353: New Blog!

–I HAVE recently made a new website and a new blog. The blog has all the original material of this Thick Paint site minus entries with expiration dates such as exhibits and class announcements–so the topics are even easier to browse. I will no longer be posting to this blog with the Blogspot address.

The new blog is hosted by Word Press and promises to be faster and more visually intriguing. I hope you agree and will join me at the new site here.

The first entry on the new blog is about how we talk about our art and the necessity to do so. And how communicating effectively will help not only ourselves but the art community as a whole.

If you enjoy the new venue I hope you will leave a comment with ideas and suggestions on the new site. Many thanks for your help and continued support.

Brad Teare –March 28, 2019

352: Black is a Color

–I HAVE read how many artists avoid using black paint at all costs. Some even decry it as not being a real color. Which is somewhat ridiculous. If it wasn't a color that would mean it didn't reflect light and would be a sort of black hole of reality, sucking in light but reflecting nothing.

It is more accurate to say that black is a color that is extremely dark and extremely neutral. In a few minutes, I'm going to broadcast live (16 Jan 2019, 12:30 MT) on my Instagram feed where I will add green to a painting using black, cadmium yellow, and yellow ochre (and possibly some ultramarine blue). In the demo, it will become evident that black is a color and of use to the experienced painter.

So the dictum that black is not a color should be modified to black is a color that is best used after having some experience. If you would like to use black but feel you might not be experienced enough try using Chromatic Black from Gamblin colors. Remember, the color it looks like is the color it is. But the fact that Chromatic Black is a mixture of Quinacridone Red and Thalo Green helps novice painters to accept the neutrality of the color. If you have these two colors you can mix your own. You do not want your deep darks to be a complete balance between cool and warm. If it is it will appear to be a dead color, no matter what colors are combined to make a neutral hue.

Black with a touch of ultramarine blue is a beautiful color and is often sold as Payne's Gray after the 18th-century British watercolorist William Payne. You should always bias your blacks so they are leaning to either the warm or cool side of the spectrum. I also suggest adding a hint of white to bring out the tonal beauty of the color. Also, remember that no dark color should occupy no more than 5% of an extremely dark range. Use those super darks for notes within your dark shapes.

With experience, dark colors of all kinds from Mars black to Ivory black can be handled well in your paintings.

Brad Teare –January 2019

351: Drawing Like Van Gogh

–LEARNING to replicate the energy of your drawings in your paintings is one of the most productive advances you can make in painting. In my recent Gumroad video I show how the drawings of Vincent Van Gogh form the essential basis for his paintings (video link below). On comparing his drawings and paintings, we see that his drawings have the same rhythmic strokes and dashes as if they are a rehearsal for the paintings. Toward the end of the video, I do a quick demo of how Van Gogh added dots, dashes, and other calligraphic strokes simultaneously creating linear detail and value.

In his drawings, Van Gogh used a reed pen on paper. I use acrylic markers on canvas. But I replicate Van Gogh's marks to demonstrate a similar effect. When I understood Van Gogh's methods of drawing I came one step closer to understanding how he painted. I resolved to find a connection between my drawings and paintings. It took quite a while to discover but once I did my painting took a massive leap forward.

I hope this video will help you foster a unique way of drawing and that your newfound drawing style will foster a unique way of painting.

Brad Teare –January 2019

Supplies used in this video:

Montana Empty markers
Golden Colors High Flow Acrylic Black
Golden Colors High Flow Acrylics White
Molotow Acrylic Markers white
Molotow Acrylic Markers black

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Brad Teare, January 2019

350: How to Get Bright Color Using Color Charts

–SIXTEEN years ago I read an art instruction book that recommended making color charts. I used artist tape to mark off the swatches on canvas panels and mixed up my paint. After the swatches on the color charts dried, I attempted to use them in my painting procedure. But for some reason, the charts seemed irrelevant, and I rarely used them.

When I was moving into my new studio, I rediscovered the charts in the corner of my closet. I placed them on a shelf underneath my wall easel. With the charts nearby, I found I began to refer to them as I planned the color for my paintings. With a modest amount of planning, I found I was avoiding color clichés, and my color became more varied and vibrant.

As prescribed in the book each chart used a single color which I mixed with all the others colors on my palette. I would then add this mixture with white. The colors shifted from left to right as I added other hues. The swatches shifted in value from top to bottom as I added white.

Initially, I didn't understand the purpose of doing color studies. Much like doing value studies you have to have faith. You have to believe the process will produce results–without short-term evidence. I can't explain why doing value or color studies results in better paintings. You have to keep experimenting with a principle even though you see minimal results. In some cases, the hoped-for breakthrough happens after months of seemingly nonproductive experimentation.

This process can be challenging to explain to the beginning painter. If I were to graph the progress of such experimentation, it would be a hockey stick. It would show months of no progress followed by an instantaneous rise in ability.

HOW I USE COLOR CHARTS
I almost always do a watercolor sketch before I transfer my design to canvas. The quick sketch allows me to imagine the chromatic direction the painting will take. I select colors by asking a series of questions. What emotional effect am I trying to achieve? What colors will be in opposition to the primary color? What harmonious accents will complement those main colors? To clarify my thinking, I shuffle through my color charts. Such a review breaks up habitual color mixtures allowing me to select basic colors. Do I want to mix my greens around a base of Burnt Sienna and Thalo Blue? Or would a base of Cadmium Yellow Light and Ultramarine Blue be more appealing? The pause to consider the basic colors allows me to simplify and harmonize.

After selecting basic colors, I sketch in my watercolor sketchbook. I then dash in the planned colors. It can be difficult to discipline myself to use only the colors I have preselected. But the results prove to be well worth it.

Finally, I have to carry the discipline over to my oil palette. I keep both the watercolor study and the relevant color charts handy. The inconvenience of adhering to a plan is outweighed by positive results.

By combining color charts with watercolor sketches, you can avoid routine colors schemes.

If you need a good watercolor set for doing sketches I highly recommend this versatile, inexpensive kit. The commercial color swatches in the photo can be found here.

Brad Teare, November 2018

349: Painting with Bright Color–New Instructional Video

–I published a new instructional video with Gumroad (see preview below). They provide the best download speeds and easiest purchasing options (Paypal or credit card). The one hour and 27-minute video is downloadable to any device, allows complete access, and comes with a convenient satisfaction guarantee. Please note that you do need to download the free Gumroad app if you are downloading to an iPad or other tablet.

In the video, I add red as a modifying color to a landscape painting. Many classic American Impressionists would add red to their pigments to give an overall harmony as well as using red to shift color along the spectrum between yellow and blue. They would use yellow to warm a color and blue to cool it. It's a fascinating way to amp up your color. I was so happy with the results I have used it exclusively since this painting.

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I filmed the video in my new studio. The sound is excellent due to my new lav mic and good studio acoustics. I used all new recording equipment. New to my process is the use of multiple camera angles to show the exact colors I mix on the palette to apply to the canvas. That was a missing feature in my Youtube videos. I think viewers will appreciate the upgrade. The entire video has live commentary or added voice over to give viewers the best educational experience possible.

What you will learn in this video:
-How to achieve bright, rich color using broken, or vibrational, color
-How to achieve a variety of effects with broken color
-Why adding red to colors works to unify and modify color
-How to use a palette knife effectively
-Which palette knives to use to get certain effects
-How to apply multiple layers of color over the top of each other

Items mentioned in the video:
-Windsor & Newton Bright Red
-Ginko Leaf Shaped palette knife
-Holbein Palette Knife 6S
-Holbein Palette Knife MX-2
-Holbein Palette Knife MX-H-12
-Creative Mark palette knife

I hope you will give the video a try. Please note that if you rent the video you can download it at any time within a 30-day span, but once you download it you have to watch it within 72 hours.

Please leave comments in the comment section below. I appreciate your help to make these videos even better in the future. Many thanks for your support.

Brad Teare –September 2018

348: Studio Visit Video

–MANITOU Galleries suggested I make a short video giving collectors a view into my studio and my process. I filmed a five-minute segment showing my new studio as well as the basics of my oil painting process. Go here to watch the video.

The sound quality was good in the new studio as was the lighting (which was all natural). The lav mic worked well and it was a good test for my upcoming Teachable videos which I hope to get online before Christmas. Hope you enjoy the video.

Brad Teare –July 2018

Summer Cottonwoods, 30" x 24", oil on canvas

347: Paintings at Manitou Galleries

–IT has been a lifelong ambition to get gallery representation in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which is the third largest art market in the world and the primary market for the kind of textured impressionism that I do.

Due to a series of fortuitous events I recently connected with Manitou Galleries which has a gallery on Canyon Road and another near the Plaza on Palace Avenue (where my works are currently exhibited).

If you are in Santa Fe I hope you will drop by and take a look. Both of the Manitou galleries are excellent and I'm honored to be included in their roster of amazing artists.

Brad Teare –June 2018

346: Understanding Creativity

–WHY do some people love art and others seem unmoved by it? I'm always interested in the reaction of people who visit our home. Our living room has art hanging from floor to ceiling. Some people don't even notice–which always intrigues us since our collection (which includes an original work by Carl Bloch) is such a prominent part of the room.

I've always assumed that with enough persuasion nearly anyone could be convinced that life with art would be superior to one devoid of art (read my five reasons to collect art here). Despite straining my persuasive abilities to the limit I don't think I've persuaded anyone to collect art. It seems that needle is very difficult, if not impossible, to move.

I recently stumbled across a fascinating video about creativity from an artistic and psychological perspective. The ideas presented were compelling and explained some of the reasons that art appeals to some and not others. I do believe that creativity expresses itself in a broad spectrum. A neighbor had an incredible gift for fixing engines. The friend who built my studio had a remarkable gift for solving building problems as well as reaching an aesthetic mark with a limited budget.

So I know that creativity can manifest itself in a variety of ways. The following video of an interview with Jordan Peterson, makes many points, such as; if you genuinely like art you are probably creative. Or; art embodies tremendous beauty and continued revelation. As well as; people are terrified of art because it speaks of the ultimate depths. And my favorite, art is exploration. (Watch the video here. Note that the audio improves at 1 minute.)

Additionally, Jordan Peterson mentions a book, Genius, by Hans Eysenck, about the nature of the creative personality that promises to be worth reading (Deb, if you are reading this post this would make a great Christmas present!)

I will continue to be an advocate for art while understanding the limitations of such efforts. I hope you enjoy the video as much as I did.

Brad Teare –May 2018

Above: Grand Canal, 24" x 24", (sold).

345: Cypher Show Interview

–A few readers who were unable to attend the Persistence of Vision Show requested I upload some footage. I forgot to film opening night but we had a large, enthusiastic crowd. Many thanks to all who attended. Go here for more Cypher info.

The video below is an overview of the 28 pieces in the show with voiceover commentary by myself and my brother Steve. I hope you enjoy it. The show is up until May 25, 2018, so if you get a chance be sure to drop by Alpine Art in Salt Lake City.

Brad Teare –May 2018

Above: Catfish Totem, 14" x 11", SOLD

344: Persistence of Paradox Show

"Out of the fires of desire and despair are forged all the formerly irreconcilable opposites of paradox." –Cypher

–OVER the last two decades, I have been trying to combine the seemingly irreconcilable worlds of woodcut and oil painting. In my latest show, opening tomorrow (April 20, 2018) at Alpine Art in Salt Lake City, I demonstrate the fusion of those paradoxical art forms. Tonight, between 6 and 8, I will give a talk about the art and process of the 28 pieces included in the show. I hope to see you there.

Many of the pieces have a QR code attached which add a deeper level of context to the pieces. For those unable to attend I embed the videos below.



























The last video (above) was filmed on April 5, 2016, over two years ago. It was at that moment I knew I wanted to mount a show of paintings based entirely on imagery from my graphic novel but the technical means had not presented themselves. It took two years of rumination and one week of exposure to new ideas to finally move forward with the show. I'm extremely proud of the show and hope you will be able to drop by for a visit. It will be on display until May 25, 2018.

Brad Teare –April 2018

Above: Your Move, 48" x 24", acrylic markers on canvas, available at Alpine Art.

343: Painting Interview

–TO be in the company of those who wish the best for you is one of the greatest blessings a person can have. Over the years many artists and fellow painters have followed my work on a variety of social platforms. I have regretted that my schedule has limited closer contact.

I recently communicated with Indian artist Darshana Bajaj, who posted our conversation on her blog (read it here). I found her questions insightful and appreciated the opportunity to reflect on my creative motivation. The heightened awareness has provided clarity at a critical moment in my career. [One addendum to the interview: I describe an ideal day–in actuality, my days are far more chaotic.]

I appreciate everyone who has given words of encouragement over the years. I have especially enjoyed the unique cultural perspective of my friends from India. Thank you so much for all you have given me.

Brad Teare –April 2018

Above: Golden Hills, (closeup), 48" x 48" available at Anthony's Fine Art