Mr Seiler's class

[degreene72]

i agree with rita. for example, richard schmidt, who has always espoused painting from life, is now painting with a physical handicap that keeps him out of the field. look at a photo of renoir in his last years and think what plein-air would have meant for him. after degas's death, mounds and piles of photographs were found in his studio, many of which he painted directly from. some subjects would be out of bounds to paint if not for photographic reference, as anyone who's ever painted portraits of children (teenagers are the worst, imho!)will testify. even richard schmidt will tell you that chickens won't sit still.

[oleCC]

Out of necessity I too paint from photos that I have taken or others have given me to use.
Whew, this is the first time however, that I have heard anyone state that it shows no integrity

Thank you Rita for your post..for my sake and the sake of all my students who also have limited opportunity to paint plein aire.
Some of these students do come to this site and I hope they won't take Dons posted msg. too much to heart.
My buyers and the galleries who have represented me - have shown no interest in the fact my work is done from photos, and I
have never tried to hide that fact.
I had intended to feature one student per month in my artistnation gallery - hope they will all still want to participate.
Carol
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http://www.artistnation.com/members/lofts/olecc

[This message has been edited by oleCC (edited January 21, 2001).]

[LarrySeiler]

My students and their parents are extremely proud of not only their accomplishments, but of having had their day here on Wetcanvas, as well they should.

Friends...grandparents...many have been informed enthusiastically. I have no doubt that it is yet possible some may read even this exchange.

As such...I will defer from making comments, and thank those that have been thoughtful, patient, and encouraging.

Larry...(Mr. "S")
http://www.artsmentor.org

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"Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do!" Edgar Degas

[tahlequah]

I agree with Don on one point-"My best work is done plein-air", but I don't live in a tropical paradise where plein-air is easy to accomplish on a day-to-day basis.

I try my best to paint outside, but there are many times during the winter that I have to work from photos. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who work under the same circumstances.

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Jo Anna

[bruin70]

in rereading jusko,,,,he hasn't yet flat out stated that there's only one way......not YET. he's come REAL close, though.

this thread goes hand in hand with his "my color wheel is the only color wheel" theory of color wheels fiasco. i think he has followers out there in maui. like a cult or something....{M}

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"it's alright to be judgmental,,,,,,,,if you have taste"...MILT

[This message has been edited by bruin70 (edited January 21, 2001).]

[KatieMoe]

Plein air is a style and is not greater or less than studio work done from a photo - its just a different style, and in fashion with galleries, at least out here in California.

Working from a photo also is not a lesser form of painting, it's just another form. Many artists in the landscape realistic vein are more likely to work their paintings in the studio from reference photos than outside. Plein air paintings tend to be more impressionistic and post-impressionistic in style.

I'd say the only no-no is trying to pass a studio painting off as plein air or trying to pass a painting done from a photo that you do not have the copyrights to off as one that you do.

Otherwise, plein air and studio work are just two styles and one not less validated than the other.

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Kathleen McMahon http://kathleenmcmahon.com/

[This message has been edited by KatieMoe (edited January 22, 2001).]

[bruin70]

Originally posted by Rita Monaco:
Sorry, double posting.

[This message has been edited by Rita Monaco (edited January 21, 2001).]

<FONT COLOR="Brown">rita,,,you can delete your double post in "edit"</FONT c>

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"it's alright to be judgmental,,,,,,,,if you have taste"...MILT

[paintfool]

This really is an interesting topic, which reflects the varying opinions of accomplished as well as beggining artists. In order to better serve WC members and invite all intersted parties to participate i'd like to move this thread to the debate forum. It will recieve more attention there.
Cheryl

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paintfool

[arteitaliana]

Thanks, Bruin, for the tip on deleting. I did just that.
For the record, I paint "only" from photos. My paintings are not not "photomechanical" whatever that means, they are derived from photos I take when vacationing in Italy (two weeks every year) and most of them are taken from a speeding car or a train. They give me vague suggestions of shapes and mood that along with the memory of the places I love are trasformed in small, colorful paintings.
Because of time restraint,I could not paint on location even if I wanted to. The few times that I tried I was frustrated by the glare, the heat, the instability of the support, the falling down of the brushes, the problem of finding an accessible place to set up my easel.
When the place was accessible, usually I did not like what I saw....and viceversa. All this made painting difficult and most of the time impossible. I admire painters that paint on location and produce "good work". but I also pity painters that proudly say " I paint on location only" and produce terrible stuff.
Plein air painting is not the "purple heart" of dedication to art, it's just one of the ways to paint. I admire painters that produce good work no matter how or where is done.
I am not pretending, that I don't use photos. My galleries and customers all know this.
In the four years of my BFA we never went painting on location once. The successful painter that I personally know, all paint in the studio from photo references and have no qualms about it.
Mr Jusko is misinformed when he says that "collectors that count" want to know....This statement makes me think that he has never met any of them.

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http://www.geocities.com:80/SoHo/Exh...799/index.html