Below is an excerpt from a handout being mailed to students enrolled Richard Kooymans Summer Class "Oil: Painting on Location/ Going Small, Simple and Beautiful"
June 18,19,20 - 10:30-4:30 Old Art Building, Leland. There are still a view spots open.
There is a great little book that you can order from any bookstore ‘Hawthorne on Painting’ . Hawthorne was a student of William Merrit Chase and went on to be one of the leading teachers of painting of his generation. This book is a series of notes his students took during his class. Written in the voice of the time it still manages to communicate the important principles of painting.
Also if you can look up any of the following artists online or in the library it will help you understand where my focus for this class will be.
Fairfield Porter, Tom Thompson, Milton Avery, John Marin, Georgia O’Keeffe, Victor Higgins, Matisse, and the contemporary work of Wolf Kahn, Lois Dodd, David Hockney, Eric Aho, Stuart Shils, Martha Armstrong. All these artists share a focus on the landscape, an ability to convey an emotional reaction to the scene, foregoing detail for expression,emphasizing the love of brush work. Remember painting is a record of our actions expressed in brush work.
What is a good landscape painting?
A good painting is always more about the painting than the scene.
Painting on location isn’t simply about capturing the light and the view but rather uses that information to make beautiful art.
Good painting is more poetry than prose, more connotation and less denotation.
Georgia O’Keeffe said “Nothing is less real than realism” Your eye doesn’t see all the leaves on a tree. It sees the shapes of the branch's on the tree.
So how does one become a good painter? The million dollar question. I think it takes two simple things. The first is that you have to align yourself with what good painting is really about. Its not about making decoration. Its not about recording what is in front of you like a camera would record it. Painting is an act, like in”action”. The result of your action,(what color went first, which big or small sized tools did you use, what did you leave out, what did you put in) is the painting. If your action is hesitant,fearful, confused, you are going to produce a painting that has those qualities. If you paint willfully and boldly you going to produce that type of paintings.
I’m not saying you should paint like me. All of the painters I mention above are very different in STYLE of painting but they all share what it is that makes a good painting.
The second thing you have to do is paint. It’s as simple as that. You have to make a place for your work ,a studio or extra room, where you can treat painting seriously and then…paint. Look at painters, buy books, go to exhibitions, museums, immerse yourself in the art world. Its an educational quest just like learning a new language. You are learning the language of paint. You have to invest your time to learn anything in the world. Painting is no different. And if you do invest the time, create a space for your art in your life not only can it be rewarding it can be your livelihood. It can be your life.