"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free."
- Michelangelo Buonarroti
Lauren Miller Dobbins
"Lauren Miller Dobbins" 10x10" oil on linen. Painted in memoriam to
work through my own grief. Visit this painting at bbargerart.com to
read the story behind this painting.
Choosing subjects to paint
Recently, I was asked how I choose what subjects to paint. What a fun
question!
Most importantly, I must feel an emotional connection, for this is
where my inspiration and motivation comes from. For me, these emotional
connections come from a variety of places including interesting
architecture, rural landscapes, animals, and people who are close to
me. For commissions, working with the client and getting to know the
subject builds that emotional connection. But this is only one piece of
the puzzle.
Once the emotional connection is there, I then look for other
considerations. The light is a biggie. Until I started painting, I
never really noticed that shadows are what make shapes appear three
dimensional. More than seeing objects, I notice the way the light falls
on objects and the way that light influences their colors. For example,
where sunlight hits the color red, the color of that patch of light may
appear orange or sky blue depending on the surface and the weather.
Swing Bridge Reflections
"Swing Bridge Reflections" 5x7" oil on panel. I wanted to paint this
historic bridge before it is replaced by a new high rise bridge. Also,
nocturnal paintings make great studies in painting with lots of dark
values.
Closely related to light is value. By value I mean the gradations
between the darkest dark and the lightest light. Currently, I typically
work with 5 values ranging from almost black to medium gray to almost
white. The colors I mix are translated to this grayscale equivalent.
For a painting to be interesting it needs to include predominately
darks or predominantly lights - a 50/50 split does not lead to
interesting paintings.
I also consider the composition of the subject. When the scene is
painted on a flat surface, will it create an interesting path through
the painting to lead the viewers' eyes? Unlike photographs, paintings
allow for adjustments. I've been known to relocate many a tree in my
landscape paintings to improve the composition.
Temptation
"Temptation" 4"x6" oil on panel
And some things, I paint simply to improve my ability to paint
recurring themes. I chose to paint chocolate truffles to experiment
with painting mouth watering food, metallic reflections and transparent
textures.
As anyone close to me can attest, now that I'm painting more often, the
way I see has changed. While I may still see objects, what captures my
attention is the way light wraps around a subject and casts shadows,
and how color is influenced by light. While often overlooked, these are
the things that make a scene magical, and these are the things I think
about when I paint.
The stories and inspiration behind each of my paintings are documented
on my website at bbargerart.com.
Would you help me build a bigger audience?
If you have enjoyed this newsletter, please share it with anyone and
everyone. I am trying to build a bigger audience for my work and can
only succeed with the help of friends like you.
If someone forwarded this newsletter to you and you would like to
subscribe, you may do so on the Newsletter tab on my website at
bbargerart.com.
All subscribers to my newsletter will be included in an August drawing
for three notecards!
Partnering for worthy causes
I will donate 50% of the proceeds from the sale of any animal or
landscape painting to a related charity with input from the collector.
This offer also applies to new commissions. You can view my paintings
of animals and landscapes on my website at bbargerart.com.
_____
Boldbrush
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