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I have yet to take the piece to the photographer (wet paint and all) but during the wait I thought I would send this image of Asher, now three months old, helping me put a second coat of titanium white on some of the highlights. His only medium so far is drool, but it’s never too early for a lesson.
"I was born on February 12, 1975, and have been drawing as long as I can remember. By the time I was in high school, I knew I wanted to be an artist, although at the time I didn't have a clear idea of how exactly I would use my talents to make a living.
"As I continued studying art, I began to suspect that fine visual art was dead. No one seemed interested in teaching students how to draw well, or paint well. More often than not, my own skills exceeded those of my instructors.
"The only field left that seemed to require good drawing, painting, and compositional skills was illustration, and therefore I began studying illustration at Utah State University in Logan, Utah. I became even more convinced that I had made the right decision in staying away from fine art as I endured course after course of required "drawing" and "painting" classes in which instructors required me to draw with "less focus", or use ridiculous materials such as shellac, glue, sand, salt, etc.
"My second year at Utah State, I met Damon Denys. In discussing Art with him I realized that there were other people who believed that technique and subject matter were indispensable components of any work of art. I then decided that I would work to develop my own painting skills with the purpose of creating artwork that I considered worthy of being called Fine Art.
"Since that time, I have studied on my own: Drawing from live models to learn the human form, studying proper painting techniques from any source I could find ample reason to trust, and developing a philosophy of Art based on reason, and life on earth.
"My goal is to portray the heroic and romantic in human nature and human achievement in a realistic style and a modern setting. I place particular emphasis on composition, technique, realistic detail, proper craftsmanship and consistency of style."
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September 7th, 2004 at 1:30 pm
This comment is a bit late, as it’s not easy for me to check the Artist’s Studio page often, but in addition to Bryan’s recommendations for reading and study in the development of art technique, I’d like to make one further comment: Nothing–and I really do mean NOTHING–can substitute for the study of the actual physical works of the old masters when it comes to understanding and developing art technique. I think I can speak for both Bryan and myself when I say that neither of us could paint the way we do now without having made a specific point of traveling to the countries where the works of the great masters of painting are available for direct study in museums. A great mistake that many art institutions make in their approach to teaching painting technique is to act as though the techniques they teach exist in some kind of technical vacuum, where students are not constantly encouraged to study IN PERSON the works of the artists they truly admire. If you want to learn how Alma-Tadema creates that magnificent marble in his paintings, go to London, or even the Getty and take a look in person. If you are particular to the works of Bryan and myself, visit the Cordair Gallery in person and get up close and personal to the surface of the paintings. Reproduced images in books are not a good substitute for originals during study. The techniques that any competent artist uses in painting are literally invisible in the reproduced image. There is no substitute for direct personal experience in learning. No amount of reading, pondering, or questioning can replace it. So read as much as you can, draw and paint as much as you can, and take every chance you get to see real paintings in person. That combination is the same one Bryan and I have used to develop our own technique. And none of what I’ve stated above even touches upon the fact that great works of art are so much more moving and inspiring in person. Just standing in front of some of my favorite works of art gives me an indescribable motivation and courage to become better at what I do. It’s an inexhaustible source of inspiration, which I think every serious artist needs.
September 8th, 2004 at 12:00 pm
Mr. Larsen,
When you first began this piece, I was a bit skeptical of it. However, I have changed my mind and would like to congratulate you on a job done, once again and of course, amazingly well. The highlight of this painting to me is the use of light, which I think plays well with the theme that you stated earlier. By making both the background and most of the earth dark, you place the beautiful Titan in the spotlight-I love it! It is warm-it is refreshing-it’s a Larsen :). Once again, Congratulations-I can’t wait to see more.
September 9th, 2004 at 1:00 pm
Thank you all for your comments. I apologize for the delay in my response.
Rob: I am glad you have enjoyed the progress of the piece. I hope you feel the same way about the finished product.
Brian: The post with Asher gives a good idea of the size of the canvas….18” x 30”.
Jason: I agree. The dramatic lighting is the only reason this composition works. Without it the painting would be far too boring and there would be a lot less importance given to the figure.
Damon: Thanks for the addition to my earlier comments on developing technique. I couldn’t agree more. Any chance an aspiring artist has to examine an original artwork is worth hours of pouring through book of photographs. The same thing goes for any art enthusiast. You haven’t really seen a painting unless you have seen the original in person