This section is devoted to the wisdom gleaned over the years from my art teachers. I am passing this wisdom on to you dear reader, that it may be handed down to the next generation of artists.
- “You’ve got to respect the beauty.” Albert Handell on warning against overworking a painting.
- Doug Dawson regarding selecting a subject for painting in plein air “Look for a big dark shape.”
- “You people don’t get your darks dark enough.” Albert Handell
- “Start with the middle values and work outward to the lighter and darker values. ” Marvin Mattelson
- “Use the entire brush, make it a big one and paint with your entire arm, not your wrist.” Mike Casad
- “You’ve got to feel something! Make me feel something.” Mike Casad
- “You are painting effects not things.” Stephan Bauman
- “Go from thick to thin.” Dorisjean Colvin
- “Make every square inch of your painting interesting because people are buying it by the square inch.” John Bescher
- “Keep white out of the shadows.” Michelle Dunaway
- “Cad orange is the warmest and cobalt blue is the coolest.” Scott Gellatly. Regarding painting formats: a strong horizontal format is relaxing, a strong vertical is formal, diagonals create movement, curvilinear are playful. Atmospheric perspective makes colors lighter and bluer as they recede.
- “Avoid evenly spaced trees or branches and so on. bop bop bop There is nothing tight about nature.” Mike Casad
- “Nature makes the ordinary spectacular!” Mike Casad
- “Lay down warm for the cools to dance on or vice versa .” Mike Casad
- “The viewer does not see what you see. Simplify!” Mike Casad
- “Push the paint rather than pull it sometimes. Push the paint for a softer edge.
- “Contrasts are powerful: hard against soft, dark against light, warm against cool, bright against dull, fine against thick, fast against slow, big against small.” Mike Casad
- “Every painting needs an entrance and an exit. It can be dark or light.” Mike Casad
- “The sky gets warmer or cooler as it moves away from the sun.” Mike Casad
- “In the beginning keep your painting simple and keep the big shapes. Don’t fall in love with color in the beginning of the painting.” Mike Casad
- “Keep your painting predominately warm or predominately cool. 90/10 ratio is good.” Mike Casad
- “Turn your painting upside down and sideways to evaluate its abstract design.” Mike Casad and others.
- “Sky holes get darker closer to the ground.” Mike Casad
- “Do a drawing from your photo and then put your photo away.” Mike Casad
- “Backlighting destroys detail.” Mike Casad
- “The wind changes the water to more vibrant color.” Mike Casad
- “The time of day dictates the light.” Mike Casad
- “Never let someone else name your painting.” Mike Casad
- “Being in the flow means painting at the speed the painting requires.” Scott Gellattely.
- “Edges create movement.” A hard edge advances. A soft edge recedes.” paraphrased from Mike Casad.
- “Use the entire brush.” Mike Casad
- “You’ve got to think like a tree!” Mike Casad
- “Consider the direction of the wind.” Mike Casad
- “Remember this: EDGES!:” Mike Casad
- “Cover the light part of the photo to see into the shadows.” Mike Casad
- “A good painting has guts!” Mike Casad
- “Clouds soften the edges of hills making them recede.” Mike Casad
- “Use white paper strips to crop your photo.” Mike Casad’
- “Use a palette knife to paint rocks.” Sharon Harris
- “Put in the lightest light and the darkest dark right away.” Daniel Edmondson
- “Use transparent pigments in the shadows and make the brushstrokes vertical to avoid glare.” Daniel Edmondson
- “You cannot just paint what you see as the rectangle has its own reality.” Unknown
- “Use powdered charcoal to kill the white on a charcoal drawing. Then lift out the lights.” Mike Casad
- “You can’t solve a problem based on faulty assumptions.” After realizing the model’s arm was 4 inches too long and fixing the hand would never be possible.