Type A (for "Anna") and Being a Painter

When my mom came to visit last month, we got into a discussion about personality types and I said something along the lines of, "I don't really think I'm Type A..." to which she interjected, "I always thought you were Type A!" That got me thinking. Whenever I have a question about something, I Google it (Yes, I'm one of those). According to Wikipedia, Type A individuals are described as "ambitious, rigidly organized, highly status conscious, can be sensitive, care for other people, are truthful, impatient, always try to help others, take on more than they can handle, want other people to get to the point, proactive, and obsessed with time management. People with Type A personalities are often high-achieving 'workaholics' who multi-task, push themselves with deadlines, and hate both delays and ambivalence." 

Well, Mother's always right. I'd say that description fits me... perfectly.

The article goes on to mention a book written for the "diagnosis" and "treatment" of Type A behavior. I had to laugh after reading that, since I know how much my own drive and artistic obsessions have gotten in my way over the years. But I don't think Type A is something we should be trying to "treat." I think, from an artist's standpoint, that it's actually a good thing.

It was clear, earlier last week, that I needed to take a step back from my easel. I was working on a couple of larger portraits, neither of which seemed to be going well. Often I will start a portrait feeling incredibly energized and hopeful about its success, only to feel deflated after a while because I start to overwork and overthink the whole thing.

Well, my remedy for this was to spend a day with my twin sister, who, is not at all Type A but is a sweet and caring Type B. :-) Emily is my best friend and is the first person I go to when I need to talk something through. She told me to channel my frustration and self-inflicted misery and turn those things into positives. Maybe frustration is determination. Maybe the misery will lead to an "Aha!" moment, where the my brain has to switch gears and totally change its thought process. After all, as Clayton Beck says, "Your paintings are a complete reflection of what you are thinking (or not thinking). If you don't like what you're doing, change your thoughts."

So how to use this "Type A" stuff to my advantage? I am extremely sensitive. I take things personally. I get impatient. But I am also determined and not willing to settle for anything but my best. Maybe I just need to learn how to step away once in a while. The "cure" for Type A is to live in moderation... doing nothing in excess, having close friends who love you enough to peel you away from the easel, and of course, leading an active prayer life. Once you've "re-charged", you can go back to the studio again with that confidence and panache that people love you for... :-)

That's exactly what happened. After some time away, some time in the Word of God and some good conversation with my sister, I went back to the easel and finished those two paintings in two days. And you know what? I'm happy with them!

Here they are:

"Scarlit Tones" (Portrait of a Songwriter)

29 x 22" - oil on linen 

"To Paint or to Play" (Self Portrait with Bella)

28 x 12" - oil on linen 

I'll talk about the new self portrait in my next blog post. There is a little bit of a backstory... :-)

Clayton J. Beck, III Workshop Recap

I wish I had more time to write about this, but for now I'll have to give a quick recap.

This month I had the great privilege of attending my second Clayton J. Beck, III workshop. This time it was here in Dallas at the Society of Figurative Arts, and I helped organize it, hire the models, even pick Clayton up from the airport. :-) He probably got tired of me after a while, but I sure enjoyed the one-on-one time, picking his brain on all things art-related. :-)

Below are some pictures from the workshop, and my notes with some of the main points from his discourse that I found particularly helpful.

- Every brush stroke you lay down is a reflection of your thought process.
- Making the highlight on the upper eyelid too light will cause the model to look sleepy (ha!)
- Don't add a background to a figure - add the figure to the background.
- Don't constantly try to get the model back into the first sitting's pose, when they were in a different mindset.
- Everything is just as important as everything else.
- Establish from the beginning something that is absolutely correct, and use that as your "key" or "anchor."
- Don't have anything in your line of sight that disturbs the harmony.
- Leave some white on the canvas. If you take it all out, you'll never be able to put it back. Resist the urge to "fill in all the holes".
- Each time you look up at the model, gather specific information.
- A block-in = enough information to move to final painting. The block-in should be a success. Don't degrade it or take away the excitement. Adorn it.
- Ask yourself the right questions, in the right order.
Here's a big one: Don't get bored with your own paintings. Your work should show that you love painting. Love every square inch of your canvas. Each part of it should be a gift to the viewer.

Of course, probably very little of this makes sense to you unless you attend Clayton's workshop and watch him paint. It's truly amazing - and he is a fantastic teacher!

I didn't get photos of every demo, but here are pictures from his first demonstration. For a classical realist, this method probably looks like chaos, but Clayton put every brush stroke down with complete intention and clarity of thought. It was fascinating to watch.

The first three days of the workshop were portrait-focused. We had a different model every day, and attempted to complete two or more paintings each day, with a specific goal for each piece (OTHER than "making a pretty picture").

Here are my efforts from these three days - all different, for sure! I didn't get two paintings in every day, since I was the class monitor, AND I was always the last to get a spot in front of the model. That made it more fun for me, since I had to try and make the absolute most of whatever perspective I was given.

 Above: My goal was to turn the form using color temperature, since the light was so flat from my angle. Below: My goal was to keep the focal point in the light, even though the face was 3/4 in the shadow.

Above: My goal was to have very soft edges, with only 2-3 relatively harder edges based on the contrast in those areas.
Below: My goal was to stay high key and not ever get to "black" in the value scale. That took a great deal of self-control, since I love drama in my paintings!

The last two days of the workshop consisted of figure painting. Below is the setup on the model stand, and pictures of Clayton's first figure demo, which turned out beautifully.

Below: Clayton's second figure demo, completed in perhaps no more than 45 minutes.

 Below: my efforts from the two days of figure painting. Having an absolute blast. When I set up in front of the model for this first painting, the pose and dramatic lighting took my breath away.

I would like to give a big thanks to Michael Mentler for hosting such a great workshop, and allowing me to participate. And of course, thank you to Clayton for coming all the way down from Chicago and doing such an excellent job teaching and demonstrating. :-)

It's Not Vacation Unless I'm Working!

Last week my in-laws treated Steve and me to an all-inclusive beach vacation with them in the Bahamas. We stayed at the Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau, which includes lots of water sports, restaurants, drinks all day (not that I took advantage of that!), and even an off-shore private island. Of course, I couldn't stand the thought of spending five days without painting, so I brought my pochade box and supplies along with me. I managed to do a little bit of plein air painting almost every day we were there. There was something incredibly freeing about standing there in a bathing suit, barefoot in the sand, doing what I love the most. :-) 

 Finished painting (about 1 1/2 hours) of rocks and waves along the offshore island at the resort.

8x8" - oil on panel

Later my father-in-law even posed for one of my paintings. You may remember him from one of my portrait sketches a couple of years ago... click HERE to view that one.

Below is a 15-minute quick sketch of one of our many little beach visitors. :-) 5x4" - oil on linen glued to panel.

On our last day there, I got up early to paint the sunrise. The colors weren't as exciting as I hoped they'd be, but I still enjoyed the process of watching the clouds and colors evolve with the rising sun.

Yep, it's just not vacation unless I'm working. I love my job!

Guy with a Beard

This guy... Michael Mentler. The Infamous 'M'. :-)

Michael runs the Society of Figurative Arts in Carrolton, TX. I have known him for almost five years now and have enjoyed regularly attending his Tuesday portrait painting sessions. We have gotten to be very good friends, and I have enjoyed celebrating with him in his remarkable success as of late (he has been hailed as a "modern-day Leonardo" by Richard Schmid himself!). Michael is an excellent artist and teacher, but he also has an overall look that is begging to be painted! He has posed for such greats as Sherrie McGraw and Rose Frantzen. At SOFA, though we work from all different models week to week, we are always begging Michael to sit for us. This week, our model didn't show, so Michael complied, and I finally got my shot at capturing this great man's likeness. I have tried at least twice before, and was never satisfied with the result. This time, I am much happier with it.

"Portrait of Artist Michael Mentler" - 12x9" - oil on linen panel (quick sketch completed in under 3 hrs)

(detail)

Heart of Contentment

Yesterday temperatures reached almost 80 degrees in the Dallas area, and as soon as I could, I grabbed my plein air supplies and dashed out to the nearby nature preserve to get some sun (and maybe do a painting!).

I realized, for that blissful hour and a half, that that was the first time in weeks and weeks that I felt peaceful and fully content (and I didn't even care whether or not my painting turned out!). Maybe I've been suffering from cabin fever... I don't know. But at the end of my little painting session, I wondered how I might carry that feeling of creative contentment back into my studio, and maintain it every day, no matter the circumstances. I've been feeling so unsettled lately, restless. Could it be that I just needed some fresh air?? It's probably more than that.

In my sister's apartment, she has a sheet of paper taped to her bathroom mirror that lists "The Three Cs of Contentment." They say, "Don't compete, don't compare, don't complain." I am not particularly competitive, but I will confess that I often find myself inadvertently comparing myself to other artists, especially when I spend too much time on Facebook (for more on this, see my FASO article from last summer). This is wrong. I have been given this life, these talents, and this set of circumstances, to glorify God in a way that is unique from anyone else. If I can simply remember that I paint for the joy of creating - that God smiles down when He sees His children happily using the gifts He has given them - everything else should fade away and no longer matter.

Since I'm confessing things in this post... I came across this the other day and it's blatant accuracy made me laugh out loud. I'm especially bad about those last two (just ask my husband!). Well, I guess there's always room for improvement. :-)

by Lauren Purje

P.S. - A Nice Surprise for 2011 - Feature in "Informed Collector"

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday morning to discover that I've been featured as a recommended portrait artist in The Informed Collector, one of the e-newsletters sent out by Canvoo, a major online art marketing site. The feature came as a result of "Twin Arts" being a finalist in the Raymar Fine Art Competition.

You can check out the feature by clicking below: