The Artist_s Magazine 2016-03__

58 http://www.artistsmagazine.com

don’t realize this. h ey may fail to play down

or lose certain edges, making them all sharp.

As a result, there’s no sense of space and

distance.

Analyzing the lost and found edges of a

scene is simple—just squint, and details will

drop away. Larger shapes, along with soft and

sharp edges, become clearer. You may fully

open your eyes to paint some detail, but don’t

forget what you saw when you squinted. h at’s

the secret. (See Wind Swept, opposite.)

Lines With a Knife

I don’t paint exclusively with a painting knife,

but I do i nd it to be a useful applicator. I

usually use it in the foreground areas of my

paintings. When I have need for the sharpest

and crispest of lines that I can possibly

achieve, such as for thin tree branches, I use

the side of the painting knife. When I wish

to paint over established colors, I can cleanly

and easily apply a new mixture of dif erent

colors with the knife, something I can’t do

with a brush. I also use the knife as a trowel

to apply thick paint, and I can scrape down

dried areas of the painting with the knife’s

edge, creating unique textures in the process.

Futhermore, a knife can be cleaned much

more easily than a brush. Just swipe the blade

with a paper towel!

One size and shape of painting knife

doesn’t i t all painters or all paintings. You’ll

just have to experiment to see what works best

for you. I will say, however, that a drop handle

knife allows me to work without touching my

hand into the wet paint.

Trying Plein Air

If most of your painting experience has been in

the studio, I urge you to apply that experience

BELOW: Lost and

found edges of the

tree in Spring Mist

(oil on linen, 20x24)

not only add vari-

ety but also allow

the foreground to

meld into the back-

ground, which adds

a sense of space

and atmosphere to

the picture. Note

also how dramati-

cally the opaquely

painted tree in the

foreground stands

out against the

transparent under-

painting with its

vibrant colors and

muted edges.