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A non toxic medium
A lot of discussion has suggested the benefits gained by painting different subjects in addition to portraits and, as Sargent and Homer did, painting in media other than their main choice for portraits. Some posts have suggested the benefits of "just letting go" and allowing for some experiment and spontaneity. It seems like common sense to do so but we seem to forget long after our Art instructors put us through those exercises for good reason.
I am posting some working sketches that I used for a large exterior church mural that was executed in 1" ceramic tile. Nothing more complicated than a diagonal cut of that tile was allowed and the palette was glazed and unglazed ceramic tile in a range of colors from light earth tones to bright accents including gold and silver metallic. I hope you can see that the renderings are on a graph paper with each square representing 1".
You can easily see that this would not be anyone's medium of choice for portraiture. I post them because the nearly four years of this type of mural design taught me a lot about pattern, design, and story telling without the convenience associated with our traditional painting materials. (No room for highlights, reflected light, or blending.)
I guess my point is that we are enriched by being diverse in our range of appreciation and skill and it often occurs to me when I am blocking out a portrait composition that I am also drawing on my experience as a ceramic tile mural designer.
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