Comments for The Artwork of Doug Higgins, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Comment on Teaching by Doug

Doug — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 22:05:56 +0000

Joe, I have a student who seems to want to get things exactly right as she proceeds through the painting. As a result, the paint is overworked and loses vitality. I gave her an exercise to go through an entire painting without adjustments, cleaning the brush between mixtures and painting the large masses without corrections and so on through the painting with thicker and still uncorrected paint in the light. The result was a painting with much more “freshness”. I tried it myself and am happy with the result.
This may be another expression of vitality. To be honest, I got the idea from Charles Movalli.
Good to hear we’re on the same page, Joe

Comment on Teaching by Joe Anna Arnett

Joe Anna Arnett — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 02:15:49 +0000

Your answers on the OPA website blog were great. I think you hit it. We go into the studio and think we can slow down and take our sweet time and the painting dies. For me, it is often that since of urgency in a plein air work that attracts me. Bringing that inside would surely impact the energy of the studio painting and it is great advice. Thanks, Doug
Joe Anna

Comment on OPA by Doug

Doug — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 20:12:31 +0000

Now here’s a great question about guarding against the loss of vitality when translating an outdoor landscape painting into a larger version in the studio. So what is it that causes the feeling of vitality in the original painting done on site? One of the main causes is rapid execution. The sun is not in the same place as the painting progresses creating changes in what the artist is seeing which causes an urgency to rapidly move to completion. There isn’t the time for fussy explanations and details.
The artist initially paints in the large masses and gets paint all over the surface. The large masses are generalities and are stated with accuracy of placement, color, value and chroma (brighter colors in the foreground) but no detail. The large initial masses contain suggestions of all the decisions made before the painting has begun… center of interest, composition, perspective both linear and aerial, an indication of the color scheme and the elements which will be included, eliminated, shifted in position, exaggerated or diminished in attraction power. Then as the painting moves rapidly toward completion, the paint is not overworked and the painting retains a sense of… vitality.
Now in the studio, the artist has decided to create a larger work using reference to a plein air paintings as a start. A large studio painting is not a smaller painting made larger but a work with a completely new set of considerations. for instance, in the studio painting the artist may introduce figures, animals, vehicles or any manner of new additions. This may cause a shift in the focus, or center of interest, of the painting. Once these decisions are made the painting is begun using the same approach as the plein air painting described above. This time an artificial urgency is imposed using larger brushes than in the original and approximating a similar rapid execution vitality. The great difference is that in nearing the end of the larger studio painting the artist slows down and paints the figures etc. with more clarity and accuracy.

Comment on OPA by Joe Anna Arnett

Joe Anna Arnett — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 18:42:43 +0000

Doug,
You have done vibrant plein air landscape for decades and your work has such force and life.
So often, when a plein air painting is translated in the studio into a larger work, it loses the vitality.
What are your thoughts about this and do you have suggestions for maintaining the vitality in the studio painting?
Joe Anna

Comment on OPA by Kathy Maniscalco

Kathy Maniscalco — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 01:10:11 +0000

Hi Doug, looking forward to this…

Comment on The Frank Reilly School of Art by Kathy M

Kathy M — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 22:59:04 +0000

Hi Doug,
Enjoyed your book very much. I often pull it out as a reference!
Thank you,
Kathy