A Single Rose

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It’s snowing again. This morning in my studio, I was thinking about today’s painting, when the rose that I painted for Valentine’s Day caught my eye. In contrast to the stormy white landscape outside my studio, I marveled at the soft pinkish petals of the rose and the wonderful wilting green leaves, and I captured it again on canvas for you.

The most important time that you can spend on any painting is the first ten minutes; time not spent painting at all, but thinking. When you start a painting, it is important that you have a clear vision of the completed piece before you start. Having a strong mental picture of what you wish to see on canvas means that you think about the finished details of the painting, which includes visualizing how the piece is framed and how it will look hanging on the wall. Once you have a vivid mental picture of the completed painting, you will be able to capture the image more clearly.

It is important to work from life as I did with ‘A Single Rose”. If you want to practice your skills for location painting, this exercise is a great one to start with. Choose one object in your studio and place it in your still life stage where you can create a pleasing composition using light and shadow, contrast and color. Take 10 minutes to imagine the painting as a finished piece and then begin to paint. Once you have practiced your observation skills indoors, you will be more prepared to paint outdoors.

When you begin painting on location, carry your paints and canvases into the fields and woods. If you can, set up near a stream and see for yourself the kaleidoscope of color and light. Sit quietly for ten minutes before starting to paint. Study the scene as an artist would, noticing the value and the color, the details in the shadows, and the warm and cool colors that make up the light. Look at nature with a painter’s eye and not merely as a tourist. After sitting still, you are ready to begin painting. Once you have completed your painting, return to the studio with the completed piece for quiet study; and then, you will begin to understand the things you used to look at and did not see.

I hope that we can build a community of artists that can share information with each other.If you know of any artists that might appreciate being included, let them know about this blog.

I hope to offer more painting tips as this conversation continues.If you have questions that you would like me to answer, please don’t hesitate to email me anytime.
I welcome your feedback. Stefan_Baumann@yahoo.com