Painting Still Life in Oils E-Book

Adele Wagstaff

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

Still life painting is an exciting genre, which allows the artist to explore colour, shape and form using as many or as few objects as they like. A still life can be quiet, tranquil and contemplative in mood, or be a celebration of pure colour and expression. This book introduces the genre using the medium of oil paint as a step-by-step process, from painting simple compositions of one object to complex arrangements of more unusual subject matter. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of preparing for a painting: from studying a still life using a variety of drawing techniques to basic colour theory; from painting with a limited tonal range to using the full impressionist palette. The compositions studied include traditional still life subjects and more unusual objects, and advice is given on materials, including how to stretch your own canvas. The work of notable still life painters is used as inspiration for your work, and the book introduces painting still life within the genre of portraiture. Aimed at beginners and the more experienced; untutored groups and individual artists and beautifully illustrated with 190 colour illustrations.

Leseprobe

Painting Still Life in Oils

Adele Wagstaff

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2012 by The Crowood Press Ltd Ramsbury, Marlborough Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2015

© Adele Wagstaff 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication DataA catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 059 1

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1 The Independent Still Life

2 Methods and Materials

3 Drawing: Line, Tone and Form

4 Drawing with Paint and Using a Tonal Palette

5 An Exploration of Colour

6 Still Life with Flowers, Fruits and Vegetables

7 The Alternative Still Life

8 Still Life Painting within the Genre of Portraiture

References

Bibliography

List of Suppliers

Collections and Galleries

Index

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Beth Hopkins, Michael de Jacquier, Jonathan Smith, Susan Wilton, and Jean and Derek Wagstaff for all their help, support and encouragement throughout the writing of this book. I would also like to thank Paul Coleman for all his patience and good humour during his taking of many, many photographs.

This book is dedicated to all those wonderful still life painters, past and present, without whose inspiration this book would not have been possible.

Red Orchid.

INTRODUCTION

Throughout this book we will look at how artists have responded to the genre of still life in oil painting, and how these artists and influences can help us in our own journey and exploration of still life drawing and painting. The huge variety of subjects and objects on offer to us when embarking on a still life work makes this an exciting, yet very personal practice. Still life as a subject may be used in many ways: perhaps as an exploration of colour, studying colour and tonal relationships; or in experimental approaches, from expressive and painterly to carefully measured and observed.

The objects we select to paint may be many, as seen in the crowded tabletops of Paul Cezanne, or just a few, perhaps a more intimate still life of one or two objects as seen in the work of William Nicholson, Euan Uglow and Craigie Aitchison. Our still life painting might be a joyous celebration of colour, as in the still life works of Vincent Van Gogh, or the calm and more muted palette of Gwen John. Over time our selection of objects will become more personal to us and we can begin to develop a greater narrative and personal meaning within our work.

Jar with Ibis.

Lucky Bamboo.

CHAPTER 1

THE INDEPENDENT STILL LIFE

In this chapter we will examine how the genre of independent still life painting, as we know it today, evolved from the art of the ancient world to the variety of still life works, both traditional and not so traditional, in contemporary painting.

In my own still life painting I am constantly looking to the work of other artists, both ancient and modern, as a source of inspiration. How did they place their objects? How did they respond to the sort of subject matter I am currently working with? How did they use brushwork to describe form and texture, how have they shown reflections and different surfaces? Have they laid down opaque paint or thin glazes? Studying the work of other artists, whether they are the Old Masters or contemporary painters, is an important element of our own learning and personal study.

Looking at paintings in reproduction is of great help, and in your studio you will probably display postcards of paintings that are inspirational or helpful to you. Try to look at a wide range of contrasting artists, from all periods, to get a feel for how a subject has been depicted. Whenever you can, try to visit galleries to look at paintings ‘in the flesh’. Standing in front of a painting – getting as close as gallery security will allow – enables you to see how the painter has used brushwork to draw and describe, how paint is applied, and how rich and saturated, or subtly the colour has been used. Even though observing work in reproduction may be helpful, it never allows us to get a true feel for the palette and how the colour has been used.

Seeing paintings in a gallery setting also gives us the opportunity to appreciate the scale of a piece. In reproduction, whether a postcard or a slide in a lecture, the artwork is always the same size. When we see a painting for the first time its size is often a surprise to us!

The images selected throughout this chapter are my own still life paintings. With each example I have referenced the work of other artists who have influenced me in some way, either in subject matter, approach, simplicity of composition or maybe the palette being used. Some biographical information is given, with a description of each artist’s work and how their still life/s have been of influence to me, and particular aspects and approaches in their painting identified in the hope that this will be useful in your own personal study of the subject.