Good Reading Material

I've been trying to catch up on the stack of magazines in the studio corner. I don't subscribe to that many - Art Calendar, the Artists' Magazine, and American Art Collector - but when time is at a minimum, reading is the first thing that goes. And I've got a small mountain of issues stretching back to the summer months.

I'm newly enamored of Jeremy Lipking and Casey Baugh - Google their names - you will see extraordinary paintings. While I don't necessarily connect with their subject matter, there is no denying their mastertise (is that a word?). Their understanding of light, their manipulation of it as though it is a vase or ghourd or something solid, is extraordinary. And their use of edges - soft, hard, and lost - blows me away.

Ultimately, the one lesson that I walk away with when studying the work of these two is sweat equity. Both artists committed to their vision and worked towards it, despite the odds. That could have meant working two dead-end jobs and painting after hours, or relying on a spouse to hold the family together, or moving 1/2 way across the country to study/paint alongside a mentor. Whatever it meant, they did it, while staying true to that inner voice.

I have a wealth of respect for that.

Thanks for following along,
Kim
ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

PS The other thing they both had in common: Richard Schmid. Both (and others) have said that his book "Alla Prima" contains everything they ever needed to learn about painting. It's worth a peek or two - my copy is dogeared. Not that this makes me a better painter, just a disciple. Go to www.righardschmid.com to get your own copy. I recommend his dvds too - they are brilliant!