I drove to Tipton Friday and met with my friend Stephanie from my old workplace. We went out for her lunch break and she was telling me how she used to do oil painting and was willing to let me have her old paint and some acrylic that she had gathered, as well.
I asked her about oil painting and she was saying she doesn't remember a whole lot but she was saying something that I have considered to do in my own painting: starting with a base paint for the over-all background.
When I got home I set up my studio.
It took about 30 minutes to set up (again). There's so
many things to gather: paint, water, brushes, propping, tables, a chair, my picture and canvas, palettes, lighting, newspaper and paper towels.
Thinking on what Stephanie told me on creating a base paint (a dark green) I had more of a blended result.
When I finally got done with what I wanted to do I looked at the clock and 2 hours had gone by without me noticing....until later. My neck hurt!
I looked at my tree and thought my style related more with Georgia O' Keeffe than Vincent Van Gogh. I tried to remember what I have learned on her in the past but broke down and gathered further information on her life.
I know that she created some abstract work and is well known for her flower paintings. She lived some of her life in New York and the rest in New Mexico. (I love New Mexico. I would visit Santa Fe on occasion with the family to visit my aunt and uncle.)
From what I gathered, Georgia O' Keeffe was born on November 15th 1887 in Wisconsin. She studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and in New York at the Art Students League. Alfred Steiglitz offered payment for her to make a residence and paint in New York in 1918. Later the two married in 1924. Georgia moved permanently to New Mexico in 1949 and stayed there until her death in March 6th 1986. She was 98 years old.
Besides the famous up-close paintings of flowers, Georgia O' Keeffe was also known for her charcoal abstract drawings and cityscapes. Her style of painting was highly influenced by Arthur Dow. He was an instructor at the Teacher's College of Columbia University in South Carolina. Arthur specialized on the Oriental perspective of art. The oriental style changed the way Georgia painted from 1915 onward.
(information taken was from http://www.lkwdpl.org/wihohio/ okee-geo.htm and
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ americanmasters/episodes/georgia-okeeffe/about-the-painter/55/)
I feel that I have learned quite a bit already in my pursuit of recreating the Starry Night. Not just about other painters but from myself.
I love painting. I tend to switch hands when I paint (ambidextrous?!) and I also feel very calm/ excited when I paint (if that makes any sense).
I wonder if music has anything to with how I feel when I paint? The music choice for this session was Q95 on the radio and Dad's Grateful Dead music floating up from downstairs. Music definitely lifted me when I was finally done with my work: as if on cue, the radio decided to play Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll."
I don't know if I can express my happiness in normal wording: reminiscent-blissfulness? Superbly-splendid?
Anyways, more tomorrow.
