CHRISTOPHER VIDAL
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Artist Christopher Vidal  - Blog

Welcome to my blog. The aim of this blog is to share with you some of my experiences related to my artworks, what inspires me and also how it is done. As an artist I am also constantly learning as this is an ongoing process. I also learn from my students when I am teaching in the class. Sharing what I know with others is also very satisfying. This is how we grow and improve. 
I've been teaching art for a while now, and I must say that from this I learned a lot. This helps me to identify what each individual needs in order to become a better painter. Painting is not an easy task especially landscape painting. One needs to have the inspiration to paint a tree or a mountain and it is not a question of just wanting to paint something. I choose to paint something because there was an element that motivated me to do so ...that inspired me. It could be the game of light and shadows or simply the warm colors of a late afternoon. It is sometimes very difficult to translate the colors that nature shows us using paint on a canvas. This challenge could be also a way to motivate you to paint a scenery. 
Most important is that you do not expect that every painting that you paint is going to be a masterpiece. You shouldn't be afraid that your final product is not what you expected in the first place. An unsuccessful painting should be the teaching ground for a better one that follows. This is how we learn. We learn from our own mistakes and from things that didn't work out as we wanted them but with an effort we try to make them better the next time. 
So if you want to become a better painter then you have to practice and paint regularly. This is the only way how you can improve your techniques, discover ones of your own, learn your colors etc. It is all about brush mileage. The tutor is there to help you find your way, shows you the basics and how to use your tools in order for you to be able to develop yourself. 
Looking forward to share with you my knowledge.

The human connection with nature

6/6/2019

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Today I am going to give a brief overview of the painting process of this painting. I found the subject matter interesting in a number of ways. The human figure looks like he is a meditative and reflective state while at the same time there seems to be a friendly and peaceful relationship with the monkey. It also reminded me of when I was young and I had this obsession that I wanted a small monkey as a pet, however this never happened. It also reminded me of our connection as humans with mother nature and especially with the other creatures with whom we share our life on this planet. It is also a reminder that we are part of the natural world from which we all are coming. 

From the artistic perspective I loved the combination of colours and contrasts. The background is fairly neautral leaning towards a low chroma orange which contrasts with the relatively high chroma complementary bluish tones of the turban. Other complementary contrasts are red/green and yellow/purple.

As a surface I prepared a stretched fine linen, primed with three layers of acrylic primer. The initial tonal sketch was done using raw umber which was allowed to dry for a day and then painted over with a second layer of transparent red oxide red. Both of these paints dry very quickly.

After allowing the painting to dry for couple of days I proceeded to the next layer of paint, where I started introducing more colour and opaque paint. A 50% cold pressed linseed oil was used as medium and added to the paint. After identifying the colour groups, an mid-range colour was initially mixed and adjusted to create a tonal variation of that colour suitable to use for shadows and light. The darker but warm underpaint helped me to establish and control the tone as well as for the darker areas in the shadows.

The last stage was focused to continue modifying the tones in each section of the painting, usually darkening the shadows and lightening where needed. During this stage both scumbling (for opaque paint) and glazing (using transparent paint) are used to continue adjusting the tones while creating more form.

The painting is currently in its final stages where I might do some minor and final adjustments before signing it.
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    As an artist I want to share with you my experiences and what is behind my artwork. Every artwork is an expression of the inner self. It is driven by experience. 

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  • Home
  • The Artist
    • About my work
    • Media/Publications
  • PAINTINGS
    • Paintings for Sale >
      • Landscapes
      • Plein Air
      • Still Life
    • Commissions
    • SOLD Paintings
  • Tuition
    • Online Art Coaching
    • Workshops & Demos
    • Student Works
  • Products
  • Blog
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