Painting in Large Scale for my 2015 Winter classes at the Ryan Estate

  I thought I'd write a little about painting in large scale.  I am not a very fine writer but I will do my best.  This is for my students, to help them make a selection for size of canvas and subject matter.  It's exciting, fun, interesting and a good adventure.

There are many reasons to go large scale with a painting. For some it is just for the experience.  And for some it's an addiction.  I love large scale because it allows me to work on many issues all at once without getting too caught up in any one area.  There is so much to do, one has to keep moving and make sure that everything is balancing well.  With my still life, I choose to work big because I really enjoy the epic quality of groups of objects interacting with each other on the surface.  I've always admired the huge allegorical paintings at the MFA.  The mythical content and the relationships of the figure.  When using the still life I can rearrange the object to my liking and leave them there.  And as I always like to say, I don't need to pay them to pose.

While painting my objects, I will tweak and move them as I please thru out the painting...to make the painting more effective.  Sometimes it is as simple as needing a blue somewhere.  Oh, yes, back to size...I think of my still life paintings as landscapes with many layers of action happening in the picture plan.  I group objects to create effective space between the objects for areas to rest the eye.  Since I am dealing with so many objects..up to 30 at times, size is a necessity.  There just needs to be more room for organizational issues.  Plus, I enjoy when the objects themselves become more monumental in scale.  The objects become more to contend with and importance.

In landscape, the scale might happen by the feel of the subject matter.  One obvious example is the epic view that is at Fruitlands Museum.  There is such a grandeur that needs to be expressed by the scale of the landscape there.  I have chosen long horizontal canvas for this location.  I also love to do mill town landscapes in large scale.  The retro buildings have such stunning personalities that can be exaggerated by being expressed in larger scale.

With this all said, a canvas needs to be chosen after a design and plan is decided on...not before.  An artist should not try to fit a subject inside of a space, it just does not make sense.  If I have a epic landscape that is really long and I try to paint it in a square, it would not make any sense.  Not only that, if you are trying to convey a certain idea or feeling..that would determine the shape and size of your canvas.  In the old days, I would design and draw and then I would make and stretch my own canvas, whatever size I needed.  No attention to framing needs  but more attention to the needs of the subject and painting that I am doing.

All in all, painting large requires a more physical presence.  You can't sit for long periods of time.  you have to get back and see the overall surface and how the issues are working out.  Often times I rotate the canvas to see what is happening on the surface that needs resolve.  Remember you need bigger brushes and more paint for a larger surface.  There is not stretching out the materials..unless you are just staining the surface.

I hope this helps on the selection of the subject matter.  I should also address portrait.  I have done many portraits 36"X36".  Just the head.  Talk about monumental!  They become more like landscapes of a persons facial terraine.  So, when choosing big, look at the possibilities and what you want to say about your subject matter because it has impact.  And we will use those big brushes to push the paint around the surface.