Cedar Lane Studio | art & design
  • Home
  • Mary Moore
    • watercolour
    • Plein Air
    • Fun Floral
    • Pastels
    • Jazz and Open Stage themed
    • Archive
    • Children's Books
    • Mary's Bio
  • Tom Lillico
    • Tom's prints for sale
    • Archive
    • Tom's Bio
  • Design
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Encourage & Explore

More negative shape painting success

10/2/2015

Comments

 


Negative shape painting, it turns out, is not a simple concept. As I pointed out in class, many of us are taught to build a painting from the bottom up - you paint in the sky and the ground, say, and 'pop' the trees in over the top. Or, you travel across your canvas with tiny brushes building each element in sequence until the darn thing is finished. It works for some, but for me, this is not an exciting or engaging process filled with possibilities.

Filling a sheet of 140 lb watercolour paper with splashes and dashes, dribbles and splatters of colour, it turns out, IS an engaging and exciting process. Finding the possibilities within that 'mess' is a great creative exercise. Painting out what you don't want, while keeping the vision of what you do want, is an experience in letting go. And, as I explained, this is an exercise (so let go your fear). It could become your practice if it engages you enough. It should 'inform' your practice no matter what. And the brain training in negative painting is valuable.

The paintings here displayed used this process, and you can readily see the creative unleashed. Wow!

Click to see larger images.
Picture
My flowers from Monday:))
Picture
Monday group, negative painting, flowers. And, there were no flowers in the room!
Picture
A quick shaky pic of my trees completed. Fun!!
Picture
Students 'found' their trees and painted around them. There were (haha) no trees in the room.
Comments

    Author

    Welcome to my blog, about my classes and activities at Cedar Lane Studio. Feel free to comment (but don't be mean :(

    Archives

    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014

    Categories

    All
    Art Classes

    RSS Feed

Picture
Contact Mary:
613-294-0373 • mary.moore@cedarlanestudio.net

Contact Tom:
613-658-2916 • tomlillico@ripnet.com

Interested in Lessons in your school?

ArtReach
Check out my ArtReach Program: curriculum-linked lessons delivered to your classroom! All supplies included.

  • Home
  • Mary Moore
    • watercolour
    • Plein Air
    • Fun Floral
    • Pastels
    • Jazz and Open Stage themed
    • Archive
    • Children's Books
    • Mary's Bio
  • Tom Lillico
    • Tom's prints for sale
    • Archive
    • Tom's Bio
  • Design
  • Blog
  • Contact Us