Speaking of Art Blog

Junco in Winter, 6x8", charcoal and pastel

“Color gets the glory and value does the work.” –Richard McKinley

“The drawing is the cake and color is the frosting, and who wants to eat only frosting?” –Alan Flattmann

I have taken many pastel painting workshops and lessons from some very notable pastelists.  All of them have emphasized that the drawing, the black, white, and gray understructure, is all important.  Yes, in a way it’s even more important than the color that goes on top.  If I convert the image of my finished pastel painting into black and white on my computer screen, it should still hold together as a pleasing composition.  If not, then it’s back to my easel I go.

That is why I love to return to my artistic foundation every so often – drawing, with very little or no color.  And a cute little Junco surrounded by snow in winter is the perfect subject matter because of its lack of color.  When snow blankets the ground and all other flat surfaces, our attention is keenly drawn to the basic shapes, values, and light-dark details of a scene.  In contrast, when color hits the cones and rods in our eyes, a signal is sent to the neurons in our brain which are then dazzled and mesmerized by the magic of color.  We don’t necessarily notice the understructure of the scene.  But in a colored painting, if the drawing underneath is poor, it can detract from the total effect of the artwork.  That’s why I need to continue to re-sharpen my skills by regularly drawing.  I need to draw some cake with little or no frosting.  It keeps me on the right path to a successful colored painting.

Weathered Sage, 18x14", charcoal

Many years ago, I attended a formal critique moderated by Gregg Hertzlieb, former director of the Brauer Museum of Art at Valparaiso University.  I brought a charcoal drawing of mine, Weathered Sage, for Gregg to critique.  He said some very nice things about the drawing, but what really stuck with me was something he explained about drawings in general.  He said that when we view a finished black and white drawing we are looking directly at the artist’s skill level and their soul.  He explained that color gives a less capable artist a place to hide their lack of drawing ability.  But with a finished drawing there is nowhere to hide.  All is revealed.  That is why he holds sketching artists at a slightly higher level of esteem than painters.  Wow!  I was so humbled and honored by that observation.

There is something exquisite about a simple scene.  That is what I’m after with a color restricted drawing.  There’s nowhere for me to hide and after hearing Gregg Hertzlieb’s words of wisdom, that’s OK by me.  I’m happy to feature a Junco’s simple charming beauty with just a piece of white drawing paper, a charcoal pencil, an eraser, and very few pastel pencil marks.  Are black and white drawings worthy of being framed?  Oh my, yes yes yes. One might even deserve a gold matting.