No two artists are the same when it comes to their creative process and their choice of techniques, artist’s tools, and methods that work just for them and their purposes. We can learn about their mindset, personality and beliefs when we read about the artist’s creative process and unique techniques. This article reveals statements made by artists from art history as well as a few member artists who agreed to share aspects about their unusual creative approach.
Banner image: Mixed media painting by Sandra Duran Wilson
Here’s what some famous artists have said…
Wassily Kandinsky, Blue Mountain, oil on canvas, 76.5″ x 51″. Created in 1908 in Munich / Monaco, Germany. Current location: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City, NY, US. Photo: Public Domain. wikiart.org
Wassily Kandinsky shared this about his artistic process: “I applied streaks and blobs of colors onto the canvas with a palette knife, and I made them sing with all the intensity I could…”
In the words of Helen Frankenthaler “A really good picture looks as if it’s happened at once. It’s an immediate image. For my own work, when a picture looks labored and overworked… I usually throw these out…”
Frances Bacon wrote “I don’t begin by drawing on the canvas. I make marks, and then I use all sorts of things… old brooms… all kinds of peculiar tools and materials.”
About her process Catherine Murphy explained, “I first block in the chosen theme or object with broad brushstrokes. Then I begin using brushes of diminishing sizes that are gradually reduced to to the smallest sable point…”
Pierre Auguste Renoir stated “It is not enough for a painter to be a clever craftsman; he must love to ‘caress’ his canvas, too”.
Henry Moore shared “I have gradually changed from using preliminary drawings for my sculpture… I first make a maquette… three or four inches in size, and I can look at it from every angle…”
Before painting in oils, Richard Estes explains, “I always do an acrylic underpainting because I find it very easy to work with, because you can make a lot of changes…”
Jackson Pollock revealed, “On the floor I am more at ease. I feel nearer, more part of the painting, since this way I can walk around it, work from the four sides and literally be in the painting.
Artist Members Share Their Unique Techniques
Visit their pages and websites to view more of their artwork.
Banner image: Art by Sandra Duran Wilson
Barbara Rachko
“For thirty-three years I have been devoted to soft pastel on sandpaper. I believe my ‘science of color’ is unique. The acid-free sandpaper allows me to slowly and meticulously build up 25 to 30 layers of pastel. In addition to the thousands of pastels that I have to choose from, I make new colors directly on the paper. Regardless of size, each pastel painting takes hundreds of hours and about four months to complete.” Visit Barbara Rachko’s page.
Nancy Reyner
“I like to dance and move when I paint, and would get bored sitting in a chair to create. This may explain how I ended up with so many techniques up my sleeve. In this photo I am pouring acrylic mediums and color washes over a gold leaf surface. Once dry I choose from the resulting effects which to keep and which to remove. Then the painting continues to evolve from there.” Visit Nancy Reyner’s page.
Frantisek Strouhal
“The choices of brushes, papers, textures and lithographic inks determine the quality of his images. It takes me many hours to build up a depth of ink, layer by layer, to create the desired image. The processes I use are slow but intense; the result is an image that asks for that time back from the viewer. The painstaking craftsmanship this technique requires brings a sense of intimacy to my art. I believe that as an artist, you have to synthesize thousands of seconds of seeing and reflect deeply on each step of the process.” Visit Frantisek Strouhal’s page.
Lisa Freidus
“When designing familiar scenes which embody early memories, I experience both an inner peace and a feeling of empowerment as 3-dimensional images rise from the surface of the canvas. The infusion of textured collage materials from Nepal, Thailand and Japan, along with handmade wood cutouts, imparts a unique interpretation to mainstream objects. As an artist I am drawn to vibrant pigments, joyous images, and non-conventional ways to push the boundaries.” Visit Lisa Freidus’s page.
Kari Bienert
“My painting practice is a slow rhythmical process of mixing many oil colours to produce a unique palette. One colour maybe the mixture of 25 different oils. I very rarely use paint straight from the tube. Once my composition is hand drawn using minimal pencil marks, I use many different brushes according to the work. A thin, long bristle brush for the thick textured works where precision and constancy are foremost. These heavy paintings take many weeks to finish and the paint takes months to dry. A shorter, wider bristle brush is used for works when applying thin layers of paint. The accuracy and placement of differing colours and composition is all intuitive. I become part of a co-creative dance between inner vision and brushstroke.” Visit Kari Bienert’s page.
Sandra Duran Wilson
“My art is driven by curiosity and the possibilities of what materials can do, especially when combined in unusual ways. I incorporate printmaking, collage, acrylic painting, and even three-dimensional elements into my work. I explore concepts like time travel and physics along with dreams and symbols. A kind of crazy mixed-up world of science and fantasy. I create three dimensional sculptures which incorporate layers of acrylic paint onto cast acrylic and the pieces are fused together like glass using resin. Light moves through them and they have multiple images depending on the angle of viewing.” Visit Sandra Duran Wilson’s page.
Mary Lou Dauray
“My process is never repetitive, it’s always an experiment with the mediums of paper, canvas, and wood panels and the use of oil and water-based pigments. My style is ever evolving, evoking a different way of turning the work out. Lately, my painting has veered more into the abstract and non-objective realm. While I enjoy painting semi-realistic works, creating these abstractions presents an enormous challenge.” Visit Mary Lou Dauray’s page.
Leave a Reply