37 Uncommon thinking, uncommon painting

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Go to any museum or gallery and count how many paintings are based on the compositional law of thirds, golden mean, or some other formulaic solution to composition. How many of the paintings that you love use such conventions?

I'm finding that the more I explore composition the more I love composition that doesn't rely on formula but rather is an idiosyncratic expression of a unique mind. There are very few consolations to adherents of this opinion. There are even less solutions or safety nets. Once exposed to this reality you have no alternative but to abandon common solutions and push off into uncharted seas.

It is a lofty goal, one I have yet to fully implement, but it does at least open the possibility to discovery and innovation. I suppose I arrived at this opinion due to the ubiquity of the law of thirds and other compositional solutions so prevalent in our genre. And yet I am haunted by the weaknesses of these formulas.

I haven't always been an admirer of George Inness. The last time I was at the Metropolitan Museum I went specifically to study a painting by Thomas Moran. Adjacent to Moran's painting was one by George Inness. As my wife and I sat gazing at the Moran the subtle power of the Inness began to pervade our visual field. Eventually we were totally overwhelmed with the Inness. This was a curious event as I am a long time admirer of Moran. It was especially interesting because, unlike the Moran, the surface of the Inness was seemingly artless and lacking in any technical sophistication. All the force of the painting was centered in the sheer power of the composition.

That was a great lesson for me and I began to study the composition of George Inness with renewed interest. At midcareer Inness totally abandoned the compositional conventions of his era in favor of an entirely homemade system. Due to the influence of Swedenborgianism and numerology Inness created a bizarre mode of composition based on the opposition of the seen and the unseen world. Whether you agree with his foundational ideas or not is immaterial. What is important is that Inness constructed an entirely personal and previously unknown method of composition. Of course, not all of George Inness' compositions are equally great. Acknowledging that composition is the loftiest art in a constellation of difficult arts we can forgive Inness his occasional errors. But few deny that his best work is entirely unprecedented in its compositional uniqueness.

Evolving a personal compositional approach is a lofty goal and one that may elude me. But I now feel obliged to nurture those obsessions and idiosyncrasies that might make my composition the unique expression of a unique mind.

Brad Teare © 2009

36 Advanced underpainting 5 of 5

35 Pattern, composition, texture

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A friend and I attended a recent landscape exhibit. Coincidentally my friend introduced the idea that a painting should be interesting at 60 feet, at 6 feet, and at 6 inches. I thought it an interesting idea and decided to put it to the test as we viewed the show.

As we entered the large hall several of the paintings immediately caught my attention. One of them, a large painting of a river winding its way around a massive red rock by Conrad Buff, practically shouted to come hither. It passed the 60 foot hurdle. As I got closer the structural rhythms and lines became more noticeable and formed an energetic and varied composition. Even more intrigued I yearned to observe the painting even closer. From just a few feet away the lively brushstrokes and crosshatched patterns of color gave me the anticipated payoff.

There were other paintings that gave a similar experience. With few exceptions these were the paintings I enjoyed most. So what was the phenomenon that was engaging me and giving such visual satisfaction? I came to the conclusion that at 60 feet a viewer can only see the most basic, abstract patterns. If this pattern is contrived by the artist to create an interesting motion and variety of interlocking shapes the painting communicates to viewers the possibility that on closer inspection they will be further rewarded.

At 6 feet viewers find it difficult to see the large pattern and begin to see the finer detail of composition. They began to see linear detail, and by this I mean the lines formed by adjacent shapes, as well as linear aspects that are created by shorelines, rivers, trees, and other forms. If this consortium of lines causes the eye to wander and dart through the two-dimensional space in a pleasing manner viewers are again rewarded and tempted to get closer still.

Finally, as viewers approach the canvas within a foot or so they see the texture of the paint marks and brush strokes. At this level the viewer is again immersed in an abstract world. If this abstract world has a conscious structure the viewer is again rewarded by connecting with the artist's original intention.

What we experience as we approach a painting is a shifting series of presentations and interpretations which create an interplay of anticipation and satisfaction. Of course not every painting has to fulfill the viewer on every level. But on this occasion the paintings that fulfilled this three-tiered expectation were the most satisfying.

I concluded from this experience that I need to present to the viewer a strong abstract pattern at 60 feet. I need to present a rhythmic and visually pleasing linear composition at 6 feet. And at 6 inches I need to deliver an undulating interplay of interlocking texture.

Brad Teare © 2009

34 ADVANCED UNDERPAINTING 4 of 5

33 ADVANCED UNDERPAINTING 3 of 5

32 How to dry thick paint

Getting thick strokes of paint to dry can be a challenge. This video shows several ways to do it. Please note that cobalt drier is toxic–as are many painting supplies–so use with care.



Brad Teare February 2010

31 Drying thick paint

SINCE I paint alla prima I usually let my paint dry naturally without any additives. More often I will add walnut oil to slow drying if I need a two day painting session with a large painting. But occasionally I still have need to add dryers when I'm preparing for a show and I need to make a few last-minute adjustments. One such occasion was this week when I needed to adjust some paintings for an upcoming exhibit.

I had three paintings that needed modification (see blog# 32). In the first one I used used Galkyd and chalk. I added a few drops of cobalt dryer to this medium as well as a few drops to each bit of color.

In my second painting I glazed the light parts of the painting using G-gel from Gamblin paints. I added G-gel to my paint as well.

In my third painting I made a putty using walnut alkyd medium made by M. Graham & Company to which I added quite a bit of chalk to thicken it up. In all three cases when I needed white I used a fast drying alkyd titanium white.

The mixture that dried the fastest was the first one, the medium with the cobalt dryer. It dried in one day. This didn't surprise me as cobalt dryer is a powerful additive. Normally I only use it in extreme cases because it is prone to crack and yellow and has toxicity issues. I might use it occasionally to add to a signature or last-minute preparation for a show. The other two mixtures dried in two days.

So while I try not to make using dryers a habit I do use them in the preparation of some of my putties, especially my mixture of Gamblin G-gel and chalk which I think is a perfectly acceptable, archival addition to my painting methods.

Brad Teare © 2009