Calling all portrait painters:

This was a demonstration I recently did for my Hobart Art League class.  Join us if you are interested in portrait painting!  For more information about classes visit: http://www.gerriegovert.com/classes.html

Wild at Heart

We are all free – but we forget.  We are free to express ourselves any way we please with any subject we please.  We must remember to reclaim that wild, uninhibited, youthful outlook on life and apply that uninhibited approach to our painting.  Reinvent yourself.  Look at the world through rose colored glasses and enjoy the new view.  We are all free to be the best that we can be.  The search is on - find yourself the new you.  Show me some of your new ideas!

Artist as an Instrument

Everyone that has become completely absorbed in the process of painting has relinquished control to a force that takes over their thoughts and feelings.  This guiding spirit, along with the pastels, and the interaction between artist and each stroke on the substrate, are all powerful instruments in creating a work of art.  The universal force flowing through these instruments connects the artist to those who view the painting.  In this piece, I started out in control of the sketch but at some point, the process became passionately intuitive and suggested a new concept for the piece. 

Every stroke depends on the previous one, and each influences the next.

Art is about observation. This process involves thinking abstractly, but also observing how light, atmosphere, value, color, and edges work together to give an object its form and life.  In this piece, I massed in the darks and lights which merged together to form an energetic abstract.  Every stroke depended on the previous one, and each influenced the next.  I used middle values of local color which made the trees' personalities come to life.  I wanted the painting to have strength power, movement, life, and wind blowing through the branches. 

Delicious Dish

The subject matter for a piece of art presents itself in many ways.  Still lifes are usually arranged by the artist, but sometimes if you are truly aware of your surroundings, they arrange themselves.  If you are not aware, your perfect opportunity for inspiration might just get scooped up and thrown in the garbage.  For example, I was baking recently and I had just put the eggs in the bowl to warm up to room temperature.  As I broke the eggs I put most of the shells back in the bowl.  I walked away to get a baking pan, turned around and looked back to see the eggs spilling this way and that.  It looked like a great organic still life to me.  The composition of the eggs in the bowl was simple but strong, and reminded me a lot of baking.  Much like baking a cake, sometimes all you need is a simple recipe for a unique piece of art.