You are an artist – look for the helpers – seeing is tricky

You don’t paint because you have paint, brushes, panels, and this is what you do.

You paint because you are an artist who sees art in the ordinary and makes things extraordinary by simply being who you are.

You paint because you see the invisible parts too. You see what’s essential, what makes up a story that needs telling.

You paint because you are still, in the moment, and you are creating an intentional quietness without loneliness. Listening to sounds that may be too quiet for most to hear. Seeing beyond the shapes and values into the invisible parts of the scene. It’s only when you are still that these unseen parts become mindfully present. To see them, as Fred Rogers would say, “look for the helpers.”

In trying to understand the chaos of details of any scene, look for the helpers. They are there doing their job, connecting things up.

Helpers are mostly the common elements and principles of design. (See last year’s PAPC topics.)

These helpers could be the leading lines gently taking you to your center of interest. They could be the middle values knitting everything together. They could be momentum and movement, shapes in alignment, patterns that make your painting sing. The helpers could be your middle-sized shapes; not the bigger or smaller shapes that have detail, but the in-between size shapes that carry the eye from big to the small. It’s these hidden helpers in your scene that carry and connect the story. When you start to see these, you’ll know why you’re painting in the first place.

For me, helpers connect things up. If there are too many disconnected shapes and brushstrokes, helpers within the scene do the connecting. When things aren’t working for me, I slow down and tell myself, “Steve, this painting is all over the place! It’s not working. Slow down and start seeing how shapes are connected.”  When I do that, I soon see the connections. Then I start to simplify and connect things up.

Be mindful of these helpers. Get to know and recognize them when you see them. (They are there – they are always there!)

You’ll know you’re doing it right when your eyes start leaking and you’re seeing the flowing shapes and colors of your story, your art, your life.

This business of seeing is tricky sometimes.

One secret to seeing… Be mindful of the mid-values and push them one way or the other.

Lighter <<<<<< –  Push your mid values  – >>>>>>> Darker

In high key scenes (lighter scenes), push the mid-values towards the light a bit, creating shapes of color, detail, and textures lighter than they appear to be. Leave islands of dark parts to remain solid and simple in form.

In low key scenes (darker scenes), push the mid-values towards the darks a bit, creating form and solids deeper than they appear to be. Leave islands of light that include your texture, detail, and color.

Questions:

1. What are the top three “helpers” you use when scouting out art to paint?
2. What are some of the best practices you use to slow down before painting begins?