Austin Abbey and John Singer
Sargent, in whose work atmosphere
and the power of suggestion are very
much to the fore.
“There is a sweet spot in
between Impressionism and Post-
Impressionism – around 1880 to
1920 – when the artwork is a
combination of the two,” he says.
“It didn’t look photographic
because the artists didn’t over-render
things. They could paint a hand in four
brushstrokes, and it was just enough
to know it was a hand. It was painting
rather than purely copying what was
in front of you, and I am always aware
of this – it’s about pushing it beyond
what a camera can do; they especially
push the colours, going for a mood
or a feeling, trying to capture light
as it falls.”
Todd usually begins each piece by
making a small study of his planned
composition, measuring about 4x6 or
5x7 inches. “This allows me to really
study the picture and also gives me
time to refine the image if I’m not
loving it the whole time,” he says.
Once this is complete, he moves
onto the final painting. He begins by
drawing on the panel with charcoal or
making a tight drawing on paper and
transferring this to the canvas. Next,
he builds the painting up with eitheran underpainting (monochromatic) or
washes of colour.
“Once this is complete, I then go in
and render each form one by one and
bring the painting together,” he says.
“For the most part, I use only Gamblin
Artist oil paints but I also use a few
Old Holland colours as well. Almost all
of my brushes and panels are from
Trekell Art Supplies [a Californian art
shop with its own-brand ranges]. My
easel is an Open M Box (a pochade
box) because they are portable – this
also means I don’t have to hold a
palette. However, I also use a
separate palette and a large easel
when working on larger paintings.”
His work combines two distinctive
approaches: the optical and the
conceptual. “In a nutshell, the optical
is looking at things in two dimensions,
just copying what we see in front of
us, and the conceptual is [about]
thinking in three dimensions –
perspective, structure, the geometry
of light as it strikes a form and so on,”
he says, adding that the use of 3D
modelling in his animation training
helped hone this side of his work.
For Todd, the very act of looking is
endlessly fascinating. “I try to get in
the studio daily and spend at least
three hours a day painting,” he says.
“I think about painting all day though
and it’s a switch that is never turned
off. I’m always thinking of an idea for
a painting or thinking of objects I
come into contact with daily for a
possible next painting.”
Crucially, he is also a dramatist –
a painter whose fascination with his
craft is matched by a passion for
narrative. “I love telling stories, and
painting still life paintings affords me
the opportunity to tell them,” he says.
Each one is a novel in shorthand,
but also reflects his own ongoing
story as a
painter.
Todd’s new book,
The Art of Still Life,
is published by
Monacelli Press.
http://www.todd
mcasey.comLEFT The Great
Escape, oil on
linen, 76x102cm