Okay, critiques are tough, especially when it’s on my own items. But, it’s an outrageously valuable exercise and it helps me to prepare for the next set of paintings I do. Do you sit down to think about your artwork – whether it expresses what you want to express?
Color Theory
I’m starting with color because it’s my critique and I feel like this is my strongest area. I don’t want to hurt my feelings by leading off with a slam – that’s just cruel. Also, my current focus is on color relationships, so it makes sense to start here. I do feel like I did well. I used combinations of complementary colors in many paintings, which is one of my fallbacks. Evelyn’s House 1 (to the right) is one of the more successful paintings and uses complements to move the eye though the picture (cadmium orange and ultramarine blue). In some of the others, I struggled a little, so when I announce my first color theory book to follow, I hope this will give me more color options (Friday or Saturday I promise!). I also used color palettes from Wolf Kahn pastels and paintings. Or tried too. This was much harder and this is where I need to work. I came close but missed the mark on the pink and red painting, but couldn’t ever figure out what color to add to make it work.
Composition
I pretend I’m good at composition. Like color theory, I think I know a lot of rules, I just find it hard to put into practice if it doesn’t happen naturally. Maybe this is a good item for my next project! I’d give myself a B on composition. Nothing spectacular, although there are a couple I like, especially this Ranch on a Hill (to the right). I have a large painting in progress of this house that I *heart*. But I’m scared to finish it because I don’t want to mess it up. I think the high horizon line is a good device here, and guides the viewer up though the painting.
Drawing, or Representation
I didn’t know a good title for this section – how well did I actually render the house? Boo. Front Porch (to the right) reads terribly. So do quite a few of the others. Which is a little sad – this is usually my strongest skill. I think there are a number of problems: I need to draw more and keep in practice – it shows that I’m not drawing enough (or haven’t been – I’m working on dailies now!). I also need to stand up while working. I don’t know if it’s just me, or if this applies to everyone, but especially when painting, I think you see your picture better when you stand up! I know when you paint or draw on a large scale standing is essential, but I’m coming to believe that standing is important no matter what the scale. I’ll experiment and report results. Another tip – two good ways to see if your drawing works are to hold the drawing in front of a mirror (you probably know this one from high school art class), and to take a photo of it. Something about reducing a drawing in a photo really points out your errors.
Style – Paint Handling
I could blame my disappointment on my materials, but that would just be wrong. I’m just going to say it: I MISS TURPENTINE!!! It was wonderfully slippery and I knew how to use it. I’m going through lots of “safe” options right now, in particular the water- soluble oil paints. I’m keeping a list of pros and cons, and I’ll give a full review soon. But, I didn’t handle the paint as well as I think I should be able to do. This painting, Neighbor View 3, is what I think is my most successful. One of its good features is the paint handling – I actually removed a layer of pale orange on the house to reveal the green, and it’s my favorite part of the whole series.
Recap
Overall, I give myself a B. I definitely improved as the series was painted, and I certainly hope that they show potential. Most of all, I hope that when I critique a group of paintings a year from now, I can point to how much I’ve improved.
Related Posts:
