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Painting 'Mottled' Backgrounds...

		Creating interesting backgrounds in your paintings can add so much dimension. Painting with a 'wet into wet' technique is one that we can practice in order to perfect it.
		Mottled backgrounds add so much interest, dimension and movement to a composition.  They also offer important ways to repeat color, create soft texture, move the eye, describe light and as well create a non competitive support for the main elements of a painting.

Preparation...

1. Lay down an opaque layer first. This is a medium value base color. (your basic background hue)
2. Apply extender to the palette (so it is handy and within easy reach) and also to your surface.
3. Use a large filbert brush - stay away from flat brushes, the corners dig holes and make makes on the surface leaving unwanted lines.
4. Use a large mop brush to soften brush strokes.
5. Work in areas about the size of the palm of your hand or slightly larger until you become proficient at this.
6. Pick up adequate amounts of paint on the brush (we need paint to paint) not enough paint will give the surface a dry brush effect - not for this context.
7. Stand up (do not sit) to work over the surface - this gives you greater control over your work.
8. Move your arm from the shoulder all the way to the fingers - stay loose, moving the wrist in a 'criss cross' as you apply the paint and blend it out.
9. Work quickly.
10. Apply paint to the canvas, use pressure to deposit the color then reduce the pressure on the brush, as you do so, blend out the edges of the patch of paint and blend this into the background to soften. Move to another area.
11. Do not over blend - too much blending causes you to lose the value contrasts and you will end up with one value which results in mud and will look flat.
12. Try to avoid making a 'polka dot' effect - create random shapes and vary the size of each.
13. Lighten and darken the value of the paint as necessary, keeping the direction of the light source in mind as you do so.
14. Blend some of the colors from your main elements into the background to create harmony and balance.
15. After you have worked the whole canvas area, dry well, apply a coat of Glazing medium or Sealer.
16. Repeat again where needed paying VERY CLOSE ATTENTION to the value of your second layers. Never put light over dark or dark over light at this stage. It will make the background appear muddy, chalky or both.

Blending cool and warm hues create great interest for a background.

Note the way the colors blend together and the viewer can't tell where one starts and the other ends.

Create texture with brushstrokes or palette knife - using Traditions Texture Medium...

 'Impasto' is a traditional term used to describe a heavy or thick application of paint to achieve special brushstroke effects. Texture in art can be amazing and brushstrokes are even more fantastic! Especially for those artists who are curious and tempted to experiment with it. Always remember that brushstrokes are beautiful! Impasto style paintings can be a creative way to play and experiment with color as well as texture. It is also a way for those who wish to develop a 'looser or more painterly' style to shed their fear for a while.

Artists first began using this style of painting during the Renaissance and then later Baroque periods.  It was a way for them to use their 'brushstrokes' as a signature of sorts and many felt this was also an effective way to express and inject emotional meaning into their paintings. They often felt that the texture of the paint actually provided them with another way to make a visual statement. Famous artists like Titian, Rembrandt, and later Vincent Van Gogh used this style of application extensively.

In the past this was achieved with thicker paint application and has continued to be popular with artists still favoring this look today, however the difference is today we usually add a medium to add volume or bulk to accomplish this property.  Did you know that we can achieve this traditional texture when we use JansenArt Texture Medium added directly with the Traditions paint?  This heavy medium mixes easily with the pure pigments and offers great results .Traditions is a medium viscosity paint, so by adding the texture medium to it, we increase the viscosity and make the paint more dense or thicker.

Recently we have seen an increased interest in 'impasto style' painting from 'decorative art' students, who in the past often favored smooth texture-less surfaces!  It is exciting to realized that highly textural surfaces can easily be achieved with Traditions acrylic paints by simply combining them with the Traditions Texture Medium. 

Here's how you can do this...

• Mix the Texture Medium directly into a puddle of paint to a ratio of about (2 paint:1medium)  or less (medium) depending on the amount of texture I desire at the time. The exact ratio will vary depending on what I am painting. I do this on my wax palette and then transfer the now thicker paint to my wet palette for safekeeping. 
• As the paint dries it gets thicker and then the fun really begins.  Use the JansenArt filbert brushes for this as they have the extra body that is necessary for this type of application as well as a palette knife to create interesting effects. The 'loft' of the texture medium is excellent and you will be most impressed with the outcome after drying.
• For a 'looser style' if you are trying this for the first time, try holding the brush higher up on the handle, this forces you to relax your grip and with a relaxed wrist you are able to play with the paint and brush.

Texture when used with certain styles of painting adds three dimensional effects and can also be used as a tool to create added form especially in architectural buildings, landscapes and when used for specific background treatments. Try painting  oversized flowers, using the texture medium in a larger ratio necessary to create the flower petal's edges and details. They are  most effective on stretched canvas.

The medium itself does not affect the intensity or brilliance of the Traditions paint.  When completely dry in 12 -24 hrs, the colors are  only slightly more matte, however after the application of a barrier coat of Glazing medium the clarity and brilliance returns. Transparent pigments can be layered over some areas for additional interest at the final stage and the results are quite amazing!  Glaze and varnish with 2 coats as usual, remembering to heat set the varnish to cure it.  

We invite artists who have tried impasto styles to share their experiences and comments with us as we are sure others may be interested in experimenting with this versatile medium.

• If the work is an authentic original creation and painted by the artist himself/herself, and the signature of that painting is believed to be that of the artist himself/herself it is referred to as - The autograph. 
• If there is any doubt that the work was solely painted by the original artist alone, and that perhaps others worked on the piece as well, such as his/her assistants, the work could then be referred to as - Attributed to... 
• If there is even more doubt about which artist really worked on the work, attributed to changes to - Ascribed to...
• There have been paintings created by unknown assistants who worked under a Master Artist in his workshop or studio, perhaps while being directly supervised by the master himself, then the attribution may read as - Studio of... or workshop of...
• There have also been works created by unknown artists, where it is apparent the style or method perhaps was influenced by a particular artist, and the work was created in about the same time line or period, then the work is assigned the attribution of - Circle of... or Style of...
• There are also works that were created by unknown artists who also enjoyed the style or methods of a particular artist and they painted these paintings long after the period at a later date, these works are then assigned the attribution of - Follower of... or manner of... 
• Finally, copies of original works of known artists which have been painted at any time, generally are signed in such a way as to denote that it is not an original creation. Generally, the correct way to attribute the reproduced work is to sign it as - After... (the original artist name)

The following book was very helpful in explaining the technical terms used by art historians and museums.

Reference -   'Looking at Paintings' by Dawson W. Carr and Mark Leonard, ISBN - 0-89236-213-8 

A simple 'story of life' sparks an idea for a painting...

by Neadeen Masters, CDA

Soon to be interpreted in paint and forged to my canvas. Have you seen one of these today? I did... I'll share it with you. I woke early this morning and snuck out quietly onto my deck for an early morning cup of coffee. Sitting there, thinking I was alone with Max, our cocker spaniel, I was sipping and enjoying my brew and listening to the occasional bird. As I looked over my garden, still twinkling with the remainder of the morning dew - I caught movement in my neighbors yard.

The Gleaners
	A simple 'story of life' - sparks an idea for a new painting after the style of an old masterpiece as shown in this example.
French artist, Jean Francois Millet, The Gleaners

What a charming scene that was, like a page out of my big 'coffee table' art books! You see... my elderly neighbors are Russian, old world they are... still dressing in the traditional clothing of yesteryear.  As you can well imagine, the scene before me was a painting about to happen.

They have a huge vegetable garden, 40'x15' and they grow everything! There they were... toiling away before the heat of the day.  The morning light caught her back as she bent over quietly weeding between the beds, her husband standing close by with a hoe in his hand, he had stopped for a moment and was wiping his brow with a handkerchief. He wore dark clothing, she, her long skirt dragging behind her in the dirt and her head was wrapped in a scarf tied under her chin.

I sat there for a long time, eavesdropping on this picture perfect composition. I was thinking, 'this is a scene so typical of what the French artist, Jean Francois Millet painted'.  It reminded me of two of his paintings, The Angelus and The Gleaners both wrapped together. Not wanting to move, I studied the colors of the light, the way it played through the dust they disturbed as they moved about the garden. The 'toner' was Raw Umber with a little Raw Sienna - there was a greenish gold undertone about the whole scene.

I knew the batteries in my camera were dead, so I 'took in' as many of the details as I could - another 'story of life'  right there in my back yard! What a way to start my day!