Comments on: How Breaking The Rules Can Overcome Blank Canvas Syndrome

By: Gail Sibley

Gail Sibley — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 04:38:14 +0000

In reply to Nancy.

I love when people just dive straight into a medium and learn as they go. As you learn you begin to understand where you may need help and where you’re quite happy going it alone. So good for you! Happy you are learning and being inspired by my blog – I LOVE hearing that. Makes all the work worth it 🙂

By: Nancy

Nancy — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 07:19:15 +0000

Gail I thoroughly agree . Actually after 25 years of watercolor, then acrylic, then oil, I started pastels and never took pastel lessons per se. I just made it up and discovered rules as I went along, like you can’t put a hard pastel over a soft one, it just doesn’t work. That must be respected. But people have told me that in their pastel classes they are taught exactly the opposite of stuff I do…and I still have LOTS to learn. And am thankful for your blog and the time you put into it.

By: Gail Sibley

Gail Sibley — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 03:08:07 +0000

In reply to Nancy.

Hah hah Nancy! Yes, my blog was a bit tongue in cheek, making fun of rules. But rules, or shall we say, guidelines, are there to help create a foundation of painting from where you can break or disregard them. When you know what the rules are, you can experiment with them. It’s the idea that limitations can produce amazing creativity. As you say, the Impressionists were one set of painters who pushed boundaries, playing with the formal elements of painting and creating new compositional possibilities. These were taken further by each decade of painters through the twentieth century. It also happened earlier – for example, Piero della Francesca’s take on space and perspective. Thanks for your insightful comment!!

By: Gail Sibley

Gail Sibley — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 02:58:42 +0000

In reply to Steve Morales.

Hey Steve,
Glad you liked the piece!
One of the main rules I was thinking about was – Don’t put anything of high value contrast, the hardest edge, or details of interest near the edge(s) of a painting as this will take the viewers eye there and theoretically away from the centre of interest. So I wanted to see if I could do just that and still keep the viewer coming back to the shoes. And do so without an agitated back and forth but rather an easy going circular movement. Even the directional lines of the wood floor take you out to the activity at the top edge.
I also was thinking about the rule of thirds and other compositional rules and see what I could get away with. For instance, the door and its reflection basically cut the painting in half but the slippers help to break that division. Those were the main things I was having fun with!

By: Nancy

Nancy — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 07:24:32 +0000

Rules? What rules? The best rules are those you invent for yourself, because they work for you. A plus is, that if you break them, you don’t have to account to anyone! More seriously, having no rules leads to greater experimentation and freedom. The French Impressionists broke all the rules and after haveing been laughed to scorn, look where they are now! Their critics have disappeared into the foot notes of art history.

By: Steve Morales

Steve Morales — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 21:50:06 +0000

Gail,
Very nice piece. Simple, loose, engaging. Inspiring. My favorite complementary colors! I don’t know what rules you broke. Clue me in?
Steve Morales

By: Gail Sibley

Gail Sibley — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 19:52:48 +0000

In reply to Noemi.

Noemi – love your comment!! Thanks 🙂 And sorry to frustrate you but glad I have for the very reasons you state – I’ll take your frustration as a compliment!
And yes, every single thing in this amazing world of ours deserves to be painted – we look at things with artist’s eyes and share our vision of all with the rest of the world so they can see what we see in a new light.

By: Gail Sibley

Gail Sibley — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 19:49:26 +0000

In reply to Genie Geer. Hi Genie, Happy to know you are persevering with pastels and that my blogs are encouraging you along. And boy do I know about the gawdawful stage! (Did you see my blog about that ugly stage? ) Keep paintings!!

By: Noemi

Noemi — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 17:43:50 +0000

I think this is genius. I keep wanting to click and drag the image to see what else is in the room. I’d lie if I said this doesn’t bother me but at the same time this is what makes the painting exciting and unique. Also one thing I learned from you is that even ordinary objects deserve to be painted, even plugs and bras and slippers, and this painting is another reminder of that. Love it. 🙂

By: Genie Geer

Genie Geer — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 02:28:31 +0000

Wow! I’m still a pastel novice, and man are they ever trickier than I imagined. They seemed easier to apply to faces of my cloth dolls, than laying them down on paper now. I enjoyed seeing your process, which encouraged me to jump in and just start in my sketchbook, knowing there’s gonna be a gawdawful stage, which is where it is now, and with all rules broken!