Painting is Transformational
By
Paintbrushes by Dreamstime
I’ve been teaching visual arts for over ten years now, and I’ve taught all grade levels from Kindergarten through twelfth grade, and adults. I’ve taught in various settings: arts centers, summer camps, private schools, public schools, charter schools, and community college. One thing I’ve noticed is that kids, no matter what their age or background, always ask the same questions: “When can we paint?” or “Why can’t we paint?”
There is something mysterious and magical about paint and the painting process itself, and children intuitively recognize this. They want to paint.
In an era of computer-generated, special effect 3-D movies, new media art, images created with computer programs, electronic books, video games, and the latest technological devices, why is traditional fine art and painting in particular still so relevant and vibrant today? Why do some artists feel compelled to struggle with messy, sometimes difficult to control materials and mediums when they could just sit behind a nice clean computer and click a mouse or use technology instead?
What is the allure of hand crafted objects? Why do collectors want to buy paintings and other traditional and contemporary fine art pieces? There are many reasons, some mysterious, and some more practical. We will explore these motives in a series of related articles and we will begin at the beginning: by examining paint itself!
Art Materials
“The materials of art, like the thumbnail sketch, seduce us with their potential. The texture of the paper, the smell of the paint, the weight of the stone – all cast hints and innuendoes, beckoning our fantasies. In the presence of good materials, hopes grow and possibilities multiply. And with good reason: some materials are so readily charged and responsive that artists have turned to them for thousands of years, and probably will for thousands more”. ~ David Bayles and Ted Orland, Art and Fear
Materials are of paramount importance to the artist. If you do not have good materials it is difficult to execute a good piece of art. There are different grades of materials. For example there are student grades of paint and various levels of professional grades of paint. Since the materials dictate to a large degree what you can and cannot technically accomplish, in order to achieve your artistic vision in the fine arts, it is necessary to understand and have some training in the use of artist’s materials.
Ralph Mayer, author of The Painter’s Craft states “The craft of painting is a study apart from the art of painting; yet the two are closely interrelated and overlapping. The artist cannot entirely divorce the artistic or aesthetic aspects of his work from his studies of materials and methods by treating the subject on a completely scientific or mechanical basis, nor can he ignore all technical considerations in his efforts to establish a personal technique for the expression of his aims”.
Clearly art materials and the ability of the artist to understand and use these substances to express her unique artistic vision are fundamental processes in the creation of fine art pieces.
Mysterious qualities of paint
“Painting is alchemy”. This is the first line of the the book What Painting Is by John Elkins, art historian, critic, and painter. This statement is so true! Elkins compares painting with alchemy, since there are many similarities between the two processes. Both painters and alchemists wrestle with raw materials and strange substances in order to transform them into something else. The alchemist is trying to change these materials into the philosopher’s stone, and the painter is trying to change paints into a beautiful painting. In the process of painting or alchemy substances undergo chemical changes (e.g. paint drying and bonding to a canvas) and raw materials are transformed into something totally different (e.g. blobs of paint on a palette to a completed painting).
Elkins also states “To a nonpainter, oil paint is uninteresting and faintly unpleasant. To a painter, it is the life’s blood: a substance so utterly entrancing, infuriating, and ravishingly beautiful that it makes it worthwhile to go back into the studio every morning, year after year, for an entire lifetime”. As a painter I can relate to this. Paint, whether it is watercolor, acrylic, or oil is alluring and seductive. Each has its’ own special properties and is suited to certain techniques and ideas. When I am totally in the flow of painting and in the “zone” I am a captive of the color, texture, surprises, and capabilities of the paint itself.
Paints, Pigments and the Five Elements
Many cultures worldwide, especially Asian and Indian traditions have a philosophy that all substances in the universe are made up of five elements: earth, air, fire, water, and ether (void). Think of the human body: it is made up of mostly water; we need air to breathe; our physical body needs nourishment from the earth to survive; the “spark” of spirit or soul is our invisible life force; and those things beyond our everyday experience such as creative energy, inventiveness, and altered states of consciousness relate with ether.
No matter what your upbringing or belief system, think of any service or ceremony you have experienced or attended. Usually there are all five elements present: earth (food offerings); air (incense, songs, chanting); fire (candles, fire); water (holy water); ether (meditative states induced by ritually using all the previous elements).
Elemental Properties of Paints and Pigments
Paints and the act of painting highlight the connection between the five elements and the creative process. Elkins, author of What Painting is says ”Water and Stones. Those are the uncompromising ingredients of two very different endeavors” (painting and alchemy). This is true since pigments (colors) are the dry, powdered stuff from which artists’ paints are made. For example, Raw Sienna paint is made from a refined native earth with small amounts of manganese and iron. Azurite, used in Egyptian and Oriental art is made by pulverizing the precious stone. Paints are created by mixing a pigment and some type of fluid or medium. Clearly the elements of earth and water are present in paint.
When paint is applied to the canvas it needs varying amounts of time to dry depending on the type of paint being used. Watercolor paint dries quickly and oil paint takes much longer to dry completely. Obviously the air element is needed for the paint to dry and bond with the canvas or paper. Many artists listen to music as they work, and the vibrations carried in the air, along with the emotions and feelings they create in the artist are imparted into the work.
The artist is the creative vessel and allows the creative “spark” or impulse to flow through them for the divine to manifest through the artwork they are creating. Artists are often described as passionate and are passionate about their work, so the fire element is at play.
The act of painting itself induces a different state of consciousness in the artist, especially when they are in “flow”. I have spent hours in the studio, and it feels like minutes have just passed. When you are totally engrossed in a creative project all else ceases to exist and you are truly in the present moment. This is a form of meditation and connects you with the void or ethereal element, whether you are aware of it or not. By osmosis, the viewer or buyer of the art senses this in the artwork and can experience this meditative state also, even if only for a moment or two.
Transform Yourself with Art
Whether you are an artist painting in the studio, or a collector purchasing a painting, you will be transformed by the alchemical properties of paint and the power of art.
Did you enjoy painting when you were a child? Why or why not?
Have you ever been “moved” by a painting in a museum or gallery?
Resources:
Books:
Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils and Rewards of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland
The Painter’s Craft: An Introduction to Artists’ Methods and Materials by Ralph Mayer
What Painting Is by James Elkins
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