William Seccombe

American Art Collector - December Issue

2010-12-05T08:03:00.000-08:00

The following is the December issue of American Art Collector where I was featured with two paintings "Cyrk" and "Gyspy." The section focused on figurative artists from around the country.

-William Seccombe

www.williamseccombe.com

John Ottis Adams

2010-07-19T18:02:00.000-07:00

I post this example of a work by John Ottis Adams without much to say. I believe the work speaks for itself.

William Seccombe

www.williamseccombe.com

www.twitter.com/wseccombe.com

Ilya Repin - Detail

2010-07-19T17:43:00.000-07:00

I have posted this image before on another blog I have but in recently discussing this artist with my painting student Luda I thought it necessary to once again put this image up on my blog. It is a detail from Ilya Repin's painting Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (Russian: Моде́ст Петро́вич Му́соргский,Modest Petrovič Musorgskij. This to me is perhaps one of his strongest pieces for it's depth of emotion and attention to building up textures. I could study this .jpg for hours. I hope you find this image as invigorating as I do.

Regards-

William Seccombe

www.williamseccombe.com

www.wseccombe.blogspot.com

www.twitter.com/wseccombe

Metropolitan Museum of Art Sketches

2010-07-19T17:41:00.001-07:00

These drawings were from a series of sketches done during a recent trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in September. I get there when I can but my recent visit focused on the Greek & Roman Sculpture Hall which houses some amazing examples of ancient pieces. Below are 3 pages taken from my sketchbook of that trip.

William Seccombe

www.williamseccombe.com

www.wseccombe.blogspot.com

Vasari Paints

2010-01-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

I wanted to briefly write about a line of paint that I have discovered through my friends and various artists that I admire in the New York gallery scene. Vasari Paints is a line of hand-crafted oil paint produced in small batches with an attention to detail and a focus upon the traditional old master materials for the purest of colors. One might imagine that as a result the paint is rather expensive and it certainly can be however by taking advantage of on-line sales you can stock up on the colors that you need here and there.

The color comparison as seen in a side-by-side evaluation with other brands is remarkable as the color is more vibrant and of a much higher quality without any wax additives, etc. If you are unable to invest in Vasari products an alternative is Windsor & Newton "Artist Grade" which is a very nice line as well. I have begun to update my materials in my own studio to include Vasari brand paint and am buying them in small groups so as to not overwhelm myself with the costs of what can be expensive products. My wife generously bought me four tubes (seen above) flake white, burnt sienna, yellow ochre, and permanent bright red as my Christmas present this past holiday season. I have just begun using them but I am very excited to be adding them to my palette. I am following Sharon Sprung's palette which is generally around 9 colors and is outline previously in my blog. As always, I would encourage you to leave questions or comments below and please feel free to follow me on twitter at www.twitter/wseccombe.com Thank you.

William Seccombe

www.williamseccombe.com

Exhibition of New Works

2010-01-07T19:34:00.000-08:00

Hello all-

I'd like to send out a quick email to mention that I am participating in my second big show in Manhattan coming up at the Salmagundi Club on Fifth Ave. I am exhibiting three new works in the Junior/Scholarship show. The reception date is January 14th, 6 p.m. In addition to the reception date, the show hangs from January 5th to January 22nd, and entrance is free. Please visit the Salmagundi Club's website at www.salmagundi.org for more information. I look forward to seeing you there. Thank you.

Cheers-

William Seccombe

www.williamseccombe.com

Salmagundi Club's Website

2009-11-23T18:54:00.000-08:00

As a member of the Salmagundi Club's Jr./Scholarship Artists we recently gathered to discuss the upcoming 2010 gallery events, etc. in addition to ideas towards updating the club's somewhat antiquated website. As it stands now, the current website is rather static, and in many ways out-of-date technologically speaking. It really is a very basic approach to website design and does not allow the club any quick and practical solutions to constant updating and back side uploading by the front office adminstration.

Robert Pilsbury, Vice President of the club and Chairman of the Jr./Scholarship members suggested that we post a blog to encourage fellow artists to submit any suggestions and ideas that they may have to develop a much more technically efficient and interesting website. A website that would be more technically advanced while offering the types of interactive features appropriate to the artistic community. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your response.

William Seccombe

www.williamseccombe.com

www.wseccombe.blogspot.com

Steven Assael Demo

2009-09-29T12:03:00.000-07:00

In looking on the internet for Steven Assael demo's I came across two great blogs which already feature examples, Art Babel and Art Demonstrations.com (both on blogspot.com), thank you bloggers. I cannot take credit for the content on either blog however they are fantastic when paired together. Below, features not only a step-by-step of Assael's painting process but also .jpgs of two other works. Included is an up close example of his broken color method while the other is simply a head study. Finally, I am including a description of his process that appears to be from a student attending the demonstration. Thank you.

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com
www.twitter.com/wseccombe

Excerpt from blog:

These are notes I took watching Steven Assael paint. Here is a list of the colors I noticed on the palette. There were more, but these are the ones that were used frequently.

List of colors:

Burnt Sienna

Alizarin Crimson

Violet

Ultramarine blue

Prussian Blue

Cadmium green light

Viridian

Burnt umber

Ivory black

Transparent oxide red

Holbein brown pink

Transparent yellow ochre

Yellow ochre

Cadmium red light

Cadmium orange

Cadmium Yellow

Naples Yellow light

Brilliant Yellow light

Titanium White

Steve makes these colors work by blending on the canvas. He would often take a beaten large fan brush and slap in a highlight down the length of an arm in pure white, which would seem too light until he uses mixtures of more or less cad red, ochre and sienna and blends these without white loosely over the same arm. Next he might take a green and work out from the cool halftones in the same way. By this time he had subdued the intensity of the white and by painting all these colors over each other and mixing them together created a beautiful subtle color scheme with lots of broken color and texture. At this point he might restate his lights. This process is very loose with no respect paid to edges of form as these can be established later. Last he would model his darks. This was done with mostly sable brushes. He chose his dark color not for the way it looked but for how it would blend with the other colors already there. For instance alizarin crimson would create a luminous reddish haze when he used it. This would be great for the space between fingers or the transparent flesh in an ear but terrible for a cool blue area around the eye socket. In the cool areas he would often use a purple or a mixed dull greenish color with a bit of umber and a green or blue . When painting these darks he blends out from the darkest point I never saw him block in a chunky dark it was always a soft delicate subtle process where the finish starts to emerge.

Some frequent mixtures:

In the lights often Brilliant yellow light or naples were mixed with cad red, Alizarin or Yellow ochre for warmer colors and the same brilliant yellow could be mixed with a purple or green to cool the light areas. For richer color areas mixtures of naples or brilliant yellow with ochre, cad red or either of the siennas were used.
In the shadows he often would mix burnt siena and cad green, or burnt siena and alizarin for hot areas. Finally for the dark shadow accents he might use pthalo blue mixed with burnt sienna and alizarin.

Understanding Values

2009-09-27T09:13:00.000-07:00

I am constantly searching for ways to development my skills as a painter and one skill in particular is my ability to observe. One of the most important aspects of creating a strong painting is through accurate observation of value progressions. What are value progressions? Value progressions are the small incremental changes from white to black (white being 1 and black being 11) that occur on a scale and the subsequent tones of gray in between. The value scale that I have seen most often or that I use personally is a 9 step value system. I have also seen them as an 11 step system as seen in the picture below. Accurate value progressions are the key to life-like painting as it is based upon small shifts in light and dark that ultimately help to model form accurately.
I have learned recently that a great way to see your value progressions and your painting in terms of value, thus removing hue and saturation; is to observe your piece through a red colored glass or acetate film. These are easily purchased through the internet, camera stores, etc. This technique allows you to see your piece as a series of values as it eliminates color from the scenario. While hue and saturation are important in mixing a color, value is a far more important quality to your decision making process. Afterall, value is what the human eye responds to first before hue and saturation.

As seen below, I have illustrated this approach by using my most recent painting "Burlesque Girl" as an example. On the one hand, you will see the painting as it is, in full color and a second option as observed through a red filter.

Note how the red acetate simplifies the work into value scales and how colors that may appeared different might be much more closely related than initially tought. It is easy to see that while in some instances I believed the color to be working correctly, I may have considered adjusting the values more so to create a richer experience of the work in general. Some forms may have been further rendered including a step here or there to help to describe the form better as it turns in space. Value may also have been adjusted in large areas to create a better separation and compelling composition. Although the girl is obviously the center of attention and the values are generally successful here, had I utilized this approach from the beginning the value shifts might be more subtle and help to describe the form better. The thought here is simple, that while color is important, value is the key to creating realistic, life-like paintings. You may subscribe to this blog by following the link on the right hand side or the page or follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/wseccombe. Thank you.

Study for "Burlesque Girl"

2009-09-22T17:10:00.000-07:00

I created this study during the recent painting of "Burlesque Girl." The dimensions on this particular study are 12x20" and I am very pleased with the outcome of the work. In many ways, I like it more than the finished product as this is a slightly larger portrait than the final painting and at this scale would have made quite an impact. I learned a lot about my approach in this little study such as my handling of soft edges and the building up of multiple layers of paint to produce a rich and interesting surface quality. In all, I wanted to take a moment to share this study with you in hopes that you might gain something by studying it. As always, I would encourage you to become a subscriber to my blog by following the link provided on the right hand side or follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/wseccombe. Thank you.

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

"John on Sunday" Portrait Demo

2009-09-04T05:51:00.001-07:00

This series of photos was taken during a portrait painting demonstration I held at the Salmagundi Club in New York City earlier this spring. I finally have had an opportunity to post the "step-by-step" process of "John on Sunday" which was completed in about a 3 hours sitting. Below outlines my color palette, initial approach and the logic that goes into the basic portrait painting process. Become a subscriber to this blog by following the link on the right hand side of the page or follow me at Twitter http://twitter.com/wseccombe. Thank you.

-William Seccombe

www.williamseccombe.com

www.wseccombe.blogspot.com

I began the demonstration by placing John (seen above) to the left of the canvas with a colored backdrop added for additional color. Two spot lights were included as well; one being to the right of the model while the other was placed directly behind the canvas. This provides similar lighting situations for both the model and the painting.

Here is an initial study I had created of John prior to the painting session to get a better sense of his features and the angle I might use during the presentation.

I began the portrait by breaking down the figure into simple, large geometric forms in much the same way that a sculptor might work with a piece of stone or marble. I am using a wash of Burnt Sienna and French Ultramarine on a medium gray toned wooden panel for this process. By visualizing the figure in this way, it is easier to capture essential angles and relationships needed for accurate observation. It is a reductive process of working from large to small shapes thus solving large forms first before moving onto smaller and smaller sections. These initial forms are the most important part of capturing an accurate likeness.

Once the initial forms have been blocked in, I then moved onto laying in the darkest darks of the portrait by painting in the shadow forms first. This photo illustrates a step slightly further ahead however where I have moved onto painting the mid-tones.

During a break my palette was photographed which is a great example of the colors used and how I work. Reading from left to right beginning in what is the lower left hand corner of the palette and moving around clockwise the colors used are as followed:

-Titanium White
-Raw Umber
-Burnt Umber
-Burnt Sienna
-Alizarin Crimson
-Permanent Rose
-Cad. Red Light
-Cad. Orange
-Raw Sienna
-Yellow Ochre
-Cad. Yellow Light
-Brilliant Green
-Veridian Green
-Cerulean Blue
-Cobalt Blue
-Purple Dioxazine
-Ivory Black

-Medium: 3 parts Mineral Spirits / 1 part Linseed Oil ( in small jar)
-18x24" glass palette mounted on gray-toned masonite

Here I have begun to add in the background color as well as indicating his shirt which helps to anchor the portrait as well as accentuate the flesh tones. At this stage highlights have been painted in and are one of the last and thickest layers of paint.

With a little more fine tuning the final portait is completed.

"John on Sunday'
20x20"
Oil on Panel

Robert Armetta - Average Flesh Tones

2009-09-03T05:36:00.000-07:00

Hot off the presses this morning is the latest and most updated flesh tones palette provided to me by my friend and mentor Robert Armetta. Earlier in this blog you may have discovered a flesh tones palette which outlines color mixtures for basic academic flesh tones. This is the palette I learned on at the New York Academy of Art while studying with Robert. Below, you will find the update to this palette which he asked if I'd post. I will be interested to play with these combinations as I always enjoy learning new approaches to this process. On a side note, he will be appearing in the October issue of The Artist's Magazine so make sure to pick up your copy then. As always, you can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/wseccombe. Thank you.

William Seccombe

www.williamseccombe.com

Society of Illustrators Figure Drawing

2009-07-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

Above is a figure drawing I did from the Society of Illustrators a couple years back with my good friend Fred Gissubel. It's a great place to go and draw while drinking wine and listening to live jazz. As always, please become a follower by subscribing to this blog in the right hand column. Also, you can find me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/wseccombe. Thank you.

William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

Study of Richard

2009-07-04T06:49:00.000-07:00

In looking through some of my older drawings and paintings I discovered a small study that I painted over 10 years ago. I was looking for something small as a potential buyer was interested in work no larger than 16x20" for her small New York City apartment. I posted "Study of Richard" as I think it is still a valid piece and although this was done as a student and has problems, the work still exhibits many strengths. I most likely created this in a one hour session. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below. Become a follower of this blog by clicking the link the right hand column or follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/wseccombe. Thank you.

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

Antonio Mancini

2009-06-26T05:19:00.000-07:00

Antonio Mancini (Italian b. 1852, Academic Painter) was born in Rome, Italy in 1852. At twelve, he was accepted into the Institute of Fine Arts "Istituto di Belle Arti" in Naples, where he studied under historical painter Domenico Morelli. Morelli was widely know for his use of energetic brushwork and application of chiaroscuro
(chiaroscuro: the treatment of dramatic light and shadow in a painting or drawing, an effect of contrasted light and shadow on a subject with a single light source.) Antonio developed rapidly under Morelli, and would soon exhibit two paintings at the Paris Salon at the youthful age of eighteen. In 1873 Mancini graduate from the academy and soon rented a studio in Napels with his friend Vincenzo Gemito.

Most of Mancini's work revolved around paintings of dancers, musicians, circus and street performers, as well as homeless children. His portrait "Saltimbanco" illustrates a young street performer whose life had been spent entertaining crowds. His painting, "The Poor Schoolboy", exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1876, is in the Musee d'Orsay in Paris. It's realist subject matter and dark palette are typical of his early work. Paintings by Mancini can also be seen in various Italian museums such as Museo Civico-Galleria d'Arte Moderna in Turin and Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Rome.

His first trip to Paris was in 1877 where he was introduced to a number of the French Impressionists including Degas, Manet, as well as portrait painter John Singer Sargent. He later became close friends with Sargent, who called Mancini "the greatest living painter." Sargent became an avid supporter of Mancini's work and often spoke highly of him to gallery owners and collectors. Mancini had a wonderful sense of theatrics about his paintings and "After the duel" is a dramatic example of this sensibility.

Mancini was very much inspired by the Impressionists and thereafter loosened his own brush strokes. His paintings began to take on a brightened palette with a very bold impasto technique (impasto: a technique used in painting, where paint is laid on an area of the surface very thickly so that the brush or palette-knife strokes are visible. Paint can also be mixed right on the canvas.) The word "impasto" is Italian in origin; meaning "dough" or "mixture"; the verb "impastare" translates variously as "to knead", or "to paste". on canvas.

Mancini employed an unusual grid technique which can be still seen in his work today. This approach was a technique where in which the artist would apply a series of criss-crossing strings or wire to a frame or canvas stretcher. During a sitting, the artist employed 2 of these gridded frames. One frame would then be placed in front of the model while the other was placed directly in front of the artist's canvas thus providing an accurate visual context for deciphering proportions and compositions.
Many of Mancini's paintings display this technique and it is clear that these grids were placed directly on the canvas and then painted upon. Mancini would then remove the grid from
the painting and what
remained was a ghostly indication of these small square sections. Walter Richard Sickert, a mutual friend of both Sargent and Mancini, explained Mancini’s sometimes very unusual method in 1927:

"His paintings were done through a wire grille, whose squares correspond with a grille before the sitter. The marks of the grille remain. The sitter being, as it were, pinned down, retained of his mobility alone the facial expression. But, trembling and snorting within that restriction, there is an extraordinary vivacity, there is power and a dashing impasto."

This method can best be seen in his panting of "de Lafenis". Not only did he employ this unusual technique but he also employed such materials as shards of glass, and foil. This gave the paint more illumination; again, "de Lafenis" is a strong example.

In 1881, Mancini suffered a crippling mental illness. He settled in Rome in 1883 for twenty years and then later relocated to Frascati where he lived until 1918. During this period, Mancini was often very poor and relied upon the help of close friends and art buyers to survive. He struggled financially until a Dutch collector named Hendrik Willem Mesdag became his benefactor and signing him to a artistic contract. After World War I, his living situation improved and his work took on a new found sense of serenity. Antonio Mancini died in Rome in 1930.
The Philadelphia Art Museum currently owns fifteen oil paintings and three pastels by Antonio Mancini. The first American exhibition of Antonio Mancini's work was at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Become a follower of this blog by clicking on the link provided to the right hand side. Also, please visit me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/wseccombe or visit my website www.williamseccombe.com. Thank you.

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

Bibliography Sources:

www.wikipedia.org
www.artcyclopedia.com
www.jssgallery.org
www.nytimes.com
www.philamuseum.org

DuCret School of Art Materials List

2009-06-24T05:42:00.000-07:00

Below is the latest supply list I have put together for the portrait painting class I will be teaching at the DuCret School of Art for the Summer '09 schedule. I would encourage you to follow me at Twitter at http://twitter.com/wseccombe and become a follower. Thank you.

William Seccombe

www.williamseccombe.com

Ramon Casas I Carbo

2009-06-24T05:27:00.000-07:00

Briefly, I'd like to mention Ramon Casas I Carbo. Four samples of his work are pictured above. Carbo was a 19th century figurative painter from Barcelona, Spain. Matthew Innis introduced me to his work and does a much better job at providing detailed information on his life as well as additional Carbo works. The link to his blog is listed above. Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/wseccombe or subscribe to this blog by clicking the "follow" link in the right hand column. Thank you.

-William Seccombe

www.williamseccombe.com

"John on Sunday"

2009-06-21T16:09:00.001-07:00

This is the very latest portrait I painted as part of the Salmagundi Club's artist demonstration series on Sunday June 21st. "John on Sunday" as it is titled, was painted over a 3 hour time period. My very talented musician cousin John Gaenzler was the model. There were roughly 30 people in attendance for the presentation on Sunday.

As always, I would encourage you to follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/wseccombe and become a follower. Thank you.

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

Download IPhone Wallpaper

2009-06-12T10:09:00.000-07:00

Above are the current downloadable IPhone wallpaper designs created by 716 Fineart, a gallery is Racine,WI exhibiting my work www.716fineart.org. Drag an image to your desktop, or save the image to your desktop with a right click. You can use it as a wallpaper on your iPhone or iPod Touch. [NOTE: It also looks great on some other phones.] Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/wseccombe.

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

Sharon Sprung Painting Demo

2009-06-10T05:52:00.000-07:00

I want to include a great exceprt from a Sharon Sprung demo that I found on artistsnetwork.com. Here is the direct link: www.artistsnetwork.com/article/sprung/. I have pasted a portion of the article below as I have found this pretty useful. Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/wseccombe.

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

Sharon Sprung Paints a Portrait

February 20, 2008
by Louise B. Hafesh

Sharon Sprung, the cover artist for The Artist's Magazine's April 2008 issue, paints the figure from life but positions that figure in abstract fields. A double life is what Sprung admits to when it comes to her art. Her portraits are beautiful as fields of color sometimes heightened with ornament, yet they provoke the viewer into feeling each subject’s soul and guts. Sprung wrestles with the dichotomy between realism and abstraction.

“There’s a beautiful freedom in the mergence of the two that allows me to speak visually to more people,” she says over coffee in a cafe near her teaching gig at the Art Students League in New York City. “I’ve grown to dislike the hard edges and flat planes of the photorealist. I strive to give my paintings the life and energy of modern work, yet suggest the depth and craft inherited from the great tradition of realist painters.”

A gifted and generous teacher, whose classes at the Art Students League and the National Academy School typically have long waiting lists, Sprung gets high praise for her ingenious approach to the class demo, which involves her completing a portrait in sequence during a typical semester.

“Rather than cut into valuable student studio time, on the first day of a new course, I ask for a volunteer who will commit to pose during the regular model’s long breaks,” she explains. ”In that way, the class gets to see me develop a painting from start to finish—including tackling any challenges along the way.”

Nine-Image Painting Demonstration (shown below)
By Ruth Callaghan, student at the Art Students League

First day: Sprung toned the linen canvas (12x14) with a light, bluish tint. Then, working with a small filbert brush with black paint and a small amount of turpenoid, she sketched a center line and the general shapes. She focused on the planes and the structure of the skull.

Second day: She defined the drawing with more black, dividing shapes into smaller shapes and always comparing the drawing to the model.

Third day: She prepared her palette: Payne’s gray, titanium white, yellow ochre, raw sienna, ruby red, permanent bright red, alizarin crimson, cobalt blue, Prussian blue, vermilion, scarlet sienna, burnt sienna, raw umber, burnt umber. ivory black, brilliant yellow light, phthalo green and phthalo turquoise.

Fourth day: Sprung told her students, while she was working on this portrait, to “make each brushstroke mean something.” She also said, “It’s OK to make a lot of strokes because one is bound to be correct.” Sprung stressed the importance of refining the drawing; she then started the underpainting in blue.

Fifth day: Using a medium-large brush (No. 6 or 8) and loose arm movements, Sprung used a crisscross movement to cover the canvas in shapes of color. She used violet, black and yellow as she worked on the background. For the shirt, she used Prussian blue grayed with alizarin crimson and white.

Sprung painted what she called “patches or shapes” in both the light and the dark areas. For the hair, the darkest shape, she broke the mass into shapes of color, as well. She used pure color with a heavier stroke; it looked as if she were pushing the paint into the canvas. Her mixture for the hair was black and burnt umber.

Sprung told her students never to use ivory black by itself, as it tends to crack. Therefore always mix ivory black with another color. Sprung repeated, “Change colors when the planes (on the face or anywhere else) change.”

Sprung used the following for the flesh color: raw sienna, cobalt blue, burnt sienna and white. Working with large puddles of color, she made the warm areas warm by adding yellow; for the cooler areas, she added white.

Nelson Shanks Demo 10/6

2009-06-02T05:21:00.000-07:00

The following series of photos were taken at a recent Nelson Shanks demo at the Art Students League of NY which I attended on 10/6 as part of my studies with Shanks. The picture quality isn't great but they should be sufficient enough to outline the steps taken.

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

The first image includes Nelson's palette. On a previous entry to my blog I had outlined the colors and particular brands of paint used so I won't get into that now. You will notice that the only two mediums used here were Turpentine and Stand Oil. The Stand Oil was cut with Turpentine which appear in two small tins to the right.
Secondly, he began on a medium gray toned canvas where he sketched out large forms much in the way that a sculptor would approach a block of marble. He looked for large geometric forms and an inner harmony among all the shapes in the composition. Many of the strokes continued beyond the figure which he then used to draw relationships to all of the parts as a whole. This is the main approach to Shank's teaching and he continually reinforces this principle throughout the class. This concept is also taught by Dan Thompson at the New York Academy of Art.
After the initial search lines were established he began to break down the figure into highlight and shadow forms not to get caught up in small details.
At this point, highlights were filled in with a warm yellow-orange flesh tone. There is no pre-mixing of flesh tones but rather mixing as he needs it to give more of an immediate impression upon the colors observed.
As the painting developed he continued to add various mid tones and other colors such as pinks into the nose and lip areas and followed that with the addition of the shadow colors in the hair and along the neck. His shadows were achieved by scumbling purple into the brown underpainting. Shanks is constantly moving his arm in rather large gestural motions as he sculpts out the form. This lends itself well to capturing a sense of energy and movement in his work. He is always stands at an arms length distance from the canvas even when painting the smallest of details.

At this stage we took a short intermission and we had a chance to take an up-close look at what would be considered a half-way point.

Shanks continued to refine the values and colors established in the first session of painting.

The final image took roughly 2 hours from beginning to end. His portraits have a rather rich quality to them. His paintings tend to be very saturated and small areas may consist of a variety of colors. I would also mention that at the final stage he uses a large 4" brush and gentle glides the bristles across the surface in different directions to smooth out some of the planes. This gives the whole painting a very softened and unified feeling.

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

PBS's David Dunlop on Monet's Water Lilies

2009-06-02T05:19:00.001-07:00

I have been recently watching a show on PBS's Create TV which features a plein air landscape painter by the name of David Dunlop. The most recent episode took place at the setting of Monet's gardens in France. Dunlop spoke to a few ideas which as a painter you hear quite often but really may not fully embrace until you see a great example. He referred to Monet's Water Lilies when he said that "the vocabulary of brush strokes makes a painting more interesting." Quite often it seems to me that the only approach to achieving a level of success in a painting has been through the tireless rendering of a subject and it is in Monet that we find a confidence to paint with an implied gestural looseness. He went on to talk about soft, blurred edges and how as a viewer, the mind wants to complete the image. In this way, the painting takes on a more interactive quality instead of a dictated form of hyper realism. Essentially, the softer edges create greater volume and harder edges conversely, less volume. And finally, in speaking about Impressionism, I think it is only fitting that I end with a paraphrased quote from Corot to Monet "Trust Your First Impression." In other words, that in the initially moments of a painting does the artist truely capture the energy, feeling, and gesture of a subject and it is these first impressions which we as artists should strive to maintain trhoughout the painting process.

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

The Blue Monster

2009-05-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

In perusing the internet on websites that discuss artist marketing I came across this beauty from a blog by Clint Watson. The blog was rather useful and spoke about the concept of marketing more than a step-by-step approach. I thought he ended his article beautifully by saying:

"Successful artists want to change the world. They are Outside Zebras that avoid the Herd, they live on the edge, they make purple cows that become Blue Monsters via smart conversations with their clan."

-Clint Watson

The idea is a loaded statement and you'll have to read the article to deconstruct it but the gist of what he is saying is moving. http://clintwatson.net/blog/7604

-William Seccombe

6 Ideas for Better Painting Compositions

2009-05-20T14:36:00.001-07:00

This blog posting from M. Stephen Doherty ( Editor-in-Chief of American Artist) is magnificent.

-William Seccombe

6 Ideas for Better Painting Compositions

Over the past 25 years, I've heard my friend Jack Beal address art students on the critical importance of pictorial composition—the ways in which artists can develop their paintings to create a convincing illusion of space and to direct viewers' attention toward the elements of primary or secondary importance. Some of his advice is commonly offered by other art teachers, but many of his recommendations are not generally understood or consistently applied. Here is some of the advice Beal and other knowledgeable teachers offer their students.

Avoid putting the center of interest in the middle of the painting. It's very hard to engage viewers in a complete painting if they are focused on what's happening in the middle, or the "dead center," as it is appropriately called. It's better to move the horizon line up or down in a landscape, to make the focal point into one of the four quadrants of the rectangle, or to use one of the time-tested principles such as the golden mean to determine the best placement of the center of interest.
Use a diagonal shape to bring the viewer into the painting from the bottom. Think of the bottom edge of a painting as a ledge the viewers have to cross to enter the space. If you show them where they can easily step over that ledge, they are more apt to feel invited into the picture. The diagonal can be established by a large, dark clump of bushes in the foreground; a road or pathway to walk along; a knife lying on the edge of a table pointed to the rest of a still life arrangement; or a shaft of light coming from over the viewer's shoulder into the space.

Once you have persuaded the viewers to enter the painting, it is helpful to lead them through the space and out again. Don't take them down a road that ends in the middle of the painting or suggest they follow a piece of cloth that disappears behind a box within your still life arrangement. Use a well-defined diagonal shape to lead viewers out of the painting.
Recognize that fences, roads, railroad tracks, and other pathways are like arrows pointing viewers' eyes in a specific direction. Make sure that if you point them toward one area of the painting you don't leave them there.
Don't shy away from leaving some areas of the painting open and airy. Many people who work from photographs fail to adjust for the fact that the camera has a limited depth of field and will only document what happens within a narrow space. When they paint from those photographs, they wind up filling their paintings with all the leaves and flowers shown in their close-up shots or with just the foreground elements of a landscape. Since everything in the background of their photographs is a blur, they don't know how to develop those sections of their paintings. That's why it helps to take a lot of photographs of a potential painting subject—details, overall shots, various exposure settings, etc.—so that you have enough information to paint a complete view of the subject.
Consider repeating colors, shapes, and patterns to help create interest throughout the painting. This is one of the "rules" of composition that often gets repeated, and it certainly has merit. If you only have one red object in your still life, it will overwhelm the rest of the picture. If you only have one orange shape in your landscape, it will likely become the focal point of the image. The best thing to do is to repeat colors, shapes, and patterns. You don't need the exact same mixture of red or the same textural pattern. Just make sure to maintain some level of repetition and variety.
Try to look at the paintings objectively: Turn your paintings upside down or look at them in a mirror. Put them away for a few days. We all become so completely engaged in our drawings and paintings that we can't judge them objectively. It helps to turn the image upside down, put it away for a while, or look at it in a mirror so you begin to see it differently and can therefore recognize how to improve it.

M. Stephen Doherty
Editor-in-Chief

Salmagundi Demo

2009-05-19T05:12:00.000-07:00

I will be holding a portrait painting demonstration at the Salmagundi Club on Sunday June 21st from 1-3 pm. There will also be a $20/ person brunch prior to the presentation. Please visit www.salmagundi.org or register by calling (212)-255-7740.

-William Seccombe

Delia Brown

2009-05-14T21:02:00.000-07:00

I came across this painting in an article of "W" Magazine and it was a feature on figurative painter Delia Brown. I must say that I enjoy her semi-erotic paintings paired with an academic realism. These figurative subjects are often complimented by patterning and sometimes various prop-like elements. However, I must say Delia is a bit edgier than my work. She is certainly someone that I am looking and will continue to look to for inspiration.

-William Seccombe

What to do with all that unused wet paint on your palette?

2009-05-14T20:51:00.000-07:00

A quick note to those of you wondering what to do with all of your unused paint on your palette after a day of painting. You may be wondering what to do to avoid that unwanted skin which begins to form on your globs of paint after being left out overnight. I have tried everything from adding extra drops of linseed oil to covering it with a damp towel. Both approaches do little to actually preserve the paint's integrity. Instead, try getting yourself a small plastic or rubber container such as a Tupperware bin or a plastic chinese take-out container which is more my speed.

You can scrape off any good remaining paint at the end of your painting session and with your palette knife place it into your container. Place the container in your freezer and your paint should last a good length of time and sometimes upwards of a couple of weeks however I wouldn't wait that long to revive it. You can also simple place your palette (if it is smaller enough) in your freezer as well. Happy painting.

-William Seccombe

Phillip Pearlstein

2009-05-12T05:15:00.001-07:00

Recently, I was compared to the great Phillip Pearlstein by my friend Tim Coolbaugh. I had the chance to see some of his work before I ever knew who he was and I must say that the work was impressive. I especially liked the the random props which he incorporated in his work to provide strong compositional elements such as wrought iron, inflatable chairs, and neon lights. I was not overly impressed by his painting technique but the over all presentation of his work was certainly effective. Additionally, it's interesting to know that Phillip Pearlstein was a close friend of the late Andy Warhol and had travelled with Andy from Pennsylvania in the 1950's to become an artist in New York. Taking all of these things into account I will greatfully accept that comparison. Thank you Tim.

-William Seccombe

Figure Drawing by Time Dose

2009-05-12T05:13:00.000-07:00

Above is a figure drawing from my good friend Tim Dose which he did while studying in Russia last year. He stresses that I must include the hand of his teacher in this entry but I can assure you that 99% of it is Tim's hand alone. To make him happy as he is a humble guy I will put his instructor's name (Vladimir Mogilevtsev) in here as well. Onto the work. I find this piece to be an excellent example of just how to approach the figure both in drawing and painting alike. As a good drawing is intrical to a successful painting it is easy to imagine how this study might appear as a finish. At first blush the piece seems to take on a highly polished approach with an almost saccharine-like sensibility to detail in the upper portion of the figure however at further examination it's clear to see that this feeling is attained simply through accurate observation and solid academic draftsmanship. In sculpting terms, his marks take on a refinement of small and accurate chiseling developed from larger forms. The study really starts to become interesting in his decision to leave certain parts of the piece unfinished. It is here where you begin to observe the carved and sculpture aspects to the work and discover it's true strengths. It is this dichotomy of a highly rendered torso to a nearly unfinished and suggestive lower-body which simotaneous directs the viewer as to where to look but also indicates a stage, a process, with an underlying structure, and Dose offers us a glimpse into these thoughts in his development of a strong academic drawing. I'd encourage you to visit my friend Tim's website www.timdose.com as it offers a great source of both solid draftsmanship and portraiture alike.

-William Seccombe

Plein Air Painting

2009-04-28T04:22:00.000-07:00

This series of pictures was from a plein air painting trip that my good friend Tim Dose and I took over the weekend of April 25th. We found a great Monet-like garden near my house in Metuchen, NJ. The paintings took about 3 hours.

-William Seccombe

Salmagundi Club Spring Art Auction '09

2009-04-07T04:59:00.000-07:00

I recently had the privilege of participating in the Salmagundi Club's Annual Spring Art Auction held over the past three weekends in March. I had two pieces in the show (one drawing pictured above) Westcott Street Model. While both pieces sold, the club was not immune to the current economic conditions that we are all facing. Artists could donate up to three pieces for the auction and 50 percent of the proceeds raised were given to the club. Sales were down for the event while bidders held onto their money and attendance was moderate.

Most artwork sold in the range of only a few hundred dollars which was a noticeable decrease of nearly 50 percent compared to the past few years. Although sales slumped it was still a great opportunity to meet art buyers and artists alike while drinking some good wine. One goal of the club as of late is to find ways of encouraging growth and new membership. Being a newly elected member of the Salmagundi Club's public relations committee we will be agressively persuing new members and moreover participation in the upcoming months through updating email listings, contacting various artistic organizations, and seeking cross-promotional opportunities.

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

Developing a Series

2009-04-01T17:08:00.000-07:00

The letter below was forwarded to me by my former high school art teacher Kay Polito. It stresses the importance of developing a series or body of work that focuses upon a specific goal. The lesson learned is invaluable.

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

May 16, 2006

Dear Kay,

Monty Python alumnus Terry Gilliam was recently bemoaning the
current sad state of British film comedy: "The worst thing that
can happen to anyone in the movie business," he says, "is
success. It takes away the desire to strive. At the same time
it makes one prone to repetition--which is the death of
creativity."

In my modest practice as art mentor (I do it for free), I
frequently get letters that say, "Please take a look at my work
and tell me in which direction I should go--and, by the way,
how do I get into galleries?" I often find myself replying,
"You need more consistency. Your work is all over the place.
You need to develop one style or another and go in that
direction." In other words, I'm advising, "Repeat yourself."

In the painting game, repetition is one of the disciplines
needed for self-realization. Variations on a theme, however
subtle, lead to development and refinement. I'm a believer in
the concept of "set." Making a set or series of any subject or
idea is the way to further invent and codify style. The
unification of set can be managed by subject matter--for
example, all you ever wanted to know about peonies, or pumas,
or Pontiacs. As well, format, size, medium, colour and time
development are just a few of the other set-makers that invite
creative repetition. The benefit of set is to draw an artist
along on a purposeful voyage of discovery. Often, when I look
at an artist's collection of works, particularly in early
career, it reminds me of a flotilla of unique rental boats tied
up at a pier. Any one of these boats could be rowed off in any
number of felicitous directions.

Fine art is not like the movie business, where huge amounts of
capital and a variety of skills are needed to keep pace with
accepted norms and financial risk. Fine art is generally a low
investment, individualist industry, where private sweat pays
dividends to a self-directed, exploring soul. This takes place
with a combination of courage, stick-to-it-ive-ness and
character. Not everyone can pull it off. These days there are a
lot of distractions. There may also be too much information out
there. The current rage for diversity and the perceived need
for exploring new materials have spread the virus of
dilettantism. Jack of all trades--master of none.

Best regards,

Robert

Understanding Values in Skin Tones and Painting Facial Features - Sharon Sprung DVD

2009-03-19T03:44:00.000-07:00

Recently I purchased the instructional DVD by Sharon Sprung, "Understanding Values in Skin Tones & Painting Facial Features." The material Sprung goes over is very informative and rather helpful. She speaks about color mixing and her palette which is an arrangement of Vasari Paints. She also speaks to her brush selections and value relationships in building up the form. The video is about 2 hours long and broken up into sections. I have found it very informative and useful in helping me with my painting approach.

-William Seccombe

DuCret School of Art Painting Demonstration

2009-03-11T04:12:00.001-07:00

The following images are taken from a portrait demonstration at DuCret School of Art on Tuesday March 10. The demonstration lasted for 3 hours and outlined a basic appraoch to painting a portrait. We discussed value relationships and color palette mixtures for flesh tones.
The first stage in beginning a portrait is to block in the figure or in this case the head with simple, geometric forms. It is a direct, painted sketch method with a sculptural approach in mind. This process is essential in capturing not only crucial relationships in form but the initial energy and impressions of your drawing. Here your observations want to be simplified by dividing the form into basic lights and darks. This initial process is done on a mid-toned gray panel and a thin mixture of burnt sienna and cobalt blue.
Once the painted sketch is completed and basic forms have been addressed, the next step is to lay in basic highlights.
This is a midpoint stage indicating not only the highlights but also the shadows that have been put into place.
Here I've begun to include background color blocking as well as the model's hair color. This is an important step in being able to address flesh tone relationships and the value shifting that occurs within the model. It is a great way to re-assess your color choices and values.
At this stage it is important to include half tones of warms and cool colors where the highlight and shadows meet.
I have begun to lay in the model's clothing here with a focus upon keeping it loose and gestural. You do not want to draw attention away from the face so it is important to keep your strokes soft and loose to create a focal point in the portrait.
And finally I will refine the portrait with some slight adjustments to color, value, etc.

New Palette

2009-03-08T08:22:00.000-07:00

I recently developed a new palette for myself which has been very successful for me. After reading the Art Spirit by Robert Henri as well as observing similiar approaches from artists such as Joseph Todorovitch and Richard Schmidt it seems to me that this is the strongest approach as for building a palette. The color choices are a hybrid of Robert Armetta and Nelson Shanks. I feel comfortable with both the colors and palette construction. I will post this as I see this blog not only as a way to reach others but as a tool for educating myself.

Palette:
18x24" double strength glass glued to a masonite board that is painted with an earthy middle gray.

**This approach helps to keep your colors clean and always based upon the same mid-toned value.

Colors:
Spanning from left to right:

Windsor & Newton - 17 colors
-Titanium White
-Raw Umber
-Burnt Umber
-Burnt Sienna
-Alizarin Crimson
-Permanent Rose
-Cadmium Red Light
-Cadmium Orange
-Raw Sienna
-Cadmium Yellow
-Brilliant Green
-Veridian Green
-Cerrulean Blue
-Cobalt Blue
-Purple Dioxazine
-Ivory Black

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

World's On Fire Painting Exhibition

2009-03-08T08:15:00.000-07:00

I recently found this post very interesting. It is an excerpt from Jeremy Lipking's blog speaking about the World's on Fire portrait painting exhibition. It recently took place in L.A. and was the creation of Will.i.am, former member of the Black Eyed Peas and pop music celebrity. Essentially, a selection of artists were invited to participate in painting various pop music icons. Below is a list of the painters and the musicians they painted.

Excerpt from Jeremy Lipking's blog:

Will.i.am presents Worlds on Fire, a pop music and art collaboration. Worlds on Fire will be the first art exhibition of its kind featuring portraits of 2009 Grammy nominees as drawn by pop surrealism and representational artists. The exhibition’s opening night celebration will take place on Monday, February 2 from 7:00 PM - 1:00 AM at the Pacific Electric Lofts in downtown Los Angeles. Entertainment to be provided by live D.J. sets from Will.i.am and special guests. Worlds on Fire: Grammy-Nominated Artist Exhibition will be the premier event to kick off Grammy week.

List of artists (and musicians they are doing portraits of):
SAS CHRISTIAN – Riverview, FL (Rihanna)
LORI EARLEY – Red Bank, NJ (Madonna)
COLIN CHRISTIAN – Riverview, FL (M.I.A)
JEREMY LIPKING – Los Angeles, CA (Snoop Dogg)
SHEPARD FAIREY – Los Angeles, CA (Paul McCartney)
IAN JOHNSON – San Francisco, CA (Al Green)
DAVID STOUPAKIS – New York, NY (Will.i.am)
PAUL CHATEM – Los Angeles, CA (Rick Rubin)
RON ENGLISH – Jersey City, NJ (Metallica)
GREG GOSSEL – Minneapolis, MN (Jay-Z)
HENRY LEWIS – San Francisco, CA (Nas)
SHAWN BARBER – San Francisco, CA (Shawn Barber)
TRAVIS LOUIE – Red Hook, NY (Nine Inch Nails)
MATT BONE – Los Angeles, CA (Beyonce)
JOSHUA PETKER – Los Angeles, CA (Radiohead)
VAN ARNO – Los Angeles, CA (BB King)
HEIDI TAILLEFER – Montreal, CAN (Coldplay)
KRIS LEWIS - Los Angeles, CA (Beck)
MIKE MAXWELL – San Deigo, CA (Bruce Springsteen)
GARY BASEMAN & NABIL ELDERKIN - Los Angeles, CA (Kanye West)
CHRIS PUGLIESE – Hoboken, NJ (The Eagles)
HELEN GARBER – Los Angeles, CA (Will.i.am)
SAUL ARMAS – Los Angeles, CA (Lil’ Wayne)
TRAE KING – Los Angeles, CA (Duffy)
NATALIA FABIA–Los Angeles, CA (Pink)
R.C. LIPKING –Los Angeles, CA (Alison Krauss & Robert Plant)
JOSEPH TODOROVITCH – Los Angeles, CA (Alicia Keyes)

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

NYC Current Art Fairs

2009-03-08T08:05:00.000-07:00

Currently, there are 3 art fairs happening in New York City. They run during the weekend of March 8 and most shows span from Thursday to that Sunday. Here are few of the art fairs and the links to them. There of course is the NYC Armory Show held at Pier 94, followed by the Fountain Exhibit at Pier 66, and finally the Bridge Art Fair. The links are provided below.

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

FYI - Current Art Fairs:

NY Armory Show - International Fair of New Art, Pier 94, March 5 -8, info at: thearmoryshow.com

Fountain Art Fair Exhibition, Pier 66 at 26th St., March 5 - 8, info at: fountainexhibit.com

Bridge Art Fair New York 09, The Waterfront 222 12th Ave., March 5 - 8, info at: bridgeartfair.com

Gypsy

2009-03-07T20:06:00.000-08:00

Here is the latest piece I just recently completed entitled "Gypsy" for the upcoming Portrait Society of America competition to be held in Washington, DC. It's 36x48" and is oil on panel.

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

716 Fine Art Featured Artist

2009-03-07T19:51:00.000-08:00

David Geisler and Michael Lynch of the 716 Fine Art Gallery and Podcast based in Racine, WI have been nice enough to interview me on one of their upcoming Pocasts. Their show on ITunes is really inspirational and uplifting as artists and entrepreneurs, they broadcast about their adventures in running a small storefront gallery. They are rockstars and I'm sure I'll be talking about them again soon. We should be recording the interview this week and I will include a link to the conversation in a future blog entry.

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

Syracuse University Symposium

2009-03-07T19:46:00.000-08:00

I have recently been invited to speak at Syracuse University on March 25th at the School of Visual and Performing Arts visiting artists symposium. It is a forum for professional artists and designers to educate Syracuse University students on various aspects of the art and design field. The symposium is put on by VPA's Tim Coolbaugh and the poster seen to the left will be circulated around campus.

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

DuCret School of Art Painting Demonstration

2009-03-07T19:38:00.000-08:00

The attached image is a promo for an alla prima portrait painting demonstration. It will be held at DuCret School of Art on Tuesday March 10.

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

Salmagundi Club Spring Art Auction

2009-03-07T19:18:00.000-08:00

Through the month of March I will be participating in the Salmagundi Club's Spring Art Auction to be held on the first three consecutive weekends. I will have 2 pieces in the show. To learn more about the event please visit http://salmagundi.org.

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com

Blurb Photo Book

2009-03-07T19:06:00.000-08:00

This is a photo book that I have recently put together which should be out later next week. It is designed through Blurb.com and I will be using at my new portfolio.

-William Seccombe
www.williamseccombe.com