Evening Path 12x12
Hello, and welcome to Tonalist painting with M Francis McCarthy.
Today's painting is 'Evening Path' 12x12.
Our video features the progression of this painting from its early underpainting stages on up through the final finishing brushwork. Also featured is my usual rambling narration, so please check it out.
Today I would like to talk about art school. A few days ago I was leafing through an art magazine that is popular out here in New Zealand called 'New Zealand Artist.' I noticed in the back that there was an article about a young lady who had decided to eschew art school and just begin her career as an artist.
I think this is a great move on her part. I personally did not go to art school though I know many who have. I guess before I go any further I should state that not all art schools are created equal, some are great, most are not. That said, permit me to continue speaking in broad generalities as is my way.
The primary issue that I have with art school, is the way that it can control and constrain the mind of the young artist. In most art schools there are both talented and untalented students. I feel many times that talented students get misdirected while those with little or no talent just learn how to talk in 'art speak' and imitate the work of others. Meanwhile, the art school is more than happy to collect the tuition of both talented and untalented artists and not only that, to happily give degrees to the untalented.
There is one aspect of art school that I think is very valuable and that is life drawing. However, you do not need to go to an art school to get into a life drawing class. If you research a bit you will probably be able to find some sort of life drawing going on in your area. Also, there are many resources for life drawing online these days, including YouTube and some dedicated sites.
There are times in art school where you will get an extraordinary teacher that is more interested in teaching artists how to develop their own abilities than in creating clones of themselves. More frequently, you will find a lot of people that received art degrees with little talent or ability that are now using those degrees to get jobs as art teachers.
If you getting the idea that I think art school is usually a scam you're not far from wrong. It is possible for a talented artist to get through art school and still be able to develop as an artist, but there is a greater reality play. That reality is that as an artist, you should be the one in charge of your education and progression. No one else is going to do the drawings or the paintings and regardless of how good the instructor might be if you do not do the work, you will not progress and all will be for naught.
By the way, this young lady I referred to is super talented and her work is actually better than a lot of artists I have seen that are much older. She's making a good move in my opinion because she knows what she wants to do and she's clearly able to drive her own artistic progression. I believe she will be very successful.
I have seen times where artists that had unique individual approaches went to art school and came out doing work that was pedestrian and generic. I've also seen times where artists who had talent and drawing ability were content to produce abstract garbage with contrived titles and the only good thing about their art was that it was satisfying their egos.
There is a great danger in doing art for the wrong reasons. That is going to be the topic of a future blog. Suffice to say for now that while there are some cases where art school can be beneficial to the young artists, there are many traps and pitfalls inherent in the modern way of teaching art. Ultimately, art school is never a substitute for just doing a lot of drawings and paintings.
M Francis McCarthy
Landscapepainter.co.nz
A bit about 'Evening Path 12x12; this is a painting I'm happy with and it is residing in my studio currently. While the painting is relatively simple, I believe the composition is quite effective and also a good twilight mood has been conveyed.
To see more of my work, visit my site here
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| 'Evening Path' by M Francis McCarthy, 12x12 Oil Painting on Wood Panel |
Our video features the progression of this painting from its early underpainting stages on up through the final finishing brushwork. Also featured is my usual rambling narration, so please check it out.
Today I would like to talk about art school. A few days ago I was leafing through an art magazine that is popular out here in New Zealand called 'New Zealand Artist.' I noticed in the back that there was an article about a young lady who had decided to eschew art school and just begin her career as an artist.
I think this is a great move on her part. I personally did not go to art school though I know many who have. I guess before I go any further I should state that not all art schools are created equal, some are great, most are not. That said, permit me to continue speaking in broad generalities as is my way.
The primary issue that I have with art school, is the way that it can control and constrain the mind of the young artist. In most art schools there are both talented and untalented students. I feel many times that talented students get misdirected while those with little or no talent just learn how to talk in 'art speak' and imitate the work of others. Meanwhile, the art school is more than happy to collect the tuition of both talented and untalented artists and not only that, to happily give degrees to the untalented.
There is one aspect of art school that I think is very valuable and that is life drawing. However, you do not need to go to an art school to get into a life drawing class. If you research a bit you will probably be able to find some sort of life drawing going on in your area. Also, there are many resources for life drawing online these days, including YouTube and some dedicated sites.
There are times in art school where you will get an extraordinary teacher that is more interested in teaching artists how to develop their own abilities than in creating clones of themselves. More frequently, you will find a lot of people that received art degrees with little talent or ability that are now using those degrees to get jobs as art teachers.
If you getting the idea that I think art school is usually a scam you're not far from wrong. It is possible for a talented artist to get through art school and still be able to develop as an artist, but there is a greater reality play. That reality is that as an artist, you should be the one in charge of your education and progression. No one else is going to do the drawings or the paintings and regardless of how good the instructor might be if you do not do the work, you will not progress and all will be for naught.
By the way, this young lady I referred to is super talented and her work is actually better than a lot of artists I have seen that are much older. She's making a good move in my opinion because she knows what she wants to do and she's clearly able to drive her own artistic progression. I believe she will be very successful.
I have seen times where artists that had unique individual approaches went to art school and came out doing work that was pedestrian and generic. I've also seen times where artists who had talent and drawing ability were content to produce abstract garbage with contrived titles and the only good thing about their art was that it was satisfying their egos.
There is a great danger in doing art for the wrong reasons. That is going to be the topic of a future blog. Suffice to say for now that while there are some cases where art school can be beneficial to the young artists, there are many traps and pitfalls inherent in the modern way of teaching art. Ultimately, art school is never a substitute for just doing a lot of drawings and paintings.
M Francis McCarthy
Landscapepainter.co.nz
A bit about 'Evening Path 12x12; this is a painting I'm happy with and it is residing in my studio currently. While the painting is relatively simple, I believe the composition is quite effective and also a good twilight mood has been conveyed.
To see more of my work, visit my site here
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| Evening Path 12x12 (Detail) |
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| Evening Path 12x12 (Detail 2) |