INTRODUCTION TO PAINTING

Learning the Language of Art

1. Look at the following paintings. What are some thing you know or can guess about this artist and his life? write down your guesses.

“Daughters of the South” by Jonathan Green

“Chores” by Jonathan Green

Here is a little about Jonathan Green – were any of your guesses correct? Painter Jonathan Green was born and

raised in a small community located near the Sea Islands of South Carolina. From the moment of his birth, Jonathan Green was special child. Jonathan Green was raised by his grandmother in a matriarchal society that relied heavily on oral traditions. As a child, he was taught many things about his people, their traditions and their beliefs.

He says, “I was always interested in things, in how crafts were done, who everyone's relatives were and the religious functions of the community. I had all this stuff in my head but I didn't have a place for it until I started painting."

Painting is communication. It is said, “a Picture is worth a thousand words.” 2. Painting is a

way to tell others about our thoughts, opinions, reactions and feelings. How is communicating with words different from communicating with pictures? Write down your answer.

“Horse Feed” by Jonathan Green

Some ways painting is a better way to communicate. With writing you can only focus on

one idea at a time. With painting you can take in many impressions at once.

Images can say volumes. Visual communication is universal –

there are no language barriers. Art is a direct, immediate and

universal language.

Some Examples of images that have changed the world:

In the past a painting was judged by how close it came to reality. Even today the “photo realists” try to be as accurate as possible.

But since the invention of the camera, Painters have tried to do more than just capture an image.

They have tried to express not only what something looks like but how they feel about it.

Creating your own paintings will give you the chance to reveal how you see the world and what you think.

SHULER’S RULE: Never create a painting you are not

excited about! Within the criteria there is a lot of room for personal expression. Make sure you make each assignment your own.

3. Take a minute and think about things you might want to express. Write down one

thing you would like to say to the world if you had one minute to say something to every person on earth.

In Order to express yourself in a painting you need some things. First, you need to learn to see.

REALLY SEE. You need to look at lines, shape, colors, textures, pattern, light, shadows, negative space, etc. You must look at objects like you have never seen it before.

LINES

SHAPES

COLORS

TEXTURES

PATTERNS

LIGHTS AND SHADOWS

NEGATIVE SPACE

4. Second you must learn to really think.A. Write down something or some idea that you

strongly believe.B. Write down something that you think is really

sad about the world or your life.C. Write down something that brings you the most

joy.D. Write down something that is very frustrating.E. Write down something you would do to change

the world.

Think about what kind of art could you create that would express one of these thoughts.

Third, you must learn! Supplies and equipment used in

painting. Techniques and tricks to painting. What other painters have done and

are doing. What guidelines and rules do

painters use. How do I get others to see meaning

and significance in my paintings.

The 4th thing is to experiment and practice. This is the “fun” and the

“frustration” of creating art.

5. See if you can remember the 4 Things we need to do in order to communicate through painting. Write down them down now. Now, see if you got them right, if

not, write down the correct answer.1. SEE2. THINK3. LEARN4. EXPERIMENT AND PRACTICE