Sharon made me do it!

[Linda Brandon]

Janel, it's wonderful to read this thread and your reactions to painting this lovely portrait. You have every reason to be proud of it. The more often you paint from life, the better you will get at it, and the more endorphins will be generated (well, I don't have the science on that, exactly, but I'll bet that's what happens). I admire your gutsy tenacity.

[Steven Sweeney]

Originally Posted by Janel Maples

I was one of those artists who thought I had valid reasons why I didn't paint from life but Sharon's comments, scolding me ( I took them personally) for making excuses and cheating myself, really got to me

What's cool is that you made a conscious, objective decision to do something other than let the challenge merely harden you against the messenger (or just harden your resolve to keep that studio door closed to visitors at all times). Just this week I've heard a teaching to the effect that it's important that we make room for feedback and its instructional value, in part because to the extent that we bristle at what has been said or find the feedback offensive, then to that extent there is likely some truthfulness in the comments.

Ain't it the truth? If someone says something incorrect or inappropriate, it's fairly easy to calmly correct it or explain the misapprehension. But in my experience, if somebody nails me by bringing light to bear on a bit of laziness or suspect practices or motivation that I thought I'd concealed pretty well (perhaps even from myself), my righteous indignation needle spins off the dial. It's all very embarrassing, sometimes.

It's also cool that you've written passionately and convincingly and at length to share this transformation -- and the obvious joy you've taken in it -- likely inspiring others to have a go at some life work. There are still going to be times when you're going to work from two-dimensional references, but you will now be increasingly able to do so fully informed about what that given subject in that light would look like "in real life" and make those sometimes subtle adjustments that you can "see" in your mind, and that make all the difference.

This is really fun, jazzy stuff. Thanks.

[Sharon Knettell]

Janel,

If you SAW my first attempts you would be doing cartwheels over what you have done. I struggled along CLUELESS through acres of canvas and truthfully some god-awful paintings. I am not making this up, they were dreadful.

Everyone thinks the ability to paint from life springs to your brush overnight. It is tough and challenging work. It can be horribly frightening, especially if your are a recognized artist in another field, as I was in illustration.

It really is like taking off the training wheels; the confidence and knowledge you have gained is yours to keep.

Right now I am doing a commission, a lovely 15 year old girl from Boston. It started out with the clients usual expectations of me taking a photograph and then sending the finished results to Boston, however I insisted on sittings. I dutifully took the pictures, but I found them lacking in conveying the color and freshness of the girl. I am only using the photograph for pose consistency ( it is full length) and painting her from life. The head photo is useful for likeness and the wind-blown hair effect. The parents have become used to dropping her off on Sundays and picking her up. They are watching the painting progress and are learning about the process and the work that goes into it. I have pointed out to the parents, the difference in the color of skin and hair of their child from the photo and from life. I has been enlightening for both of us.

It is a bit nerve-racking because my initial block-in never look like those suave painting demos.

I know just how much my decision to leave the photos behind as much as possible has made my work, if not easier, much more engaging and satisfying.

I am SO HAPPY you took the plunge. It was worth being a nasty old auntie.

[Janel Maples]

Sharon, my favorite Aunt,

Not that I am happy you painted acres of god-awful paintings but, let me tell you, it is so refreshing to learn that I am normal. I am patiently waiting for my wheels to come off. They are still on, and will be for some time, because unlike riding a bike, none of this comes to me without having to really, really think about it. But do you know what? Of all the problems to think about solving, I can't think of a more pleasant one.

It isn't a secret that I am really happy I took the plunge as well. I hope my excitement is oozing from my posts. Not knowing if I could do it without the help of tools was a burden that I really needed to unload.

And Steven,

Loved your post! There is that saying "the truth hurts".

One of the reasons I have shared my feelings, and giving you more information than you wanted to know, is that I think there may be others out there who feel the way I felt. I want to share, with them, the enlightening feeling I've experienced. By taking the plunge, that icky, "am I an artist or just really good at coloring?" feeling I had about myself is GONE. If someone else shares that feeling about themselves or asks that same question, maybe trying this will help them feel better like it did for me.

I will paint from a photo reference again. I would be kidding myself if I said I will never go back. But again, this exercise in painting from life wasn't about doing it just to be able to see great colors and subtle transitions, it was to see if I could do it.

And that was frightening. I'll be honest, if I hadn't kept with it, LONG after I thought it was hopeless, my answer would have been "I guess I can't". Some days my progress was so small it was hardly noticable. Some days I went backwards. But I refused to give up because those tools were not going to take what I loved to do as as child away from me.

The next time I paint from life, I am confident that I will be able to solve the problems and get to where I want to go, if only one baby step at a time.


Linda,

Thank you for your kind comment about my painting. I think you are right about the endorphins; something has been released.

[Cynthia Feustel]

Janel,
Thanks so much for being such an inspiration and sharing your experience. About a month ago I asked one of my teenage art students if she would come in for a photo shoot. I am trying to get some interesting shots for some figurative work and also gain more experience with my camera. Well, after this inspiring post I have decided it would be more beneficial to me to have her pose for a portrait from life. This will be very intimidating for me especially since I am her teacher and I am a little scared at what my results will be like. Your painting turned out wonderful and I can see that your determination and persistence more than paid off. I too need to know that I can do this and I echo all your thoughts on this. Keep up the good work!

Cynthia

[Sharon Knettell]

Cynthia,

Don't be afraid! I felt the same way doing a demonstration in front of my first class at RISD. I was TERRIFIED! However, I just blocked out the class and did the best I could. I was better than I thought, and when I came time for the students to draw, my drawing looked like a work of genius compared to theirs.

I did a lot a figure work early in my artistic life, but becoming an illustrator, I found my work was production first and art second. I used photos, traced them, whatever. I found that attitude was unfortunately spilling over into my own work. I wanted to see WHAT I COULD do without a net. What was MY personal style without photography.

You will never regret you tried it. Don't worry about being bad. Celebrate your awkwardness.