I had the pleasure of spending time with my friend Quang Ho and his family this last week. There are many things that impress me about Quang as a painter. His reputation is clear. What is far more intriguing for me is Quang as the teacher. Many can paint, but not many can put it into words and describe painting to help us better understand painting like Quang.
I love his thought process on his Nuts and Bolts video. That categorizes painting into 8 approaches.
1. Light and Shadow
2. Local Tone
3. Silhouette
4. Form or Frontal Light
5. Lines
6. Pattern
7. Color
8. Equalization
When we discussed this by email I was pleased to see one of my favorite painters Van Gogh is in Local Tone. Quang says” These are paintings that actually play with a few notes of local color, no light and shadow or very little. Like during an overcast day. When we talk about “high key”, “low key” paintings, they usually fall in this category. “
You won’t see cast shadows. Color can describe space on its own cognition. You only have to look at one of Van Gogh’s many self-portraits to see this approach in use.
It is very interesting to see the basic concept in an approach you are painting. When we discussed Cezanne, the painter I love most for his concepts and approach to painting Quang felt that he did not fit the eight approaches but would fill the 9th approach he called “Shape”, spaces inside of spaces.
What I loved about Cezanne was that he felt painting was an exploration. We should not look back to what has been done, but forward to what is undiscovered. Cezanne was the father of Modern Art, Cubism and some say Plein Air painting. He was a free thinker trying to uncover some new truths in painting, and he did.
What I gather from both of these painters is that painting, if we allow it, can be our teacher. Together we can define painting and rock the art world.
Quang Ho is teaching a workshop in New Harmony Indiana with Hoosier Salon at the 2014 First Brush of Spring, Monday, April 7, 2014: 9 am to 4 pm
