Treating your next creative painting like a crime scene investigation may not be a bad idea. We may not have any fancy labs like on the TV shows, though many early oil painters where chemists and formulated there own paints. Some still do today.
Most times my paintings are an investigation of some kind. No easy clues, thought and considerations from all angles are necessary to provide a significant body of work.
We first observe something that captures our attention. We capture a visual picture or impression in our mind (I believe this is what we paint to). It may resemble other phenomenon’s we have observed previously, or held in our emotions. For whatever reason, we decide to go further with it. We commit to the idea of taking our investigation further, believing we can take this crime to trial and get a conviction with whatever visual persuasion that is required.
But we need evidence. More study, observations, photos, sketches, studies, or looking at other art, we may even bring in some other specialists and get their opinions. Weeding out unrelated non-sense. Constant rethinking and weighing all the verification is pertinent to our verdict.
Immediately we try to solve this visual crime or it may be several years to solve its mystery.
When ready, we studying the material and supplies needed we begin to devise how we may fit our crime to some tactile occurrence, like our canvas, so we may frame our proof. Our jury may be as simple or as hard as ourselves, or the whole world. Never limited to just 12, and we must be convincing beyond any reasonable doubt. One look and they have to get it.
Cleverly we plan our approach, working out shape, shadow, color and value, looking for observable visual re-occurrences that we can make work with this specific crime.
You get it. No easy investigations. Artist must be smart and over all convicting.
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© 2011 Daryl Urig
