CALL ME OLD FASHIONED, BUT…………….

I was taught to paint by two teachers who managed to instil in me the need to paint only from three dimensional data. This need has caused me much distress during my 50 years of art practice. It has as well given me some of the most satisfying experiences of my life. The satisfaction is easy to explain as the simple pleasure of standing before nature with a brush in hand on a fine day, facing a beautiful view and a blank canvas is wonderful. I can gain the same satisfaction in the studio with a vase of flowers or an interesting sitter. The difficulties I have with the use of photographic data in particular require a more detailed explanation.

Firstly and easily I can say that the conversion of three dimensions into two and having the painting look three dimensional has held me in awe since first seeing Shirley Bourne do it on stage as she painted my wife, Marie in front of an audience in the middle 1970’s. I had been attending her classes painting still life and portraits for around 4 years when this happened but seeing her bring that canvas to life using just tone, form and colour sealed it for me,

This demonstration distilled what Shirley had been saying and made all of those paintings of daisies and dusty bottles and casts worthwhile. As well, I knew that painting in front of the subject was for me!

It was around this time that Shirley advised me to try landscape painting so I ventured out to Wingrove Park in Eltham, not far from my home. Little did I know that this park had been a haunt of Tonal Realist painters including Max Meldrum over many years. What drew me there I do not know but fortunately my soon to become landscape teacher Alan Martin, was holding a painting class in the park on that day and I was invited to join in. Alan was demonstrating and I got the same frisson watching him as I had at Shirley’s demo. Since that day I have only painted from life, apart from the occasional posthumous portrait.

In this day and age with the advancement in photographic and digital imaging I can understand why increasing numbers of people are turning to these new technologies as part of their painting practice but I find myself unable to either do it or to judge objectively the work of those who do. I suppose those who paint this way would consider me a dinosaur or as the title of this blog suggests OLD FASHIONED but it is too late for me to change now and besides, i don’t want to. For good or ill, I will continue teaching those who wish to learn this skill and to indulge in the thrill of working before the subject, experiencing nature in the raw so to speak. Wonderful!

Don James 16th October 2023