Painting from Photographic Source
As an artist frequently painting from representation, photographic source as reference is inevitable. I often stage, photograph, and manipulate images to be painted. Other times, the images are carefully selected from the countless photographic prints of my family, most of them taken by my parents and other family members.
Working from already existing and aesthetically manipulated images, there is always that one question begging to be uttered: What’s the point? Why would anyone want to reproduce an image that already exists? Am I telling the same story twice? In the four years of my “higher education in the arts,” these questions were the most frequent and obvious.
I’m convinced that we all know there is a clear contrast between a photographic image and the painting, we just don’t know how to verbalize and put into words these distinct differences. One characteristic I can point out, would be the speed of observation. Photographs are quick, static, and mechanical. Paintings slow the viewer down, it takes some time to digest, and in a great painting, you understand the artist’s hand in paint.
It goes without saying, sometimes, the photographs tell the story better than the painting, and it simply depends on how you want the viewer to perceive your work.
Relativity and speed of lines.
(a bit of knowledge i’ve managed to collect from modern artists and my own experience)
One thing is for sure: In the process of producing an image, relativity and speed of the lines is most eminent. Whether representational or abstract, the creator must make important decisions. One must also consider outside of the “surface,” since the world does not begin and end within the working frame. “Considering” does not mean taking into account at all times. One can choose to omit the lines outside of the lines created by the artist, that is another decision one must make (going back to my point of making important decisions).
Every mark, line, scribble etc has its own speed. One will be able to calculate this speed with enough experience in creation and/or observation. There are rapid strokes and there are slow strokes. There are also confident strokes and hesitant strokes. One may assume that rapid=confident and slow=hesitant. This is not true.
Every mark, line, scribble exists only in relativity. Any form existing in space can be compared and is related to any and everything outside of the form. The strokes can be relative in several levels. It can be relative in location, speed, size, dimension, form, color, texture, and the list goes on. It is only through relativity that the form can “come alive.” Take for instance, a stroke of a certain size, speed, and color, made on a piece of white canvas. It is not only the stroke that gives itself presence, it is also the space around the stroke. The so called “negative” and “positive” spaces must all be taken into consideration one makes decisions. I emphasize the two words, negative and positive, in quotations because i don’t believe there are such things. All of which we can see is “positive” when creating. (With out one, there is no other.)
Heres a poor quality photograph of the newest painting! (oil on canvas 51.5x63”)
Heres a new addition to the series. DEFINITELYYYY need to get back on the grind!!
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