Still Life With Maraca
A few weeks ago, my homeschooling art students and I set up this still life, with the intention of trying a new painting technique: pointillism. The boys like drawing and painting objects, and were intrigued by the idea of using dots to create gradients and blends of color. I also wanted to bring in the Impressionist technique of obliterating outlines. Many artists – especially children – rely heavily on outlines, resulting in what may be described as colored drawings. The Impressionists and Post-Impressionists took a different approach, beginning with loosely-sketched outlines marked out by a small brush with short, square bristles – often in a color, ranging from light pastel to a bold and dissonant hue – then proceeded to paint over these lines as the painting developed, allowing them to nearly disappear. For example, this 1905 painting by Maurice de Vlaminck uses blue outlines, pointillism in the foreground, and outrageous color that overpowers the outlines:
My art classes are experimental, and we had never tried pointillism before. It quickly became evident that despite their small size, completing these paintings with dots required more patience than these 11-year-olds could muster. Maintaining awareness of the size, density, and distribution of the dots was difficult for them. So I split the paintings up into two sessions, and allowed the use of regular brushstrokes as well. I spent so much time helping them, I had to do the same thing myself – there wasn’t enough time to complete my painting with pointillism, either. So I used my dots sparingly.
I couldn’t resist also doing a pencil drawing in my sketchbook:
These objects were lent by my neighbors and a real treat for the eye: a red maraca with a bird carved on it, a shapely teacup with a country cottage painted on it, and an little handmade ceramic cup glazed in blue and brown. In my sketch, the object behind the maraca is another, more modern piece of pottery, which I decided to omit from my painting.
As for my students’ paintings – all considering, I think they did a terrific job. Their pale, painted outlines were successfully absorbed, their color choices are appealing, and their attempts at shadows are a good start. Every painting we do is an opportunity to practice drawing, composition, mixing colors, controlling paint thickness, brushwork, gradients, contrast, and now dot size and density. These skills are works-in-progress that will continue to build and manifest in future works.
The beautiful thing about visual art is that you can always do another painting, another drawing – even of the same subject. What is it about ordinary objects that makes them so intriguing as a subject for art? For me, it was both relaxing and satisfying to first draw a tonal version of this still-life and then a color painting. I love the whole process.
A good week to all!
D. Yael Bernhard
https://dyaelbernhard.com
Have you seen my other Substack, The Art of Health? In addition to being a visual artist, I’m also a certified integrative health & nutrition coach with a lifelong passion for natural food cooking and herbal medicine. Now in its second year, this illustrated newsletter explores cutting-edge concepts of nutrition. I strive to make relevant information clear and accessible, and to anchor essential health concepts in unique images. Check it out, and if you like it, please subscribe and help spread the word. Your support keeps my work going!
Interesting experiment! I’m impressed with Pascal's and Seiya’s work, given the newness of the concept. Looks like you’re a good teacher!