A Painting is a Problem to Solve



I am fighting with this painting right now. It started out so great--they always do. It is almost a guarantee that when I start a painting, that first time or two I spend working on it, I end on such a high note. I love where it is going and think to myself what a strange and odd thing it is that I have not yet been contacted for a solo show at the MOMA in NYC.

 



 

Then I work on it some more and some of it is okay, but my confidence gets a bit shaken. This stage drags on. I cannot give up, I have already put so much into it...and I have to beat it, I cannot let this canvas win.

 

 My mind looks something like this...

 

...This painting feels disorganized and too busy and I should have taken more reference photos and spent more time drawing...but it snowed last night, so I can't. There are dried fireweed fragments in my studio that I would like to throw out...I need to make it less complicated. I want the foreground to come forward, I need to push the trees back...less information...why do I paint anyway? I have no where to store all of these canvases. I should do some laundry...

 

 

I keep thinking about it, it is always on my mind. I also have photos on my phone of the painting at its most recent stage. I look at them and I start to put a plan together.  This morning I made the trees in the background lighter to push them back. I am not 100% convinced that this is the way to go, but I feel ready to fight. I am planning on a long painting session tonight.

 

Wish me luck!

 

Reduction Woodcut, a Work in Progress

I often wish that I had fallen in love with a process that yielded quicker results, something minimalistic and quick. But I did not. I am completely hooked on making reduction woodcuts. Though time consuming, this process allows me to print many colors from a single block. The process provides a perfect mix of serious planning, concentrated carving and repetitive printing. Despite all the planning, there is always just the right amount of drama and the unexpected.

 

 

This morning was relatively drama free. I printed color number three of 9. I was able to come up with the color I was hoping for right away.

 

 

 

Below you can see the print with the first two colors (two shades of yellow) next to the inked up block. After printing the darker yellow I carved away all of the areas I want to stay dark yellow. After printing this orangey brown color on all 24 sheets of paper I will carve away all the areas I wish to remain orangey brown. This process will be repeated six more times with six different colors.

 

 

You cans see the corner of my jig next to the block. There are three raised metal circles (pins) that correspond to holes that have been punched along the top of all 24 sheets of paper. I always place the paper on those "pins" and set the block in the same place underneath to ensure that the block prints in the same place with each color...every time. 

 

 

 

This is the best part...pulling the print off the block after running it through the press.

 

 

 

I am hoping to get the next color on there tomorrow.

Extrospection

I just had a show at Bear Gallery in Fairbanks. They did a beautiful job hanging my work. I shared the gallery with David-Rosenthal, a painter from Cordova. I included some images of several paintings and prints as well as my artist's statement below.

Gail E. Priday

Extropsection

Extrospection is the examination or observation of what is outside of oneself. In other words, ordinary sense perception. My work is inspired by what I observe on a daily basis. Rather than seeking out dramatic scenery and grand vistas, I am drawn to humble roadside trees, wild weedy plant-life, snow cover and the unique light of the Interior. I often focus on smaller elements of the landscape such as the bark of a tree, lichens, twigs and ground cover. The changes that occur seasonally are also of great interest. Our seasons are dramatic and they come and go with a force that is hard to miss. I feel an urgency to capture those changes. Melting snow, the new mud of spring, falling leaves, ripening berries, low winter light and long shadows in the snow are frequent subjects in both my paintings and prints.

Printmaking allows me to express my paintings in a new way. I often use a painting as a starting point for a print. After a painting has been worked for a number of weeks it becomes ingrained in my mind. I feel that I know the subject well and I am not quite ready to let it go. As you navigate the gallery you will find evidence of this re-use. In order to take an image from painting to print, I must simplify the composition and reduce the colors. Reduction woodcuts work well with this process. By making a reduction print I am able to obtain a number of colors from a single block. While there is much planning involved there is also an element of surprise. Printmaking is a beautiful mix of intense thought and meditative repetition.

I see the same landscape outside my windows every day. I walk past the same trees and hillsides, yet the view keeps changing. It is as if I am experiencing something new every time. My paintings and prints are an attempt to keep feeling that wonder and to connect with viewers who have noticed the same changes and experienced the same fascination.

My New Website

 

 

 

Please visit my website, gailpriday.com



Starting a Painting

When I start a new painting I always paint a thin wash over the canvas, toning the canvas. This prevents tiny white dots of canvas from showing through the finished piece. It also makes that big white newly stretched canvas much less intimidating. If using acrylic paint, thin your paint with water, grab a big brush and cover up all of that white. Let it drip or be uneven. If working with oil paints you can use acrylics for toning or you can use oil paints thinned with solvent. You can paint with oils over acrylics, but cannot paint with acrylics over oils. I most often paint with oils but will often use an acrylic wash to tone my canvas because it dries so quickly. A warm, brownish red or orange is the traditional color used for toning a canvas. However, you can use whatever color you please.

Next, I roughly "draw" the major shapes and elements of my composition with thinned paint. By this point I have already planned my painting in a sketchbook and I use that as a guide. I never use a pencil. I am sure many artists do. To me there is just something unnatural about pencil on canvas, like nails on a chalkboard...

 

As you can tell from the image above, I am working from the finished painting on the wall. It is a view from my studio window. I have been exploring painting the same composition several times...but that is a post for another day...

Next I paint in the whites or what will be the lightest areas. I am still using thinned paint. The goal is to lay the colors out.

 

This is as far as I got in my first session, about 2-3 hours. I will continue by painting in other areas of color with thinned paint. I want to see the painting come together and determine what colors should go where. It is important to see the painting as a whole and not finish a small area completely before moving on to another area.

 

Is this the only way to paint? Of course not. But it works for me. You will soon discover what works for you.

 

Choosing a Palette

Before you can paint you will need supplies. A palette is something you cannot do without. There are a number of options for you to choose from, simply follow these guidelines.

• No smaller than 9" x 12"
• White bottom
• Flat
• Sealable

What you DO NOT want is one of those little round white plastic palettes with little spaces for each color. You need a large flat area for mixing colors.

As you can see, I have several palettes going at a time.

You can choose to put paint directly on the palette and scrape off with a razor blade to clean, or put paint on another surface (such as palette paper) inside the palette and throw the paper away when used.
If money is not an option, I suggest the Masterson-Sta-Wet-Premier-Palette, whether you plan to use oils or acrylics. This will keep your paints moist. If using acrylics, use the special paper and sponge to keep paints wet. If working with oils, you can skip the sponge and special paper and use it for the super airtight seal. I like to line mine with freezer paper (so much cheaper than palette paper). Simply tape it down and throw it away when you are finished with it. You can buy Reynolds Freezer Paper at the grocery store in a big roll for $5.00. The Masterson palettes can be found online and in town at Michael's for about $20.

You can purchase a Pyrex or metal cake pan with a lid to use as your airtight container. This is not as airtight and the bottom needs to be painted white (with acrylic) or used with white palette paper. But it is a good option. The cheapest cake pans I have seen go for about $11, maybe less if there is a coupon or sale.

The least expensive option is a piece of wood or sturdy cardboard. Paint it white or tape down some freezer/ palette paper. Cover with a long sheet of heavy clear plastic such as visqueen, which can be found at the hardware store. Staple the visqueen to the wood so that it covers the surface, making it wipeable and smooth. Make it long enough to fold over the wet paint to keep it from drying out.

You can also use clear plastic photo frame boxes or a piece of plexiglass as a palette and store it in as airtight container.

Some artists simply wipe or scrape away their paint after each use instead of saving it. I personally like to save time and paint and keep mine covered. You need to find what works for you.

The Backyard

 

 

The Backyard

Leaf Miners ~ 24 x 36

I have a solo exhibit opening this weekend titled, The Backyard. It is a collection of paintings created over the last two years all composed of subject matter found outside my house. I did not intend to put a show together based on this premise, it just sort of happened. When my kids are out playing, I am able to make drawings. When it is really cold outside I find interesting window views. Creating work based on my backyard is both convenient and inspiring.