I have decided to focus this post on my humble beginnings as a painter. David A. Leffel, notable international Artist was one of my first teachers. He taught this most valuable technique of "Massing".... and that you did not necessarily have to put down a careful drawing before you paint...a sketch is OK, but not an outline like in a child's colouring book. Massing your subject as a flat plane, rather than in terms of it's details. Massing gives a feeling of weight and also starts you thinking about composition and negative space. You are always working from the large shapes to the small. Form comes first, details later. If a painting fails, it is usually because the details have been focused to early on in the process. It is essential that the overall abstract design or composition and the colour relationships be worked out. It is good to spend a lot of time on the earlier stages of a painting and adjust as you go along.
This little painting, one of my first in the small format is 5" x 5", oil on canvas, and is titled "Wandering Bouquet".
David A. Leffel has two books published: "Oil Painting Secrets from a Master" and "An Artist Teaches, Reflections on the Art of Painting www.brightlightpublishing.com. Both are excellent books to keep in your studio, or on your night table.
