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(more images from workshop) |
October 23, 2005
PAH member Bridgette Adams Greb gave a demonstration workshop in October at Linekona Art Center. There, she expounded why she painted, why she painted what she painted and why she succeeded (most of the time) in creating such fantastic paintings. It’s the “WOW” factor — that thing that pulled her in and made her want to paint the subject in the first place. This “WOW” must be translated into the painting for without it, there is nothing to spark the viewer into saying just that … “Wow.”
Bridgette most often works from photographs she has taken and thumbnail sketches, where she has studied the composition, eliminating elements that distract, pushing back those that are merely supportive and bringing out the focal area with more contrast and color.
When starting a pastel painting, Bridgette first paints a watercolor underpainting on Wallis sanded paper, which she tapes to a piece of Gatorboard or Gatorfoam. After the paint dries, she layers in her darks near and around the main focal area. As she works, she is always conscious of the shadow areas that are formed by sunlight hitting the objects in her picture. She prefers to attack the focal area early in the painting process, getting that right first allows you to keep your enthusiasm such that the rest of the painting comes quickly and easily. Whereas, if you complete everything else first, before doing the main focal area, you might end up spending a lot more time getting it right. In other words, match the background to the focal area and not the focal area to the background. Do the important stuff first and the rest will come.
Thank you Bridgette for a most enjoyable and enlightening afternoon!
Written by Candace D. Fenander