More passion and loosen up: advice to all budding artists
The following videos are packed with useful advice for painting and drawing students at OCA.
The same message comes through time and again when assessors are reviewing student work, and so it is, even when asked to pick examples of really good work to talk about on camera, that the need for students to follow through the passion, fire and energy evident in their sketchbooks into final work is reiterated.
Despite some of this work being in the top band at assessment (though not all), there is often evidence that the best work is in the sketchbooks. See what you think, and what learning you take from the assessors talking about this work.
Please note that some of this work is exceptional, so don’t be disheartened if your own work isn’t at the same level.
27 thoughts on “More passion and loosen up: advice to all budding artists”
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I like this format of presentation, with a slide-show and voice-over. It allows more time to dwell on the image being commented on, and is very clear.
Lovely work.
I find this presentation extremely helpful, and inspiring. I feel that for the first time, I’ve really got a grasp of what is expected, of possibilities.
The footnote is also very important: ‘Please note some of this work is exceptional, so don’t be disheartened if your own work is not at this level.’
That really makes it a holistic learning experience.
Thank you!
I’m with Roberta and Karen, the slide show with voice over, and also close-ups of parts of the paintings are really informative.
I’m on the photo course, so know very little of painting, so was surprised to hear that often painting students do their best work in sketchbooks… well, I guess it links with some of us photo guys doing our best work in personal projects outside of course work too.
One of the most enlightening comments I recently got on one of my sets of work came from a level 3 painting student who commented on colour and tones in the set, something I haven’t even picked up. It must be so wonderful to see the world through the eyes of a painter.
Really nice to see this, thanks!
I really do find these video critique sessions extremely useful. As distance learners we get very little chance to listen to the opinions of tutors about the work of other students, so I find these videos enlightening. More of this sort of thing please!
Tutors – thanks very much.
Students – very well done indeed.
Very interesting critiques and lovely work! Also interesting to see the importance of self evaluation in the process of assessment – lots to mull over I think. Thank you.
Fascinating videos – and lovely work, as Mary says. These are of course most relevant to painting and drawing students but I think there is good advoce in there for any working artist, in any medium.
The video pieces do give an interesting insight into how assessors think. This can be useful to the student who is preparing for assessment- but quite honestly I also find the insights gained quite disheartening. Very clearly, all three assessors favour a particular STYLE of painting, quite loose, quite impressionistic, ‘letting the paint do the work’ one of them says. I would like to add to this discussion that there is more to painting than one particular approach or style. Sadly, art colleges all over don’t seem to be able to deliver truly deep teaching which recognises and supports a students’ particular talents and preferences. Instead, they coach and almost ‘push’ students in the direction of their preferred styles. Sadly, it seems that OCA is no exception. Under those circumstances, art college for many becomes a chore to ‘get through’, rather than a joyful experience of self-discovery.
I enjoyed the videos, but fear, as you do, that tutors and assessors favour certain outcomes and are determined to ‘direct’ painting/drawing students this way. I definitely felt this when I was on one of the courses. Actually, I do very much appreciate loose and lively paintings, but producing such work eludes me. It makes no difference how many times one is told to loosen up or advised that a change of ‘mind-set’ is ‘all’ that is required. Many of us who love to paint are not inclined (or do not wish) to paint this way and it is disheartening to feel that you will never match up to the favoured ideal.
This presentation is useful to me as a textile student, not just painters. Sketchbook work, lively composition and self reflection in journals are relevant to all artistic pursuits.
Susanna, Being ‘painterly’ isn’t simply a style – it is handling the paint as a painter would, rather than just ‘colouring in’.. The tutors of a painting course have to teach students to paint.
Thanks, Susan for your brave comment. I felt that way, too,I have completed and been assessed on three painting courses.
Dear sally Lewis, please could you define the word ‘painterly’ for me. I have been trying to find a global all-encompassing definition of what this is actually supposed to mean. The word is used a lot in the art college world, and is used in different ways to mean different things. What exact qualities of painting are you referring to? What should the texture be like, the brushwork be like, the composition, the colour choices, etc.? Let’s pin it down and agree on what we all mean when we use it. Many thanks. Only then willwe be abe to tell whether it refers to a particular college style of painting, or whether it actually does deserve to be used as a global term, as something that is desireable as a quality for all painting.
I really like these clips that give the opportunity to hear the views of the tutors. I have practiced art for a long time and may already have preferences regarding media or style. While I believe that pushing yourself to try new things is invaluable to an artist’s development, I think the course structure and assessment should be such that it also allows you to develop and improve your own style or preference rather than have one imposed upon you. For me, my art is an expression of how I feel on any given day or moment and the freedom to be allowed to fully express that, in my own way, is important
Great videos and some lovely work. I think people often confuse loose with inaccurate and visa versa. I suppose it is a question of careful observation before each well placed stroke.
Here is a great quote from Pissaro that sums it up for me:
”Work at the same time on sky, water, branches, ground, keeping everything going on an equal basis… Don’t be afraid of putting on colour… Paint generously and unhesitatingly, for it is best not to lose the first impression. (Camille Pissarro)
I really do find these visual/audible crits invaluable. Plenty of food for thought. This type of tutorial brings the college alive and into my space.I’m looking forward to the next time already.
Thank you to all involved for sharing work and opinions.
I am truly impressed by the videos and feel very inadequate when comparing my own work. I fully appreciate the value of sketching and all of the preparation that goes into a painting but we are constantly told that the sketchbook does not consist of carefully prepared drawings, it is spontaneous and more often than not contains work or sketches that may have a few glimmers of an idea. So why is there a great emphasis on how well the sketch has been composed within the the sketchbook? it isn’t that loose either!
please could you define the word ‘painterly’ for me.
Susanna, Texture, (not composition or colour). I think it is an attitude revealed in the actual paint, a personal handwriting if you like. No college-style – it has been used by individuals across the centuries.
I enjoyed the three video shows. I will remember the advice in the last one ‘believe in yourself, believe in the paints and work really hard’!
Dear Sally Lewis, what you are saying is, the painting style has to show a textural use of paint as opposed to a flat surface? In my understanding, there have been as many painters ‘over the centuries’ that have used such a style, (e.g. Velazquez comes to mind), as there have been other prominent painters that have produced a completely flat surface finish, most notably during the Renaissance period, such as Duerer, Massaccio, Fra Angelico, Rafael, Titian, Michaelangelo, Pierro della Francesca and many more. In more recent art history, Abstract Expressionism has favoured texture, where many other styles that have also made it into big international museums, such as Photorealism, Colour Field Painting, Op Art, Pop Art,or Minimalism feature mostly flat surfaces. Who is to say which style is ‘better’, a style producing texture, or a style producing a flat surface? Wouldn’t you agree that the issues involved are much more complex? And that such a comparison is unfair and if it was carried through would be largely a matter of personal taste? So far, your definition of the word ‘painterly’ and your argument for making this quality a crucial part of assessment have failed to convince me. Kind regards.
The videos are a very helpful insight into what assesors are looking for, and what we as students should strive for.
Wish I had a magic wand for the self belief part.
The videos are interesting as they show how we struggle to find ourselves in and through art and what to aim for. The concern I have is the use of sketchbooks in the assessment. If it works for you fine. However I like to select the paper and media to go with the subject, mull over it then come back to what caught my attention and create a picture developing it as I go. I fear I will be penalised for not having a proper sketchbook when I submit for assessment only various sketches/studies/scrawls on variuos pieces of paper. The one I chose to submit may be one that worked first time without lots of study as a consequence.
Hi everyone – It is so good to see students opening up a number of issues in response to comments made during the last assessment event, and it would be great if this could happen more often.
This is just the kind of discussion that goes on in art schools all around the country, and sharing opinions leads to new questions and ideas so please keep it up!
Re. the comments about ‘style’ and ‘looseness’; in terms of the OCA there is no right or wrong way to draw, paint or make art, and there is certainly no one style favoured over another. Remember that all of the tutors at the OCA are first and foremost artists, and we all earned our degrees from different institutions and work in very different ways. I have studied and worked in several art colleges and universities and have never yet come across a tutor who has pushed his/her personal style on students. Instead we merely try to encourage you to look at things from a different perspective so that you yourself can learn to work outside your comfort zone, and in so doing find new ways to make art.
During tutorials and assessments personal taste does not come into it, but recognition of quality and potential does, and this recognition comes with experience. By ‘quality’, I mean the touch of originality and confidence that emerges in a variety of ways – in a simple line drawing (Matisse or Grayson Perry), a thick materialist approach (Anselm Kiefer or Jenny Saville), a ‘flatter’ abstract format to create an impression of movement (Jeffrey Steele or Bridget Riley) or a dramatic scene that offers a story(Goya or Paul Rego).
Assessor Emma Drye’s analysis of three studies of the same scene begins to describe this. Each of the studies has a quality of its own; the first a simple but beautiful line drawing, the second a well-observed and atmospheric tonal study, and the third a colourful painterly scene. For me, the term ‘painterly’ means that the work has a quality most closely associated with paint(ing) in terms of colour, material and activity. At one time this might have alluded to the artists’ use of oils or watercolour – inherently gestural, fluid and richly coloured, but today artists have a huge range of materials and methods at their disposal (digital, print, collage etc.) that the purist might call ‘unpainterly’. Much of Robert Rauschenberg’s work might be described as painterly, while much of Patrick Caulfield’s work not so painterly. Neither one is better than the other – ‘painterly’ is not a judgemental term but a descriptive one, its meaning differing from work to work and person to person.
In a similar vein, we might say that some paintings have a ‘filmic’ quality, reminding us of films and film-making. You might like to look at images of Edward Hopper’s paintings and consider whether either or both of these terms might be used when discussing his work. (These are the kinds of questions that should be addressed in your learning log, in your practice and on the student forums)
To summarise, in today’s art world there is no fixed trend or style, and artists are free to work in any way they like. Likewise OCA students are free to try out different approaches in their coursework so long as they work through the exercises and projects in the correct order and back them up with relevant contextual and critical studies. For example, in your learning log (and in the notes that you send to your tutor with each assignment), reflect on your use of a particular method, technique, material etc., and then consider whether you have achieved the aims of the project. These explorations will help build your knowledge of where a particular style or idea comes from – who did it before? Why, where and how did that kind of work evolve? Who else worked in that way? Who can be said to re-examine this today? (etc. etc.). These questions will inevitably affect (and perhaps be answered through) your own practice. With this in mind, when we talk about ‘looseness’, this is not necessarily in relation to the way the paint or mark is applied (but it can be). For assessment, it is more about the student artist having the confidence to know when a piece is good enough to be considered a work of art in its own right. It is about loosening up and allowing yourself the freedom to say ‘this is enough, if I carry on I may ruin this image, it is good and I am going to leave it there’.
This ability does not come down to style but to a growing awareness of your abilities as an artist, and I think James’ quoting of Pissarro is a good one “… paint generously and unhesitatingly, for it is best not to lose the first impression”, but it cannot be denied that it takes time, practice and commitment to develop this kind of confidence, and for every ten pieces you produce, there may only be one that you consider ‘good’ enough.
Please keep up the good work – these discussions are a really good way to question what art is all about and leads to a richer experience for everyone.
What a great piece and a wonderful discussion – thank you all.
I found this discussion interesting and inspiring, and Linda’s detailed reply is particularly helpful.
Like Susanna, I have wondered how to define the term ‘painterly’. Reading that word immediately calls to my mind the work of the late John Lidzey, whose workshops I attended some 10 years ago. John would often use the term ‘Painterly’ while demonstrating watercolour techniques.
Perhaps it’s more helpful to watch someone working in a ‘painterly’ way than to try to put it into words. There’s a video of John demonstrating lighting effects here:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlqDhGyyKKM
I think John’s comment, that it’s better to produce an inspiring painting rather than one that’s accurate in every detail, is relevant to this discussion. Probably the most valuable tool we need to achieve this is that elusive thing called confidence, which (I hope) eventually comes with continuous practise and a willingness to take risks. I’m working on it!
Thanks so much for this discussion. At last I have heard people expressing some of my own doubts and questions. And hearing some helpful responses. My tutor is encouraging me to critique and compare my work and I have been floundering to know just how to do that. More help in this area would be appreciated.
With regard Dave Winnings comments on the nature of Sketchbooks, could I request that you review the painting course notes which include the statement
“Sketchbooks … shouldn’t be compiled by sticking in ‘good’ drawings”
Sorry, I have a self-imposed rule that says criticism of OCA should always be tempered with a constructive suggestion – which I omitted from the previous post – So how about;
“Sketchbooks can be hand made by binding drawings on loose paper, but Students should not get into the habit of merely compiling highly finished works together. Truly good drawings show the artists thought process”
Wish this video was still available …would be helpful for students now I should imagine..