Newberry, Jar (demo), wip, oil on canvas, 12 x 9 inches

Last Saturday’s painting demo for class. Wet on wet technique with lots of mark making, sensual technique. “Demo” is a little misleading, as students are painting themselves from the get go, its more like I work along side them. This still life will continue this Tuesday night.

The dark object in front of the jar is rich magenta Spanish onion. On purpose I stressed the golden yellow hues of the jar, table top, and background as they will really set off the brilliant dark magenta to come.

Year-Round Classes.

Courbet, The Painter’s Studio, 1855, oil on canvas, 12 x 20 feet

Representational art students are taught to be critical. During critiques students stress the work’s problems, usually rationalizing that artists have to grow a tougher skin. Class critiques are callous. especially to the uncertain artists discovering new tools. The idea is that in the art world only the tough survive. Brutal self examination is the process.

Alone and long after college artists agonize over their work, aggressively gripping on to problems that they simply will not let go. Gnawing away at an idea of perfection, not understanding that this activity serves no purpose other than to crush their spirit. This process is wrong because it doesn’t address the one issue that matters: what makes an artwork alive.

Artists have to forget the primitive formal critique, let it go, and radically change their perspective to focus on the elements that have energy and life. Analyze those elements, and figure out how it is created.

Any moron can see that something is wrong with a blemished artwork, but it is the wise that understand what makes an artwork work. Focusing on what is alive will vitalize the critique process, open doors for great discoveries, and fortify artists creativity.

Michael Newberry
Santa Monica, January ’12

Newberry, Lovers Jumping, wip, oil on Belgium linen, 44 x 60 inches

Last week I was ready to sign, but couldn’t. Literally I am two minutes away from finishing, five good marks of paint. It is about the expression of his mouth, he is happy, but from a distance it looks like he is biting his lip.

Newberry, Alanna, wip, graphite on Rives BFK, 22 x 18 inches

Alanna came by last night to pose for the shadowing, she is coming again this Sunday for the finish of the drawing.

Newberry, Alanna, wip, graphite on Rives BFK, 22 x 18 inches

Developing pencil study for my next painting, Light is All Around.

Rich painting texture of the pedals, which are time consuming to paint, and amazing as the floral group looks naturally just right. He probably had to replace each the flowers, taking the time to paint each one. By the time a couple of them would be finished the rest would be wilted.

Notice the transparent vase, and how the table top seems to cut through the vase, enhancing the airiness of the ceramic vase, and the transparency helps recede the vase, and it feels like it is perfectly tucked under the bouquet.

Michael Newberry

The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Summer Flowers.

Latour, Summer Flowers, 1880, oil on canvas, 20 x 24

Venus by Michael Newberry.

The new computer and faster connection is enabling higher resolution images, and  ease with sharing. Yeah!

Murphy, Jar, 2011, Charcoal on Rives, 26 x 18 inches

Anita’s recent work. Lovely charcoal work.