What the Heck am I Trying to Say?

I recently re-worked my artist statement, a challenge for all visual artists, but an important process as well. If we, as artists don't know what we're talking about who does?

I thought it would be an interesting exercise to relate specific pieces to different parts of my artist statement to see where I'm exploring what topic. I've done it here with work specifically that will be in the Figurative Group Show at Peterson-Cody Gallery in Santa Fe, NM, February 2011.

Using the human figure and still life objects I consider intangibles, challenging myself to capture small nuance in relationships, life, death,  and love. Much of my work is about transitions, whether it is a midlife juncture or coming of age as a universal truth. These paintings are decisions reflected and possibilities contemplated. 

(As in "Near at Hand", I'm dealing with symbolic walls that can appear in relationships or in "On With the Show" I was thinking about the continuum of time, the birds are flying into and out of the painting suggesting that the show must go on, WE must press on, as surely as time passes this too shall pass.)  

 I’m intrigued by the idea of a work of art looking like an old master’s painting but with a contemporary edge, as an artist I want to be a filter for the time I live in. 

(In "The Ascent", the figures are very classically rendered however the ladder is a modern aluminum one, or "Call of Duty", which has the feel of a Renaissance portrait but the imagery from Superman comics, my red haired model in "Dreams of Flying" brings to mind a Botticelli Venus but with the addition of the airplane there is no mistaking her for one) 

I’m frequently inspired by fairy tales, superheroes, or works of literature, and reexamine them in a contemporary way. Mythical characters may become a device to explore our responses to modern day situations, for example Superman becomes a symbol for the mighty dreams each of us hold close to our chests. 

(As in "The Call of Duty" and "If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On" which has it's title from the first line of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night play)

Recurring themes, of flying and birds, have been turning up in my work, kind of a surprise personal imagery and that I was not conscious of adding. My paintings are so long in the works that I'm delighted when I discover a surprise such as this.

American Art Collector Magazine previews the February Peterson-Cody Gallery Group Figurative Show

I'm delighted to be showing in Santa Fe! 

Be on the look out for American Art Collector February 2011 issue! They should be in bookstores near the end of January.  I'll post works by the other artists to be included as soon as I know what's up. My other paintings to be included in the show, besides the paintings listed in the article, are "Near at Hand" 47x32 and "On with the Show" 30x22. 

How to Photograph Oil Paintings

Photographing oil paintings has always been tricky and I've struggled for years to get satisfying results. Problems in the past included uneven lighting, fuzzy details, and glare.This new set up gives the best images I've ever had so I thought I'd share.

I have four light stands each with a 33" white translucent umbrella, "premium" light sockets with 65 Watt 5000K UL listed florescent light bulbs. These are "continuous light" not "strobes". It's important that all the bulbs are the same so they all have the same color. Most of my equipment came from CowboyStudio.com. It costs about $100 for two stands, light sockets, bulbs and umbrellas. To photograph smaller paintings two lights may be sufficient.

The lights are arranged at the sides of the paintings rather than in front of them. This "raking" light minimizes glare. To be able to do this the painting is sitting on an easel rather than hanging on a wall. If light pollution from a window is a concern just draw the shades or shoot at night.

My camera is a digital Canon Rebel XTi. After some serious instruction manual reading I set it to Manual Mode, set the custom white balance (by photographing a white poster board under the lights) and set the f stop on 3.5 and Auto Bracket. I use an Ultrasonic 24-85mm lens 1:3.5-4.5. I also use a shutter release cable which prevents camera shake when I take the picture.

I use a tripod, determine the exact middle of the painting from the floor (involves math) and set the tripod so the camera lens is at that height from the floor. Adjust the tilt of the camera angle up and down so there is as little distortion as possible.

Finally I download them to my trusty iMac, perspective crop in Photoshop to crop out my messy studio. There is very little to do in color adjustments. Usually they can be adjusted using levels and channels.

I usually photograph the paintings a second time after varnishing and the results are even better.

I'm sure my photographer friends will see a number of things I could do better and I'm all ears! The process is eternally evolving.

That's easy enough, right?

Update: I've done another post about photographing particularly challenging dark paintings, Photographing oil paintings, Part 2

Interested in signing up for my email newsletter? Subscribe Here

Terry's Website

New Painting "Fast Lane" companion to "Call of Duty"

Two paintings from my Incognito Series. "Fast Lane", 47x32, is a companion piece to "Call of Duty", 30x26, both are oil on canvas over panel. Here is "Call of Duty"

These paintings have been in the works for about two years. I'm intrigued by the idea of a painting that looks at first glance like an old masters painting but deals with a pop culture or contemporary idea.

Here is "Fast Lane".