J Travis Duncan Art: subject

Saturday, July 12, 2014

In-Flight Refueling

Nobody is perfect. We've heard it time and again and, if we are honest with ourselves, we will agree that this is true about ourselves. Since there is only One who wouldn't be painted with this statement, and I am definitely not He, I will give an example of what an artist can do if he/she messes up on an acrylic painting.

I decided to paint an Indian-Leaf Butterfly on a Butterfly Bush the other day. Things were turning out quite well, in my opinion. Yet as I progressed, I became more and more dissatisfied with the production. I'm not sure if it was the thickness of the paint or that I didn't quite enjoy the color composition. Either way, let's just say that I felt it was a disaster. Either you clean up a disaster or you find a way to destroy the wreck. I opted for a clean up.

The thick acrylics were not yet quite dry. This allowed me to grab one of my palette knifes and begin to scrape horizontal and diagonal lines in the painting itself. I was careful to only remove paint and not to damage the canvas panel. I also wanted it to be more abstract and made sure that the lines were not straight but quickly removed.

The second round consisted of changing some of the colors and laying down bigger swaths of those colors in the background. Once I was satisfied with this step, I had to take some time to stare and study the painting because I would need a new subject. It was like an epiphany; a ruby-throated hummingbird it would be. Finally, it needed a name. "In-Flight Refueling" fit perfectly.

The Art of J. Travis Duncan

Monday, June 16, 2014

Subject(ive)

Briefly in Emotional Response, I discussed how art elicits a response, be it internal or external. In the discussion, I made no mention of the emotional catalyst: the subject. The importance of the subject can often be overlooked and, many times, the viewer might not realize that there was a process in the artist's mind and heart that beckoned he/she to choose that very subject.

Many of my paintings, be it watercolor or acrylic, have been of flowers. Why flowers? The quick answer is that they bring a smile to my face. The more detailed answer has to do with my family; preferably, my mother. The God-given gift bestowed upon my mother is a green thumb. I don't think I have ever seen anyone do the amazing things that she has with flowers, or plants in general. Her yard is full of so many different kinds of beautiful plants that blossom throughout the year. From vibrant amaryllis (pictures and nomenclature) and red day lilies, to various colors of iris and gladiolus, there is a litany of flowers I can paint. Yet, I don't paint them for the sake of just painting, but rather it brings me joy to see what she has done and I hope that I can reciprocate those same feelings when she sees me painting the very things that she joyfully toils over.

Recently, I have been overtaken by beautiful landscapes. I linked to van Gogh's "Starry Night Over The Rhone" in my last post because I find it to be one of my favorite van Gogh paintings. Impressionism is one of my favorite art movements and I can bask in one of Monet's many works for a long time. Everyone is familiar with "Water Lilies", but have you ever seen "Bathers At La Grenouillere"? As usual, I like to also share some modern works as well. Alvaro Castagnet is one of the world's prominent watercolor artists. He and Joseph Zbukvic are two of my favorites that work in watercolor. Their works are fabulous.

The subject(s) of an artist's painting is a thought-out process that starts in the heart. Even in commissioned paintings, there is value found in the subject. So before an emotion is drawn out of the viewer, know that one was brought about before the painting ever started. This can help you see what emotion or thought the artist was going through when he/she painted the piece you are examining.

The Art of J. Travis Duncan