Here is to you and your loved ones - have a fantastic New Year filled with creativity and peace!

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for sharing 2012 with me even if it was just for a few minutes reading my blog or catching up on my gallery. I do appreciate you taking time out for this. 

The new year will be even better with more art and my workshops kicking off soon. I know we will have a good time!





Here is to 2013! 

After a month dedicated to painting, thinking and writing about art I need to add to my list of truths posted at the beginning of December.

1. Retail Therapy is a lie! My family was fortunate to be away from the malls this season. I do not want to sound like a grinch but less time around shops is good for the soul not to mention the pocket. How does this relate to art? Time and peace for creative work! More creative work makes me a happy guy and my family is happier too. Honestly shopping is a distraction, which we all know is just procrastination. 
2. If you have to force it then it was probably wrong to begin with. Great art is effortless. Have I gone mad! No - let me put it this way. It may seem like a ton of work looking in from the outside, but to the artist in the sublime moment of creation it is effortless.  All creation is effortless. Nature does not struggle - creation is happening all the time without any difficulty. Our simple attempts at art pale in comparison. Take a look at a painting you have done that you are particularly happy with. There is probably a portion of the painting that you are very pleased with. I am sure that it happened without any trouble. You may wonder if you could ever duplicate that moment of mastery. Now there will be other parts of the painting that took some labour. It is likely that those parts look it too - laboured I mean.
3. If you want good things to happen then you must give good things too. Art requires sincerity. Paint for the love of art. Not envy or for competition. True art or any form of creation cannot be achieved any other way.
4. Time is irrelevant: It is convenient for us of course, but to the creative process it is unimportant. Some artists put a lot of store in saying something like: " I have been painting for twenty years!" So what? What counts is what you do with your moment of creation. Create art with intention and focus and keep at it. Every day should have some action related to your art. The mastery of art cannot be achieved any other way and trust me it will happen, but you will still want more since the creative spirit never dies. Fine by me.
5. Take Responsibility: Progress in our art is up to us alone. Teachers can only open a window for us to look into a part of their world. It is our duty to learn form as many sources as possible. Accept and reject what you want, but never blame others for your difficulty in technique or process. I sometimes hear part-time artists name dropping about art lessons with so-and-so or suggesting that another artist did not show them how to do something or other. Certainly there is self-sufficiency in all artists who are in it for the long haul. My experience suggests to me that only those who keep their focus on self-development and take full responsibility for this make it in the end.

The opportunities for learning are infinite. All that matters is that we take these opportunities and remember to be grateful for them. Enjoy.

Nature is astonishing. Consider the millions of processes working in our bodies every second whithout us having to think about it. The life all around us getting on with whatever process is required to sustain itself. Grass grows effortlessly - too effortlessly for my liking at this time of year. The point is that all of nature is following a path of truth and simplicity and is doing so without effort. This to me is the key in so many areas of life. Whenever I try to force something and it seems like so much hard work then I know it is not right. Perhaps it is matter of timing or simply not the course that is correct for me. Nature will have its way and we should try to follow these life rhythms too.

A few weeks ago I tried to paint a scene of hills covered with coastal bush and farm lands. Depending on the time of day the scene was restful but also had immense beauty. Shapes and light made this a great subject. In my enthusiasm to get started I was painting within half an hour. I had made a quick sketch and considered the composition, but I knew that I was diving in a bit early. Still I went ahead and of  course the result was poor. I should have known, but I learnt the same lesson all over again. Take some time to consider the subject. Look and let yourself get a sense for the atmosphere. I had the luxury of time and had to ease myself into the subject.

After a few days of getting to know the area better and with a few studies done to prepare myself I felt ready to paint the subject again. The results this time were much better. The mood was there and the scene was simplified to what was important for me.

A general landscape needs emotional content to be worth something. So keep the scene simple by leaving out anything that does not add to the mood you are conveying. You can only know what to leave out once you have a feel for the subject itself. This takes time., but once you have this information the painting almost paints itself. It is effortless and a pleasure to do. These are profound moments that are within the grasp of all of us. 

Take a few hours if you can to look at your subject and get to know it at different times of the day. Sure this is not always possible. When time is of the essence then you have to go for it, but if you can revisit a scene then make the effort. It will reward you with a painting that is above your previous level. These are the breakthrough moments and we all need them. It is also about learning your craft as an artist.

It is about intentional thinking and execution of a concept. 

I painted this quick study while the light was fading fast, wind came up and rain clouds hurried over the valley near Port Alfred in the Eastern Cape. Plein air does not always work out, but it teaches valuable lessons each time I try outdoor painting. Shapes, values and atmosphere are paramount The experience of working under pressure with the joy of the moment in nature is also a big plus for me.

It is one of life's truths - to avoid blandness we need to add some spice! Consider this metaphorically and you will see that so much of our life is based on this simple idea. What we eat, read, drive, wear, listen to, in our relationships and in work and play we are constantly shown ways to be more interesting. It seems that this pursuit is never ending unless we can find balance to our lives.

This concept applies to paintings too. We are often drawn to one painting of a subject while ignoring another painting of the same subject. This is common enough, but we can learn much about what attracts us to one of the paintings. Chances are it relates to the values used by the artist. The elements of contrast between light and dark is so fundamental to a painting's success that I have devoted a sizable portion of my forthcoming workshops to this aspect. Without a clear understanding of values and how to apply them to a painting we risk producing just another painting lacking in impact. When it comes to spice in art values occupy the red hot section of the spice rack! Use them with care and, but never ignore them. 

A good tip is to take up squinting. Before picking up a brush artists need to be able to squint at a subject instinctively to assess the shapes and values. It is worth getting a few strange glances from strangers to learn this fundamental skill. Then using a 6b pencil rough in the dark shapes in your journal and see what interesting shapes are revealed. For many of you going on holiday this is the perfect time to have a journal and a few pencils on hand. Take a moment everyday to try out this technique.

Spice up your paintings with strong values. It will be one of those breakthrough moments that will transform your paintings.

A little holiday opportunity to win one of my framed paintings.

Just visit www.inspiresa.co.za for  free copy of their digital magazine and look out for the giveaway from yours truly. 

You can also enter here. Simply fill out the form below and send it in. Closing date is 31 December 2012.

Please note that this giveaway is for RSA only.

My painting sabbatical is under way. I will be spending time adding the final touches to my art workshop as well as painting as much as I can. Plein air and studio work will be part of this process of course, but also going back to basics. Seeing and drawing what is important is a lesson all artists need to get back to from time to time. The thing about art, and in my case, painting, is that there are many truths that are constant. It is just us as artists that seem to waver and lose focus.

The title refer to five truths yet there are many more, but these five came back to remind me about my personal painting methods. They are as follows:

1) Make a good start and the painting is half done before the actual painting gets going. By this I mean that the preparation is still fundamental. Consider the subject and look at the building blocks. Values: are they interesting? I like strong values and a painting seldom suffers for it. Are the shapes interesting? Do a notan study and outline study to assess the shapes. A few strong shapes should dominate the scene. Only when these basics are accounted for does a painting become possible.

2) Why am I painting this? This is a question we must ask ourselves. It is no good just painting something because it has values and shapes. There must be more. Call it the concept or idea behind the painting. What moves you and how will you convey this with impact? If you feel it then try to make the viewer feel it too.  When it comes to landscapes for example I need to be moved by the scene. It must connect to my soul.  I need to feel a deep connection to the beauty or majesty of the scene. Sometimes it is a simple moment of nature that makes a scene magical - the fall of light, the colours and interplay of shadows spark my senses. That is what excites me most about landscapes.

3) Keep those shapes simple and few. Nature is perfectly able to pull off a thousand and one shapes and make it look good. Artists however need to keep the shapes few and meaningful. Simplify the scene into a few major shapes - usually seven will do. Add interest within them and keep them linked with passages of light and dark. Everything must hang together in order too make sense. Far from chaos a painting is a study in order and simplicity.

4) Keep it Painterly: Generous paint application is a strength in oil painting. Seldom is a painting spoilt by thick paint and confident brushstrokes. Painterly brushwork is not about details, but about suggestion. This means that we need not worry about trying to illustrate, but rather to suggest and delight in the medium of generous amounts of paint.

5) A good painting can be completed quickly. It is a truth that the best parts of a painting are usually completed within minutes while the boring bits were laboured over for days. Time painting does not mean great art. Take your time in preparation, but pull out the stops when the painting begins. Yes a good painting can also seem easy too. These are the paintings that are often the best work. Accept them as the divine moment of creation when all is aligned and beautiful.

Above all - enjoy the process of painting.