19. Painting for Kids

Title: Stains of Thoughts 18.09.07

(Acrylic on Rosa Spina 2ox14 ins)

Is the blurred effect an accident of birth?


When I use the word “painting” I am referring to “Impressionist” painting because that is where I have gained most expertise. I can also say I qualify to be a true impressionist painter since I possess the fundamental characteristic to be one- lack of eye-sight. I have always said that the blurred effect of impressionist painting is not an acquired effect, but an accident of birth since practically all those that founded the movement were short sighted whilst Monet, the pillar of impressionism was in his later years quite blind but nevertheless continued to paint to the very end. However, the reason that impressionist painting really came into being which was alongside the invention of the camera was to do exactly that- take a snap shot of life in all its beauty, ugliness, and unprepared chaos. Therefore there was to be no more posing, and rigid modelling, everything had to come naturally, spontaneously and even haphazardly. For the first time we see sweating ballerinas backstage, soiled boots and withering flowers- beautiful- but not pretty pictures which the bourgeois would have liked to put on their walls, hence were held in disrepute.

When in the 90s the National Curriculum came out in Britain I went round schools to see what they were doing and noticed that some schools, even at primary level there were posters of the works of impressionist painters which I consider fundamental if one is to teach impressionist painting to kids, they must see what the masters were up to. Soon they will distinguish the style of each painter by associating the dancers to Degas, the bathers to Renoir, the sunflowers to Van Gough and of course they all did landscapes. And even if they see that the violent brush strokes of Van Gough seem to have nothing in common with the porcelain smoothness of those of Renoir, the underlying theme of “Impressionism” springs out in all- the blobs- the blurriness of it all which as one steps back gradually comes into focus.

This is what I revel in, the blobs and the blurriness to form an impression which as one stands back merges into an object, a landscape, a petal… However, in my work, a series of paintings which I call “Stains of Thoughts”, I have taken this principle just a step further… at first glance the impression is muddy but gradually becomes clear as one concentrates and searches into the patches of colour. Sometimes I put vague lines as an intimation of the shape which should emerge, sometime I leave the eye of the individual to form his own shape.

For children, however, they get more pleasure in shapes they recognize because they make sense to them; finding shapes in blobs of colour may come at later stage when they have gained more familiarity with the materials they are using.

Paints have always been a pain for teachers to supply because impressionist painting requires thick paints, like jelly not the government issue of watery fluids of tempera. Whatever paints are made available if they are not thick then one must thicken them and the easiest way to do this is by mixing the paint with dissolved powdered glue the one commonly used to hang wall paper with. With a little practice one becomes an expert at producing the right consistency. The thickness of the paint which is the nearest substitute to the oil paints used by the Impressionist is also a novelty for kids which they find curiously enjoyable.

Once having overcome the problem of supplying the right kind of paint, we go to the brushes which each child must have at least two, a thick one and a thin one with hard bristles not the smooth ones used for delicate watercolours. The paper should be as thick and as absorbent as possible. I use a special kind called “Rosa Spina” which translated literally is “Thorn Rose” but is not easy to find as it is specially processed for artists and as far I know is not available in normal shops. It is also much more expensive than normal paper therefore I doubt very much that it is issued in schools. One now needs two beakers, one for the water where the brushes are rinsed when changing colours which is not very often as one can use the same brush and dip it into another colour thus obtaining often pleasing nuances of patches, and a smaller beaker to contain a thin watery colour substance which will be used to “wash” the paper. A rag is also fundamental because when brushes are rinsed they must be perfectly dried before using them again and besides, painting is after all, quite a messy job!

(Acrylic on Rosa Spina 28x20 ins)

Title: Stains of Thoughts 20.09.07

Proceed as follows in the next entry.

To see a step by step illustrated version of the lesson click here.