Oil Painting Medic

Ideas for abstract art can be found in the most unexpected places. Everyday objects stripped bare will reveal weird and bizarre visual aspects for art exploration. The point is the creative process by which the artwork was conceived. The subject of this article is this abstract painting in acrylics derived from a corkscrew by Keith Busby. Ideas on How to Create Art from Objects I Wish They'd Put a Cork in It by Keith Busby The artist has taken the corkscrew and processed the image until the object is almost unrecognizable, yet reveals something of itself. The viewer may not necessarily realize this swirling, almost psychedelic imagery is a corkscrew, but this is not the point. By distilling this image, the artist has stripped apart the object and created a new way of seeing it. Abstract Painting of a Corkscrew The object was originally grey, yet has revealed an array of colors and patterns by stripping apart the chromatic components. The viewer may ask w...

The artist may take pride in perfecting an oil painting, finding ever better ways of applying detail or smoothing glazes. Taking risks in art may get lost in the pursuit of technical perfection. Without realizing, the artist may become complacent in one subject area or one approach to oil painting. What can the artist do to find new ways of expression? Chagall's I and the Village (left) Munch's The Scream (right)   Perfect Detail on Animal Painting, Plants and Skies Exploring art techniques may yield one particular approach the artist favors, often high detail and smooth paint application. In a pursuit for super realism, the artist may lose sight of what creativity means, as well as artistic expression. The result is the same approach, but with ever more technical perfection. Common favored artistic pursuits are: Expressing every fur on an animal, such as dogs, cats, squirrels, foxes or other farm animals. The viewer may admire the approach, saying, ‘you could a...

Getting feedback on oil painting practice is a great way of gaining a fresh perspective upon a work of art. This will bring to focus issues the artist might have been unaware of. The focus of this article in this vein is a detailed landscape painting of the Tiger’s Nest Monastery by Ugyen Wangdi. Painting of Taktsang Monastery in Bhutan Courtesy of Ugyen Wangdi Perched on the edge of a cliff, the Tiger’s Nest Monastery in Bhutan, also known as Paro Taktsang, is one of the most dramatic temples in the world. Above 10,000 feet above sea level, this Himalayan Buddhist temple is considered one of the holiest of the Buddhist people.  Many challenges confront the artist in painting this dramatic scene, one of which is creating a sense of space. The Strengths of This Panoramic Painting The artist has shown great patience with rendering detail and soft blending on this painting, which must have taken many hours to do. Effects such as this can be achieved either by a ...

Getting an objective critique on an oil painting is the aim of this article here, which focuses upon an oil painting on panel, showing a wintry scene, a maiden standing beside a horse completed by C Shelley. Horse Painting with Cart in Snow: the Strengths Horse and Maiden in Snow C Shelley There is a good sense of light and shadow on the snowy footprints leading through the gate. Close up, we can see how the artist has suggested a three-dimensional aspect to this difficult subject area. As can be seen, the shadows within the impressions give way abruptly to diffuse sunlight. A few dabs of paint are often all that is required to suggest textures in snow.  The colour mixes of the snow have also been sensitively portrayed, comprising pthalo blue (a cool blue similar to cobalt), a little burnt sienna and white. A cool blue mixed with a warm colour can bring about an array of china blues, often seen in delicate snow colours. An Opaque Oil Painting Technique Overal...

Getting a balanced critique can help the beginner develop in landscape painting, and to this end, the focus of this article is a landscape painting by Alison Lindsay. A first ever landscape sketch is a big step and could pave the way for exploration in oils. Here, I offer balanced feedback for the beginner. A First Landscape Painting: The Strengths Courtesy of Alison Lindsay Having taught art, have seen the difficulty some students have in making that transition into oil painting for the first time. Quite often, students find it hard even to lay that first brush mark. This artist has shown guts in completing a first painting. This is a great achievement in itself. Here, evidence of an innate eye for atmosphere and potential for finding a personal style can be seen. The mood is one of the painting’s strengths. It’s great to see a landscape painting with equal emphasis upon the sky as the land. A landscape with a wishy-washy or bland sky can look somewhat flat. The clouds ...

Receiving objective feedback on oil painting can be essential for artist development, as working too closely to any work of art can cause issues to become invisible. A fresh eye or opinions of another will help bring these issues into focus. The focus of this article in this vein is an accomplished double portrait completed in Winton oil paints by Veronica Gaucher. Critique of Portraiture: the Strengths Courtesy of Veronica Gaucher This skillful double portrait has many strengths, of which one is the sensitive portrayal of the facial features. Here we can see the outlines of the eyebrows and sideburns have been blended out slightly into the surrounding flesh colour. Strategic blending is crucial for successful portraiture; harsh outlines of facial hair, whether hairline, eyelashes or brows can cause unwanted focal points in portrait painting but is not the case here. Subtle shading of the facial contours are also accomplished, and am guessing the artist has achieved th...