Anybody who has exhibited paintings will be well aware of the different groups of viewers. First - the classic couple - the wife is going round the exhibition slowly looking at the paintings, nodding and making the odd comment. But he is getting out of the room as quickly as possible completely ignoring his wife's remarks. Why? Well the first thing he looked at is the prices and in his experience when his wife is looking at things at leisure this means only one thing - at some time he will have to spend some money! How can I be so certain? Because I do it myself- maybe not at an art exhibition but certainly in a clothes or shoe shop. As Merice constantly remarks the 'look' appears on my face! Another group are fellow artists - they can be easily recognised when they ask you what paints and materials you use. Lastly there are the few who truly see. Is it possible for me and you to join this elite and happy band? I'm certain we all have our individual ways to do this but I'll explain how I do it myself. Let's use the painting above as my example. First thing is to find a comfortable distance from where I can see the whole painting ideally between six to eight feet depending on the size of the painting of course. Examine your first impressions. Do I like it? If yes - why do I like it and what appeals to me? If not - why don't I like it? What is there about the painting that is making me feel this way? Next see if I can connect to the painting through the artist' eyes - what is he trying to say? Perhaps there's a clue in the title of the painting - 'Green Peace, Codbeck Reservoir'. Some artists call their paintings pieces - is the artist making a little pun here? It is mostly green well greenish. But it also makes me think of the Greenpeace political movement and the painting does depicts a pristine country scene and it certainly looks peaceful. Then there's Codbeck Reservoir. I know that location and has the artist captured the feel of the place? All these thoughts are helping me to see the painting. Next I approach the painting for a detailed look. This might reveal a different aspect to the painting not visible from a distance. Then back again for another look before moving on. I might conclude I don't like the painting but at least I've had a proper sight of it. Of course it is very difficult to get the nuances from a print no matter how good the quality - you have to view the original to get the full effect. Which leads me nicely to a reminder about 'Double Vision' which runs from 28th October to 28th November 2014 at Bridlington Spa. There will be a collection of brand new original watercolours for you to enjoy seeing. I look forward to meeting up together if you can make it. Glenn
"Everybody 'looks' but few really 'see'." We are all aware of this or similiar phrases but why do so few actually 'see'? Just consider for a moment how people of today view their natural surroundings on a visit to the countryside for example. Their view of the natural world is mostly seen through a car window at high speed. This means lot's to look at but not much to see because 'seeing' involves a precious commodity - time. In previous generations we experienced the countryside at a much slower pace perhaps on a bike or more usually on foot. This gave us the time to see properly. This raises a couple of questions then in today's fast and busy world - "Is it worth taking the time to see?" and "How can I 'see' properly?". Let's address the first one. The short answer is a resounding yes. We can discover delightful and new things that we have overlooked as well as appreciating familiar things better. By taking time to see properly then, we enhance our quality of life. Let's look at the second question. How can we see properly?. Although I am going to use art as my example the principles can be applied to all aspects of life.
Anybody who has exhibited paintings will be well aware of the different groups of viewers. First - the classic couple - the wife is going round the exhibition slowly looking at the paintings, nodding and making the odd comment. But he is getting out of the room as quickly as possible completely ignoring his wife's remarks. Why? Well the first thing he looked at is the prices and in his experience when his wife is looking at things at leisure this means only one thing - at some time he will have to spend some money! How can I be so certain? Because I do it myself- maybe not at an art exhibition but certainly in a clothes or shoe shop. As Merice constantly remarks the 'look' appears on my face! Another group are fellow artists - they can be easily recognised when they ask you what paints and materials you use. Lastly there are the few who truly see. Is it possible for me and you to join this elite and happy band? I'm certain we all have our individual ways to do this but I'll explain how I do it myself. Let's use the painting above as my example. First thing is to find a comfortable distance from where I can see the whole painting ideally between six to eight feet depending on the size of the painting of course. Examine your first impressions. Do I like it? If yes - why do I like it and what appeals to me? If not - why don't I like it? What is there about the painting that is making me feel this way? Next see if I can connect to the painting through the artist' eyes - what is he trying to say? Perhaps there's a clue in the title of the painting - 'Green Peace, Codbeck Reservoir'. Some artists call their paintings pieces - is the artist making a little pun here? It is mostly green well greenish. But it also makes me think of the Greenpeace political movement and the painting does depicts a pristine country scene and it certainly looks peaceful. Then there's Codbeck Reservoir. I know that location and has the artist captured the feel of the place? All these thoughts are helping me to see the painting. Next I approach the painting for a detailed look. This might reveal a different aspect to the painting not visible from a distance. Then back again for another look before moving on. I might conclude I don't like the painting but at least I've had a proper sight of it. Of course it is very difficult to get the nuances from a print no matter how good the quality - you have to view the original to get the full effect. Which leads me nicely to a reminder about 'Double Vision' which runs from 28th October to 28th November 2014 at Bridlington Spa. There will be a collection of brand new original watercolours for you to enjoy seeing. I look forward to meeting up together if you can make it. Glenn
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AuthorProfessional artist now semi retired and enjoying being eccentric! Archives
September 2022
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