Watermedia Works: Painting with Sarah

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Painting with Sarah

Depravity 6

Sarah's Painting

Last night I was in the studio when my daughter Sarah came in asked if she could paint too. I was pleasantly surprised. She's almost 18 and I don't think she has asked that since she was in the early years of elementary school. Anyway I said, "Sure!, what would you like to paint?" She said she didn't care, "...lets just paint something together." So I fetched two painting surfaces and chose a palette that I thought would be fun for this exercise. It was Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine, Cadmium Orange, Cobalt Turquoise, Alizarin Crimson and Thalo Green. I created a dark Sepia hue by mixing Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna, then poured it around in various locations on the surface. I showed Sarah how to move the pigment around to catch some of the sides so as not to center anything but all the while leaving some valuable white space. Next we added Cadmium Orange and Cobalt Turquoise in various locations. Finally, we pulled it together using a Gray made from Alizarin Crimson, Thalo Green and gesso. These two paintings are our results.

3.13.2011

3.19.2011

3.20.2011

3.26.2011

3.27.2011

4.2.2011

4.3.2011

4.8.2011

4.9.2011

4.17.2011

9 comments:

Tonya VollertsenMonday, April 18, 2011 at 2:43:00 AM MDT
Hey there Stan, Great images! Nice shapes, love the marks, very emotive.
I hope your painting sessions with your daughter continue. Maybe we will have another wonderful artist from your family!
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jbkrostMonday, April 18, 2011 at 2:55:00 PM MDT
Yep!!
she's a chip off the old block!
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hw (hallie) farberMonday, April 18, 2011 at 4:45:00 PM MDT
These drawings are wonderful--almost skeletal remains of something not totally recalled.
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Sharmon DavidsonSaturday, April 23, 2011 at 9:53:00 AM MDT
It must have been great fun painting with your daughter! My kids used to work along side me at my easel when they were little, but of course they outgrew wanting to do that. Both said they had no interest in being artists. Now my son is a part-time professional photographer, and my daughter likes to make all kinds of things- jewelry, gifts, cards, etc., and loves interior decorating. I just look at them and say, "Ha!"

Love the ink drawings, too, Stan. What media did you use for these?
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Stan KurthSunday, April 24, 2011 at 12:27:00 AM MDT
Tonya - Thanks, Hope all is well with you and you're out of harms way.

JB - She starts college in August, Bio-med.

Hallie - Thanks, I like to leave possibilities for the viewer by suggesting a thing or two.

Sharmon - Thanks, one of my daughters is a photographer. She does very nice work. You can check it out here

The drawings are done with ink pens, Pilot Precise V5 or V7.
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brbulka.gFriday, April 29, 2011 at 2:47:00 AM MDT
Very nice ...!!! :-)
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Shelley WhitingTuesday, May 3, 2011 at 4:11:00 AM MDT
Your pieces are intriguing. Love the loose expressive dark black marks. The drawings are very mysterious and eerie.
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Ruth ArmitageThursday, May 26, 2011 at 10:03:00 AM MDT
You both came out with good ones :) How wonderful to see her taking an interest and giving art another go. I really enjoyed your painting at this year's WFWS.... congratulations!
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SKIZOSaturday, June 11, 2011 at 4:00:00 AM MDT
fascinatingWork
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Statement

One definition of intuitive includes words like feeling and instinct. These terms are mildly interpretive, and who can argue with artists who “feel” their way through paintings. My definition of intuitive painting is beginning the work without any preliminary thoughts or plans for a particular object or subject as an end, but rather starting on a blank substrate, making marks with a variety of tools, creating a library of design elements and applying design principles until a personal aesthetic is achieved. I do not use any external reference.

Marks are mostly random early on, but sometimes lines or shapes of thoughts occur during the process. Many of these are repetitive, my archetypes. It is not uncommon to find vague human anatomy, non-specific animals, interiors, buildings, furniture, vessels, surreal botanicals, automobiles/parts and a multitude of objects I have found interesting over the span of a lifetime. Some of these shapes may look familiar but are ambiguous enough to allow the viewer a personal narrative. This may be intentional or not on my part. I prefer mystery and intrigue over the obvious.

As paintings progress, more elements including color are introduced. These are random at first but as the process continues a shift towards design takes place. A dominant color temperature may emerge, or a glaze might unify colors beneath it. Values can shift to dominant light, mid or dark. Elements are enhanced, obscured or covered up. There may be multiple layers and quite often evidence of the beginning will peek through. I use a variety of tools to apply pigment or remove it in varying degrees. These tools include brushes, palette knives, scrapers, sticks, sandpaper, my hands, my fingernails and more. Gradually principles such as rhythm, harmony, unity, pattern, gradient, conflict, dominance, contrast, balance, repetition, alternation and movement coalesce into a composition I find esthetically pleasing.

It is one thing to make a pretty picture with good composition, but quite another to bring the viewer into a painting by such means and hold their attention with content. My objective is to evoke a pleasing visceral response from the viewer.

"There's a complex simplicity in Stan Kurth's paintings that is both paradoxical and straightforward. As he works with multiple layers of watercolor and gesso, his provocative images emerge. Ambiguity and form coalesce into a singular, cohesive vision that holds the viewer spellbound"

Betsy Dillard Stroud - Watercolor Masters and Legends: Secrets, Stories and Techniques from 34 Visionary Artists

About

"Artist and workshop instructor Stan Kurth has drawn and painted most of his life. An aunt, who was an artist and art instructor, became a big influence even before he began school. Stan lives with the conviction of “fear not” and that same attitude permeates not just his life but his art. His focus and dedication to his work have earned him signature member status in several watercolor societies including the National Watercolor Society, San Diego Watercolor Society and the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies - Master. He currently lives in Arizona."