Portrait painting examples of while Chris is painting...

While working diligently on the painting of his nephew's Andrew and Brantley Cole, you get a glimpse of Chris as if in his studio with him.
Join us now as we look back on this important painting in Chris' Neo Scottish Portraiture Genre'

Don't Rush Art. Returning to a work of art to bring it to a completion.

The time came to complete the drawing of my Grandmother.
So as I finally had an opening in between the hectic life of day to day,
the challenge to finish and discover if I still had it in me to work as I used to so long ago in charcoal and graphite.
Getting all the values right and shape was hard, but I believed it could be achieved.
The nostalgia was so much fun to recreate as I had to choose from many old photos to study.
Yes, this process is more literal than some of the impressionist and expressionist work I've been enjoying lately.
However, if you ever do anything in this media, you'll discover the joy of working up the surface and gradually softening and shading the various tones.
One of my good artist friends likes to say, "I don't like to rush my art, especially a good drawing. I want to enjoy the process and am not in a hurry to finish." Hence the drawing here and the length of time involved in the work. Not that work done quickly is less important, but when the discipline and devotion to keep working on something, even coming back to it later, can have good results and you can tell right away the artist diligence in what their doing.
It was fun adding the lace to the matting and this created a neat effect. 
Enjoy the change and don't be in such a hurry. Remember, you can return to your artwork for a triumphant completion.
Chris
   

Revist A Subject: No matter the time lapsed between....Part One.

It's good to revist a subject, genre, or type of artwork for an artist.
Here I want to share with you, and hope some of you will put your two cents in for free just remembering to be nice, about going back to visit a theme or suject you used for your art in the past.
This can help us as artist when we get to an artistic block or can't think of what we may want to create in our next masterpiece.
Here in the first example, I use a more recent drawing using various graphite and some charcoal to depict my Grandmother.
They were so supportive of me in my earlier years.
Next to her, you will see another drawing I did way back in high school. I will not disclose the years. Some of you will understand why. It's actually kind of humourous in that in the original of this one, I decided to take out or edit the other three figures because I didn't feel they were as strong in the drawing.
(Before Photoshop by the way).
This one only has my Great Grandfather from the chest up. Back then in High School, the need to try to prove my skills was strong. So I feel the one of my Grandmother has certain qualities I enjoyed as well. It also gives me inspiration to maybe do some paintings from it, hence the unfinished quality in the drawing, ie. the leftover space around her.

     

Using different media, don't underestimate yourself or the materials

Just want to say how using something like acrylic paint has made such a difference in some of my work. Most of the paintings here have sold, so they are not available. As I have informed many of my students,  when I was coming along in school studying and doing art, acrylic paint was not as desirable as the newer paints available. In teaching others,  I've found

it to be very versatile in application as well as results. For example I am able to achieve some of the same layering I do with oils, and yet without the long cleanup time and use of solvents. The subject matter is relating to what students wanted to paint in some of my classes.

If you have never used acrylics or tend to not care for them in the past, I encourage you to give them a go and see what you can do,  you might be surprised.  Remember you don't have to get so colorful,  you can limit your palette to grays or just a little color. More on this I will be sharing next time.  Oh, and enjoy the process no matter your style.  Some of these paintings were achieved faster than others but I thoroughly enjoyed them all. I hope you do as well. 

Chris.

One of my more recent original oil paintings. "Influence,Originality and Quality of Brushstroke"

The maturity in an artist work and their growth is seen and felt over a vast amount of time as they develop their style. This is certainly true of what I'm seeing in my work of recent years. I now have a deeper appreciation and understanding for some of the movements and qualities that I seemed to pass over when I was younger. We all must grow and change and can't help being influenced by those around us along the way. Eventually I feel we do this and simultaneously come back to ourselves.
So it is with this painting and the subject portrayed. This painting carries with it significant symbolism and some historical reference in my individual way of seeing and creating. This is in keeping with the long series of subjects dealing with the British Isles. Photos can never convey what the original will as with most painters. When you see a magazine cover of a Norman Rockwell or Andrew Wyeth, there is no comparing to what the artist has done on the original. It's my hope you will receive some sence of what I was aiming for in this painting. I've included some close up photos so you may view the details. If you are interested in a print of the canvas painting, please feel free to contact me at  christophersart@gmail.com. Thanks for your interest in my work and enjoy art continuously. It's a great way to deal with life . Take care.
Christopher Simpson

Artist / Art Instructor

Artistic Discipline: A key to improvement....

One of the best way's to get better at anything is obviously the good old fashioned word we all can struggle with at times: DISCIPLINE.  I know, some of you might probably be thinking, not again. Seriously it can be fun and even liberating once you learn the "art," (no pun intended) of it.

We can at times tend to think of discipline as being restricting. However when you consider or find how you can have self-discipline, you will find it can be a real benefit to your success.

We all have to work at it, although I've found for some it presents more of a challenge than others.

Also our desire or continued interest has much to do with this subject of discipline.The drawing here of my hand holding a pear is an example. Holding the position in my hand as students were filling the room was a challenge indeed, hence the meaning of this blog. When you set a target goal to be determined to finish this and make it good, you will suprise yourself sometimes.We have to stick with it and realize there is a reward at the end.

It may not be what someone else would invision, but that it where true creativity begins. After all, there are so many potential artist out there who would benefit letting go of the cookie cutters.

Be different, challenge yourself, and for goodness sakes, be original. We could easily copy something for our art and at times it's good to have something to look at to find inspiration. Other times you might just want to learn a style or appreciate someones approach, in these cases then full steam ahead.

I've found you will learn and grow much more when you look inside and around yourself, then try to come to it with a freshness no one else is doing. Move on from copying. Yes I studied the pear and my hand, however as in much of my hard work, it has taken great discipline to move beyond the obvious into a personal representation meant to challenge us toward a greater vision somehow. From an artist perspective, one can hope and trust somewhere another will find value and appreciation for the laborious task.  

In hopes to be understood here please let me know if this helps someone to be more creative.

It's your choice. Choose wisely and have fun.

Chris
 

Dealing with Rejection...

There is so much I could say about this subject as I've encountered my unfair share of it and I'm sure you have as well. People feel this horrible emotion at some time or other and for artist it can be overwhelming at times. So for all us artist I have to say, we are not the only ones.Today I've come to a greater and more important realization.
Since God is above all things and He loves his creation, why should we worry about rejection or what happens? Everyone struggles and if you are one of those who just insist on not believing or trying to, this may not be for you. I hope you'll consider this and find it helpful.
He, (God), in His word, said All things work together to those who Love God, then I, you, we, don't have to carry the burden. He did and already proved so by dying a cruel death and get this, willingly! Something you or I don't have the strength or way to do.
When you realize this, then true freedom occurs and you'll witness incredible things in life and an ability to get through the hard stuff, even rejection from others.
The hardships of this life can never compare to what Jesus Christ gives to those who seek Him first and find Him. What others say in rejecting you comes to fact they are hurting but pray they find what you now have and for goodness sakes don't gloat over it because that's not good. Most important if you take away nothing else remember this, when we feel rejected by the world, try to imagine how many times we have rejected God and His Son and sometimes still do. Thank Him because He never has rejected us.

P.S  For those who are so gramatically correct, yes there are many capitalized words we usually do not in my blog above.

Please keep in mind, for me atleast, the importance of God, and Jesus with any reference to Him is just like how we give importance to day's of the week, month's and personal names, ect...and capitalize them.

Glory to the one who inspires us!