( 그림공부 ) 모든 것을 지배하는 하나의 규칙 !!

John Huges 라는 야외사생 화가가 쓴 유익한 글이 있어 옮긴다.

(번역은 의례 그렇듯이 구글 번역, 원문은 맨 뒤에 )

 

 

John Hughes, "View from the Flats," oil, 24 x 30 inches

 

더 나은 화가가 되려는 당신의 탐구를 가로막는 것은 무엇인가?
아마도 수년 전 야심찬 예술가로서의 나의 발전을 방해했던 것과 같은 것이고,

많은 미술 학생들을 가로막는 것과 같은 것일 것이다. 바로 그림 그리는 과정에 대한 선입견이다.
짧은 답변이었다. 이제 긴 답변을 하겠다. 나는 그 질문에 대한 답을 우회적으로 시도할 것이지만,

독자와 공감할 수 있기를 바란다.
학습에는 끝이 없으며, 그것을 더 많이 깨달을수록 나는 더 행복해진다!

무디 블루스의 오래된 노래에서 인용한 것처럼 "결코 끝에 도달하지 않는 것"은

매우 만족스러운 일이다. 끝에 도달한다는 것은 지루함을 의미하며,

그 생각은 우리 모두를 잠시 멈추게 할 것이다!
내가 구체적으로 언급하는 것은 풍경화 분야에서 개인적인 지식에 대한 탐구이다.

그와 함께, 내가 발전함에 따라, 나는 주변의 더 큰 그림 그리는 커뮤니티와

그 정보를 공유하고 싶어한다. 저는 35년 이상 예술가로서 제가 이룬 진전을 보는 것이 흥미롭습니다.

선입견에 대해서요...

이것은 그림 그리는 과정이 무엇인지, 그리고 무엇이 아닌지에 대한 이해의 진전입니다. 

제 요점을 설명하기 위해 너무 힘들지 않게 어느 정도 제 발자취를 되짚어 보겠습니다. 

여러분도 이런 특성을 스스로 알아볼 수 있는지 살펴보세요!

 

John Hughes, “Field Study,” oil, 14 x 11 inches

 

제가 어렸을 때, 제가 스스로 세운 목표는 "그림"을 더 잘 그리는 것이었습니다. 

많은 초보자가 그렇듯이, 목표는 항상 "그림이나 아름다운 장면"이었습니다. 

저는 특정 예술가와 그림 스타일을 좋아했고, 작품의 전반적인(그리고 가장 중요한!) 

디자인을 희생하고 표면 개선에 많은 중점을 두었습니다.

그 이유는 간단합니다. 저는 관점이 부족했고 페인트 품질과 화려한 모서리와 같은 것들이 

제 모든 예술적 문제를 해결할 것이라고 생각했기 때문에 표면 속임수에 너무 집중했습니다. 

이것이 실패하면 보통 더 강렬한 색상이나 강렬한 값으로 후퇴했습니다. 

그림의 실제 문제를 가리는 것이었습니다. 이것은 진실을 의도적으로 회피한 것이 아니라, 

짚을 움켜쥐고 무지에 빠져 익사하는 곤경에 처한 예술가의 마지막 헛된 투쟁이었습니다. 

이런 일이 있었나요? 계속 읽어보세요, 
몇 년 전, 저는 대학 미술 수업과 워크숍을 더 정기적으로 가르치기 시작했습니다. 

잘 가르치려면 잘 이해하고 효과적으로 소통할 수 있어야 했습니다. 

이를 통해 저는 주제에 대한 생각을 더 명확하게 정리하고, 더 중요한 것은 질문을 던지고 

답을 찾을 수 있도록 그림 그리는 과정에 대한 글을 쓰는 길로 들어섰습니다!
이를 통해 저는 수업과 Scottsdale Artists’ School과 같은 장소와 여러 국가 및 

국제 미술 출판물에서 더 많은 청중과 공유한 많은 "방법" 논문을 만들었습니다. 

이 글은 점점 더 많은 질문과 답을 불러일으켰습니다.
그래서 저는 풍경화 분야를 더 높은 수준으로 끌어올리기 위해 이 글을 공유합니다. 

제 작품뿐만 아니라 이 분야에서 지식을 갈구하는 예술가 집단과 함께 말입니다.

진지하게, 저는 이기적으로 말하는 것이 아니라, 몇 년 전에 저와 같은 사람이 있었으면 

좋았을 텐데요. 제가 오늘날 접근하는 방식보다 그림에 대한 낭만적인 생각에 

더 영향을 받은 흐린 렌즈를 통해 그림의 세계를 보았던 시절에 저를 바로잡아 주었을 사람! 

이것은 좌절, 오랜 연습, 그리고 지금 결실을 맺고 있는 헌신에서 태어난 지식이지만, 

세상에, 정말 힘든 길이었습니다!

하지만 다소 슬픈 사실은, 만약 제가 어떻게든 시간을 되돌릴 수 있었다면, 

저는 더 나이 많고 더 현명한 저를 믿었을까요? 아마도 더 나이 많은 저는 어린 저에게 

훈계를 내렸을 겁니다. 마치 걱정하는 부모가 사춘기 청소년에게 옳은 일을 하라고 

설교하는 것과 비슷한 방식으로요! 길을 분명히 보고, 그 모든 함정을 헤치고, 

그 길을 따라 수많은 실수가 가득한 긴 여정의 렌즈를 통해 보는 부모처럼요.

사실, 저는 제 여정에 대해 전혀 후회하지 않으며, 힘들게 얻은 모든 예술적 잡다한 

것들이 그만한 가치가 있다는 것을 깨달았습니다. 또한, 저는 이러한 지식의 보석을 

사탕처럼 나눠주는 것이 어떤 면에서는 아직 진로를 바꿀 준비가 되지 않은 다른 사람들의 

마음속에서 그 지식에 대한 인식을 싸게 만들 수 있다는 것을 이해합니다. 

그래서 이러한 학습은 대부분 아니더라도 가장 많은 혜택을 받을 수 있는 사람들에게 거부되는 경우가 많습니다!

John Hughes, “Rocks Along the Provo River,” acrylic, 5 x 23 inches

 

저는 부정적인 의미로 "거부"를 의미하는 것이 아닙니다. 오히려 간과된 것입니다. 

학생이 진도의 특정 단계에서 잘못된 곳에서 답을 찾고 있기 때문입니다. 

저는 몇 년 전의 저였습니다! 이제 저는 후방 거울에 몇 마일을 보았으므로, 

제 희망은 계속 나아갈 준비가 되어 있고 예술적 범위에서 진정으로 삶을 바꿀 수 

있는 새로운 아이디어를 파악하는 데 필요한 참조 프레임을 습득한 다른 몇 명을 찾는 것입니다.

제가 전달하고 싶은 한 가지 아이디어는 이것입니다. 유능한 풍경화는 하나의 우선적인 

개념으로 시작하고 끝납니다. 빛과 디자인을 이해하는 것입니다. 저는 이 주제에 대한 

전체 시리즈의 기사를 바쳤으며, 여기에는 제가 "화가의 표현 도구 상자"라고 부르는 

다섯 가지 필수 개념이 포함됩니다. 개요는 다음과 같습니다.

그림과 창의성
색상과 좋은 하모니를 혼합하는 방법
명암을 염두에 두고 그림 디자인하기
가장자리 제어 및
"브러시워크"

이(학습 포인트 목록)는 어려움을 겪는 학생에게 무엇을 공부해야 하는지 보여줍니다.
그리고 질문을 통해 결론은 다음과 같습니다.

 

그림에서 빛과 디자인의 목적은 무엇인가?
(그림을 그리는 학생, 아마도 젊은 나!)과의 대화
선생님: 이 질문에 답하기 위해, 첫 번째 질문을 명확히 하기 위해 다른 질문을 하나

더 해보겠습니다. 자연의 모든 장면이 그림에 합당한가? 만약 당신의 답이 '아니오'라면, 정답입니다.
학생: 왜 그럴까요?
선생님: 좋습니다. 더 탐구해 보겠습니다. 다시 말해, 전문 사진작가는 단순한 스냅샷과

좋은 사진 사이에 차이가 있다고 말할 수도 있습니다.

 

학생: 왜 그럴까요?
선생님: 글쎄요, 첫 번째 질문의 핵심에 다다랐고, 답은 모든 장면이 흥미로운

            주제를 가지고 있는 것은 아니기 때문입니다!
학생: 그럼 어떤 예술가들은 매우 평범한 주제를 그려서 아름답게 보이게 할 수 있을까요?
선생님: 물론, 맞는 말씀입니다. 사실상 모든 주제가 적절한 조명에서 매력적이고

           유리한 각도에서 볼 수 있습니다.
학생: 이제 어딘가에 다다랐네요! 그렇다면 그리기에 적합한 풍경에서 아름다움을

        창조하는 것은 무엇일까요?
선생님: 답은 빛의 원리에 대한 이해를 기반으로 한 좋은 잠재적 디자인입니다.

         보시다시피, 이 두 가지, 오직 이 두 가지만이 어떤 주제이든 좋은 그림을 만듭니다.
학생: 정말요? 그럼 좋은 그림, 색상, 가치, 모서리, 붓질은 어떨까요?

        저는 그것이 좋은 그림의 결정 요인이라고 생각했습니다.
선생님: 아니요, 당신은 배운 것을 이해하지 못했습니다. 네, 그것들은 중요합니다.

        그리고 제가 분명히 말씀드리자면, 그것들은 매우 중요합니다.

        하지만 그것들은 목적을 위한 수단일 뿐, 그 자체로 목적이 아닙니다.

그림을 만드는 데 매우 중요하지만, 그것들은 빛과 디자인의 원리에서 독립되어 있지 않습니다. 

이것이 학생들이 비평 세션에서 왜 값이 틀렸는지, 색상이 작동하지 않는지에 

대해 많은 혼란을 겪는 이유 중 하나입니다. 빛과 디자인에서 나오는 이해가 없다면, 

화가의 도구 상자에 아무리 많은 기술이 있어도 유능한 그림을 만들 수 없습니다. 정말 간단합니다!

학생: 알겠습니다. 이제 이해하기 시작한 것 같습니다. 계속하세요.
교사: 맞습니다. 우선 디자인의 목적에 대해 말씀드리겠습니다.
      표면 이미지를 뒷받침하는 추상적인 토대를 만드는 것입니다.
(언더페인팅이 아니라 언더피닝이라고 말한 것을 주목하세요. 추상적인 언더피닝은 

캔버스에서 주제를 하나로 묶는 기본 구성과 디자인입니다. 언더페인팅은 여기에 

포함되어야 하지만, 단순히 그림 표면 아래에 있는 것을 초월하는 개념입니다.)

디자인은 그림의 주제나 장면을 예술적인 방식으로 표현하는 방법입니다. 

자연을 모방하는 것이 아니라 예술적으로 해석하는 것입니다!
디자인은 눈을 사로잡고 가능한 한 오랫동안 사로잡도록 하는 것입니다.
학생: 어떻게 이것을 달성할 수 있을까요?
교사:
1. 빛의 원리를 고수함으로써.
장면을 표현하는 그림의 패턴을 만들지만, 더 중요한 것은 장면을 장식하고

그림을 통해 눈을 즐거운 여정으로 이끕니다.
눈을 자극하고 현실을 설득력 있게 표현하며 동시에 그림에서 편안한 공간을 제공하는 

흥미로운 대비를 만드는 그림, 색상 및 값을 사용하여 대비에 대한 대조를 이룹니다.
효과적인 모서리와 붓질을 사용하여 디자인과 빛의 느낌을 강화합니다.
따라서 다음에 비평을 받을 때 값이 틀렸다고, 색상이 작동하지 않는다, 

그림이 올바르지 않다, 모서리 제어에 문제가 있다, 붓질에 다양성이 부족하다고 말하는 

이유를 확신할 수 없다면 그 이유는 항상 두 가지로 돌아갈 것이라는 것을 알아두세요.

학생: 빛과 디자인!
교사: 알겠습니다! 의심스러울 때는 이해의 근원으로 돌아가세요. 그 근원은 자연입니다.

빛을 이해하는 것은 자연의 기능입니다. 디자인을 이해하는 것은 자연의 기능이며,

예술적 선택과 결합됩니다. 이 두 가지 요소가 결합되면 유능한 그림이 탄생합니다!

빛은 근원에서 배우고, 세대를 거쳐 전해지고 자신의 타고난 예술적 충동이 스며든

시대를 초월한 원칙에서 디자인을 배우세요!

다음 시간까지, 건배하고 그림 그리기를 즐기세요!

========================

John Huges 의 그림 몇 장 더.........

 

What’s Holding You Back in your Quest to Become a Better Painter?

 

Probably the same thing that challenged my progress as an aspiring artist many years ago, and the same thing that holds a lot of art students back: preconceived notions about the painting process. 

 

That was the short answer. Now for the long answer. I am going to attempt to tackle that question in a circuitous route, but one that hopefully will connect with the reader.

 

There is no end to learning, and the more I realize that, the happier I am! There is something very satisfying about “never reaching the end,” to quote an old Moody Blues song. Reaching the end would mean boredom, and the thought of that should give us all pause!

 

What I am referring to specifically is my quest for personal knowledge in the field of landscape painting. Along with that, as I progress, I have a desire to share that information with the larger painting community around me. It’s interesting to me to see the progress I have made as an artist over the span of more than 35 years. 

 

About those preconceived notions…

 

This is progress in understanding what the painting process is all about — and what it is not about. Let me retrace my steps to a certain extent, without getting too labored, to make my point. See if you recognize any of these traits in yourself!

 

When I was younger, the goal that I set for myself was to become a better painter of “pictures.” As it is for many beginners, the goal was always the “picture, or beautiful scene.” I was enamored with certain artists and styles of painting and placed a lot of emphasis on surface enhancements, at the expense of the overall (and all-important!-ed.) design of the piece.

 

The reason for this was simple: I lacked perspective and thought that things like paint quality and fancy edges would solve all my artistic problems, and therefore concentrated too much on surface gimmickry. When this failed, a retreat to more punched-up colors would usually follow, or punched-up values — anything to mask the real problems with the painting. This wasn’t a purposeful evasion of the truth, but the last futile struggles of an artist in trouble, who was grasping at straws and drowning in ignorance. Ever been there? Read on, my friend!

 

Some years ago I began teaching college art classes and workshops on a more regular basis. In order to teach well, I had to understand well and be able to communicate effectively. This started me on the road to writing about the painting process in order to more clearly catalog my thoughts on the subject, and, more importantly, to keep me asking questions and finding the answers!

 

This in turn led to many “how to” papers that I shared with my classes and eventually with larger audiences at venues like the Scottsdale Artists’ School and in several national and international art publications. This writing sparked more and more questions, and more and more answers.

 

So I share this in order to bring the discipline of landscape painting to higher levels, not only in my own work, but with the collective body of artists out there, who also thirst for knowledge in this field of endeavor.

 

Seriously, I’m not saying this in an egotistical way, but I wish I had someone like myself all those years ago. Someone who would have set me straight in the days when I saw the world of painting through clouded lenses that were more influenced by the romantic idea of painting than how I approach it today! This is knowledge born of frustration, long hours of practice and dedication that is now paying off, but holy cow, what a road it’s been!

 

On a rather sad note, though, if I were somehow able to go back in time, would I have believed the older, wiser me? I suppose the older me would have admonished the younger me, in much the same way a concerned parent lectures an adolescent teen to do the right thing! Like the parent who sees the road clearly, with all of its pitfalls, through the lens of a long journey fraught with numerous mistakes along the way.

 

Truthfully, I have no regrets about my own journey and realize every hard-won artistic tidbit was worth the effort. I also understand that passing these gems of knowledge out like candy may, in some ways, cheapen the perception of them in the minds of others who are not yet prepared make a course change. Thus it is that this learning is often, if not mostly, rejected by those who would benefit the most!

 

I don’t mean “rejected” in a negative way —more overlooked, because the student is searching for answers in all the wrong places at a certain stage of their progress. That was me years ago! Now that I have some miles in the rear-view mirror, my hope is to find a few others who are ready to move on and have acquired the frame of reference necessary to grasp new ideas that are truly life-changing in their artistic scope.

 

One idea that I would like to pass along is this: Competent landscape paintings begin and end with one overriding concept; understanding light and design. I’ve devoted whole series of articles to this subject, including five essential concepts I called the “Painter’s Tool Box of Expression.” In outline, they are: 

1. Drawing and Creativity 
2. How to Mix Color and Good Harmonies
3. Designing Your Paintings With Values in Mind
4. Edge Control, and 
5. “Brushwork” 

What this (list of learning points) does is show the struggling student what to study.

 

And What It Comes Down To, via A Question: 

 

What Is the Purpose of Light and Design in Painting? 

 

(A conversation with a painting student, possibly the younger me!)

 

Teacher: To answer this question, let me ask another one in order to clarify the first. Is every scene in nature worthy of a painting? If your response is no, you are correct.

 

Student: Why not?

 

Teacher: OK, let’s explore further. Put another way, a professional photographer might tell you that there is a difference between a mere snapshot and a good photograph.

 

Student: Why is that?

 

Teacher: Well, that gets to the very heart of the first question, and the answer is: because not all scenes have interesting subject matter!

 

Student: Then how come some artists can paint some very mundane subjects and make them look beautiful?

 

Teacher: Sure, you are right about that. Practically any subject can be compelling in the right light and viewed from an advantageous angle.

 

Student: Now we are getting somewhere! What is it, then, that creates beauty in a landscape that is suitable to paint?

 

Teacher: The answer is good potential design based on an understanding of the principles of light. You see, it’s these two things, and these two things only, that make for a good painting, whatever your subject. 

 

Student: Really? Then what about good drawing, color, values, edges, and brushwork? I thought those were the deciding factors in a good painting.

 

Teacher: No, you haven’t understood what you have been taught. Yes, those things are important — and let me be clear, they are vitally important. But they are only a means to an end, not an end in themselves. 

Although vitally important in the creation of a painting, they do not stand independent from the principles of light and design. This is one reason for much confusion on the part of students in a critique session as to why their values are off, or their colors aren’t working. Without the understanding that comes from light and design, no amount of skill in the painter’s toolbox will create a competent painting. It’s really that simple!

 

Student: OK, I think I am beginning to understand, go on.

 

Teacher: Right, that gets us to the purpose of design, in the first place:

1. To create an abstract underpinning to support the surface image.

(Notice I didn’t say an underpainting, but an underpinning. The abstract underpinning is the basic composition and design that holds the subject together on the canvas. The underpainting should be part of this, but it is a concept that transcends what merely lies below a painting’s surface.)

1. Design is a way to represent the subject of the painting, or scene, in an artistic manner. You are not copying nature, but artistically interpreting it!
2. Design is meant to engage the eye and keep it engaged for as long as possible.

Student: How is this accomplished?

 

Teacher:

1.By adherence to the principles of light.

1. By creating patterns in the painting that represent the scene but, more importantly, embellish the scene and lead the eye through the picture on a pleasant journey.
2. Through the use of drawing, colors, and values that create interesting contrasts that excite the eye, represent reality convincingly, and at the same time provide restful areas in the painting, as a counterpoint to the contrasts.
3. By using effective edges and brushwork that enhance the design and feeling of light.

So the next time you are in a critique and are unsure why you are being told that your values are off, the color is not working, the drawing isn’t right, there is a problem with edge control, or the brushwork lacks variety, just know that the reason will always go back to two things.

 

Student: Light and design!

 

Teacher: Got it! Remember, when in doubt, go back to the source for understanding. That source is nature. Understanding light is a function of nature. Understanding design is a function of nature, coupled with artistic selection. When these two elements are combined, competent paintings result! Learn light from the source, and design from timeless principles that are being passed down from generation to generation and imbued with your own innate artistic impulses! 

 

Until next time, cheers and happy painting!