Recognize who you are and Go with the Flow

I adore vintage leaded and stained glass windows. My latest painting was inspired by them. Additional ideas came from a fabric design incorporating yellow and blue. These are Swedish colors from my mother’s heritage and cemented my vision. I’m currently working on the composition and will share it with you in my next blog.

This week, the assassination of Martin Luther King on April 4 was commemorated. Because of this, my featured artist is Kevin Cole, a recognized African American abstractionist who uses symbolism and color to convey his message.

Imagine using all of your anger and your pain to create something meaningful and beautiful. Using the bright colors of Africa and the symbolic representation of a noose in the form of a man’s necktie, Cole expresses the anguish he felt when he stood beneath a large tree where slaves were once hanged in great numbers when they tried to exercise their newfound right to vote. Dressed to honor the occasion, the ties they wore were used to hang them.

In many of Cole’s works, the symbolism deepens in what Kevin calls “mapping.” Slave families were split apart and sent to other plantations. Cole maps their travels in three-D shapes and symbols using the same colorful ties, tools and weapons they were beaten with if they tried to escape.

Some of Kevin's stories end up as paintings done in broad swathes of emotion and detail. Cole’s work sizzles. According to The Artist’s Magazine where Cole was featured in the September 2013 issue, “Cole’s work has a musicality born from the background of popular music, jazz, and blues that keeps Cole moving around his studio.”

Cole credits his rise and success to a former “high school teacher (Terrance Corbin) who spotted his nascent talent, and many others who encouraged him along the way, first in college and then in graduate school in Illinois.

“Art professor and mixed media artist Kevin E. Cole was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas on January 19, 1960 to Jessie and Sam Cole, Jr. He received his B.S. degree in art education from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in 1982; his M.A. degree in art education a year later, and his M.F.A degree in drawing from Northern Illinois University in 1984.

“Cole began his art career as an art teacher at Camp Creek Middle School in College Park, Georgia in 1985. At the same time, he also became an adjunct professor at Georgia State University’s School of Art and Design where he remained until 1998. In 1990, Cole was chairperson of the visual and performing arts magnet program of Tri-Cities High School in East Point, Georgia until 1994. Later, in 2003, he became the chairman of the Fine Arts Department at Westlake High School where he created the school's first arts program.

“Cole’s artwork is well known for including imagery of neckties as symbols of power and emphasizes the relationship between color and music, particularly jazz, blues, hip-hop, and gospel. He incorporates patterns and textures from traditional African cloths to speak to human conditions and behaviors.

“In 1994, Cole was commissioned by the Coca-Cola Company to create a fifteen story mural celebrating the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. The mural took two years to create and was a little over 800 square feet. He has been featured in Who’s Who in Education and received the Award of Excellence for Public Art by the Atlanta Urban Design Commission.”  http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/kevin-cole-41 

Below Cole tells his own story and shares the inspiration for his collective works:

Kevin Cole’s personal online web portal follows if you would like to see and hear more: http://artistkcole.com 

Developing Sheen and Luminescence; the Illusive Art of Mixing Color

"Fuchsia Fantastic" acrylic on 18 x 14 canvas

My latest project above, is finished. I do wish I could have achieved a better “hot pink.” There are so many variations of red, and when you add a touch of dark blue and a small dab of white sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes not. I wanted the painting to be seen as a whole and not have a bright color jump out and grab you, so maybe the compromise I made works best. I’ll let you be the judge.

"work in progress" hot pink!

One of the most complex colors to paint is white. If you’ve ever spent time in a paint store trying to select a white hue for your walls, you know what I mean. We currently have an off white color on our walls. I chose a sample square of “Marshmallow White” to make some touch ups. Ooooops! My color choice showed up grayer and darker on the wall.

I have another sample of “Antique White” which I’ll try next. I’m hoping this will be a match. There is a slight undertone of gold in the mix rather than gray.

Trying to paint white on a canvas is quite another matter. White isn’t just white. White reflects the colors you have in your painting and may essentially mirror every color in the rainbow. White is neither a primary color, nor a secondary or tertiary color. It is considered an achromatic color “of maximum lightness,” according to Ora Sorenson in her article “A Rainbow of White” in “the Artist’s magazine,” Jan./Feb. 2009.

“White is not the absence of color but a combination of all colors in the visible spectrum in equal proportions,” said Sorenson.

(Notice how the white costumes reflect every color in the painting and seem to glow from within)

When painting an all white composition, each element of white must differentiate itself from the one next to it in order for it to reveal its shape and appearance. Using a distinct set of complimentary colors in the shadows and contours of each object such as red and green, yellow and purple, or blue and orange, not only separates forms, but adds a luminous quality to the finished piece.

Another method of adding distinctness is through glazing. Once the painting is dry, adding a simple glaze of color over each object can add a glow and a hint of color. Contrasts and highlights can also add depth and interest to an all white painting.

(Notice how the white feathers reflect the water and lily pads)

Using too much white in the mixing of color can sometimes be overkill. Colors may look pasty and lifeless. But if white is the main color in your composition, play it up big and make it take on a life of its own as it shimmers and reflects from within all of the colors it actually contains.

Don’t be afraid of white. Use it sparingly in mixing colors, but turn it into something splendid when you use it as one of the main players.

(The whites in this paiinting reflect the colors that surround each object)

What does it take to achieve “Star Power?”

I have taken the “Artist’s Magazine” for several years. Each issue is treasured; read and revered. My stack of magazines has grown into a sizable pile. The time has come to box them and put them away, at least for awhile.

My husband said: “You should pitch them. You’ll never read them again.”

“I can’t,” I told him. "They’re valuable! I’ll give them away to another artist or art organization before I throw them away.” And I meant what I said.

These magazines have inspired me, taught me, and given me hope. They’re like old friends. I shall miss them; but, never fear, I’m still a subscriber. I just have to make way for the new.

I confess, I held a few issues back, the ones that focused on portraits; my first love. I also found a few issues in my art room that are currently being used for guidance as I add some special effects to a new painting. I swear half of my art education has come from the pages of art magazines. I read each issue cover to cover when it arrives, and then earmark the places I want to re-read.

I’ve also checked out countless art books from the Public Library. Often renewing them again, or taking them out at different times as needed until I have gleaned enough knowledge to master a skill or an area of unfamiliarity.

I’ve discovered that a teacher can only teach what he or she already knows. Sometimes what you learn in art classes is how to paint using someone else’s preference or style. Granted there are universal rules and truths that govern the practice of art in general. A good teacher will include these in every teaching session. 

These “tricks of the trade” may also be learned through self study. Don’t shrug off self-instruction as a waste of time. This procedure, this process can be equally as valuable as live instruction. We can learn from others mistakes, take advantage of the marketing skills and the observations that professionals have already experienced without ever leaving home.

I’ve entered a few contests in my time; won a few and lost many. My dream: to show up on the pages of Art Magazine. It’s a long shot, I know. What does it take? One of the judges explained it this way:

“After reviewing thousands of flowers, landscapes, pastoral scenes, and seascapes they all begin to look alike. Anything that stands out at all or that is unusual or unique grabs my attention.”

“It isn’t just being an odd-ball that draws the attention of the judges, but that certain something called Star Power.”

"India Rising -- The Lost" 24 x 18 mixed media on canvas

 I’ve never forgotten her statement. Star power is like the frosting on a cake, the sizzle on a steak, or the sparkle in the eyes of someone who loves you. You’ll know it when you see it, and there’s nothing like it.

Don’t give up until you find what makes your style and your message stand out above the rest. Success is not a destination, it’s a journey of a thousand miles, hundreds of canvases, and hours of painstaking labor.

"India Rising -- The Found" 18 x 24 mixed media on canvas