{"id":8547,"date":"2019-09-07T13:02:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-07T19:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/?p=8547"},"modified":"2020-07-01T07:52:11","modified_gmt":"2020-07-01T13:52:11","slug":"art-craft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/?p=8547","title":{"rendered":"The Craft of Art"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

I spent my childhood and youth mastering classical figurative drawing and painting, and as a young adult, I created large-scale figurative paintings and polyptichs from imagination, relying on my academic mastery of human anatomy and three-dimensional rendering. But after that, I turned my back on painting, realism, and major art projects, and for the past 37 years, I’d turned out hundreds and hundreds of spontaneous, simplistic, abstracted drawings on paper, most of which took me on average a half hour to complete.<\/p>\n

In recent years, admiring classical works in museums, and reflecting on my earlier efforts, I began to crave a bigger challenge, to carry forward the progress I’d made as a young artist. When I made the change from polyptich paintings to drawings 37 years ago, I had consciously conceived my drawings as components of larger installations, and the new work would extend that idea. My most ambitious visual art project ever was conceived in March 2018 and begun in February 2019. Eight months later, after many interruptions, I’ve finished planning, drawing, and preparing the surfaces, and am ready to start transferring my drawings to them.<\/p>\n

The craft phases of this art project remind me of when I was an art student at the University of Chicago’s Midway Studios, laboriously preparing stone slabs for lithography. Both processes are essentially medieval.<\/p>\n

This project is intended to be a prototype for a future series of works, likely to be executed in oil paint on wood. Unlike in art school or in the Middle Ages, I haven’t had anyone to show me how to do things \u2013 I’ve done a lot of online research but have had to rely mostly on trial and error to find the best methods. I haven’t had access to a proper studio or a workshop for the prep work, which has made the process extra difficult and time-consuming, as I’ve had to constantly move the art panels, supplies, and tools in and out of my house, through the kitchen, from the porch where I did the “messy” work to my music studio which is being used as a drawing, drying, and storage area.<\/p>\n

Here are views of the some of the stages in the process.<\/p>\n

Art: Inspirations<\/h1>\n
\"My <\/a>
My painting, “Death of Zapata,” 30″x24″, from 1979 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"My <\/a>
My polyptich, “People Who Know Rico,” 45-1\/2″x72″, from 1982 <\/div> <\/div>
\"My <\/a>
My studio in the Terra Incognita loft, San Francisco, 1984 <\/div> <\/div>
\"In <\/a>
In 2013, I discovered this painting by Spanish master Murillo, from 1646, at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and began to think about visionary or transformative themes <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"In <\/a>
In March 2018, recovering from a bout of severe back pain, I began to conceive major works of my own inspired by ancient religious art like these panels from a Byzantine chapel <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Art: Brainstorming, Sketching & Drawing<\/h1>\n

This initial creative phase of the project took 5 months.<\/p>\n

\"At <\/a>
At the beginning of February 2019, I set up a drawing studio in my living room and began sketching ideas for a prototype of my new work <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"An <\/a>
An early sketch which was later abandoned. During the sketching process, I spent 2 months trying composition after composition before I settled on the final one. <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The only place in my house where I had adequate wall space to arrange multiple panels was my office, where I had a large dry-erase board that I taped the drawings to so I could see them in their full context <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Working <\/a>
Working in my living room studio <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"By <\/a>
By April 2019 I’d settled on a plan for the entire piece, and began turning the preliminary sketches into final drawings <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"In <\/a>
In the heat of summer, I had to move my drawing table from the living room to my tiny music studio, because its previous position in the living room was blocking my swamp cooler. With interruptions for injuries, travel, and domestic crises, it took another 4 months to finalize the drawings <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Craft: Preparing Wood Panels<\/h1>\n

This phase took almost a month.<\/p>\n

\"With <\/a>
With the drawings finished, I researched and ordered the materials and supplies, and waited for them to arrive <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Some <\/a>
Some of the painting panels were pre-made, while others needed to be cut to size <\/div> <\/div>
\"For <\/a>
For the messy prep work, I set up a folding table on my back porch. I needed a fine-tooth blade for my saw, and tape along the cut lines on the panels, to prevent splintering and create clean cuts <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"These <\/a>
These panels are 13-ply Baltic birch <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"I <\/a>
I clamped one panel over the other as a guide for the saw <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The first cut is made – something I was a little nervous about <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"To <\/a>
To my relief, the tape and fine-toothed blade produced a perfectly clean cut <\/div> <\/div>
\"One <\/a>
One of the drawings laid over the panel to check the dimensions <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"All <\/a>
All 5 panels ready to sand, seal, and prime <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Painting <\/a>
Painting clear sealer on the panels – both sides. Two coats were required, with sanding in between. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Panels <\/a>
Panels after sealing <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"After <\/a>
After sealing, I carefully masked the edges of all the panels, so there would still be some wood grain showing in the final work <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Applying <\/a>
Applying the first coat of primer with a brush. This turned out to produce coarse brush strokes which required too much sanding, so I next went to a foam roller, as advised online <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The foam roller produced thousands of bubbles which also required too much sanding, so I finally tried a cheap foam brush, which worked much better <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Cheap <\/a>
Cheap foam brushes on top of bristle brush and rollers that didn’t work as well <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Some <\/a>
Some of the tools used in the prep work. Between each coat of primer, I had to sand 3-4 times to achieve the desired surface <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"More <\/a>
More than 3 weeks after starting, the 4th and final coat of primer is done <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Close-up <\/a>
Close-up showing the fine texture remaining after finish sanding <\/div> <\/div>
\"Panels <\/a>
Panels drying in my tiny music studio. I will wait a full 4 days for the primer to dry before transfering the drawings to the panels <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Primed <\/a>
Primed panels will be wrapped in kraft paper for storage until needed. Lacking a studio and workshop, I improvise! <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Fully <\/a>
Fully dried and ready to use, panels are wrapped in kraft paper for safe storage <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Ready-to-use <\/a>
Ready-to-use painting panels in temporary storage <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Craft: Tracing the Drawings<\/h1>\n

After the lengthy process of preparing the panels, I thought I was ready to start tracing the drawings onto them. But a closer inspection revealed that I had a little more work to do on the drawings \u2013 another reason why it’s good to step away from your work from time to time. When you’re in the midst of it, you can’t see the forest for the trees.<\/p>\n

After a couple more days of drawing, I began the tracing: securing sheets of parchment over each drawing, and tracing every line with a fine-point pen. This took a week.<\/p>\n

\"Parchment <\/a>
Parchment is secured over the drawing, and every line is traced using a fine-point pen <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"I <\/a>
I traced the backgrounds first, then the figures <\/div> <\/div>
\"Some <\/a>
Some drawings used a shared background, which didn’t need to be traced each time <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"All <\/a>
All the tracings completed <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Craft: Building an Easel<\/h1>\n

Now ready to transfer the traced drawings to the wood panels, I realized I had nothing to hold the panels erect while working on them.<\/p>\n

The traditional way to support a painting panel is the easel. A new H-frame easel large and sturdy enough to support my panels ranges from $200 up, but professional studio easels tend to be closer to $1,000 and up. There are alternatives, depending on the size and weight of your work. Small paintings can be done horizontally on a table top. If you have a solid wall wide enough for your panel, you can simply rest it on cardboard boxes and lean it against the wall, but it won’t be stable unless the panel or canvas is really heavy. Very large panels or canvases are simply mounted directly on the studio wall.<\/p>\n

I don’t have an unused wall wide enough to work on my paintings, but after despairing at the cost of ready-made easels, I suddenly realized I already had an easel. I’d built it when I first arrived in New Mexico, to hold a small dry-erase board for workshops I was giving on my Wisdom Project. It was warped and lacked some features I would need, but with a little more work I thought I could transform it.<\/p>\n

It turned out that I had all the wood I needed \u2013 surplus lumber from previous building projects. All I needed was about $60 of hardware. The project took about 14 hours, including trips to hardware stores.<\/p>\n

\"My <\/a>
My original sketch for the easel, circa 2006 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Sketches <\/a>
Sketches for modifications to easel <\/div> <\/div>
\"IMG_5428\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"Temporary <\/a>
Temporary workshop on back porch <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Ends <\/a>
Ends of cross-braces needed to be rounded, but I no longer had my Grandpa’s old electric jigsaw. When I saw the cost of a good new jigsaw, I decided to bevel the ends first using a handsaw, then round them with a rasp and sandpaper <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Brace <\/a>
Brace with beveled ends <\/div> <\/div>
\"Ends <\/a>
Ends rounded with rasp and sandpaper <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Door <\/a>
Door hinges adapted as pivots for braces, by replacing hinge pins with carriage bolts <\/div> <\/div>
\"Brace <\/a>
Brace assembly. This fixes the warp of the original easel <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"An <\/a>
An easel needs an adjustable clamp to hold the painting panel in place from above. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Clamp <\/a>
Clamp assembly. It’s designed to be reversable, to accomodate tall panels\/canvases. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Finished <\/a>
Finished easel with adjustable-height shelf and “outriggers” for floodlamps <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Shelf <\/a>
Shelf can be raised or lowered to accomodate panels and canvases up to 6′ tall. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I spent my childhood and youth mastering classical figurative drawing and painting, and as a young adult, I created large-scale figurative paintings and polyptichs from imagination, relying on my academic mastery of human anatomy and three-dimensional rendering. But after that, I turned my back on painting, realism, and major art projects, and for the past […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8568,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-visual-art"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/IMG_4505.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8547"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8856,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8547\/revisions\/8856"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/maxcarmichael.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}