Art in Bloom at Boston Museum of Art – 2012
“Dog Bed” – Boston Museum of Fine Art
This new year I am going to introduce a few different concepts on my blog. The first is “Tips to Being a Better Painter”. This is the first one.
When I first became serious about painting I would read and study everything I could find about different styles of painting. I would go to as many galleries and museums as possible to see art. And then a good friend who is also a painter (and she studied painting in college) said that her professor used to tell her that for every hour you make art you should spend an hour looking or studying art. I have made that a habit.
The Souper Dress – Boston Museum of Fine Art
Here are some examples of art that I have studied. These photos are from my trip last year to the Boston Museum of Fine Art. I took many pictures and pull them up on my computer and look at them over and over. Many times the things I “study” are not necessarily paintings as I have shown you here. I love to see other types of creativity. I especially love the “Calder Cow”!
The Calder Cow – Boston Museum of Fine Art
For instance, the floral arrangement was a special show the garden clubs in the Boston area were doing on this particular day that I was at the MFA. They did arrangements that interpreted a painting or work of art. It was interesting to see because obviously they had to look closely at a work to pull out their interpretation.
So to be a better painter don’t just spend more time painting. Also spend more time looking and studying art of all types. You’ll see a difference in your work.
The Studio 