PAINT WITH TWO HANDS ON THE PRESENT
"A man possessed of an idea, working like fury to hold his grip on it and to fix it on canvas may not stop to see how he is doing the work; nor may he consider what might be any outsider's opinion of it. He must hold his grip on the meaning he has caught from nature, and he cannot grope for ways of expression. He is immediate. The idea is fleeting. He must have technique - but he can now use only what he actually knows. At other times he has studied technique, tried this and that, experimented, and hunted for the right phrase. But now he is not in the hour of research. He is in the hour of expression. The only thing he has in mind is the idea. As to the elegance of his expression, he cannot think of it. It is the idea and the idea alone which possesses him, and because it must be expressed, because he has need to express it, he makes a great draft on his memory, on all his store of knowledge and past experience, and all these he regulates into service. if later we find that there was elegance in his expression, that there was brilliant technique, still he was not aware of it at the time of its accomplishment. It is only the sign of the success of his effort to recapture all his knowledge and make it work for him at a time of great need. He was not conscious of his gracefulness, for it was only a result of his high state of order to which he raised himself." - Robert Henri
Back in the July newsletter I promised to share my insight on how I am working out the four steps of my residency plan of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway at Lock Dam on Chamberlin Lake. I am back home now from the residency and settling in to my regular routine but still dreaming I'm at Lock Dam needing to do just one more painting. I am recovering from knee problems due to standing through hours of plein air painting, hiking and portaging up and down streams without a lot of rest in-between. I have also injured my shoulder, losing my balance and tripping over my luggage, of all things, that surrounded my feet like a four walled barrier. With just a few chiropractor appointments behind me and several more to go, I am actually recovering well. The same can be said about my truck that almost lost it's right muffler due to the rough terrain. if it weren't for the clever bush fix of my good friend and professional photographer, Troy Sands, whom I am very grateful for, I might have lost it all together. But even that is fixed now with all the dirt washed off that gave my red truck the appearance of being desert gray in color. The Allagash Wilderness Waterway visiting artist program was an amazing wilderness privilege that demanded a price I was more than willing to pay for. The "Race" I set forth for myself as a goal has caused a powerful attachment to me for this place through my art. I accomplished my goal of painting 51 paintings in just two weeks. That is an average of 3 to 4 paintings per day. I painted 26 watercolors and 25 oils that are being photographed and catalogued currently. It's causing me to do a lot of reflection.
I also taught the first watercolor plein air workshop in the Allagash at Nugent's Camp. It was was very successful first workshop that drew artists from all over Maine.
But in this newsletter I want to talk about attachments artists sometime have toward their art and how that can get in the way of production. I want to entertain the idea of how artists release their art as you make it in order to consistently create a large body of work.
In this special edition I will focusing on the Third step essential to being a productive plein air painter in a residency like this one. And that is,
3) Painting with both hands on the present.
I began this newsletter by sharing a quote from Robert Henri's book, The Art Spirit, that not only accurately describes what it is like to paint en plein air or from direct observation, but eludes to this idea of being caught up in a high state of order which the artist has raised him or herself to. What is this high state of order that produces elegance that even the artist may not be aware of in their art production? I believe it's the ability to be present with all your faculties and paint in the moment of expression. Although it has to do with drafting all your past experiences, experiments, and painting knowledge, I believe they are called forth by a greater need to respond and make art in the moment. These experiences are relegated into the service of being fully present to the painting idea at hand.
Think of it this way. In order to do this you have to completely release the grip you might have on previous paintings you recently finish or not, in order to have both hands on the present. No matter how many good paintings that you have done in you recent past or how many failures, you have to release them in such a way as to get them visually and thoughtfully out of your mind in order to reach this clear vision and high state of order. The ability to focus on the painting totally in the moment. It has been said, and it couldn't be truer, that "Today separates your yesterday from your tomorrow".
The one thing that I have done when I set a goal for painting 50 paintings in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in two weeks was to store them away by boxing them up at the end of each day. Then I would forget about them but not the location or the amount of paintings I needed to do to keep on track. When I got back to the studio sometimes three weeks later for some of them, I was pleasantly surprised at what I had accomplished and I could see with fresh eyes just how effective the paintings were visually. I also couldn't really remember the battle or the struggle I went through in making them.
This temporary disconnect from all attachments to your painting is so important when painting a large body of work in a short time. In fact I believe that if I failed to do it, I might have lost the opportunity for the higher goal of capturing the true nature of that sense of place. And for me it was and is the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Painting with clear vision is the ability to go from one painting study idea to another without thought or memory given to the previous one. Like Robert Henri spoke of, It's the "High State Of Order" that is important in all excellent plein air painting production and not a matter over thinking a formula to achieve a predictable masterpiece in the end. It was a choice I made each day with each painting, the very act of raising myself up to fully engage in each present work.
James Fitzgerald, the painter that I like so well, once was quoted to have said, "Nothing Fails Like Success!" He made every effort to avoid recognition. What an interesting thing to say and do. So why did he do that? I believe it was because he knew that if he could not let go of past accolades and accomplishments he would not have enough room to receive what he needed to capture exciting ideas that presented themselves today in the moment. It is amazing just how past failures or even great successes can keep you from painting your best most present work. And we all have that choice to go with the engaging idea or the familiar that has given us past success. I believe the great painters of the world's art in history were always so caught up in simply receiving visual information, that they didn't always have time to actually see how eloquently amazing they were in actually pulling it off. This is why and how rewards and great blessings will always follow the high state of order executed by the intense artist.
Painting out of need in your hour of expression is key for reaching your goal tomorrow. Just as a fantastic visual idea can not come when you are not open to receive it, so too can you not capture an original idea with a hand holding onto your past. To paint with clear vision you must have both hands on the present and be fully focused on the work at hand; that is simply the highest state of order.
Interesting enough, this practice of paint and release in plein air creates a better connection and spiritual bond to the nature of that place you are trying to capture than laboring over too much detail. In fact it works more effectively and is more inspiring than physically trying to create a body of work by building one controlled experience upon the next. When you paint with both hands on the present you will also be able to better hold a tiger by the tail, meaning tackling painting that seem difficult or complex.One of the most interesting and beautiful effects to witness in any plein air painting is just how the artist simplifies a convoluted subject. And in the Allagash there are many, many amazing subjects that feel just like that. The challenge of painting them is beautiful to see in any painting medium and always a delightful surprise to the viewer.
I challenge you to paint with both hands today,
Michael E. Vermette
PAINT FOR PRESERVATION 2020
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