The Sight & Insight Podcast: Recent Episodes
Judith and David Curtis and Lorwen Nagle
Greetings, Art Lovers,
We hope you haven't forgotten us! It hasn't been easy, getting together over the last year or so, to record a podcast, but we hope you are all safe and happy and anxious to tune in to another episode of all things Art. This is our Memorial Day weekend special.
Just to bring things up to date, Connie tells us about the progress on her book and her work with the Camera Lucida, and David talks about how important it was to get out into the garden last summer to paint outdoors even during the lockdown.
Connie and the Camera Lucida!
David 'Looking Back,' o/c, 18x14----more----
Meanwhile, Judy is working with Dale Ratcliff Movalli on putting together a book of Charles Movalli's American Artist articles, 'Conversations with...' featuring many of Cape Ann's best loved painters. Lots of advice and acumen delivered in Charlie's own inimitable style! Coming soon.
Connie and David's Sight and Insight Zoom program continues to grow and they talk about the actualization of their teaching, including the Metaphysical Toolbox and what we can learn from Monet.
Above: From Monet's Grainstack Series
Check out their websites lorwenpaintings.com and davidpcurtis.com for more information on the Sight and Insight Zoom Program, and registration.
Wishing you and your loved ones a safe, happy and healthy Memorial Day weekend 2021.
Cheers,
Connie, David and Judy
Episode 42 Greetings, Art Lovers, We hope you are still all safe and healthy during these trying times.
With quarantine, isolation, and sequestration still ongoing, we must take care of our mental health as well as our physical well being. With that in mind, Judy kicks off with how art helps keep her on an even keel. Connie shares her ideas on how to keep going when life is almost at a standstill, and David updates us on how he has been keeping busy.
Connie and David, who both love to paint Plein Air but are currently sequestered in the studio, share images of recent interiors and how to bring a different mindset to working indoors. The three of them also discuss recent books they've been reading on art, art history, and creative psychology. They like to cover all the bases.
The Yin Corner by Lorwen C. Nagle
In addition, David discusses artists he has known, including Don Stone, Tom Nicholas, N. A., and T. M. Nicholas and their working methods.
The Yang Corner by David P. Curtis
Then the discussion moves towards the importance of art history and what we can learn from earlier masters. David talks about George Inness, Connie discusses Klimt, Moll, and the Vienna Secession, while Judy chips in with the importance of local art history and some of the books she has authored over recent years.
Need something to read while you are waiting for your paint to dry? Here are some choices recommended to the Sight & Insight crew:
From Connie:
Here are some books I’d recommend that focus on the connection between art and psychology.
Kandel, Eric R., 2013. The Age of Insight. Random House: New York
Gombrich, E.H., 2000. Art & Illusion. Bollingen Series XXXV: Princeton University Press.
Kris, Ernst. 1965. Psychoanalytic Explorations in Art. International Universities Press: New York.
Arnheim, Rudolf. 1974. Art and Visual Perception: A Psychology of the Creative Eye (New Version). University of California Press: Berkley
From David:
These are some of the books on art that I never tire of picking up and leafing through:
From Judy:
It's hard to pick a favorite out of all the art books we have around the house, but anyone wanting to know more about Cape Ann's connection to the art world should try:
Artists of Cape Ann: A 150 Year Tradition by Kristian Davies
Joseph DeCamp by Laurene Buckley
Frank Duveneck: Painter-Teacher by Josephine W. Duveneck.
And if you are interested, here are just a few of the books Judy has written on Cape Ann art and artists.
Well, that's it for this week's podcast. We hope you enjoy it. Hopefully, Connie, David, and Judy will be able to get back together again soon, so, until then, stay safe and healthy and immerse yourself in ART!
Cheers,
David, Connie, and Judy
Greetings, Art Lovers!
We hope you are safe and healthy during the current social distancing parameters. Having isolated ourselves for the original two weeks and showing no ill effects, we decided to risk a podcast to send our best wishes to all you art lovers out there who are beginning, like us, to feel the cabin fever. Don't worry, we all kept a safe distance from the microphones, but we wanted to share some uplifting thoughts with you and encourage you to get out your paints, brushes, pastels, art books, snacks, and any other paraphernalia you might need to begin creating. Your imagination and creativity can take you well beyond the boundaries to which we must adhere at the moment.
Edgar Degas A Ballet Seen from an Opera Box, 1885, pastel 29 ½ x 20, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Phila, PA.
People call me the painter of dancing girls. It has never occurred to them that my chief interest in dancers lies in rendering movement and painting pretty clothes. — Edgar Degas
Not sure where to start? Tune in now as David, Connie and Judy share thoughts and observations on art in general and what they have been doing to keep busy.
Connie begins with the fact that art is a safe haven during troubled times and relates how she has been working on a giant-sized painting (42 x 58?!) to engage her imagination. David has been cultivating Alexander Cozens' 'blot technique' and is fascinated by what can be found by creating a blot or scribble and then pulling a landscape or rocky coastline out of the fog. They also discuss Giovanni Boldini and Edgar Degas both of whom aspired to create the effect of movement in their work; Degas with his racehorses and ballerinas, and Boldini, known as the "Master of Swish", according to Time because of his flowing style of painting. ["Art: Master of Swish". time.com. 3 April 1933]
Giovanni Boldini, Portrait of the Countess Zichy, 1905, no details.
Observe how much movement Boldini creates with loose and flowing brushwork to emulate the texture of satin and net, as well as the suggested motion of the Countess. Softened lines contribute to the effect of movement.
As Connie says, we often find ambiguity in paintings, suggested notes that our minds try to comprehend. Is that flick of white on the horizon a mis-stroke by the artist, or, no, wait, it's a sailboat, a schooner in full sail, perhaps a rider on a white horse in a desert scene. The viewer is instantly engaged with the painting as his, or her, imagination discovers other small details. "We are wired," says Connie, our resident artist-psychologist, "to make something out of ambiguity."
Judy updates us on several art talks and presentations that had to be canceled, including "A Father & Son's Journey in Paint" Tom Nicholas, N. A. and T. M. Nicholas at the Cape Ann Museum, 'Gloucester Through the Artist's Eye for the Cape Ann College Women's Club and a presentation at the Whistler House Museum of Art in Lowell on A. T. Hibbard by both Judy and David. The latter two events are being rescheduled, and will be announced when they finally make it on to the calendar, even if it's next year!
Finally, David muses on the 2020 competition for a free workshop. He is still finessing the details but we ask you to stay tuned and, as soon as he has an official announcement, we will let you know. In the meantime, don't forget:
Difficulties are opportunities to better things, they are stepping stones to greater experience. Perhaps someday you will be thankful for some temporary failure in a particular direction. When one door closes, another always opens, as a natural law, it has to be, to balance. — Bryan Adams
HILAIRE-GERMAIN-EDGAR DEGAS (FRENCH, 1834–1917)
BEFORE THE RACE, c. 1882, Oil on panel, 10 1/2 x 13 3/4 in. The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, MA. Acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark, 1939. Ac. No. 1955.557
Episode 40 [P]erception and thinking cannot get along without each other." Rudolf Arnheim, Visual Thinking, University of California Press, 1972, p. 188
Roger W. Curtis (1910-2000) Break, break, break, on thy cold grey stones, O sea! o/c, 25 x 30
Seasons Greetings, Art Lovers!
Join Connie, David and Judy for a chat around the coffee table as they discuss the Paradox of Painting.
By definition, a paradox is "a situation, person, or thing that combines contradictory features or qualities." So what are some of the paradoxes we come across in painting? Well, there's the notion of Concept (ie interior thoughts) -v- Percept (external, action-oriented). Or Light -v- darkness. We also have Improvisation, rifting off one thing to come up with another; winging it -v- a literal, by-the-rules approach. There's also ambiguity -v- the clearly defined and, lastly, just as magnets can both attract and repel, there is the paradox in painting of Attraction, or Forms that Welcome us -v- Repulsion. Too much of anything can also rebuff us. In painting, balance does not necessarily mean equality of elements.
In learning to work with these paradoxes, we have to turn to the Grand School of Nature: the artist's greatest inspiration! George Inness, the prominent American landscape painter is a wonderful example of what can be achieved with paint and canvas.
George Inness, The Storm, 1885, Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, NC, US
We hope you enjoy the conversation. Join us next time for more thoughts on art and the people who make it. Until then:
Happy Holidays from
Connie, David and Judy
Deck the Halls
Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Don we now our gay apparel, Fa la la, la la la, la la la. Troll the ancient Yule tide carol, Fa la la la la, la la la la.
See the blazing Yule before us, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Strike the harp and join the chorus. Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Follow me in merry measure, Fa la la la la, la la la la. While I tell of Yule tide treasure, Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Fast away the old year passes, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Hail the new, ye lads and lasses, Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Sing we joyous, all together, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Heedless of the wind and weather, Fa la la la la, la la la la.
The music to Deck the Halls is believed to Welsh in origin and was reputed to have come from a tune called "Nos Galan" dating back to the sixteenth century. In the eighteenth century Mozart used the tune to Deck the Halls for a violin and piano duet J.P. McCaskey is sometimes credited with the lyrics of Deck the Halls but he only edited the Franklin Square Song Collection in which the lyrics were first published. The first publication date of Deck the Halls is 1881.
There is No Direct Path to Reality, or Alexander Cozens and the Blot on the Landscape Connie began reading about the psychology of Cozens' work - preceding the Roscharch psychological test by a decade or more - and passed on her findings to David, who also became intrigued. They will be covering Cozens' work in more depth in their upcoming book, In Focus 2020. Judy then picked up the baton and started researching Cozens and was, of course, delighted to find he has English roots, albeit he was born in St. Petersburg, or thereabouts, where his father was working at the time on creating Peter the Great’s imperial navy.
Alexander Cozens, Vale near Matlock, Derbyshire, oil on canvas, 27 1/2 x 35 1/2, private collection
Cozens (1717–1786) studied in London from 1727, and by 1733 had learned etching. After his father's death in 1735, Cozens returned to Russia to assist his family who were suffering hard times. In spring of 1746, Cozens sailed for Italy, and settled in Rome. He worked in the studio of the eminently successful French landscapist Claude-Joseph Vernet (1714-89), making Cozens one of the first British artists to study and work in Rome.
Sadly, Cozens lost many of his Italian works while traveling through Germany on his return to England in 1749. Interestingly, those paintings that did survive were recovered in Florence by his son in 1776. Want to know more? Here is a great link to further information and images Alexander Cozens - Experimental Painter, His Tercentenary
Alexander Cozens (1717–1786), A Blot-Lake with Boat, Surrounded by Trees (date not known), brush and black ink, 16.2 x 21 cm, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1930), New York, NY. Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, via Wikimedia Commons.
If you have enjoyed discovering the work of Alexander Cozens as much as Connie, David and Judy have, then check out more of his work online. His method of landscape painting is truly inspirational!
Alexander Cozens, A Blot: Landscape Composition, c.1770–80. Watercolour and graphite on paper, Tate, London, UK, purchased as part of the Oppé Collection with assistance from the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund 1996 Ref.: T08114
Cozens's famous 'blot' technique was fully evolved by the 1750s. However he did not explain it in detail until the publication of 'A New Method of Assisting the Invention in Drawing Original Compositions of Landscape' (1786). The idea seems to have originally been developed by him as a teaching aid, to liberate the imagination of the student who, he felt, spent too much time in copying the works of others. He wrote that the blot was a 'production of chance, with a small degree of design'. The true blot was 'an assemblage of accidental shapes', 'forms without lines from which ideas are presented to the mind'. Blotting was done deliberately, the 'rude forms' which result having been made 'at will'. [Tate, London, UK Gallery label, September 2004]
"Everything that is painted directly and on the spot has always a strength, a power, a vivacity of touch which one cannot recover in the studio... three strokes of a brush in front of nature are worth more than two days of work at the easel." — Eugene Boudin
Until next time, happy painting, happy art loving,
David, Judy and Connie
Greetings, Art Lovers!
Well, it's a while since we were able to gather around the coffee table and talk art. Where did the summer go? Life in the 21st century can be very hectic. Technology is great - while it's working right. When it isn't, it can be frustrating. That's why we really need art, painting, creativity, music, writing and all those things that feed our soul.
Join David, Connie and Judy as they catch up with each other after a busy summer.
David and Connie, and their friend artist Tom Heinsohn, will be hosting an exhibition in Kittery Point, Maine, on Saturday, September 28 and you are more than welcome to join them for good food, great art, and scintillating conversation.
Please park at the First Congregational Church of Kittery Point parking lot, 23 Pepperrell Rd, Kittery Point, ME 03905 and take the chauffeur driven limo to the venue.
Cheers,
Connie, David and Judy
Episode 37: Copying the Masters "Perhaps one of the most essential exercises in learning to paint is the copying of master works in the museums." — Igor Babailov
Want to paint like a Master? Before you can paint like one whose works have stood the test of time, you have to study their work and comprehend what they did and how they did it. In other words Copy a Master!
A. T. Hibbard, Belmont Hills in Winter, 15 x 18, RAA&M Permanent Collection, 12.1.4
This coming weekend, March 23 and 24, David will be teaching a Copying from the Masters workshop at Rockport Art Association & Museum, 12 Main Street, Rockport, MA 01966. Hours: 9.30 - 3.30.
Following the time-honored tradition of improving one’s painting skills through the study of master artists, this two-day oil painting workshop will concentrate on replicating masterpieces from the RAA&M Permanent Collection. David Curtis will guide students through the artistic process as students copy works from the Museum Collection. Throughout the day, David will circulate in order to assist students with their understanding of how the selected artists went about creating his or her work while providing insight into the student's individual technique and style.
Lorwen 'Connie' Nagle will also be on hand to provide assistance.
For sign up, please go direct to Rockport Art Association & Museum:
https://www.rockportartassn.org/workshops/painting-from-the-old-masters-with-david-p-curtis
Much can be learned through this process and it will enhance your work when you go outdoors to work on your own compositions. And because so many of the paintings in the RAA&M collection are from Cape Ann, many of these scenes may still be available for your to go and paint yourself.
Paul Strisik, The Granite Pier, ca. 1960s, 24 x 30, RAA&M Permanent Collection, 02.1.3
Wishing you happy painting days and don't forget to join us in two weeks for some more Sight and Insight with David, Connie and Judy.
Episode 36: Wagons West or The Texas Two Step This week our intrepid trio discuss plans to head out west to the Lone Star State to paint the early flora and fauna of the Texas Hill Country.
"Life is creation – self and circumstances, the raw material." — Dorothy Richardson
Julian Onderdonk, Blue Bonnet Field, Early Morning, San Antonio, Texas, 1914, oil on canvas, 30 1/2 x 40, private collection
Although a painter should be able to find stimulating material even in his, or her, own back yard, there is nothing like a field trip to stir the creative juices. Of course, you always have to keep your fingers crossed that the weather plays its part, and the flowers bloom at the right moment, but other than that.... Still, if it wasn't for the unknown, life would be boring. The thought of creating the next great painting is what keeps an artist fresh and on their toes.
Connie and David talk about what they hope to achieve, and some of the problems artists come up against when traveling with all their gear. One wonders how artists managed it years ago. Jane Peterson, Gertrude Fiske, Frank Duveneck and 'the Boys' traveling throughout Europe, and the intrepid Anthony Thieme, who painted in numerous countries while traveling from his native Holland to Boston. Perhaps they had less rules and regulations to cope with!
Jose Arpa y Perea, Verbena, oil on canvas, 24 x 34, Texas Prize, 1927
So, let's cowboy up, and see what gems come out of this trip. Until we talk again,
Happy painting to one and all.
Connie, David and Judy
"Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art." — Leonardo da Vinci
"The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves." Carl Jung
A. T. Hibbard, Lane's Cove, oc, private collection
Creativity, as Jung says, is - or should be - a playful thing. A. T. Hibbard, the noted Cape Ann painter, would tell students that painting is 'hard work,' and that 'if you're not worn out when you're finished, you haven't been doing it right!' However, it is easy to see from any Hibbard painting that despite the hard work aspect, there has also been a playful element included in creating the design. The rhythm seen in a Hibbard scene, especially one of his plein air winter landscapes, shows that despite 'suffering for his work,' he also enjoyed himself immensely. The feeling of excitement and pleasure in the exhilarating moment of creation is easy to discern.
So how do we learn to play with our art? Join Connie, David and Judy as they look at different ways to improve your design creativity by changing the way you look and see things. For instance, what do you see below?
Or how about this?
Intriguing, right? How easily the mind can play tricks. Hope you enjoy this week's podcast, and it's not too late to sign up for Sunday's critique, February 24, three paintings person, with a brief introduction by Connie on the Voyage of Vision. Come join the fun. Refreshments will be served. Tuition $35.
Email davidpcurtis@comcast.net to register. Location will be Gloucester, Massachusetts. Directions will be given on sign up.
Have a great week.
Cheers,
Connie, David and Judy
"The creative act is not hanging on, but yielding to a new creative movement. Awe is what moves us forward." —Joseph Cambell
In today's episode, Connie introduces the two modes of thinking that work together, for an artist, when painting. Understanding how they work will enable you to become even more creative and, thus, more artistic!
Connie and David enjoy a great discussion on moving back and forth, from one side of the brain to the other, whereas Judy is apparently stuck in her cubicle and couldn’t even see the bridge from left to right, never mind finder her way to it! Perhaps she’s reading too much. She is currently absorbed in ‘M: The Man Who Became Caravaggio’ by Peter Robb.
Michelangelo Meriti da Caravaggio (1571-1610) Martha and Mary Magdalene, c. 1598, oc, 38 1/2 x 52 1/4, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI. PD-US.
All this is a precursor to the Sight&Insight presentation and critique by Connie and David on February 24th. Stay tuned for how to reserve a seat. Space is limited.
Generally, Connie says, the left side of the brain, the language side, dominates our thinking. But, as our resident artist and psychologist, Connie is going to give us some unique ways to help the "silent right side of the brain come out and do it's thing!" Sounds like a plan, Judy, for one, needs all the help she can get. In viewing the cartoon of both sides of the brain, she didn't even notice the bridges!
In the meantime, happy February, and join us the week after next for the continuing saga of working with your brain for greater creativity: Episode 35, Play in the Production of Paintings.
Cheers,
Judy, Connie and David
"Do not let it look as if you reasoned too much. Painting must be impulsive to be worth while." —Charles W. Hawthorne
Greetings, Art Lovers, we're back!
We had hoped to be back right after the holidays but, unfortunately, a case of the sniffles kept us from getting together to record a podcast. However, everyone seems to be healthy again, so here we are to share some more thoughts with you about all things Art.
Today, our theme is Sight and Insight. It is the name of our podcast, as well as the idea behind David and Connie's workshops to help students take it to the next level.
“It is this perfect accuracy, this lack of play, of variety, that makes the machine-made article so lifeless. Wherever there is life there is variety, and the substitution of the machine-made for the hand-made article has impoverished the world to a greater extent than we are probably yet aware of. Whereas formerly, before the advent of machinery, the commonest article you could pick up had a life and warmth which gave it individual interest, now everything is turned out to such a perfection of deadness that one is driven to pick up and collect, in sheer desperation, the commonest rubbish still surviving from the earlier period.” ― Harold Speed, The Practice and Science of Drawing
So how do we, as artists, get more sight, and insight, into our work? We can study some of the great artists and teachers of bygone days.
Harold Speed, The Alcantara, Toledo, by Moonlight, 1894, Tate Britain, UK
David brings his years of experience as an artist and teacher to help with ways of 'seeing,' while our resident psychologist/artist, Connie, gives us some insight into what the word means in terms of the creative process.
Harold Speed, Old Tom, oil on canvas. 63.9 x 51 cm, Southampton City Art Gallery, UK, presented by the artist, 1930, #545
Can't get enough of us? Then look for our next episode two weeks from now. Yes, sorry about that. We know you like your weekly dose of the Sight and Insight Podcast, but various commitments in the upcoming weeks mean it is going to be hard for us to get together as often as we'd like.
Until then, stay warm and happy painting.
Connie, David and Judy
"There is nothing so terrible as activity without insight." — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"The sky is the source of light in Nature and it governs everything." – John Constable
John Constable, Dedham Lock and Mill, c. 1818, oc 27 1/2 x 35 3/4 Private collection
Join Connie, David and Judy as they consider the question, "Can you paint an effect of light?" Obviously our two resident artists, David and Connie - as plein air painters - believe that is the whole point of American Impressionism and painting on location, is to capture that rare moment in time: an effect of light.
It is the prime motive for any artist wanting to work out of doors direct from nature. Judy waxes lyrical on the attributes of Leeds painter Atkinson Grimshaw, while Constable and Sorolla are also held up as masters of the light effect.
Atkinson Grimshaw, Park Row, Leeds 1882, oc 30 x 25 Leeds City Art Gallery
Atkinson Grimshaw, Scarborough by Moonlight, c 1876, ob 11 x 17. Private collection
"Light is a thing that cannot be reproduced, but must be represented by something else – by color." – Paul Cezanne
David poses the question, does movement represent light, or space? How do you create the optical illusion of an effect of light with color, brush and canvas? What do you think?
Of course, when it comes right down to it, perhaps the best purveyor of of Light is the Spanish Master, Sorolla and so we will leave the last word, or rather image, to him....
Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida, The Carob Tree, 1898, oc 19 3/4 x 38 1/2. Private collection
Have you got your Gestalt on?!
"There's something happening here. What it is ain't exactly clear." Buffalo Springfield
Join Connie, David and Judy as they explore the idea of Gestalt; what it means and how it can help the artist create a better painting.
One of the great masters of Gestalt was Johannes Vermeer, who - as early as the 17th-century knew that a composition - or its properties, should be viewed as a whole. Variety within unity is the idea.
Johannes Vermeer (Dutch, 1632 – 1675) The Astronomer, c. 1668, oil on canvas, 20 x 18, Musee du Louvre, Paris
Gestalt is a German word meaning form, or shape, and Gestalt theory in terms of art refers to the concept of perception, holding that the whole is more than the sum of its parts.
As human beings, we tend to try and organize our perceptions of a chaotic world. Thus as artists we can utilize several principles of gestalt to improve our painting:
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Figure-ground - this refers to relationships between an object and its surroundings. Do we see the figure in front of us, or the background?
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Closure - it is important to keep the viewer involved by completing an image or form. The principle of closure applies when we tend to see complete figures even when part of the information is missing.
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Continuance - the viewer has a tendency to follow a path, river, beach, fence line, etc. These compositional elements give the viewer numerous ways to enter, and move around a painting.
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Similarity - things which share visual characteristics such as shape, size, color, texture, or value will be seen as belonging together in the viewer’s mind.
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Proximity - The Gestalt law of proximity states "objects or shapes that are close to one another appear to form groups." Even if the shapes, sizes, and objects are radically different, they will appear as a group if they are close together.
As our resident psychologist explains it is possible to suffer from proximity flow, then we can lose the 3rd dimensional depth, leaving us with only 2 dimensions, which means our painting is all of one plane with no depth of field.
Think about your own painting compositions. Do you achieve 'variety within unity?' If not, it sounds like your gestalt needs tweaking. Tune in to learn more from David, Connie, and Judy.
"A cloudy sky to make it mysterious and a fog to increase the mystery. Just imagine how suggestive things are..." John H. Twachtman
Episode 30 Jane Peterson: Artist Extraordinaire
“Sex has nothing to do with it at all. Art is one activity where being a woman is neither a help nor a hindrance. Even a woman’s intuition means nothing when she is facing a canvas.” - Jane Peterson
Captivating, indeed, and none more so than Peterson's oil paintings of Gloucester Harbor, Cape Ann.
Jane Peterson, An Old Pier, Gloucester, c. 1919, oc, 24 x 30, private collection
And on a final note:
Connie will be hosting an Open House at her studio, the weekend after Thanksgiving. Consider this your invitation....
Lorwen, Forsythia, oil, 24 x 20
Thanksgiving Weekend Open Studios Lorwen ‘Connie’ Nagle invites you to see her latest paintings on November 24 & 25, 10am-5 pm, at Art On The Hill, 78 Government Street, Kittery, Maine
Art On The Hill
Greetings, Art Lovers, and welcome to another edition of the Sight & Insight Podcast.
Well, as we all know Nature is very magnetic, and we aren't just talking about magnetic fields, from one pole to the other, repelling and attracting, but the strong draw that Nature, the great outdoors, exudes toward the plein air painter.
George Inness (1825-1894) Lake Nemi, 1872, oc 29 3/4 x 44 7/8 in. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Gift of the Misses Hersey, 49.412
As that great artist, Aristotle, was heard to say, "In all things of Nature, there is something of the marvelous. Whether we are looking at the awe inspiring works of Frederic Edwin Church, who opened the eyes of the public to the great expansion of the American West - sights some Americans would never see for themselves - or the subtleties of nature portrayed by, say, George Inness, Nature exudes an allure - a captivatingness, that can mesmerize us. As Harold Speed once pointed out, trees in nature are much bigger than the imagination conjures up. From the macrocosm to the microcosm, Nature is all around us, seductive and enchanting, whether in a sprawling vista, or the urban grittiness of humanity's effect on the land.
Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900) Niagara Falls, from the American Side, 1867, oc, 101 3/8 x 100 13/16 in. Scottish National Gallery, Presented by John S. Kennedy, 1887, NG799
"Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them. — Marcus Aurelius
Greetings, art lovers, and welcome to another episode of the Sight & Insight Podcast with David and Judy Curtis, and Lorwen 'Connie' Nagle. This week we ask 'Is it Drawing or Painting First?
"Drawing is the artist's most direct and spontaneous expression, a species of writing: it reveals, better than does painting, his true personality." — Edgar Degas
In the beginning, Judy relates an anecdote about Boston painter, Polly Thayer Starr, who was talented from her childhood with graphite and charcoal. She spent her first year at the Boston Museum School studying anatomy and life drawing with Philip Leslie Hale, but when she began painting in her second year with Leslie Thompson, she found herself adrift, unable to understand the texture, viscosity and application of color and paint.
Polly Thayer Starr, Sketching
Polly Thayer Starr, Flat Cat
David and Connie, as practicing artists and teachers have their own viewpoints on the subject and, for once, they differ in opinion. Will they come to blows, or agree to disagree? Is it different for individual students. Does drawing ability even matter? Join our intrepid trio to to hear what they have to say. And if you have other thoughts, don't hesitate to let them know! They always love to hear from fans....
Note how French Neoclassical painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1780-1867) made drawings before beginning to paint a larger work.
Left: Ingres, Preparatory drawing; graphite and white highlights on paper, 1842.
Right: Ingres, Portrait of Comtesse d'Haussonville, 1845, 51.89 x 35.83 in. The Frick Collection, New York
So what do you think? Is drawing with a brush too awkward? Can you paint a landscape, or still life, or interior, without a sense of perspective? Perhaps, as Cezanne says, we need a sense of both drawing and painting.
"Drawing and colour are not separate at all; in so far as you paint, you draw. The more the colour harmonizes, the more exact the drawing becomes." — Paul Cezanne
Don't forget to click the follow button, so you can be a part of the group. Connie, Judy and David love to know you are out there.
"Surprise is key in all art." — Oscar Niemeyer
The Element of Surprise!
Did you miss us?! We hope so. You know what they say - absence makes the heart grow fonder! But we've finished our travels for a while and we are back around the coffee table sharing ideas, encouraging an interest in the Arts and, hopefully, inspiring you to go out and paint for yourself.
John Singer Sargent, Dolce Far Niente, c 1907, o/c 16.25 x 28.25 in. Brooklyn Museum, NY
Today we are talking about the element of surprise, or 'the happy accident.' From John Singer Sargent to Bob Ross, the ability to take the odd note, or mis-stroke and turn it into an integral part of your design - an element you perhaps hadn't thought of before - is a vital part of the creative process. So shake off the entropy, get out of autopilot, and let your creative juices run....
Giovanni Boldini (1842-1931) Left: Spanish Dancer at the Moulin Rouge, c. 1905, oil on canvas, 49 ¼ x 40 ⅛, pc Right: Woman at the Piano, 1870, oil on panel, 6 x 5 ⅛, pc.
Just look how Boldini uses semi abstract brush work in the beginning from which 'happy accidents' he draws out the reality of his subject. Critics described his his style as 'slashing, rapier-like brushstrokes.'
If you have enjoyed this episode, don't forget to join us next week for another edition of the Sight & Insight Podcast with Connie Nagle, David Curtis and Judith Curtis. In the meantime, why not hit the Follow button and help us to greater heights for the good of Art.
"In art, the hand can never execute anything higher than the heart can imagine." — Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You will learn to enjoy the process... and to surrender your need to control the result. You will discover the joy of practising your creativity. The process, not the product, will become your focus." — Julia Cameron
Welcome art lovers, to another edition of the Sight and Insight podcast. Today’s topic: the Sight and Insight programs.
Judy begins off topic with an introduction into the insight of ’21 in Truro,’ a women’s painting group who exhibit together throughout the year and enjoy a retreat for a week down in Truro, sharing five rustic cottages right on the marsh, or as close to as you can get!
These 21 women are all individual artists who have been getting together for the last 20 years – next year is their 21stanniversary – and they only need another seven years to catch up with the Philadelphia Ten. The Philly Ten were an early women’s group, which included Theresa Bernstein and Emma Fordyce MacRae, who got together to empower women’s art at a time when many women signed their paintings with initials to disguise their gender from painting juries.
The discussion then comes round to David and Connie’s upcoming ‘October Skies’ workshop, October 10-12, as they talk about some of the ideas they will be bringing to their students, such as the ‘line of design,’ the advantage of memory cards, and how beauty and aesthetics are affect a painting.
You want to know how to get more movement and drama in your skies? Stay tuned for more words of wisdom from Connie and David!
Lorwen C Nagle, Mud Flats near Brunswick, 12 x 24, oil
"The search for this inner truth is the search for beauty. People whose vision does not penetrate beyond the narrow limits of the commonplace, and to whom a cabbage is but a vulgar vegetable, are surprised if they see a beautiful picture painted of one, and say that the artist has idealised it, meaning that he has consciously altered its appearance on some idealistic formula; whereas he has probably only honestly given expression to a truer, deeper vision than they had been aware of. The commonplace is not the true, but only the shallow, view of things." — Harold Speed, The Practice and Science of Drawing
Greetings, Art Lovers, and thank you for joining us for another exciting episode of the Sight and Insight Podcast. Today we are talking about a great show currently on exhibit at the North Shore Arts Association, 11 Pirates Lane, Gloucester, MA 01930. Don Stone Comes Home is on view through October 9 and features over 140 works.
Bittersweet by Don Stone
Don Stone could turn his hand to oil painting, watercolors, egg tempera and more and these skills, combined with an unerring eye for composition and design, helped him become a noted artist and beloved teacher during a long and successful career. Our intrepid trio discuss Don's work, his larger than life personality and the character quirks that made him a legend in his own lifetime!
Winter Trees Barn Rafter with Swallows
And if you get chance, join Judy and David Curtis, and hopefully, Lorwen, at Judy's presentation on Don Stone at the North Shore Arts Association, 2 pm, Sunday, September 30.
Happy listening!
Welcome to another edition of the Sight and Insight Podcast. This week, our intrepid trio, David, Connie and Judy, willbe discussing the weighty topic of copying from the masters.
Is it sneaky, as some people think, or cheating; or is it an age old method of learning to paint better by studying closely, and emulating the work of, old masters who have stood the test of time?
During today's episode, Connie relates the tale of how she finally managed to get access to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to copy Monet's Grand Canal. This is her version below. She also made a copy of Antonio Cirino's Peonies from the Rockport Art Association and Museum's Copying the Masters Workshop earlier this year.
As Connie says, it is important to see how a past master has designed and created their work of art, especially their color tones and brushwork. Studying these elements can only make your own work better.
While on his Paige Traveling Scholarship in Europe, in 1913, A. T. Hibbard - as a graduate art student from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, was admitted to the Museo del Parado in Madrid to copy from Velazquez, including Las Hilanderas (The Weavers) below.
Of course, the criteria for copying another's creation is that it should not be sight size. In Hibbard's case, he did a large painting of the lower right hand side of the painting. Hibbard's version is now a part of the RAA&M's Permanent Collection.
There are many reasons for practicing copying from the masters, not least of which is improving your own art. David teaches an annual workshop at the RAA&M, so if you want to try improving your art by this method, keep checking David's website at davidpcurtis.com for more details.
In the meantime, if you would like to view Connie and David's upcoming exhibition, Three With a Brush, with their painting friend, Tom Heinsohn, check out the invitation below. Or view Connie's website at lorwenpaintings.com for further details.
And don't forget, David and Connie are teaching a Sight and Insight workshop, October Skies, October 10-12, 2018.
Want to know how to paint better skies with movement and drama? Then check David and Connie's websites for further information on how to sign up. Still a few places available. Don't lose out!
And, last but not least, if you have enjoyed this podcast, don't forget to hit the red follow button, so you don't miss out on another episode.
Have a great week!
Connie, David and Judy
PS. Next week we will be talking about the current Don Stone: Coming Home Exhibition at the North Shore Arts Association, 11 Pirates Lane, Gloucester, MA 01930 Ph. 978.283.1857 or email: arts@nsarts.org
This is a great exhibition containing over 100 paintings. Judy will also be giving a presentation on Don Stone and his work on Sunday, September 30 at 2 pm. Come along and join the fun.
"Art not only imitates nature, but also completes its deficiencies." — Aristotle
Willard L. Metcalf, Flying Shadows, 1905, o/c, 26 x 29
Well, if we are already quoting Aristotle, you can tell we are going to be covering some pretty deep thoughts in this week's podcast on 'Elements of Nature!'
Deep it may be, but the problems or, rather, the challenges of painting nature are not insurmountable. On a basic level, the artist just has to consider all the elements help, or hinder, their painting, and then go from there. And it is perfectly permissable to whip out your artistic licence and brandish it at anyone who dares to complain you moved a tree or moved a rock from one place to another because it composed better.
A. T. Hibbard, Lingering Snow, 1917, ocb, 9 1/2 x 11 1/2, Vose Galleries, Boston
Artist A. T. Hibbard was noted for moving elements around to make a better composition. Nature, as beautiful as she is, is not constrained by the size of her canvas and, therefore, occasonally - to create a better a better design - it is necessary for an artist to adjust elements to look good within the parameters of their canvas.
"Nature is my springboard. From her I get my initial impetus. I have tried to relate the visible drama of mountains, trees, and bleached fields with the fantasy of wind blowing and changing colors and forms." — Milton Avery
If you would like help designing your elements of nature, check out David and Connie's Sight & Insight 'October Skies' workshop, October 10-12, 2018, at davidpcurtis.com or lorwenpaintings.com. If anyone can help, they can!
And finally, if you have enjoyed this podcast, please 'Follow' us, and then you'll never have to worry about missing an episode!
Greetings, art lovers; we're back!
"Learning the art of painting is not an easy task. It takes a great deal of intelligence, keen analysis, study and practice." — Edgar A. Payne
Practice, practice, practice. We’ve all heard this adage from parents, teachers and everyone else who wants to get in on the act. But how much practice do we have to put in before we get anywhere? And will we ever succeed, or will we be students all our lives, trying to put into practice what we’ve learned and get that one perfect picture, essay, novel or piece of music?
left: John Constable, Landscape with a Double Rainbow, 1812
right: John Constable, Rainstorm Over the Sea, c.1824-28
"There has never been a boy painter, nor can there be. The art requires a long apprenticeship, being mechanical, as well as intellectual." — John Constable
Of course, if you love painting, or writing, or researching history, then working at it doesn’t come across as hard work, or practice; it’s just an opportunity to do something we love and a learning opportunity that makes us better as we go along.
Lorwen C. Nagle Sketch at Brave Boat Harbor
"Try to put well in practice what you already know; and in so doing, you will in good time, discover the hidden things which you now inquire about. Practice what you know, and it will help to make clear what now you do not know."
— Rembrandt
David P. Curtis Sketch for Summertime and the Living is Easy
"Practice should always be based upon a sound knowledge of theory."
— Leonardo da Vinci
After an illness in 2016, David found himself struggling to get back into painting mode. "In order to motivate myself," he said, "I began painting a whole series of 12 x 16 canvas board sketches, trying to get a fresh look - alla prima - rather than feeling I had to get a perfect painting every time. It turned out to be enjoyable. It lifted the pressure of having to produce a finished canvas while I was still recuperating. Just practicing on 12 x 16's on a regular basis, really helped me get back into top gear."
So there we have it; pratice is a great tool, and can help take us to the next level, not just by improving our technique and skills, but also by taking the pressure off having to produce a masterpiece everytime we pick up a brush, or pen. Wasn’t it the great Italian painter Titian, who said on his deathbed, “I don't want to die now, … I am just beginning to learn to paint.” Which suggests the artist - or any creative individual - should always be a student; always learning, always challenging themselves to achieve something greater.
“I know you've heard it a thousand times before. But it's true - hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don't love something, then don't do it.” — Ray Bradbury
Join Connie, David and Judy as they consider the question of Psychology and Art. All three have enjoyed reading the works of Carl Jung (1875-1961) the Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology, although Connie is, of course, the undisputed expert. For instance, why are certain paintings more thought provoking than others? Why are we fascinated by the enigmatic smile of Leonardo da Vinci’s "Mona Lisa?” Is it more to do with how the artist has expressed himself, or how the viewer reacts? Why do some paintings stay with us, in our memories, to be passed down through centuries, to be appreciated by generation anfter generation. Is it the work of the collective unconscious. Or are other influences at work?
Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa, 1503-06, oil on poplar panel, 30 x 21, Musee du Louvre, Paris
The subject of psychology and art came up during a conversation on how a psychological approach can help an artist paint a better painting; helping us through the roadblocks and obstructions that our own inner psyche throwsup to thwart us. “Getting off autopilot,’ is how Connie phrases it, and ‘Unleashing creative expression.” Mandalas are one way of expressing our inner feelings.
Chenrezig sand mandala created at the House of Commons of the United Kingdom on the occasion of the Dalai Lama's visit in May 2008
Whether we are creating art, or appreciating art, or following other creative endeavors, it is important for us consider all aspects of the process. We may talk of the ‘psychology of building a landscape - including the smaller elements such as trees, rocks and grasses - but that does not mean we have to have a degree in psychoanalysis to be able to progress our work. However. we are all aware in some small way that we are influenced by the colors and textures in a painting, which arouse various feelings and emotions in both the painter and the viewer, including shadow thoughts and projection. As Jung points out, “Color expresses the main psychic functions of man [and woman].”
Ich sage euch: man muß noch Chaos in sich haben, um einen tanzenden Stern gebären zu können.
- I tell you: one must still have chaos within oneself, to give birth to a dancing star.
Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zarathustra
Elihu Vedder, The Fates Gathering in the Stars, 1887, oc, 44.5 x 32.5, Art Institute of Chicago
The idea of psychology and its influence on our art is not a new subject. One should not be afraid of expanding one's horizon's to encompass a broader range of ideas if it will add an extra dimension to our creativity. There are numerous books out there that will offer food for thought for those who wish to delve a little deeper. For those who might think that Jung is too heavy duty to begin with, why not try Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes - a book that is a must for creative women everywhere - or Shaun McNiff's Imagination in Action: Secrets for Unleashing Creative Expression.
"From the living fountain of instinct flows everything that is creative; hence the unconscious isnot merely conditioned by history, but is the very source of the creative impulse." - Carl Jung
What moves those of genius, what inspires their work, is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that what has already been said is still not enough. - Eugene Delacroix
Inspiration -
Did you miss us?! Apologies for the delay in posting the latest episode of the Sight and Insight podcast. We are a day late and all we can say is that the producer was laid low by the heat yesterday. Well, that's her story and she's sticking to it.
However, we are here now, bright eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to share a few thoughts on 'Inspiration.'
Inspiration. What is it, and where does it come from? Can you learn inspiration, or is it one of those things whereby, if you aren't born with it, all is lost? Join Connie, David and Judy as they share their thoughts and opinions. Connie especially, with her psychology background makes some very interesting observations, not least of which is that we have to "get out of autopilot." If you think it applies to you, than take a listen as she tells you how to get out of it.
David talks about how he was inspired by the art of Renaissance painter Paolo Veronse, not to emulate Veronese's subjects, but to be inspired by his sense of design. David then went on to combine what he'd learned about design, with the inspiration of nature, to create his own unique landscapes.
Paolo Veronese (1528-1588) The Conversion of Mary Magdalene, ca. 1548, o/c, 46 x 64 in. National Gallery, London, Wynn Ellis Bequest, 1876
Connie suggests inspiration grows when one challenges onself, as painting outside of your comfort zone can get the creative juices flowing. She also suggests we should work on creative strength training. Sounds good? Stay tuned.
The trio also discuss Ingre's painting of The Source (below) as, perhaps, an explanation of the Muse as a springhead of creativity.
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, La Source(aka The Spring,) ca. 1820 – 1856, o/c, 63 x 30 in. Musée d'Orsay, Paris. Bequest of the Countess Duchâtel, 1878.
Meanwhile, Judy remembers how New York artist, and editor of The Masses magazine, John Sloan (1871-1951) came to Rocky Neck, East Gloucester in 1914, at the behest of painter Charles Allan Winter. Generally a painter who waited for inspiration to strike before setting out with his equipment, Sloan produced 90 paintings during that summer of 1914; more than he had accomplished in his career to date. Wherever he looked on Cape Ann, he found something to inspire him, be it an effect of light or the ambiance of an art colony. His own explanation was, “I would set out with my equipment and walk a mile or so until I saw some kind of subject that had exciting plastic rhythms and color textures that could be the starting point of a theme.” What artist could ask for more?
John Sloan, Helen Taylor Sketching, 1916, oil on canvas, 26 ¼ x 32 ¼ inches, Everson Museum of Art; Gift of Reverend and Mrs. Benjamin Lake, 65.13
The endless variations of light on dark, dark on light, light against illumination, white on white, black on black, blue on cold, blue on warm and so on, are eternally inspiring.-- Sergei Forostovskii
Until next week, stay cool, and happy painting,
Connie, David and Judy
"What is art? We ought to very simply let it be what the artist says it is."
—David Smith
Welcome to another podcast in the weekly series ‘Sight and Insight’ with Lorwen ‘Connie’ Nagle and David P. Curtis, both artists and teachers, as well as – in Connie’s case –psychologist, as they talk with writer and Cape Ann art historian, Judith Curtis. This week the trio discuss the topic ‘Experiencing Painting.’
Judith kicks of the discussion with reminiscences of being raised in an English household where, if they did not have original art on the wall, there were at least numerous fine prints by John Constable and A. J. Munnings. Her first art purchase, with an early pay check in her after school career, was a print of The Oyster Gatherers of Cancale by John Singer Sargent.
John Singer Sargent, Oyster Gatherers of Cancale, Oil on canvas 31 ¼ x 48 ½ in. Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC.
David says that experiencing painting is akin to understanding the history of the world through art, while Connie suggests that it is more a case of identifying with individual subject matter, or the feelings aroused by a particular piece.
The real question is, what do you think?
"From the artist there is no conscious effort to find universal truth or beauty, no effort to analyze other men's minds in order to speak for them. His act in art is an act of personal conviction and identity."
—David Smith
Warm and Cool ... and what it means for the artist.
Louis Comfort Tiffany, 1911, Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923) Oil on canvas
Join David, Connie and Judy as they talk about the use of warm and cool colors and how they can help the artist create a stronger compositionin terms of foreground and distance and also as a tool to emphasize form.
High key color is an important facet of the plein air painting and nowhere is it better demonstrated than by the Spanish painter, Sorolla. What is it about warm high key colors that elevate our moods? How can one not be uplifted by the sight of such glorious tones? As David tells his students, "Remember warm and cool colors will create form in your paintings, that is, concavity and convexity." And, "White makes light, but color makes bright!"
Warm and cool colors also create atmosphere in a painting. Warm colors tend to come forward and cool colors traditionally recede into the background. Look at this piece by John Singer Sargent of Lake O'Hara.
left: John Singer Sargent, Lake O'Hara, 1916, o/c, Harvard Art Museums/ Fogg Museum, Louise E. Bettens Fund
right: Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida, Mending the Sails, 1896, o/c, Galleria Internazionale d’Arte Moderna, Ca’ Pesaro, Venice, Italy
And so, next time you are setting out to paint plein air, remember to accentuate your warm and cool colors to create a bolder canvas.
"On the sixth day, God created the artist, realizing no doubt that He had far from exhausted the uses of color."
— Robert Brault
Wishing you a great week of painting, or a great week looking at paintings.
Cheers,
David, Connie and Judy
The painterly painter avoids the how-to approach, suspicious as ever, that technique will obscure his or her vision.
— Charles Movalli
Having finished breakfast, David and Connie made time to sit down with Judy to talk about Technique, before heading out for David's Boats & Buildings workshop, so we may run shorter than usual.
Thought for the day: Do all artists have a personal technique? Is it important to have a technique, or is it better for an artist to go out there and just keep painting? After all, technique is just "a way of carrying out a particular task; especially the execution or performance of an artistic work...." In that case, every artist should certainly have technique, but sometimes the word becomes confused with other ideas.
After doing a little research, the Dynamic Trio came up with various lists pertaining to technique, including such things as: underpainting, blocking in, building up texture, dry brush, sgraffito, glazing, painting with mediums; the list is endless. But are we really talking technique here? Never heard of sgraffito? Neither had our own intrepid artists. After further detective work, Judy came up with a definition for sgraffito: "removing paint while it is wet to expose the underpainting." This put her in mind of Emma Fordyce MacRae, the noted Cape Ann artist who had a definite style whereby she would remove flakes of paint from her canvas to let the undertones bleed through, creating something of an aged fresco look.
Picnic on Half Moon Beach, Cape Ann by Emma Fordyce MacRae (1887-1974) Private collection
So, what do you think? Is technique important, or is it better to concentrate on just doing a better painting through practice and application?
left: Diego Velazquez, Mars Resting, c. 1640, o/c, 70x37 in. Museo del Prado, Madrid
right: John F. Carlson, Forest Peace, o/c, 40 1/4 x 52 1/2 in. Private collection
"Art is a thing so much of the imagination, of the soul, that it is difficult to descend to the fundamentals of technique and yet make it plain to the student that these are but the 'means' and not an end in themselves."
— John F. Carlson
"Get into the habit of doing what you see, not what you know. Human reason cannot foresee the accidents of out-of-doors."
— Charles Hawthorne
Greetings, Art Lovers, and thank you for joining us for Episode 15: Alla Prima. Once again, Connie, David and Judy, gather around the table to discuss another fascinating aspect of the artistic world.
Alla prima – not, as Judy first thought, an Italian cooking term - is sometimes referred to as ‘direct painting,’ or ‘premier coup,’ depending on who you are talking to, and refers to an oil painting method whereby the artist puts down each stroke of paint – right color tone, value and, of course, the right place – to represent the end result, or ‘final statement,’ as Reed Kay describes it. Merriam-Webster, on the other hand, defines alla prima as “a method of painting in which pigments are laid on in a single application instead of being built up by repeated paintings.”
Interestingly, this is not a new method in outdoor, or even studio, painting and goes back to the 16th-century and the Dutch Golden Age painter Frans Hals. More recently, the method was extensively used by the great Spanish master, Sorolla, in describing his sun dappled outdoor figurative pieces on the beach and elsewhere.
Left: Boy with a Glass and a Lute, (aka The Merry Lute Player) c.1626. Oil on panel by Frans Hals (c.1581/85–1666), Guildhall Art Gallery, London
Right: Garden of the Sorolla House, Oil On Canvas by Joaquin Sorolla Y Bastida (1863-1923, Spain)
"I could not paint at all if I had to paint slowly. Every effect is so transient, it must be rapidly painted."
— Joaquin Sorolla
Whichever way you look at it, David and Connie, as practicing artists and teachers will describe what alla prima means to them, and how it can be used by the landscape painter to capture, on canvas, a brief moment in time.
Judy, meanwhile, was busy checking the Internet for scintillating information to share about 'alla prima' and found herself googled toward the World Cup. Confused? Judy certainly was....
Happy painting,
David, Judy and Connie
"The thicker you paint, the more it flows."
— John Singer Sargent
We are all the subjects of impressions, and some of us seek to convey the impressions to others. In the art of communicating impressions lies the power of generalizing without losing the logical connection of parts to the whole which satisfies the mind.
— George Inness
George Inness, After the Storm (1877-1878), oil on canvas, private collection
When we talk about impressionism, most people's thoughts immediately leap to Claude Monet and the French Impressionists. However, there is a difference between what is called 'small i" impressionism, and the Impressionists.
Join David, Judy and Connie as they discuss the the subtlties of the genre, and what it really means. And where does Guy Rose and the American Impressionists come into it all?
Connie brings up the point about Claude Monet painting Rouen Cathedral at different times of day, to explore the changing light. Isn't impressionism all about capturing the effect of light hitting the object. Look at the two pieces below to see how Monet observed the ever changing light.
Left: Rouen Cathedral at Sunset 1894 o/c 39 x 26 in. Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow
Right: Rouen Cathedral, Symphony in Grey and Rose 1894, o/c 39.5 x 25.5 in. Amgueddfa Cymru (National Museum of Wales) Cardiff
Thanks for listening. We have enjoyed sharing our discussions on art with a larger audience and we appreciate your company - otherwise we would be sat here talking to ourselves!if you have a subject you would like to have us talk about, drop us a line; we always love to hear from you.
Cheers, Connie, David and Judy
All inspired painters are impressionists, even though it be true that some impressionists are not inspired. — Joaquin Sorolla
Episode 13 - Paint in Verbs
Welcome, art lovers, to another episode of the Sight & Insight Podcast. This week, Connie, David and Judy discuss what "Paint in Verbs" actually means.
The phrase comes from advice given by artist/teacher Charles Woodbury to his students, among whom we find Gertrude Fiske, whose work exemplifes the expression, 'paint in verbs,' or, to put it another way, 'poetry in motion.'
Above: Charles Woodbury (left) 'Playing in the Waves,' oil on canvas, 17 x 21, in., courtesy of Parco Fine Art, and (right) 'The Narrow Cove,' c.1906, oil on canvas, 29 x 36 in., Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence, RI.
Charles Woodbury was unique among his colleagues at the Guild of Boston Artists, and not only because he was one of the few marine artists among a coterie of landscape artists and still life painters. He was also the only member to have graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in Engineering. Perhaps this was why Woodbury was interested in the structure and make up of terrain and coastline, crest and ground swell. Woodbury's encouraged his students to express themselves truthfully in terms of genre, design and color. "Art is psychology, not science, and there must be one unknown factor, the personal equation. You must know what you see, why you see, and what is worth seeing." [Woodbury, Painting and the Personal Equation, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1919, p.95].
Sounds like good advice. Why not give it a try?
Until next week — happy painting!
Connie, David and Judy
Sorry, folks, we seem to have been experiencing some technical difficulties. We've followed Podbean's advice and uploaded the m4a file again. Hope it plays better than the first version, but that's what you get for working in a thunderstorm!
David - Now Is the Hour (detail) Connie - A Subtle Scent (detail)
Despite thunderstorms and heavy rain, here we are again with Episode 12 - Painting in Your Own Backyard.
From Monet's garden in Giverny to Celia Thaxter's garden on the Isle of Shoals, made famous by Childe Hassam, and all points in between, the garden has long been a source of stimulus and joy to the artist. And even if you don't have water lily pools or lengths of rocky coastline in your backyard, that doesn't mean it can't be a source of inspiration to you.
Some artists like a formal manicured look, others favor the random sowing of seeds and trust in nature and good luck to have a riot of color by summer. Or you could have a more workaday look as seen in Paul Cornoyer's painting, My Studio, East Gloucester, oil on canvas, 18x24, private collection (below).
The possibilities are endless, but sometimes we overlook the beauty of what is right under our noses and search farther afield, sometimes at great inconvenience, to find the 'perfect composition.' Oftentimes, we just need to add the odd note, or the odd model, to make our back yards perfect, as in 'Gossiping Geishas,' by David Montgomery, (private collection, below) executed during one of David Curtis' Figure in the Garden summer classes.
So put away your maps and forget about driving half a day to select your next composition, and look closer to home for overlooked vistas or intimate corners of the shrubbery. Go ahead - paint in your own back yard. In fact, send us some of your efforts, and we'll post our favorites!
Until next week, it's goodbye from me, Judy Curtis, and it's goodbye from them, David Curtis and Connie Nagle.
Get into the habit of doing what you see, not what you know. Human reason cannot foresee the accidents of out-of-doors.
— Charles Hawthorne
Greetings, Art Lovers, and welcome to another episode of Sight & Insight. And don't worry, you're not going crazy, we just flip flopped the last two recordings, so we are briefly put of sequence. This is just to keep you on your toes and see how many of you are really listening! We should be back on track next week.
This week, however, we are discussing color; one of the most important aspects of the painter's craft. Judy begins with Newton's contribution to color theory, and is quickly followed up by artists and teachers, Connie and David, weighing in on what color means for the painter in order to create a better effect, especially when working out of doors.
Apologies for the sound quality this week; we had one or two technical hitches, but hopefully the passing airplane won't detract too much from the scintillating conversation.
Until next week, it's goodbye from Judy, and happy painting, from David and Connie....
Join David, Connie, and Judy as they discuss their visit to the Gertrude Fiske American Master exhibition at Portsmouth Historical Society – Discover Portsmouth – 10 Middle Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801.
From the back cover of the catalogue:
The combination of Fiske’s originality and selective eye, as well as her broad brush manner and audacious color, helped her become of America’s most individualistic painters, and raised the bar in the genre of American Impressionism. — Judith A. Curtis
Fiske spent seven years training at the Boston Museum School with Tarbell, Benson and Hale, while also studying with Charles Woodbury at his summer school in Ogunquit, Maine. A founding member of the Guild of Boston Artists, Fiske’s work covers the gamut of finely worked portraits to lusciously colored plein air paintings of Portsmouth and the surrounding seacoast.
An extensive catalogue – Gertrude Fiske: American Master with Sisters of the Brush & Palette and Seacoast Masters Today, Softcover, 8¼ x 9, 108 pgs, color & bw, ISBN 978-0-915819-47-8. $35.00 – accompanies the show, featuring all 66 works by Gertrude Fiske.
Judy, David and Connie were awestruck at the color and consistent quality of Fiske’s work – hence Judy’s confusion at the beginning of the episode – or perhaps it was the lack of caffeine. No matter, hopefully she will be suitably coherent when she appears as one of the speakers at the Gertrude Fiske: Her Art and Her World, Symposium I on Saturday, June 16, 9am-3pm, coffee, refreshments, and lunch provided. Call ahead for tickets.
Until next week, when the trio will be discussing color – paint on!
Connie, Judy and David
Happy Memorial Day. Today David, Connie and Judy discuss the Workshop Experience, in particular, the Sight and Insight workshop concept. Painting is an enjoyable – sometimes frustrating – experience. In these days of high speed technology, painting – the art of creativity – is a unique and indispensable release from the tension of everyday living. There are numerous classes and workshops for the student painter to choose from, but are they all the same? Some painters prefer to teach by demonstrating their own methods of beginning, refining and completing a painting, which may be enjoyable but doesn’t allow the student to empower their own painting technique. Others choose to offer a program of daily tasks to help students – from beginners to more advanced painters – learn to design a better motif from the beginning, rather than discovering half way through your work that you have the horizon line right in the middle of the canvas, or a counterpoint in the wrong place for your dynamic symmetry. “Sight and Insight is aimed at the synergy of teaching new ways of painting,” says David.
The foundations of learning to paint remain the same, but sometimes we have to come up with a new way of explaining it to students; that’s where Sight and Insight come into play. We’ll talk about memory painting, color theory, variety in unity, curvilinear perspective and the farthest back straggler. Want to know more? Visit davidpcurtis.com for further details. David and Connie will keep the workshop small to allow more time for personal critiques, so don't delay, check it out today.
Sight & Insight Design and Composition Oil Painting Workshop
Join this intensive 5-day workshop that offers a dramatic change in the way you develop your outdoor paintings!
We are inviting you to experience something new! A buried treasure and a release from the familiar ways you paint outdoors.
Design is an elegant ordering and invention that equals creation. This workshop gives you a chance to experience both! Are you up for the challenge?
When: June 18-22, 2018
Where: Essex Greenbelt, 10-3 pm
With: David Curtis and Lorwen Connie Nagle
Tuition: $500.
To sign up, or request further information please call
(978) 283-4135, or email davidpcurtis@comcast.net
or visit the webpage davidpcurtis.com
And, finally, a note from our sponsor:
"Art is not an amusement, nor a distraction, nor is it, as many men maintain, an escape from life. On the contrary, it is a high training of the soul, essential to the soul's growth, to its unfoldment."
- Lawren Harris
Welcome to Episode 8 of Sight & Insight, the podcast for all things Art. Today Judy, David and Connie discuss their favorite art books and how they can increase the artist or art lover's understanding practice and understanding of the Fine Arts.
A.J. Munnings Reading by Harold Knight
Harold Speed, Sir Alfred East, Robert Henri... just a few of the names these three friends will be discussing, not to mention Judy's book on the history of the Rocky Neck Art Colony 1850-1950. How to books, artist biographies, exhibition catalogues are also a big topic of conversation. Tune in and find out David and Connie's favorite books and see if you agree. Your favorite wasn't mentioned?! Let them know. There's sure to be a similar discussion in the future and sharing ideas is the best way to share knowledge.
“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.” - Leonardo da Vinci
Until next week, happy painting....
"It is all very well to copy what one sees, but it is far better to draw what one now only sees in one's memory. That is a transformation in which imagination collaborates with memory." - Edgar Degas (1834-1917) Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/edgar_degas_393298
This week, Connie, David and Judy talk about memory painting. How does it help the outdoor artist? Is the memory trustworthy to work from, or is it better to have a photograph? Is photographic color honest? Or should the artist work at training his or her memory to remember color notes, shapes, masses and pictorial gestures? Listen in to the convwersation and feel free to drop the crew a message if you have something to add.
"A cultivation of the taste, by a proper degree of attention to literature and the fine arts, elevates the mind above trivial cares and conventional jealousies, giving it a vigorous independence, and a fund of inexhaustible resources within itself. They present a means of quiet enjoyment, that gently exhilerates the spirits, and produces a cheerful state of mind highly conducive to health."*
*Huntington, D L. Manual of the Fine Arts. Vol. 20, A. S. Barnes & Company, 1874, p. 23
So, before you grab your paints, canvas and easel, how's your memory?!
Welcome to episode six of the Sight & Insight podcast. Join David, Connie and Judy as they talk about the art of painting out of doors. As Sorolla said, "As far as outdoor work is concerned, a studio is only a garage; a place in which to store pictures and repair them, never a place in which to paint them."
Artists have been working out of doors since the time of John Constable (1776-1837) the English Romanticist, who was sketching in the Lake District as early as 1806. The Barbizon School, located on the edge of Fountainbleu forest, near Paris, also championed the idea of developing a landscape painting via direct observation, attracting painters to the site such as Theodore Rousseau (1812-67) and Jean-Francois Millet (1814-75) in the late 1840s as well as Charles-Francois Daubigny (1817-78) and Constant Troyen (1810-65). But it was Claude Monet (1840-1926) and his Impressionist colleagues who perhaps garnered the most attention with the idea of painting outdoors, expressing the artist's perceptions of nature as laid out before him.
Hear Connie and David, both outdoor painters and teachers discuss the pros and cons of working in all weather to capture the momentary effect of light hitting their subject in Nature, while Judy tries to keep them in order. As David says, "You don't always what you want the first time around, but you will have had a wonderful morning or afternoon working out of doors, observing nature and the flora and fauna of your location. And these observations will make you all the more prepared for next time you go out there."
For Connie, having a good color theory before you even go outdoors is a big help for the student artist. Read Harold Speed, and other great painters, such as Lecoq de Boisbaudran who developed Light and Color Theory to assist the artist to help understand the principle in conjunction with a painting class or workshop
Artist's today often use technology to assist them paint images of the outdoors within the confines of the studio, but as Augustus W. Dunbier (1888-1977) said, "If you can't paint it with all of this hanging out there at the end of your nose, how do you expect to do it better back in your basement?"
But supposing you can't get outdoors to paint because of hayfever, or pouring rain? Then those observations already made outdoors will help you when you are confined to the studio. Tune in next week for Episode 7: Memory Painting....
Join Connie, David and Judy for their fifth podcast as they discuss the pros and cons of art education
With more than 50 years of painting experience between them, and some 25 years of teaching, David and Connie have teamed up to offer their Sight and Insight to help you become a better painter.
What kind of art education will help you? Gertrude Fiske spent seven years at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA), Boston, to throughly ground herself in her chosen subject; Polly Thayer dropped out in her second year because she felt it wasn't helping her do what she wanted to do. A. T. Hibbard split seven years between the Mass Normal Art School and the SMFA. So what does a student of the arts really need to know? Tune in a hear what the Magnificent Three have to say, and see if you agree. If you don’t, let them know. Discussion of the arts is a wonderful thing; stimulating and motivating. Let’s have more of it.
Charles Gleyre, (1806-1874) Lost Illusions,c. 1865-67, o/c 34.1 x 39.3, The Louvre, Paris
“Color and design together,” David says, “can create emotional feelings to the viewer,” but how to find the right color and the right design? That where Sight and Insight comes in…!
Or, as Leonardo said:
- A WARNING CONCERNING YOUTHS WISHING TO BE PAINTERS.
Many are they who have a taste and love for drawing, but no talent; and this will be discernible in boys who are not diligent and never finish their drawings with shading.
The course of instruction for an artist (483-485).
- The youth should first learn perspective, then the proportions of objects. Then he may copy from some good master, to accustom himself to fine forms. Then from nature, to confirm by practice the rules he has learnt. Then see for a time the works of various masters. Then get the habit of putting his art into practice and work."
— Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci by Leonardo da Vinci
Chapter IX
A word from our producer...
... or not. Maybe next week.
What is Art? A lofty question indeed! Join Lorwen 'Connie' Nagle and David P. Curtis, both experienced plein air oil painters and teachers, and Judy Curtis, art writer and historian, as they get to grips with the question of 'What is Art?' According to Beverly Sills, the late, great vibrant soprano once described as the 'All-American Diva,' "Art is the signature of civilization," while French sculptor, Auguste Rodin, prefers, "Art is contemplation. It is the pleasure of the mind which searches into nature and which there divines the spirit of which Nature herself is animated." Tune in to find out what David, Connie and Judy have to add to the mix.
Leonard da Vinci (1452-1519) Madonna of the Rocks (1483-1486) Oil on panel, 78.3 x 48 in. The Louvre, Paris
Hear, too, about what these three amigos have been up to recently. Judy talks about the preview opening of Harold Rotenberg: An American Impressionist' now on view at the Cape Ann Museum, through June 17, 2018.
Meanwhile, David and Connie share their adventure down to the University of Delaware where they explored the Charles Allan Winter Papers and came up with some surprising insights!
Charles Allan Winter (1869-1942), Under the Tree, oc 24 x 20 in.
Join Lorwen 'Connie' Nagle and David P. Curtis, both experienced plein air oil painters and teachers, and Judy Curtis, art writer and historian, as they sit around the coffee table to talk about aesthetics. Together they cover the gamut of topics interesting to art lovers and artists alike. Or, at least, they hope so!
Pick up your own coffee and then sit back and enjoy the conversation. If you disagree, let them know. As David's father, art teacher and marine artist Roger W. Curtis, once said, "Few facts are sure and opinions are debatable...."
Raphael, The School of Athens, 1509-1511, fresco, 200 x 300 in., Apostolic Palace, Vatican City
"Design is a way of life, a point of view. It involves the whole complex of visual communications: talent, creative ability, manual skill, and technical knowledge. Aesthetics and economics, technology and psychology are intrinsically related to the process."
— Paul Rand Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/paul_rand_542775?src=t_aesthetic
This week Lorwen 'Connie' Nagle and David P. Curtis, both experienced oil painters and teachers, and Judy Curtis, art writer and historian, talk about the concept of beauty in art. Between the three of them, David, Judy and Connie cover the gamut of artistic topics of interest to artists and art lovers alike. At least they hope so! Tune in and see if you agree with them. If not, let them know. Facts are few and opinions are debatable....
Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Beautiful art is successful in portraying the artist’s most profound intended emotions, the desired concepts, whether they be pretty and bright, or dark and sinister. But neither the artist nor the observer can be certain of successful communication in the end. So beauty in art is eternally subjective.
Wm. Joseph Nieters, Lake Ozark, Missouri
https://philosophynow.org/issues/108/What_is_Art_and_or_What_is_Beauty
Join Lorwen 'Connie' Nagle and David Curtis, both experienced oil painters and teachers, as well as Judith Curtis, an art writer and historian, as they sit around the table and talk about art appreciation, and how to execute a better painting yourself. This podcast is aimed at all those who make art, collect art, or just want to enjoy some good conversation with, hopefully, some uplifting thoughts on a subject particularly necessary in an era of speed and technology.
Why is art important to our lives, and why is creativity a worthwhile human endeavour? Tune in and find out.
"This world is but a canvas to our imagination." - Henry David Thoreau