AcrylicWorks 5: Bold Values (Acrylicworks: the Best of Acrylic Painting, 5) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1440352399 ISBN 13: 9781440352393

Publisher: North Light Books, 2018

Synopsis

The unparalleled competition showcase for outstanding acrylic artists!

There's an old saying among artists that "value does all the work, while color gets all the credit." AcrylicWorks 5 gives value its due, showing how--in the hands of today's top artists--it brings drama to everyday subjects, conveys emotion and commands the eye.

The 5th competition book in the AcrylicWorks series, this volume delivers another bold and breathtaking show of the best in contemporary acrylic painting, selected from an international call for entries. A rousing blend of instruction and inspiration, these pages feature:

• 127 stunning acrylic and mixed-media paintings by 100+ accomplished artists
• Fascinating insights from the artists themselves, revealing the hows and whys behind each piece
• Focus on the power of value--creative solutions, effective approaches and bold techniques
• A rich variety of subjects--from still life and abstracts to people, animals and landscapes--portrayed in an equally glorious range of styles

A treat for artists and art lovers alike, AcrylicWorks 5 invites you to study these modern-day masterpieces, analyze them...or simply sit back and wonder at their incredible skill and artistry.

About this title

About the Author

Jamie Markle is a publishing and marketing consultant as well as a fine artist. As Vice President and Group Publisher at F+W Media for ten years, he was responsible for the creative and financial health of the art group, overseeing books, magazines, videos, online courses and digital content.

Jamie has worked with numerous editorial teams to inspire and instruct readers through the following magazines: The Artist's Magazine, Acrylic Artist, Cloth Paper Scissors, Pastel Journal, Drawing, Southwest Art, The Collector's Guide to New Mexico and Watercolor Artist. He also oversaw the content direction for North Light and IMPACT Books as well as videos and online content produced by Artists Network.

Jamie holds a degree in fine art from Xavier University, where he studied painting and drawing. He has worked in a variety of media over the years including acrylic, oil, pastel and watercolor.

From the Back Cover

The unparalleled competition showcase for outstanding acrylic artists!

There's an old saying among artists that "value does all the work, while color gets all the credit." AcrylicWorks 5 gives value its due, showing how--in the hands of today's top artists--it brings drama to everyday subjects, conveys emotion and commands the eye.

The 5th competition book in the AcrylicWorks series, this volume delivers another bold and breathtaking show of the best in contemporary acrylic painting, selected from an international call for entries. A rousing blend of instruction and inspiration, these pages feature:

• 127 stunning acrylic and mixed-media paintings by 100+ accomplished artists
• Fascinating insights from the artists themselves, revealing the hows and whys behind each piece
• Focus on the power of value--creative solutions, effective approaches and bold techniques
• A rich variety of subjects--from still life and abstracts to people, animals and landscapes--portrayed in an equally glorious range of styles

A treat for artists and art lovers alike, AcrylicWorks 5 invites you to study these modern-day masterpieces, analyze them...or simply sit back and wonder at their incredible skill and artistry.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Acrylicworks5

The Best of Acrylic Painting

By Jamie Markle

F+W Media, Inc.

Copyright © 2018 F+W Media, Inc.
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4403-5239-3

Contents

Introduction, 4, 
1. Landscapes & Scenes, 6, 
2. Portraits & People, 34, 
3. Still Lifes & More, 64, 
4. Abstractions, 96, 
5. Animals, 112, 
Contributors, 138, 
Index, 142, 
About the Editor, 143, 

CHAPTER 1

Landscapes & Scenes

* NASSAU STREET Catherine McMillan Acrylic on canvas 34" × 70" (86cm × 178cm)

Nassau Street is a realistic painting of a well-loved area in Toronto, Canada. The contrast between a white overcast sky with bolder values throughout the piece is intended to contribute to the mood, which is one of desertion and neglect. Created from airbrushed fluid acrylics using hand-drawn, hand-cut stencils based on a photograph, this medium is integral in representing factual values by permitting overlap of several layers of varying transparency. In addition to revealing more and more the closer it is viewed, Nassau Street features a full range of values, intuitively developed based on the relationships between the subjects, namely the order in which they appear and the degree to which they overlap. Value is not only used to exaggerate depth, but also to depict the passage of time. Older items on the wall are muted, and newer, more intrusive or repetitive items on the wall are bolder.

* KEEP MOVING FORWARD Darien Bogart Acrylic on canvas 36" × 36" (91cm × 91cm)

I am extremely blessed to live in an area where walking out the front door takes me to an abundance of natural wonders. Not far from my home is one of my favorite trails; it meanders up and down hills lined with stone cliffs of various shapes and sizes. Depending on which way I turn, it can become a high mesa tour or hot desert trek. Communing with nature in the noonday sun quickly turns into finding the fastest way to a cool shady oasis.

Communicating those values of a bright noonday sun is as challenging as the experience of hiking it. Applying the tools of contrast, shape and texture allows me to express the integrity and rugged beauty of this space. Keep Moving Forward not only becomes a mantra for navigating the outdoors but also my artistic journey.

* SONOMA COAST BLOOM Scott Anthony Acrylic on canvas 16" × 20" (41cm × 51

California coastal fields and headlands with their wonderful varied colors and erosion-carved shapes are one of my favorite painting subjects. Like Tomales Barn (page 19), this painting uses backlighting to emphasize value contrasts, but in addition depicts distance with misty, blue, lighter values. The large expanse of delicate violet flowers (I think they are wild radish) contrasts with the darker clumps of brush and the angular rugged headland cliffs.

Another feature that draws me to these scenes is the smell — there is a particular resinous, earthy aroma in the afternoon after any morning fog has cleared and the sun has heated up the ground that evokes some indescribable emotional memory in me. That is one of the things I was trying to convey here.

* SACRAMENTO RIVER #3 Timothy Mulligan Acrylic on canvas 20" × 24" (51cm × 61cm)

When I find an interesting location, I reimagine it with bolder colors and simpler shapes while trying to maintain the values. By blending the right colors, I create the sensation of the actual scene while making the water, trees and even hillside glow with intense color. I usually alter my color palette slightly depending on the subject. Within my paintings, I've tried to incorporate how the eye perceives color from an object and how other colors might be perceived between objects. Knowing that light contains all of the colors of a prism and that the eye sees only the color not absorbed by an object, it only makes sense that what I'm looking at might be more colorful than what one might expect. Or that the eye can be trained to perceive more colors. Shadows are excellent examples of where subtle yet complex color structures can be found. Using these principles, I often include colorful lines to help separate objects within a painting and help portray depth in a painting. If you look carefully at an object for long enough, you can see lines along the form's edge; I interpret these colors.

Using sketches and photographs, I developed the composition and ideas for my painting's color scheme. I paint in an expressive style mostly using palette knives. This allows me to work the canvas quickly, to experiment and make adjustments. By altering the thickness of the paint, I created linear movement and strengthened the composition. My work doesn't try to replicate a photographic image, but offers a new and personal vision of the scene.

* TETON SUNSET Edward DuRose Acrylic on canvas 30" × 30" (76cm × 76cm)

In Teton Sunset, I wanted the mountains to form a solid base for the painting, almost a flat geometric shape. The low horizon line and the dark value helps to accomplish this. The light passing through the trees helps to create that wonderful lighting of the last few minutes of daylight as the sun sets over the mountains. The view is from Schwabacher's Landing just off the highway in Grand Teton National Park; it is a well-known spot but very peaceful and a great place to watch wildlife. With the backlighting of the sun setting behind the cottonwood trees they become luminous and a great complement to the deep blues of the mountain and its reflection. I wanted the trees to dominate the painting even though the mountains take up a large portion of the piece.

* SPEAKING SOFTLY Ober-Rae Starr Livingstone Acrylic on canvas 30" × 40" (76cm × 102cm)

I start a painting by placing the dark values and light values on the canvas. Then I add color detail into these areas of dark and light along with some midvalues. I keep the colors within the areas of dark and light at much the same value so that the detail does not detract from the overall value composition. Because I like paintings with impact, the strong value contrasts of the dark land masses juxtaposed to the light reflecting off water during the hours of a sunset appeal to me. The contrast between dark and light values and the way they are orchestrated in a painting also help to hold a painting together and to lead the eye through a painting.

I use Golden OPEN and heavy body acrylics, and find the use of acrylics in this type of painting invaluable. They allow me to capture strong colors in the reflections in the water due to their quick drying time, permitting me to add layers of color and make value adjustments in short order.

* SUNRISE, COLES BEACH TASMANIA Wayne Edwards Acrylic on canvas 30" × 40" (76cm × 102cm)

From the onset of this work, value was to play a critical role. At first glance, we see a bold and dramatic coastline with a few devices to grab our attention such as the rising sea mist, crashing waves and the use of spot color. Yet when we take a closer look it is the interplay of values that allows the painting to work. The sky is graduated from left to right and not the usual from top to horizon. Furthermore, extremely dark and light values are found throughout the work with midtones nestled around them creating a balanced and harmonious scene.

* CROSSING THE BITTERROOT Edward DuRose Acrylic on canvas 24" × 30" (61cm × 76cm)

In Crossing the Bitterroot, I wanted the dark and light values to create the effect of a tunnel that the riders were entering as they passed through the scene. I liked the idea of them crossing through an area of intense light in the shaded foreground. I wanted the trees to form a flat backdrop to the higher-key warm colored trees and the cool mountains in the background. I initially apply the paint in thin washes until the basic forms are blocked in; I then apply thicker layers dark to light until the highlights are the heaviest paint application.

* HARBOR ALLIANCE Jerry Smith Acrylic on museum board 20" × 30" (51cm × 76cm)

I consider my acrylic paintings to be impressionistic and somewhat experimental landscapes. I usually design my paintings from a series of photos and thumbnail-sketch value plans. Establishing a value plan in advance seems to free up my actual painting process, enabling me to be very loose and experimental in the actual execution. Although I like to use various tools, textures and detailing marks, I have found that no amount of detail can overcome a weak value plan. I then select a complementary color plan that will support the mood I hope to achieve. I start with large shapes, work in layers and add textures and details as I proceed. In addition to regular acrylic brushes, I frequently use various scraping tools, stamping objects, cardboard, a Ritmo charcoal pencil and rigger brushes for linework.

* LAS VENTANAS DE SAN MIGUEL #2 Robert Merrill Sweeny Acrylic with pencil on wooden cradle box 16" × 16" (41cm × 41cm)

Las Ventanas de San Miguel is part of an ongoing series of works based on photographs of the wonderful windows of my adopted city. San Miguel is a city of vivid color, deep blue skies and golden sun. Because of this intensity the shadows here seem to have a life of their own. This image spoke to me specifically because of the magnificent shadow cast by a simple wall embellishment, creating an almost Zen-like sense of beauty — an elegant, practically monochromatic vision. The primary medium is acrylic with the addition of pencil and colored pencil. It is painted on a wooden cradle box and includes a white border, the box being 24" × 24" (61cm × 61cm) with a 16" × 16" (41cm × 41cm) image area. I have tried to be as true to the original colors as possible — as it is hard to improve on the simple light of nature.

* LETTING GO Randy L. Honerlah Acrylic on canvas 40" × 30" (102cm × 76cm)

One sees what comes to mind ... an abstraction of trees reaching for the heavens and releasing their leaves, or a courageous awakening to look up, breathe deep and expand on your awareness. We can learn from the nature of trees, staying grounded regardless of life's obstacles. The value play of light and dark colors helps to represent these concepts. The breakdown of shapes, adjacent color and values in this work reveals these ideas and keeps it fresh and uplifting. I begin by applying a heavy gesso and creating underlying texture. This creates smooth areas that are less porous than the original canvas and textured relief areas that grab the paint and create new shapes. Many thin layers of color are added until each shape is opaque.

* BLUE SUNDAY William Brody Acrylic on board 18" × 24" (46cm × 61cm)

Having grown up in the black-and-white TV era, I've always had a strong feel for value in my art. Almost all my work contains strong contrasts, and I use this to create the focal points within a painting. I'm not a big fan of winter but it's one of the best times that nature shows off an array of values with very little color. When the sunny morning after an ice and snow storm hit Holly, Michigan, I was out and about taking pictures. While back in my warm studio working from my photograph, I took liberties with the blue colors to set the mood. I paid close attention to the placement of lights into darks and darks into light. This composition helps draw the eyes down the road. I used washes and glazes of blues to adjust the various values throughout.

* TOMALES BARN Scott Anthony Acrylic on canvas 18" × 24" (46cm × 61cm)

For the almost 45 years I have lived in northern California, I have been drawn to the deep, dark green values and the beautiful complex silhouette shapes of the Monterey cypress trees that dominate most of the coastal hills and valleys. These trees are the definition of bold values in a landscape. In this scene I used some moderate backlighting to emphasize the value contrast between the cool darks of the trees and the warm middle-ground grasses to evoke the crackling heat of a coastal summer day. I have sketched this particular barn many times over the years, and the original reference photo was taken on an overcast day, so lots of artistic license was employed, especially with color in the warm sunlit dried grass.

* EVENING SNOWFALL IN ENGLAND Dale G. Wolf Acrylic with India ink on canvas 16" × 20" (41cm × 51cm)

A snowy evening falls quietly upon a "conceptual" English town. The mood drives the values captured in the painting: muted tones across the rooftops set off boldly by the gathering snow — orange, green and yellow — under the gray-blue sky just before night settles in. We have all felt the calm quiet as snow sprinkles down on our homes, and this is the emotion I wanted to capture. I seldom use pure black in my paintings, but it felt right here. I used India ink as a wash combined with acrylic colors across the scene and a set of India ink pens to accent architectural features, again to set the value range and mood. Value and mood are inseparable here.

* THE MORNING AFTER THE SNOWSTORM Ray Hassard Acrylic on canvas 12" × 16" (30cm × 41cm)

Snow fell all day on my father's 91st birthday celebration on Long Island. Looking out early the next morning, I vividly remembered the childhood excitement of a snow day — so clear, so bright, such intense light! I took photos from my stepsister's kitchen, planning to paint a personal connection across time between my father and my childhood self. The huge contrast between the dark mass of evergreens and the sunlit white house, both in color and value, emphasized the strong brightness. I worried that it might divide the painting too much, but thought it could be grounded by the large foreground mass of blue shadows. I applied a bright orange underpainting — the complement of the blue — as a unifying element. You can see a lot of it on the garage wall, but it peeks through all over. I used mostly heavy body acrylics without extenders or other mediums. In truth, I think nearly any other medium could have achieved the result I wanted, but the speed and directness of acrylics decided it for me.

* FOURPLEX Ray-Mel Cornelius Acrylic on canvas 11" × 14" (28cm × 36cm)

Fourplex represents my continuing interest in the relationship of light and shadow and how they can work together in creating a graphically compelling image. I prefer that the source of light be direct and from an angle. This creates shadows that fall in interesting ways and model the forms. In the case of an architectural subject like Fourplex, most of the shapes are flat. Breaking up the planes of light and shadow creates abstract geometric shapes that add visual interest to the painting. I also prefer strong light to accentuate the high-keyed contrast between the light and shadow forms.

Because of the fast drying time, acrylics are the best medium for my chiaroscuro technique. I paint from dark to light layering one tonal value upon the other. The first value is dry before I apply the next. As few as two or as many as twenty different values may be applied until I am satisfied with the results.

I use color as well as value to differentiate the forms. Shadows are created using cool shades, while areas lit by the light source use warmer shades. In the case of Fourplex I added blues and purples to the original reddish brown hue of the building's surface to create the shadow color.

? EMERGENCE Randy L. Honerlah Acrylic on canvas 36" × 36" (91cm × 91cm)

The lotus is revered as sacred in many countries. It submerges at night and reblooms in the morning thus symbolizing spiritual enlightenment and rebirth. In my painting, the colors dance across the canvas as the lightness and darkness of the colors move the eye around and up into the emerging lotus blossom. Areas of small detail keep the painting interesting but not overburdened. The coolness of the background leads one into the warmer foreground. Using acrylics allows me to focus on each petal, plant, flower and pod, blending as necessary to achieve the look of shiny leaves and flowers.

* CHINATOWN KALEIDOSCOPE Andrew Morrison Acrylic on canvas 50" × 40" (127cm × 102cm)

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "When it is dark enough, you can see the stars." In Chinatown Kaleidoscope I used bold, dark tonal values to create the foundation for, and emphasis of, the bright lights, signs and their reflections. Utilizing strong value relationships presents the challenge of preserving color identity in the extreme value divisions. I tend to push color into those extremes and use the values to create the mood. I am self-taught and acrylics give me the freedom to adhere to traditional technique while helping me to paint as fast as my fleeting inspiration will allow.

* LANTERNS April M. Rimpo Acrylic on cold-pressed watercolor paper 24" × 18" (61cm × 46cm)

Lanterns was inspired when walking through Washington, DC, on a chilly day. I noticed the beautiful lanterns scattered throughout this courtyard. I came to a screeching halt and used my phone to take a series of photographs. I loved how the lanterns reflected in the city windows and decided to enhance the image by including more of the lantern color throughout the darker areas of the building. Since purple is in the same family as the pink lanterns, I used purples in the dark parts of the building. What seems at first glance to be black is really layers of purple, Phthalo Blue and other dark pigments to gradually build the darkest areas. The lighter grays were also mixed using Cobalt Blue, Quinacridone Coral and Quinacridone Gold. I love creating my own grays and blacks by mixing colors. The result is much richer than using tube blacks or grays.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Acrylicworks5 by Jamie Markle. Copyright © 2018 F+W Media, Inc.. Excerpted by permission of F+W Media, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Edition details

• Publisher: North Light Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1440352399
• ISBN 13: 9781440352393
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 144
• Editor: Markle Jamie