Pastel Journal - USA (2019-08)

5-Minute Coach

SEETHEBIGPICTURE.

Beginwithsimplifiedareas

blockedintoestablisha sense

ofthewholebeforepicking

atthedetails.Gettingthe

“bones”rightincreasesthe

chancesthatrefinementswill

alsoberight.There’stimeto

sweatthesmallstufflater,

especiallywithpastels.

SEELIKEABABY.

Turnoffthenamingandthe

identificationofthings.A

babyoperateswithoutdirect

experienceorcontext,so

visualstimulationissimply

perceivedascolors,shapes,

lightandmovement.Letyour

owneyesdirectyoulikethis.

There’svalueinthiscondi-

tionof“notknowing.”

TAKEADIFFERENT

PERSPECTIVE.

Lookatyourworkinvarious

ways:upside-down,fromfar

away,proppedontheman-

tel,indifferentlighting,etc.

Placethepiecewhereyou’ll

comeuponit unexpectedly.

Thissuddenviewcanbring

surprisingclarity.

SEEWHATISN’TTHERE.

Theabilitytoseetheinvis-

ibleis anartisticsuperpower.

Beingabletovisualizewhat

yournextactionwilllook

like—“seeing”thatbright

chartreusemarkbeforeyou

putit there,oroverthere—is

a powerfulskillandprevents

a lotofunnecessarymistakes.

STOPLOOKING.

Usethepausethatrefreshes.

Sometimesthefix liesinthe

re-boot.Airtraffic controllers

aretaughttoresttheireyes

oftenandtokeepthemmov-

ingtopreventdeveloping

blindspots.Staringtoolong

de-sensitizesoureyes.There’s

a lessonhereforartists.

LOOKS-L-O-W-L-Y.

It’seasytothinkyou’reseeing

accuratelywhenyouaren’t,

especiallywhenworking

fromphotos.Inaccuraciesor

missedelementswillvexyou

untilyouidentifythesource

oftheerror.Slowingdown

enoughtofollowordraw

a truecontourmaybejust

what’sneeded.

SEEWITHTHEHEART.

Viewyourpainting,even

thoughimperfect,withthe

eyesoflove.Temporarily

suspendjudgment,quietthe

criticismandbeopentowhat

thepieceis showingyou.As

withchildren,lovingencour-

agementanda gentlehand

canaccomplishmuch.

SEEINTHEDARK.

Don’tbediscouragedwhen

youcan’tquiteseewhatyou

wanttorealizeinthework

that’sonyoureasel.This

paintinghasneverexisted

before;noonehaseverseen

it!You’recreatingsomething

entirelynewandthatcanbe

difficult.Appreciatethateven

youwillhavetoaccustom

yourselftowhatthepainting

lookslikeintheend.PJ

WisconsinartistColetteOdya

Smith(coletteodyasmith.com)

lookstonatureforinspiration

inherpastelpainting.

Seek and Find

Setyoursightsona specific selectivefocus.If you’ve

decidedyourpaintingneedsstrongerdarks,better

forms,rhythmiclines,more

redorwhatever,only

haveeyesforthat

specific goal.Thinkof

it likeworkinga jigsaw

puzzle:Whenyouscan

thepiecesforjustthe

colorandshapeyou

need,it helpsyoufind

whatyou’relooking

for.Trytobring

thislaser-

beamfocusto

yourpainting

issues.

Get a Fresh Pair of Eyes

Cultivatea trustingrelationshipwith

someonewhosejudgmentyou

valueandaskthisperson

tolookatyourpainting.

Perhapsdothesamein

return.Considerhisor

herviewpointandsug-

gestions,andthenmake

yourowndecisions.

BINOCULARS: DUCKYCARDS/GETTY IMAGES

To Look ... Perchance to See

The act of painting requires a steady stream of decisions that guide each touch

of pigment—even when done subconsciously. Sometimes the decision-making

fl ows; other times not. Deliberately altering what you’re looking at and how you

see your work can be a powerful aid. Colette Odya Smith offers these ideas.

6 Pastel Journal AUGUST 2019