Stay organized in portrait painting.

Portrait painting is not easy I know. But do not make it more difficult than it is: stay organized in portrait painting.

There are countless elements that seem to have nothing to do with portrait painting. Some of them are easily amendable. They are feasible for everyone. Talented or not, skilled or not.

I attach great importance to a tidy studio and a clean palette. We are not all Francis Bacon are we? 

Kitchen

During my lessons I always hear myself saying: Keep your kitchen tidy! Imagine having to prepare a meal for a group of people. You start with a clean countertop and clean pans. No leftovers that stand in your way. That is how you must see your studio: A pure workplace that invites you to get started.

As in my previous post, again a quote from the book The Art Spirit by Robert Henri. This text really appeals to me!

“The technique of painting begins with the simplest mechanical issues and extends through to the heights of science.

You should begin with the simplest issues. See that your palette is a good tool, sizable for what you have to do. See that it is well set with clean pigment, ordered to the greatest convenience for your work. 

Be watchful of your need and the steady development of your craftsmanship. See to the size, quality and condition of your brushes, they are to be handled for a difficult operation. See to your medium. Are the cups right in size for your brushes? Are they securely attached in place most convenience for the service?(  )

Barbershop

A barber has an apparatus that is surprising, and all in such remarkable order. His intention is but to shave and cut hair with the least amount of discomfort for the sitter. An artist proposes to make a work of art, and while his work requires infinite skill, he general far behind the barber in arrangement of the most ordinary necessities. 

Should this be so? Why should a studio be a boudoir, a dream of oriental splendor to have tea in, a junk shop, a dirty place, and rarely a good convenient workshop for the kind of thought and the kind of work that the making of a good picture demands?

Should a palette be crust of dirty, dust collecting, dried up paint in which little inadequate squeezes of fresh paint become confounded? Why should´t the whole thing be cleaned up every day?”