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ART CHALLENGE
FinalistBlair Atherholt Pennsylvania, USA, Schism, oil, 20 x 20" (51 x 51 cm)
My Inspiration
My inspiration for Schism developed,
initially, from a desire to compose a painting
that would utilize a muted color palette,
yet still retain a high level of contrast in
its values. I was really looking to create
something with a heavy atmosphere. The
immense size of the earthenware jug, as
compared to the pears and grapes, captured
the sort of drama that I was looking for.My Design Strategy
Quite honestly, I really only paint things
that I personally find interesting. To do
this, I typically use the same basic approach
when designing each of my paintings,
beginning with one question: What moodam I trying to capture? Once I decide
this, I begin experimenting. I’ll set up
a composition using objects of various
shapes, sizes and materials such as metal,
earthenware, glass, etc.
As I settle on and arrange my subject
matter, I keep some very basic compositional
rules in mind, such as the Rule of Thirds,
to make sure things are cohesive and
(hopefully) pleasing to the eye.My Working Process
As an oil painter, I work very directly.
I forgo an underpainting, and instead opt for
a simple line drawing in umber and black.
I find as long as I can accurately establish the
placement and drawing of my objects withinmy composition, I have more than enough
structure to start applying paint.
This process can be a little chaotic,
however, and can lead to many failed
paintings. If I get overeager, or don’t spend
enough time thoughtfully planning the
composition or my intentions for the
painting, it’s really easy to make a mess
of things. Occasionally, if the painting
promises to be complex, I’ll force myself to
slow down and work out some problems in
thumbnail sketches.Contact Details
» Email: [email protected]
» Website: http://www.blairatherholtart.com