Edgar Payne - Learning From A Favorite Artist of Mine

 In Canyon de Chelly, circa 1920 - Edgar PayneEdgar Payne is one of my favorite artists.  Attending his show at the Crocker Museum in Sacramento (http://crockerartmuseum.org/exhibitions-collections/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibits/682-edgar-payne-the-scenic-journey) is a worthwhile museum visit (until May).  I’ve been sharing with my classes the few observations I made while there that I believe are worthwhile to all artists.

First, Payne worked hard on composition.  He did many sketches and placed objects to fit his work rather than paint exactly what he saw.  For example many of his mountain paintings have lakes in front of them that did not exist.  The point is that we’re artists and our job is to convey something more than just what we see (we have cameras for capturing images as they are).  Composition is important to the High Sierra, Summit Lake - Edgar Paynepainting so take time to work it out - do your thumbnail sketches.

Second, he used a fair quantity of paint.  This is a difficult step, usually for beginners or people who don’t have the opportunity to paint on a daily basis.  They hesitate to put out more paint than they’ll use as it will dry up, but that rhythm of applying paint to a canvas is broken by having to squeeze more from the tube.  There are several ways to keep paint fresh over several days and putting out enough paint is important to the movement achieved in the painting.

Thirdly, Payne applied his darks first and then made each stroke count.  By that I mean, mix (don’t over-mix) your color; test a small spot; if the color is correct (hue, value, saturation, temperature) apply the color to the areas required.  For direct painting there are only 4-8 strokes on the brush before new paint needs to be picked up on the palette.  (Okay, this is just a guideline to keep from pushing the paint around the canvas rather than applying paint.)

Brittany Tuna Boats - Edgar Payne

Lastly, I noticed reading about Payne that he sounded exactly like another of my favorite artists, NC Wyeth.  Wyeth considered himself an illustrator, but in so many ways their stories were similar.

So, check out the show if you get a chance.  Most of all, pay attention to the artists that you like and what they’re doing to achieve the affects you admire.