A beginner's guide to painting
What is painting?
Painting is deceptive. It seems a little too easy. All that’s required is pigment, surface, and a brush. I used to go to many a modern art museum, hold up my monocle and proclaim, “Well, I could do that. This is child’s play my dear boy.” I now realize this observation was borne of insecurity. The delicate touch they display baffles me to this day. Watching Bob Ross create a flushing meadow with happy trees in 30 minutes can border on the supernatural.
Before we had The Joy of Painting we had the Joy of Cave Painting. In 2021, archeologists found a 45,000 year old painting of a plump pig in an Indonesian Cave. Researchers believe that colors were rubbed across walls with sharpened pieces of rock. Wood charcoal was used to create black outlines. Archaeologists think dishes were used to combine liquid pigment and animal fat. They would smear the walls by hand. It’s possible that fur pads and feathers were used to give the strokes texture. Some early cave paintings involved blowing a mixture of red ochre and water on the wall around their hand to create a handprint.
Fast forward several thousand years. Paintings would evolve past their utilitarian functions and become a valuable commodity. Art converged with commerce and an entire marketplace was born. Paintings now had a price on their head. The Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911 and was missing for several years. That piece is part of the 10% that gets recovered. The other 90% is lost in the ether or collecting dust in some rich guy’s den.
One of the largest heists of all time was in 1990 when 13 pieces were stolen from the Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston. It involved two men posing as police to gain entry and then promptly tying up the museum guards. They proceeded to ransack the place for an hour. The art was worth an estimated 500 million and they are yet to be recovered. The investigation is ongoing, in fact there is a 10 million dollar reward for any information that leads to the recovery of these pieces. Be on the lookout for two dads with mustaches and a Rembrandt above their mantle.
For most of painting’s modern history it was considered a luxury only the upper class could indulge in. Painters worked in churches creating murals and doing private commissions. With the invention of oil painting and easels during the Renaissance, accessibility skyrocketed. Painters were no longer locked into architecture for their surface. The middle class could now experiment with the art form. Jumping to the 20th century and the advent of aerosols in the 1930’s, painting would provide a new function.
Laughing all the way to the banksy
The one and only time I’ve done graffiti was during Halloween. The devil must’ve taken the wheel that day. It was under the cover of darkness and under the influence of alcohol. Home Depot supplied us with our favorite colors for about $20. We made our way to Sepulveda Dam, an unlit, unguarded open space in the San Fernando Valley. I could barely see what I wrote. I think I painted the words “Love comes first” at some point. Cheesy but that still holds up. I’m sure there was genitalia drawn. Also holds up. For a brief moment I was putting out some positive energy into the world. I didn’t feel bad. I wasn’t hurting anyone.
I didn’t realize I was contributing to the 15 billion dollars worth of cleanup cost annually. I also happened to be choking the earth as I worked my magic. Apparently 4,862 tons of VOC(volatile organic compounds) were released in 2004 in the US due to graffiti.
I haven’t been back but I’m sure it’s been tagged and repainted several times over. New messages that reflect the current cultural landscape. In times of conflict, graffiti has offered a means of self expression. A visual shout to any passerby. An attempt to start a dialogue. The legality of graffiti depends on the country but it often comes with hefty fines and possible jail time. Many graffiti artists choose to remain anonymous lest they be prosecuted. Some view it as a unique form of self expression while others consider it defacement of public property. All in the eye of the beholder.
Lucky few
Today a lucky few are able to make a living off creating art. Roughly 1.55% of the US workforce consists of artists (2.5 million people.) There are significantly more people that engage with art as a hobby though.
According to a 2017 study, 54% of US adults created a piece of artwork or participated in an artistic performance. 54% also attended at least one arts and cultural event. (Live music is the most popular at 42% while poetry slams/book readings came in last at 6%.)
The number one reason for both consuming and creating art was the same. To spend time with family and friends. Art is about connecting. It’s important for our voices to be heard by the people we love. What happens when we are afraid to speak up?
The good, the bad, and the ugly
I talked to Brandon Pizzola, the owner of Paint & Sip Studio LA. It’s a workshop that teaches painting in a laid back group setting. Also there’s a little wine to grease the wheels. Brandon is a lifelong painter and has been running the business for 7 years. He’s learned a lot about what holds us back and it comes down to one thing. Self-judgment.
Brandon tells me, “We're taught that there's good and bad. That stifles a lot of people. I tell people we're not Xerox Copiers, you're a human being. Your job is not to perfectly replicate this or perfectly replicate what your neighbors are doing. This is your painting. Something that inevitably is going to be an expression of you. Let's try to find the joy in doing it. Whatever you're doing here is something that never existed before in this way. That to me is pretty amazing.”
“This isn't just arts and crafts. And that's the biggest thing that I hear from people. The thing that I'll die hearing in my head is ‘I never thought I could do this.’”
And then they do.
Bob Ross eat your heart out
My first experience with painting was in fifth grade art class. I was out of my depths. My spindly arms could barely hold the brush. Even at the ripe age of 10 I knew my painting sucked. It left a pretty bad taste in my mouth and I haven’t picked up a brush since. I would continue to admire painters over the years with a soft envy and undying respect. I decided it was time to revisit my childhood self. This time with a little more alcohol.
We arrived at Pinot’s Palette, one of many paint and sip studios in LA. We could immediately feel excitement in the air as we entered. It was like being back from summer break on the first day of high school. There was a crackle of nervous energy and weaving conversations. Blank canvases were spread across the room.
The finished painting sat ominously front and center. The instructor introduced us to the tools and we were off. I tried to soak in every word and follow every stroke. She encouraged freedom and said we could paint whatever we wanted. It becomes clear that trying to emulate a picture makes me second guess every stroke. The moon I created had rough edges. Vastly different from the flawless sphere our instructor painted. Her technique was natural and unhindered. She assured us that everything is fixable. Deep breaths, Nick.
The class moved at a fast pace which I appreciated. There was enough time to feel bad about what you were doing but not enough time to make you stop completely. We were always moving to the next step. There was no time for perfect.
I continued to paint and would sometimes surprise myself with a stroke. It would land in such a way that I didn’t intend and I didn’t have the skills to recreate. I noticed the instructor’s technique and tried to copy it. It helped in some sections such as the rocks but in others it was clear our skill gap was too great. My branches and reflections fumbled onto the board. I peeked at other pieces during our break. Literally everyone was killing it.
The entire time there were opportunities for deviation. Every time I made a bold choice rather than diligently follow, I felt a spark. I had the guide but there was always the chance to express my vision. I wanted the red leaves to be deep and bold. I tried to make each stroke loose but intentional.
I recalled that Brandon likened painting to problem solving. Sometimes the shades would blend too much. Straight lines would start to wobble with anxiety. You couldn’t erase yet nothing was permanent. One misplaced stroke simply led to a different path. You could add more white to lighten, add more black to darken.
I wish I could say it was all care free. The self judgment came in waves. As many times as I admired my work there were just as many where I chastised it. My boulders didn’t come to life. Their shapes felt sloppy and unrefined. My moon was bland. My branches lacked character. My waterfall didn’t give the illusion of motion.
By the end of the two hours we had finished painting. As I took in the whole canvas I was surprised. It wasn’t terrible. In fact it was decent. I admired the choices and was able to forgive the mistakes. Something about the tree felt very me. I give all credit to the instructor for shepherding us through the process.
I looked back across the room as we exited. My eyes bounced from one painting to the next. They were amazing. Not a single one looked bad or out of place. There were shifts in hues, differing branch placements, and varying rock formations. You could feel the personality of each painter through their choices. The structure was consistent but the flourishes made each painting come alive.
Overloaded
As content becomes easier to consume I worry that I’ll slowly turn into a machine that is constantly taking in information but not digesting it. I don’t know how rational this fear is. I talked to Brandon about the importance of engaging with art.
“We're bombarded with information. Whether it's from our phones, TV, the radio, our bosses, or people we work with. We're so bombarded by obligation. Art gives a person reprieve from all of that. It gives the person the opportunity to pause and engage with one self in ways that we don't normally do. I think that's just a basic human need that we have. A lot of people go out and search for it.”
“Why is there still art that exists? There's a huge need for it. We're not even talking about fine art like painting or dance. In advertising, why don't we turn the page of a magazine and just see words there on a white page? We yearn for that kind of engagement. It catches our eye. That infant is still in us. We just find less and less a need for it. But it's still there. There's always going to be viewers waiting for it to happen.”
It's clear that painting is just one more way for people to connect. To bridge a gap. To spur discussions. It's important to keep engaging with art because it's important to keep engaging with each other.
Personal touch
Bob Ross managed to bring the joy of painting to a new generation years after his program ended. He left a void of instructional art content that hasn’t been filled on the same scale since. Not much of his personal life was made known to the public. It’s a testament to the power of his painting and personality that we all felt like we knew him. We got to discover him through his craft. There is a demand for communication through art.
I asked Brandon what painting meant to him, “It's something that isn't demanding my attention. It's something that I've chosen to look at. It's something that I'm choosing the time to spend with. And then it’s open to my own interpretation.”
“It's giving someone the opportunity to look at these clouds and the beauty of these clouds. And when someone's looking at that painting, they can see it and they can look at the clouds and say, ‘I know what those are. Oh, it's so beautiful. Those are so beautiful’. Well that exists every day in our lives. We take these things for granted.”
“[Art] offers the opportunity for the viewer to stop where they are and be reminded of not just the beauty of life, but the horrible tragedy of life. The things that move us and we don't know why. That’s pretty important.”
Score: 8/10
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It forces me to live in the moment.
Good way to practice positive thinking.
Easy to get into a flow state.
The feeling control with the brush was unparalleled. That tactile nature of the form is unlike any other.
The feeling of “I did that.” is powerful. It encourages a constructive mindset where anything is possible
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Requires a lot of supplies to get started. I’m the type of guy that buys 1 fork and finds a way to make it work.
Love the process but can’t imagine hanging the final piece in my house. Part of me wants to donate it to Goodwill but I don’t want to insult them either.
Easy to get out of a flow state. Very touch and go.
It required a lot of focus and had the instructor not been there it would’ve been a very different result.
They charged extra for the wine! I realize you’ve got to squeeze all the milk out of the cow but come on people have to pay the bills.
August 22, 2022
