One of today’s experiments
I went to a local art store today. There were a number of art supply vendors there hawking their wares. I was intrigued by one of them, which offered a demonstration of their new watercolor product on a piece of cardboard prepared with watercolor ground material – a material similar to gesso.
I couldn’t resist the urge to participate, and was given a brush and access to the three sample paint trays on the table. I loved the fact that the watercolor ground was applied roughly. I always wanted to use watercolor as impasto, but only tried once (less than successfully).
Here is the result:
Impasto Impasta
4″x6″ Watercolor Ground on Cardboard
Here is a view, lit from the side with indoor light. The color has not been normalized to the picture above, taken in outdoor light.
Impasto Impasta – Side Lit
Another experiment
As I wait for my books about Hans Hofmann to arrive, I thought I would try a little experiment based on what I know from the (paltry) information available on the Internet.
I found the following information to be quite helpful from The Art Story website.
“The Hofmann School taught the basic principles of “push/pull,” which stressed the importance of applying and combining opposing forces in one’s art, whether these were color vs. shade or hard, geometric shapes vs. fluid, biomorphic abstractions.”
Using the subject of yesterday’s post, the hydrangea, I tried my hand at ‘applying and combining opposing forces.’
Hydrangea – Push and Pull?
9″x12″ 140# Cold Pressed Watercolor Paper
Comment
My inclination at first was to use opposing colors, so I chose green and red, compliments of each other. I thought I would be clever and reverse the color scheme and use red for the flower buds and green for the background. This didn’t work out quite how I intended. The main reason for this is the scale of the buds is not correct when compared to the three emerging flowerlets . The buds should have been much larger.
What can be considered elements of push/pull in this experiment? Use of complimentary colors? I thought so at first, but probably the push and pull elements would be: use of color versus black and white, as stated above.
Perhaps the only push pull elements in this sketch are the scale and discretely-drawn style of the flowers that oppose the tiny red buds that are dotted throughout the central part of the hydrangea.
Ok, not the best example of ‘push/pull’, but it’s only an experiment. More and better experiments to come, hopefully.
How interesting. I only know of push-pull theory in relation to (as I remember) Brindley Thomas’ theory of migration; the idea that there are always forces which push us away from where we live, and forces which pull us to places we move towards. Some people move for one of the reasons, some for a combination. I remember first encountering the theory (as an UG) and enjoying the way it gave space for emotional as well as functional decision-making. So to your binary relationships I would like to add heart and head. Can an artist incorporate both in a painting? A ‘truth’ about perspective which they know intellectually, for example, and a different ‘truth’ from the heart?
Push pull is a good way to describe interaction of visual elements in a dynamic composition. It is that stress between (not only binary but) contrasting qualities. I think that the visual artist not only has to engineer the gaze of the viewer (as Klee encourages), but insert some kind of tension.
How would one incorporate the non-visual concepts of head and heart? Would there have to be some kind of symbol or are there universal visual elements? Interesting to ponder. That would take some thought or perhaps disconnection with thought – or both.
Thanks for your comment, as always, Liz.
best,
Jack