Coming out of the Glade 8x10
Hello and welcome to Tonalist paintings by M Francis McCarthy.
Today's painting is 'Coming out of the Glade' 8x10.
Why should Tonalism be important to modern people? Many people are still not aware of this mode of painting, at least not in a conscious way. Most Americans have been exposed to quite a few Tonalist works, but a lot of what they've seen is just outside their normal field of awareness.
I ponder this question about Tonalism quite often. Unfortunately, I am not very well-qualified to answer it because Tonalism is very important to me, so it's difficult to verbalize a perspective that would not consider it at all.
I am confronted with ignorance of Tonalism on a regular basis at my studio at the Quarry Art Center in Whangarei, New Zealand. Most of the people that come into my studio are not familiar with Tonalism at all because it is not a mode of painting that was very popular here in New Zealand. That is not to say (by the way) that they do not appreciate my paintings, or do not remark favorably upon them and even purchase them on occasion .
I am considering writing a book about painting in the Tonalist style. Since I began contemplating this idea, I have been going through my personal library looking at various instructional books on painting that I have acquired over the years. One of my favorite early books on painting I purchased is called the Painterly Approach by Bob Rohm. This is an excellent book that I highly recommend to anybody interested in learning about painting .
In looking over the book recently, it occurred to me how many valuable lessons I received from Bob that inform my painting approach to this day. What is also obvious is that many modern painters like Bob are after a certain immediate quality in their work. Being a modern artist myself I can appreciate this. However a great deal of what defines my work as Tonalist is the extra stages that my paintings go through after that initial immediate color block in. Stages that take the work further from the standard (and currently popular) immediate approach
These extra stages include glazing, scumbling and dry brushing. All three of these techniques are solidly in the school of non direct painting. Those of you that have followed this blog for a while will have read at length about why I employ these techniques and what it is that I feel is valuable about them in relation to my work and, landscape painting in general.
Videotaping my painting process has given me ample opportunity to consider my painting approach as well as all the places that I could have stopped at and did not. For the most part, my initial color block in greatly resembles the work of painters like Bob Rohm. There was a time that I wanted to have my cake and eat it too, in that I would try to get a lot of that Tonalist quality across in my first color pass without any additional steps.
As a matter fact, sometimes that does occur. When it does happen it's because I have harmonized my initial palette so well that I've achieved a good tonal quality. To be honest though, these days I'm far more interested in how I can develop a painting using the aforementioned techniques of glazing, scumbling and dry brushing. If done well, these techniques can enhance my initial color block in without completely eliminating the freshness and immediacy of that first color pass.
I think that a lot of what creates a real Tonalist feeling in a painting is the approach to finishing the work.
Another aspect is the reference itself that I am using for the painting. In my case, my photographic reference has been enhanced and augmented extensively to help me achieve my Tonalist agenda thoroughly and definitely. I discussed the preparation of my reference somewhat on this blog, it is an aspect of my work that is absolutely crucial to getting the results that I aim for in my painting.
I'm not sure in this book that I am preparing how much of that preparatory work I will get into because it's a topic almost worthy of a book of its own.
Most of my reference preparation is done in the digital domain with Photoshop utilizing my 25 years of experience as a commercial artist working with digital tools and media. This is an entirely different mindset than many people interested in oil painting have, although I could be mistaken in that assumption.
If you'd like to weigh in with an opinion on this topic please contact me via email through my website.
Cheers,
M Francis McCarthy
Landscapepainter.co.nz
A bit about 'Coming out of the Glade'; I'm happy with this painting, the actual painting has a very nice quality to it that doesn't completely come through in this photograph. Although the photograph shows a good representation of the painting, there is a quality in the actual work that is subtle and nice.
One thing I like about this painting is its overall sepia quality. This is something that I like to play with once in awhile, just like I play with doing bluish nocturnes or golden sunsets where the landscape has been turned entirely orange.
To see more of my work, visit my site here
 |
| Coming out of the Glade by M Francis McCarthy, 8x10 Oil Painting on Wood Panel |
Why should Tonalism be important to modern people? Many people are still not aware of this mode of painting, at least not in a conscious way. Most Americans have been exposed to quite a few Tonalist works, but a lot of what they've seen is just outside their normal field of awareness.
I ponder this question about Tonalism quite often. Unfortunately, I am not very well-qualified to answer it because Tonalism is very important to me, so it's difficult to verbalize a perspective that would not consider it at all.
I am confronted with ignorance of Tonalism on a regular basis at my studio at the Quarry Art Center in Whangarei, New Zealand. Most of the people that come into my studio are not familiar with Tonalism at all because it is not a mode of painting that was very popular here in New Zealand. That is not to say (by the way) that they do not appreciate my paintings, or do not remark favorably upon them and even purchase them on occasion .
I am considering writing a book about painting in the Tonalist style. Since I began contemplating this idea, I have been going through my personal library looking at various instructional books on painting that I have acquired over the years. One of my favorite early books on painting I purchased is called the Painterly Approach by Bob Rohm. This is an excellent book that I highly recommend to anybody interested in learning about painting .
In looking over the book recently, it occurred to me how many valuable lessons I received from Bob that inform my painting approach to this day. What is also obvious is that many modern painters like Bob are after a certain immediate quality in their work. Being a modern artist myself I can appreciate this. However a great deal of what defines my work as Tonalist is the extra stages that my paintings go through after that initial immediate color block in. Stages that take the work further from the standard (and currently popular) immediate approach
These extra stages include glazing, scumbling and dry brushing. All three of these techniques are solidly in the school of non direct painting. Those of you that have followed this blog for a while will have read at length about why I employ these techniques and what it is that I feel is valuable about them in relation to my work and, landscape painting in general.
Videotaping my painting process has given me ample opportunity to consider my painting approach as well as all the places that I could have stopped at and did not. For the most part, my initial color block in greatly resembles the work of painters like Bob Rohm. There was a time that I wanted to have my cake and eat it too, in that I would try to get a lot of that Tonalist quality across in my first color pass without any additional steps.
As a matter fact, sometimes that does occur. When it does happen it's because I have harmonized my initial palette so well that I've achieved a good tonal quality. To be honest though, these days I'm far more interested in how I can develop a painting using the aforementioned techniques of glazing, scumbling and dry brushing. If done well, these techniques can enhance my initial color block in without completely eliminating the freshness and immediacy of that first color pass.
I think that a lot of what creates a real Tonalist feeling in a painting is the approach to finishing the work.
Another aspect is the reference itself that I am using for the painting. In my case, my photographic reference has been enhanced and augmented extensively to help me achieve my Tonalist agenda thoroughly and definitely. I discussed the preparation of my reference somewhat on this blog, it is an aspect of my work that is absolutely crucial to getting the results that I aim for in my painting.
I'm not sure in this book that I am preparing how much of that preparatory work I will get into because it's a topic almost worthy of a book of its own.
Most of my reference preparation is done in the digital domain with Photoshop utilizing my 25 years of experience as a commercial artist working with digital tools and media. This is an entirely different mindset than many people interested in oil painting have, although I could be mistaken in that assumption.
If you'd like to weigh in with an opinion on this topic please contact me via email through my website.
Cheers,
M Francis McCarthy
Landscapepainter.co.nz
A bit about 'Coming out of the Glade'; I'm happy with this painting, the actual painting has a very nice quality to it that doesn't completely come through in this photograph. Although the photograph shows a good representation of the painting, there is a quality in the actual work that is subtle and nice.
One thing I like about this painting is its overall sepia quality. This is something that I like to play with once in awhile, just like I play with doing bluish nocturnes or golden sunsets where the landscape has been turned entirely orange.
To see more of my work, visit my site here
 |
| Coming out of the Glade 8x10 (Detail) |