PAINTING A SERIES

Painting a series (A Blog by Mike Barr)

“Most artists gravitate to one subject, at least at one time in their life. When we think of artists we know, we can usually think of a subject that currently dominates their work.

Painting series of works is not a new thing.  Monet painted about 250 Water Lily paintings – some of us don’t paint that many works in a lifetime. His pond at his home in Giverny, and the Water Lilies provided a perfect subject and they are now famous.

Artists that paint a lot of the same or similar thing can come under criticism, either spoken or thought – usually from other artists.

For some, painting to a theme can last many years, and sometimes for the life of the painter. One thing is almost certain though – they become good at their preferred subject. What is interesting too is that, in the end, collectors and art-lovers expect certain artists to paint certain things. When an artist branches out into different themes, there can be a backlash for a while.  A bit like Colgate branching out into making chocolate – it would feel strange.

Tackling a series on a subject, allows you to approach it in many ways without diverting from it.  Painting one subject may appear limited in scope, but the variations can be limitless. Some artists start off in a traditional style and turn their hand to more abstract ways without losing their feel for the subjects they love.

Artists who end up being exclusive to subject can do very well. Not only in the execution of the work but also the acceptance in the public eye.  Subject-recognition is similar to recognizing a signature – the public love subject recognition and another way that artists can become popular.

Painting a prolonged series, can also be good for the artistic soul of painters.  Being totally familiar with subject will allow us to branch out in how we portray it – it can expand our abilities to interpret as long as we don’t allow our painting experience to become mere factory work,  and there is always a danger in that.

Many artists tire of painting a similar or same subject more than once, but the benefits of repetition can be life-long through the acquisition of confidence. There is hardly any other aspect of painting more precious than confidence.”

Happy painting!

Mike Barr

‘Parklands Gum’ (part of a series!) 90x90cm Textured acrylic - stretched canvas