Molly Hargarten Art

Simplify

I am taking a break from blogging for a while in an effort to simplify my life and spend more time creating art!

posted August 19, 2012 | Comments (0)

In a painting, an objects true color; the actual color as distinguished from the apparent color of objects and surfaces; true color, without shadows or reflections. Painting something that has no direct light on it as in a cloudy day.

Examples of artist’s that use local tone: Van Gough’s Sunflowers, Mary Cassett, Fechin, Lepage, Richard Schmid

posted July 21, 2012 | Comments (0)

Equalization

In order to get an overall feeling of equalization, whatever shapes you use have to be repeated. In this type of painting there is no focal point. The eye travels through the painting because it is equal. A painting can be total equalization or partial. Here are some artists that use this method in their work…Jackson Pollock, Nancy Switzer, Bosch, Fetchin and Van Gough’s drawings.

posted July 15, 2012 | Comments (0)

Light and Dark Patterns

In this exercise we created shapes by using 2 values…white and black paint. As a general rule, in this exercise values need to be separated into 2 groups. The groups and shapes need to be different in size and shape or the eye will become stuck between them. At times, an artist may get away with some value differences other than dark or light, if one or the other value stays the same. Values help to create shapes. A good painting has a large shape in it. It receives more attention. The connection from shape to shape moves the eye through the painting. Slow gradations of value will also help the painting hold together. Check out these artists to see how they use dark and light values in their work……Rober Motherwell, Egon Schiele, Andrew Wyeth, Daniel Sprick, and John Twacktman.

posted June 27, 2012 | Comments (0)

Shape

Shapes are the result of closed lines. Good shapes are those that are complete, unique and specific. However shapes can be visible without lines when an artist establishes a color area or an arrangement of objects within the camera’s viewfinder. Some primary shapes include circles, squares, triangles and hexagons all of which appear in nature in some form or another. The exercise that we did was to chose 3 shapes and draw them on the paper then change them to make them more interesting. We were to keep in mind shape harmony as well….using similar shapes to give the piece a feeling of togetherness.

posted June 26, 2012 | Comments (0)

Line

A line is the same width its entire length. It represents a “path” between two points. A line can be straight, curved, vertical, horizontal, diagonal, or zigzag. Lines imply motion and suggest direction or orientation. Lines crossing over one another keep your eye looking at the painting/art and create open spaces in the work for your eye to rest. Lines can also be used to create gradation…more space between them in one part of the painting vs. more dense in another. One of the first exercises that we did in our Advanced Painting class was to use charcoal to draw lines on sketch paper. We then erased part of the lines, added more lines and made more varying lines to give the sketch more interest. Here is an image of the exercise that I completed. Also, here are some artists that use line in their work: Franz Kline, Picasso, Dekooning. Fechin and Wyeth.

posted June 20, 2012 | Comments (0)

Advanced Painting Class

Woo woo! I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and taking an Advanced Painting Class. We are going to cover each design element, do exercies that demonstrate the element and examine artists that are known for a style that uses each particular element. The first thing we will study is Line. More to come.

posted June 02, 2012 | Comments (0)

Hard-wareable Art

Yes, I use hardware to make art. I have to confess that I LOVE the nuts and bolds section of Home Depot. There are so many interesting shapes and textures. I have used hardware to make jewelry. I call it ‘Working Women’s’ jewelry. I have used it to embelish items made from re-purposed watercolor paintings such as Wall Flowers. AND, I have used it for the purpose for which it was made.

posted April 23, 2012 | Comments (0)

Slide into Creativity

Recycle, re-purpose, re-use…..whatever you call it, it is good for the planet and be can be an experience in creativity. I look at stuff all the time and wonder what I can make out of it. Here is my latest discovery. Now that we are in the digital age, I have found that I am stuck with a box of slide frames……..you know those things that we used in film cameras that captured images of our artwork. Well, I have incorporated them into some of my paintings. I have glued them to a canvas, painted over them and then glued an object into the center of each frame. I call this piece ‘Junk Drawer’. I have also glued them in various designs on other canvases and used them as the basis for an abstract painting of rocks. Here is a painting that I did of tulips. I call it ‘Slide into Spring’. I used slides to give the piece texture and an unusual look. What other uses can you think of for slides?

posted March 10, 2012 | Comments (0)

Color Mixing

If you are a ‘real’ watercolorist you will mix your own greens vs. using them right from the tube. Wha?…….you might say. What’s up with that? Well, many artists feel that green from the tube is too intense and not found in nature and won’t look good in a painting. Many times mixes of yellows and blues will give more ‘authentic’ greens or at the very least, adding another color, such as yellow or blue, to a tube green will give you a more genuine green. It is fun to experiment with different recipes. When you find greens that you like make a note of them so that you can use them again.

You can mix your colors right on your palette which will give you an even color or mix them directly on the paper. Mixing on the paper is called ‘mingling’ and will give you beautiful variations and gradations which will be pleasing to the eye and add interest to your painting. Using palette mixed colors work well in a painting, too. A way to add interest when mixing like this is with every brush stroke, dip your brush into a different color. Viola! More interest!

Here are a few of my favorite recipes……..thioindigo violet plus ultramarine blue…..LOVE the purple. One more, thioindigo violet plus burnt sienna….beautiful brownish color but much more interesting than regular brown.