“Stay loose. Stay loose.”
This is my inner mantra in the studio as I paint. This is what I tell myself while on the wall of a mural. Heck, this can apply to most situations in my life. Stay loose. Don’t overthink it. Keep moving.
While not every artist subscribes to this approach, I’ve talked to a lot of painters that have confirmed another truth about painting: the sketch is often better than the finished piece.
When first exploring an idea, it’s just playing around in the sketchbook. Loose scribbles and wild, gestural jots help me figure out which ideas are worth chasing further. I weed out the dead ends and search for that gut feeling that tells me, “This needs to be painted.”
Loose dawdles and wild wisps of ink are the beginnings
This can lead to more sketches, more loose dawdles until it’s clear enough to start on the panel. After spending time painting it and hopefully not getting stuck in the ‘Trough of Doubt’ (another topic entirely), it typically comes out well enough and I move on to the next shiny idea.
This is a good representation of how my mind looks.
However, no matter how hard I try to stay loose, something is lost in that process. Something is tightened up and perhaps overanalyzed. That initial sketchy, no-pressure energy is corralled and I’m trying (probably too hard) to get the finished painting to give me the same excitement and gut feeling as the sketch. This, at times, feels like a fool’s errand.
But I am a fool and I can’t help but think if I paint a thousand more paintings, I will find the right approach and the finished painting WILL capture the energy and excitement of those first sketches. Paint on!
This year, in an effort to bring the paintings closer to their sketchy beginnings, I have begun to introduce more drawing into my finished paintings. I have put some oil pastels and china markers and pencils into my toolbox and do my best to keep them in mind as I tackle the panel on the easel. I’ve sketched in the background. I’ve done some loose shading on top of the paint on the figures themselves. I even added some nifty stripes to a brewer’s work shirt. The end result: I’m getting closerrrrr…
The Brewer III with a fine lined shirt.
Sketchbook Camp Cook
Painted Camp Cook
Sketchbook Arborists
Painted Arborists
The new batch of paintings this year have a distinct energy, largely brought on by the loose, sketchy marks that I’ve incorporated into the process. It’s a fun way to make art and yet another added dimension to play with as I bring these stories to life.
Staying loose in the beginning sketches.
Take The Beekeeper III. I knew I wanted a tree in the background to help set the scene to counterbalance the strong presence of this wild-looking medieval beekeeper in the foreground. In the past, I would have lightly drawn in the tree and begun to layer the paints in to fill in the trunk, branches, and foliage. However, by using a drawing tool instead (a stick of oil pastel, in this case), it lessens the visual power of the tree. It’s still there as a necessary part of the composition, but it’s “less there” and the end result is that the beekeeper, painted in fully, is “more there”. This a more successful composition to my eye.
The Beekeeper III
The Beekeeper III (detail)
My earliest memories of making art are of drawing. I distinctly remember studying a picture of a panther in a coloring book as I copied it onto a sheet of paper. I worked hard on that cat and was mighty proud when it came out decently. My love of drawing has only grown in the 30 years since, so it’s no surprise that I’ve gone back to it as a path to my artistic aspirations.
My prized pile of ideas, memories and sketches.
As I continue to push The Jobs of Yesteryear in new directions, it was been exciting to see the sketches make their way onto the panels. While I may never fully close the gap between the initial excitement and the end result, it sure is damn fun to try. I appreciate you coming along for the ride.