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Old Masters
Do you ever think about what something is worth? This may seem obvious at first, but think about it a little deeper. Is something worth what it cost to make? That can’t be true otherwise all manufacturing companies would go out of business in a VERY short time.
Why are natural diamonds worth more than synthetic ones? Synthetic ones are REAL diamond AND they’re more pure….no flaws whatsoever. In fact, other than being the hardest natural substance (we can synthesize harder substances now, Rhenium Diboride, Ultrahard Fullerite and Aggregated Diamond Nanorods are ALL harder than Diamond) they are simply pretty when appropriately cut and polished. However they are NO prettier than glass……….or are they? Maybe that’s a subjective matter of opinion?
I was in Washington D.C. two weeks ago with my wife (she was on a business trip, so I just tagged along for the ride). I’d been there several years earlier, but I didn’t have the opportunity to see any of the attractions.
This time it was vacation (for me anyway!) so I decided to go along to the Mall. I visited the Smithsonian Building, the Library of Congress and then the National Archives where I saw the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence; amazing places, all of them. My wife suggested I also go to the National Art Gallery as she’d been before and really liked it, so I took her suggestion and I’m very glad that I did.
Why? Because I experienced some of the most outrageously incompetent “art” that I’ve ever seen!
I saw paintings by Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne, Vincent Van Gogh and Henri Matisse. Some were INCREDIBLE paint applied with amazing skill, intricate in detail, uplifting subject-matter; quite superb…………..in MY opinion.
Others were obviously painted by a three month old Chimpanzee! (Not really, though it DID look like it!).
I have no doubt that if the Cezanne or Monet went to auction it would fetch millions of dollars, purchased either by a wealthy collector or a shrewd businessman who could sell it for a profit, but the worth to ME for several of these paintings was exactly ZERO (dollars or pesos!).
What about your car? Is it worth what you paid for it? Well, my car is worth a LOT more to me than it is to anybody else. I know how reliable it is, what condition it’s in, how much money I’ve spent on it and so on. So what if you took your car to a dealer to sell or trade it in; what do you think HE would give you for it? Yep, you guessed it, a lot LESS than you think it’s worth.
Surprisingly, this can actually be a good thing. How? Once you realize how people value things, you can use this to make money. Just because I didn’t like something and wouldn’t pay anything for an it, doesn’t mean that somebody else wouldn’t. They may pay a LOT of money!
I want you to think a little more deeply about value and worth. These are both extremely subjective.
Show 50 people an object (wristwatch, pen, laptop, book) and ask each of them to write down on a slip of paper what they would be prepared to pay for it. You’ll get 50 different figures written down, guaranteed!
So where am I going with all this? Well, because everybody values things differently, YOU can benefit from this. How? Very simple; YOU have millions of bits of information inside your mind that you may not think are WORTH anything! However, other people may well be willing to PAY you for that information, and pay you VERY well.
Think about what you know, how difficult or costly the knowledge may have been for you to acquire (not just in money, but in time, effort or discomfort). Then think about how you might find OTHERS who would PAY you for that information.
Then, you simply SUPPLY it to them!
Do it once, then do it again…………….then, often before you realize it, you have a business.
Luke Hawthorne (www.lukehawthorne.com)
How to compose abstract art
August 31, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Abstract & Cubism
I think you have to have an understanding of what abstract art is before you can make it. There are a lot of great abstract artists out there that one can draw some inspiration from. For me I get a lot of inspiration from Marcel Duchamp, Francis Bacon, Robert Rauschenberg and many other modern artists.
First you have to find a meduim that you’re comfortable working in. I usually work with acrylic paint, but lately I’ve been experimenting with oil paint. Oil paint give you a great texture that you don’t get with acrylic paint. Some of the drawbacks I find with oil paint are, it smeels bad and takes a long time to dry. But these are minor drawbacks to deal with.
I also use collage in my paintings. I tend to paint no representational things in my paintings. Which works well with abstract painting. I don’t always have a set plan on what I’m going to add to a blank canvas. I just usually let the brush goes where it wants to, and in the process things will begin to take shape. As for colours, I choose what ever i feel like using at that moment in time. Some of my canvases just have paint on them but like I said before I also like to incorporate collage, or mixed media if you will to the painting. The state of the painting dictates whether or not collage should be added.
To create abstract art you really have to have a wild and vivid imagination and to be able to suspend your belief in anything representational. Abstract art isn’t going to be something that’s readily recognized by the general public. And it will give cause for people to question if it’s art.
Collage can be a really fun medium to work in. It will make you a packrat and you will find you’re saving anything that you find of interest and usefullness to use in your art. It will also make you aware of the things that are a part of your daily life and you will in turn have a new outlook on items that you would normally think of as trash.
One of the easiest types of abstract art that I like to make are called “scrapes.” The best thing to use in making these are illustration board. It holds the paint better than reagular mat board would. Although you can use mat board, you will just get a different look. It won’t be as glossy. And the best paint to use in making “scrapes” is acrylic.
To make a “scrape” pick out 3-4 different colours that you would like to use. Squirt a line of paint across the top of the board, this will be you background colour. Then take the other colours and squirt them around the board. You can do this any way you want, and the way you squirt it on the board will maintina the shape when you scrape it. After you have all the paint on the board, take a scraper and and scrape down on the board and then you will have a wonderful piece of abstract art. The more you make them the more you will be willing to experiment with them and add collage to them or what ever else takes your fancy. You can make these with oil paint but they don’t come out as nice.
So however you choose to make an absttract piece of art just remember to bring to the table and imagination and a desire to make something that is unique. Take a look at other artists work and see if it ccan help spark some drive in you, just don’t copy someone elses work. Always put your own spin to it.
Manuel Reyes: Sculptor, Painter and Renaissance Man of the Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca
August 31, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Old Masters
Alvin Starkman, M.A. LL.B.
Artist Manuel Reyes aspires to exhibit his work in art galleries in Oaxaca and Mexico City. Give him that exposure over the next couple of years, and there’s little doubt his genius will be known in New York, Chicago, and further abroad. American, Canadian and European art collectors are already tapping their Mexican networks to figure out how to make their way to his modest home and workshop in the village of Yanhuitlan, an hour and a half outside of the city of Oaxaca, to marvel at his artistry … and buy it up.
Reyes was born in Mexico City (d.o.b. 20/12/72) to Oaxacan parents. He balks at any suggestion that he is not pure Oaxacan: “My parents are from the Mixteca Alta, right in this region of the state, and I’ve always considered myself a Oaxacan. That’s my heritage, my birthright. I just happen to have been born out of state. While I’ve had training from some of the grand masters of Mexican art, I’ve developed a large part of my artistic style from watching and speaking to local artists right here in the Mixteca.”
Reyes began studying art in 1990. He attended the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas in Xochimilco, Mexico City. He moved to Cuernavaca in 1995, where he was mentored by the likes of Roger Von Gunten, Joy Laville, Francisco Lastra and Juan Soriano. He studied predominantly seriography, sculpture and painting. In 2003 Reyes returned to the Mixteca, and has since then re-established his roots. “The lessons I learned through my formal training have been invaluable, but I gain inspiration and have adopted techniques not solely from my maestros, to whom I owe a great deal, but also from the artists and craftspeople of the Oaxacan district of Nochixtlán.”
Reyes works together with his wife Maricela, a gifted artist in her own right. In fact their six-year-old daughter Natalia does ceramics with her mother, and painting with Manuel. “Some of our pieces are not only inspired by Natalia, but she actually participates in their creation. Look at this oil mixed with sand on canvas, with its fanciful and childlike figures. Natalia actually began the piece, and I just brought to fruition what was in her mind and she had already begun to put to paper.”
“My main influences are Rufino Tamayo for my painting, and Maribel Portela for my sculpture,” he continues. “But what I’ve learned from the people of my culture has been invaluable to my work … the use of a wood-burning kiln made of mud and brick, about the different kinds of clays for sculpting — many of which are available in Oaxaca — and how to mix different kinds of soils to create a broad range of paint colors and tones, and textures. In the end my pieces are products of my local environment, or at times made from materials I’ve sourced from other parts of the country.”
While Reyes obtains his clays from many different areas, most are from four main locales: a riverbed about a kilometer from his home, upstate at Huajuapan de León, the town of Santa María Cuquila, and from Zacatecas, northwest of the nation’s capital. Each compound has different qualities. His Zacatecan clay is strong and has a sandy texture, making it suitable for sculpting his large, almost life-size human figures; more utilitarian pieces such as plates and cups are made with earth from Cuquila; pieces which he intends to burnish are sculpted from clay from Huajuapan de León; and he mixes local soil with the Zacatecan earth to yield a more malleable and easily workable clay.
For colors, Reyes often looks to other parts of the nation so as to enable him to obtain the variety he needs. “That painting hanging in our kitchen provides a good example of the range of colors I derive from combining different earths. Many of my paints come from the environment. I brought a kilo of clay from Chihuahua and used it to make paint for that male figure looking skyward. That white is an oxide.” Indeed the breadth of colors he is able to create for use on both his sculptures and his paintings is remarkable.
Manuel’s canvases are generally “mixed technique” as he refers to them, a combination of oil, acrylic and natural earth. Depending on the inspiration for a particular work, and the imagery he seeks to convey, the order and manner of application and the texture and origin of the soil applied, will vary.
Reyes goes on to explain the sexual imagery captured in many pieces from his current crop of sculptures: “I’ve been doing a fair number with nude males since 2005, not initially by specific design, but rather because that’s what is often depicted in pre-Hispanic art and representations of day-to-day activities, and that’s the kind of work that I’ve enjoyed doing over the past three years. When you look at the earliest Zapotec clay figures, and in fact those dating to Olmec and earlier times, that’s what my ancestors were creating. A number of sculptures portray hope and prayer as well, so much a part of ancient times, with head looking upward to the heavens and hands raised.” When questioned about the over-representation in his figures of males with dangling phalluses, Reyes points to a couple of female pieces: “Look at that female warrior over there. But notice the belt I made for her, with penises hanging from it, her trophies.”
Reyes readily acknowledges that this is still a business, his livelihood, and when gay male collectors began taking an interest in this phase of his artistic development, it motivated him to continue with it and further experiment with the theme of male sexuality as depicted in the codices and sculptures of earlier civilizations.
But Manuel’s work also reflects his personal interests and passions, his reverence for Oaxaca’s present day rich cultural traditions, and his eclecticism whereby he’s prepared to push the outer boundary of what’s traditionally considered art, at times combining aestheticism with pure functionality: “I know a really good carpenter here in Yanhuitlan, and thought of combining our two trades, sort of as a fun project. I asked him to make me a cabinet with shelves and doors. I painted it and then put six mask tiles, each with a fair bit of relief, on the door panels. It came out really funky and a collector bought it within a couple of weeks of when I’d finished it.
Reyes has begun experimenting with masks as an art form. Their use at fiestas and for parades is common practice in Oaxaca, the tradition dating back perhaps 3,000 years, when permanent settlements were first established in the region. He pays tribute to the ritualistic use of masks with one of his sculptures, a marcher holding a mask in front of his face, still a common sight at Oaxacan celebrations today.
On a recent visit to Reyes’ home, the music of Lou Reed was playing. Rock, blues and other genres of the 60’s and 70’s are included in this extraordinary man’s list of delights. And of course, they are reflected in his work. He’s created clay painted figures of John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison, simply as a way of paying homage to some of his rock idols. Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven was the inspiration for one of his more “traditional” sculptures, with four men each climbing up a rung of a ladder made of reinforced steel covered with twine, each step framed by horn-shaped clouds.
More recently Reyes has become interested in depicting vestiges of the material culture of his indigenous forebears, combining his gift as a skilled artist with the work of an applied archaeologist. For example he recently found a potsherd with a painted design, and through extrapolation has created an entire, accurately crafted three-footed vessel.
Through his art, Manuel Reyes is continually looking for new modes of self-expression, while at the same time reflecting on diverse cultures, both present-day and of the near and distant past. He’s a true renaissance man whose golden touch will undoubtedly, over time, become appreciated by an increased following. The exhibitions of his work in Huajuapan de León and at the Museo del Arte Popular in San Bartolo Coyotepec where one piece remains on permanent display, pale compared to what’s in store for Manuel … and art aficionados around the globe.
Portrait painting tips – Part 3
August 31, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Portraits
As a portrait artist, I can attest to the difference between drawing a person’s portrait in graphite and painting their portrait. When painting a person’s portrait, you are doing more than just capturing their likeness. Through the use of color and the texture of the paint you have the unique ability to capture their character as well. As you study art, you should become familiar with various styles in painting and explore all of them. This not only helps you learn the differences in painting styles first-hand, it also helps you to learn and adapt your own style. There are many mediums for you to choose from (watercolor, acrylic, and oil paints) and each medium offers a wide range of uses. When you are painting portraits for fun rather than through a commission, it is easier to choose the medium based on your knowledge of the subject. However, in the real world of portrait commissions, until you have established a reputation, the person commissioning you already has a medium in mind or a tight budget that dictates which to use.
If you are fortunate to be able to afford a studio with all the proper lighting and props needed, painting from a live model in front of you is ideal. There will be times when you are doing commissions as gifts for others or they may be out-of-state making this either too expensive for traveling or just not possible at all. You may be forced to work from photographs and this becomes more of a challenge. How can you capture a person’s likeness and deliver a true portrait when you haven’t met the person let alone talked to them and witnessed first-hand how they laugh and the way they carry themselves?
When this is the case I request several photographs and use every one. I interview the person who knows them best and is commissioning me and ask them questions such as “what is their best feature?” It is also important to note the color of their eyes, hair, and skin. One photograph I request is of a studio shot showing them at their finest and the others are snap-shots taken when they are relaxed and having fun. In doing this, I am not just copying another artists interpretation of them but creating one of my own the same as though they were sitting in front of me. (This also saves you from inadvertently violating copyright laws.) Now, the good stuff
1. Composition. Your portrait will succeed or fail through the position you have it on your canvas and if you are painting from a live model, you only have one shot.
How Many Different Ways Are There To Light A Portrait With Just One Light?
August 30, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Portraits
photography? No problem! Just find a pretty girl, buy a flashgun, take her picture and hey presto you have a portrait. But is it any good? So what makes the difference. Well, a number of things do; the model, the background, the pose, the camera, the space, the camera, the lens and the light. But take away light and you have NOTHING! So what is it about light? There is: hard and soft, bright and dim, small and big, white and white (yes white and white) as well as white and coloured, direct and reflected, fast and slow, front and side and back and high key and low key and last but not least, invisible! One Light?: The truth is that there is usually more than one light because where there is light there usually is reflected light. You can use this reflected light if it helps or insert gobo’s (black go between boards or flags) to stop this. You can increase the reflected light by using reflectors, expensive ones or shirts and white boards. Hard and Soft: Simply the difference between the light on a sunny day and a cloudy day. Hard light gives dark well-defined shadows. Soft light comes from many different places. Bright and Dim: A dim light to us can be made to look like daylight, simply by leaving the shutter open for longer. So in this respect there is no such thing as bright or dim light. That is defined by the camera settings. The camera can make the brightest of scenes look like it was taken during an eclipse! Small and Big: The sun is the biggest light that we can use, however it is called a small light because it is so far away. But put the clouds in between us and the sun and it becomes the biggest light we can use. Soft boxes turn small lights into big lights and are often 2-3ft across. Alternatives are to shoot through a white sheet or bounce off a wall. An umbrella can achieve a similar effect because it spreads the light all over the place and reflected light can soften the shadows. White and White: To the human eye, white is clearly white; that is because the eyes is constantly adjusting and interpreting what it sees. Cameras are not able to do that to the same extent. Collect different sheets of white paper and take a close look at them – you will probably find quite a range of whites. The same variations apply to light. We would call them all white (non coloured) but in reality they are coloured or tinted in some small way. Different lights produce different tints – fluorescent give a greenish light, incandescent give a orange tint, flash guns and strobes will tend not to have a tint; so whites look white to our eyes but some appear coloured to a camera. White and Coloured: Taking a photograph indoors with flash and incandescent bulbs will give a mixture of white and orange tints. I was taking an outdoor photo during the day with a deeply overcast day. I place two flashguns with orange gels and the photograph turned from a dull picture to one that looked as though it had been taken late in the evening with a lovely warm glow. Placing coloured gels over a flashgun colours the light and will produce different effects. Quality street sweets are famous for providing different colour wrappers that can be used for different effects. Direct and Reflected: Direct light comes from your source light and usually has an obvious effect. Reflected light will come from any other surface that is not totally black. A coloured wall will give the light a colour tint. A shiny surface will give a hard strong light. A textured surface will give a soft weak light. The distance from the source to the reflecting surface and then to the subject, compared to the distance from the source light to the subject, will greatly affect the strength of the reflected light. Fast and Slow: What I am really referring to is the duration of the light, ie how long the light is shining while the photograph is being taken. Daylight shines 100% of the time the shutter is open and a flashgun can shine for 1% of the time. In most cases though, you will get a combination of two lights; one shining 100% and the other a fraction of the time. Front, Side and Rear: Choose the position of the main light. Each position will create a very different effect, from fully lit to silhouette. Reflected light can be used to fill in shadows. Low and High Key: This is were the tones of the photograph are primarily dark or bright. The details of the subject are either blown out or in deepest shadow. Often the form comes from the outline of the subject. This is achieved by under or over exposing the subject. Invisible: Infra Red is not visible to the naked eye, but filters can be attached to a camera which allows that light to be picked up on the sensor or film. This can produce a surreal effect. Different surfaces reflect different amounts of infra-red. So there we have it, a lightening, fast pass over variations with just one light. An unabridged version of this article and others can be found at John’s Photo Blog on his website. All this with just one light; just think of the variations with two or more lights. Explore my website to see some of these effects in practice in the Galleries. Explore making your own photographs with just one light. Explore, discover and understand.
Exploring & defining modern art
August 30, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Abstract & Cubism
Defining “Modern Art” is surprisingly simple. It is the exploring that is baffling to many people. I believe most people who do not have much formal education in art history think of anything done currently is “Modern Art.” It is from this definition that I am going to work even though the correct definition of Modern Art is dated from around 1910 to 1970. After 1970, the term post-modern comes into play. For most casual art observers, however, it all blends into one big category of “anything that doesn’t look traditional” is modern.
To explore art that has modern or postmodern themes is perhaps more helpful to the casual observer. The first way to really explore modern art is to take an art history class. There are excellent art history classes offered online. With all the images accessible via the internet it is very possible to get an introduction to art history that will make sense of the categories and genres that you hear talked about. If you live next to a community college, take a class there. Don’t think just because it is not in a big city or you don’t live next to an art museum that you can’t learn about art. There are some very good people out there teaching in small colleges that you can learn from. They usually are very enthusiastic about art and finding people who are also.
There are excellent museum websites that have art history lessons designed for teachers and children that are actually excellent for anyone to view. They describe in simple terms how to look at modern art and themes to look for. The Metropolitan and the Smithsonian’s websites are my favorites. I like to go through these programs online once in a while for a refreshing look at art. I know it’s not the same as going to a museum, but it is less overwhelming. Some of us are visually overwhelmed quite easily, and I think for this reason modern art seems to difficult to understand. There are so many styles, materials, and images that we are tempted to give up too easily.
In the early 20th century there was an “explosion” of visual creativity and exploration that even today baffle those trying to learn about it. The artists at that time were also looked at as not just “rebels” as that is a more positive term, but “savages” and perverts. Now, of course we realize that they were tapping into their souls more than some parts of society wishes to tap. Even today there are segments of the population that would rather not go too deep. If you are one of those, you wouldn’t be reading this article!
The final way you can explore is make some attempt at playing around with color and/or line yourself. Notice what comes up when you are trying to make something abstract. Something figurative always seems to show up! Shred or burn it later if you wish, if you would be mortified if anyone should see it. Doing this will help you somewhat understand a little more about trying to make abstract art that comes from within – instead of just copying the visual images in the world realistically, or traditionally.
Actually, I challenge you to try to make something totally abstract and then have your friends look at it. I guarantee you some of them will find something it looks like and it is actually difficult to make abstract art.
Madhubani Paintings
August 30, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Impressionist
The history of ethnic paintings in India can be traced back to the Bhimbatka Caves, where some of the earliest paintings of India are found. But when it comes to ethnic ‘tribal’ paintings of India the names which top the list are Warli paintings and Madhubani paintings.
Madhubani paintings, also known as Godhna, Maithili and Chitra figure paintings, originated out of the humble domestic rituals in Madhubani district of Bihar. Chiefly prevailing in Madhubani district, it also diffused to the adjacent districts of Jetwarpur, Ranti, Rasidpur, Bacchi, Rajangarh, etc.As per the belief of the people of Madhubani that Gods visit each house in the morning to bless them with luck and prosperity, Madhubani paintings started as a welcome painting on the walls, doors and floors for the Gods. Till the 1960s it was a purely a decorative art. But the Bihar famine of 1964-65 took its toil on the people of Madhubani and they had to shift from agriculture to other forms livelihood. And with that started the commercialization of the Maithili paintings; it shifted from walls and floors to paper, satin, sarees, dupattas, etc, without deviating from its original themes, the themes of religion and mythology. Most of the people of Madhubani now depend on these paintings for their daily necessities.
A paste of cow dung and mud is applied on the walls and floors to give a perfect black background on which pictures are drawn with white rice paste; bright vegetable colours are then applied on the figures making them more vibrant. A great number of Madhubani painters still apply a thin layer of cow dung and mud paste on their canvases to give a more authentic look and also because it helps in proper absorption of colour.
Essentially practiced by the women folk, Madhubani is an exclusively feminine school of folk painting. As a respite from their daily home-engineering they portrayed their visions, beliefs, customs and creativity with abstract figures, mostly in linear patterns. This school, however, is not confined to the feminine genre now, as the number of male painters is increasing with each passing day.
Thematically, Madhubani paintings are mostly based on religion and mythology. The religious themes are branched into two types – little tradition and great tradition. In the paintings of little tradition, Gods like Raja Salesh, Buddheshwar, Jutki Malini, Reshma, and the likes occurs in abundance. Great tradition is a tribute to the Hindu Gods like Krishna-Radha, Shiva-Parvati, Ganesha, Maa Durga, and the likes. Nevertheless, natural scenes of villages, everyday life, flora and fauna which are so much a part of life of this school of painters, also entered the domain of Godhna paintings.
The attributes characterizing almost all Madhubani paintings are :-
1 Use of bold natural and artificial colors.
2 A double line border with simple geometric designs or with ornate floral patterns on it.
3 Symbols, lines and patterns supporting the main theme.
4 Abstract-like figures, of deities or human.
5 The faces of the figures has large bulging eyes and a jolting nose emerging out of the forehead.
Madhubani painting is an emblematic expression of day-to-day experiences and beliefs. As such, symbolism, simplicity and beauty hold them together in a single school of traditional art. The symbols that these Maithili painters use have their specific meanings as, for instance, fish symbolize fertility, procreation and good luck, peacocks are associated with romantic love and religion, serpents are the divine protectors.
The treatment of colour in the Indian folk art form of Madhubani painting brings it somewhat close to the Impressionistic school and the Post-Impressionistic school of painting. To some extent their theme of trivial daily activities and nature are also shared by the Godhna painters.
Characterized by vibrant use of colour, underlying symbolism and traditional geometric patterns supporting the main theme, the Indian folk art form of Madhubani succeeded in creating a place for itself in the international house of fame and is now recognized world wide. The Government of India is also paying its tribute by starting training programs educating people on Madhubani paintings.
Madhubani Paintings – An Indian folk art form ethnic to the core with International recognition.