By DARLA MCCAMMON
Lakeland Art Association

Photography can be an art form and usually has a category by itself within most art competitions. Even the best photography however, can usually stand a little “assist” from a good artist. Many artists use their own photos as a resource for their work, some even project the image in order to accurately get the initial shape onto the canvas or paper on which they are working.

An artist who works outdoors and tries to paint from real life or via plein aire technique has a bit of a handicap simply because the source of light, the sun or the moon, moves and changes. This affects all the shadows and size of shadows and quite a few things within the composition.

These artists must work rapidly before such dramatic changes happen that can create the problem of a tree with a strong shadow on the left becoming a tree with a mid-level degree shadow as the day progresses! So, in working from real-life, unless you are inside a studio with fixed lighting, you can be presented with problems and difficulties as an artist.

Artists are not necessarily good photographers although some can develop these skills. For those who choose to use a photo for their work, additional difficulties can occur. First, the composition may not be the best, and if using a camera it is not always possible to go ask an Eagle to move a little to the left while you shoot a photo. In our two photo examples, an artist who chooses to simply “copy” the photo will be making a mistake in both cases.

The baby fawn is gorgeous but the Queen Anne’s Lace is blocking the best view of his face. We have to hope the artist will be able to eliminate the flower so we can see all of the delicate features of the fawn. The purple sage adds the color punch we need for what would otherwise be ho-hum colors. But the contrast between the fawn and the background will need to be improved to provide the best values and one should not cut any painting (or photo for that matter) in half either vertically or horizontally with the subject. It is generally best offset just a bit. With the fawn we would have a better composition if either the left or right side of the photo were cropped off a bit. This is the advantage to the artist. You can do things to improve the work that few photographers would be able to do, even with Photoshop.

The eagle is a better photo than the fawn. I hope you can see this after my explanation above. First, the light is stronger and therefore the values and contrasts are stronger. It is a good strong side light which is always preferred. Second, the slanting branch does not slice the photo like it would if it were perfectly horizontal. Third, the eagle is perfectly offset, not directly in the middle — a mistake made far too often in both photography and art work. The background is the only issue in this composition, it is too distracting, but a good artist can diffuse this, and a good photo lens could have done the same.

I took both these photos and have used them in paintings that have done well in competition. I hope you might try using good photos to help you “stop the sun” when painting outdoor scenes. Happy painting!

Upcoming and Current Events

• The Bev Garner exhibit opened at Warsaw City Hall Gallery on Tuesday, April 7. Garner is a marvelous colored pencil artist and has many awards to her credit. You can visit the gallery from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. weekdays.
• Adult and children workshops are always on deck. Call (574) 594-9950 for information.
• Honeywell themed show competition can now be viewed through Tuesday, May 19. Reception is free at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 19. You must make reservations online or call (260) 563-1102, ext. 1410.
• On the first Saturday in June, Lakeland Art Association is sponsoring a fabulous fun kid’s tent for art at Winona Lake Village.

Contact [email protected] any time you have comments or questions.