Monday, January 30, 2012

Randall David Tipton workshop

by Jo Reimer
Refuge
Watermedia on Yupo
20" x 13"
Refuge
matted

I participated in a workshop with Randall David Tipton over the weekend, making paintings on Yupo, a plastic "paper" from Japan. Randall shared his methods for using watercolor and acrylic paints and mediums on this interesting surface, but most importantly he talked to us about interacting with the landscape and remembering the emotion of the moment in order to make a painting without being photo-realistic. We mostly painted from memory.

In the past as I've moved through the landscape and been moved by the beauty of this earth, my thoughts have been rather useless for informing future work. I didn't think carefully about what I was seeing. I didn't ask questions of myself, like 'what is it about that patch of brush that I find beautiful?' or 'why does this particular sunset move me to tears?' 

I do take a lot of photographs and am careful about compositon which does help with memory, as does sketching. But being mindful about the emotions of the moment is necessary to making good paintings later.

Undersea
Watermedia on Yupo
20" x 13"
Undersea
matted
A mat makes a big difference in
the presentation of a finished piece.

Randall's website is here and his blog is here. His work is available at the White Bird Gallery in Cannon Beach and directly from him. His price list is on his blog.

My work is also available.


6 comments:

  1. Great insights on 'how to see' in a way that will help our art later. Fantastic pieces Jo, love them, that first one is perfection.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Bren,
      Learning to 'see' is an ongoing struggle for all artists who are inspired by the world around us.

      Delete
  2. Jo!
    I heard you and my mom spent time with each other, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit jealous : )
    I find your "Undersea" piece so intriguing! The deep colors are very gripping and I find myself getting wonderful lost in its mystery.
    I hope you are well! I love seeing your work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, we had a wonderful conversation about all sorts of things, Merri, including your love of cooking.
      Thanks for the comments about "Undersea". It was fun to paint.

      Delete

I appreciate comments and questions.

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