NOVEMBER 2017 PROGRAM - BRUCE NEVILLE
When Bruce retired after 40 years as an architect, his wife Nancy (also an artist) gave him a gift of a watercolor workshop, and he was hooked. Over the years Bruce has taught at Baker Hunt in Covington and also gives workshops. His work is currently represented in Ohio, Michigan and Kentucky. He recently won an award from Ohio Watercolor Society for his painting “Hill Street in Mt. Adams”. Both Bruce and his wife, Nancy, participated in the Art in Bloom in cooperation with the Cincinnati Art Museum. Their paintings will be framed and auctioned off.
He brought several of his paintings which show his loose, fresh style.
Bruce began the demo with a completed drawing on watercolor paper. This particular paper is a printmaking paper which is manufactured by Arches. He quickly laid in a juicy wash onto dry paper using M. Graham and Daniel Smith paints – yellow oxide, cobalt blue (which combine to make a great gray), pyrrole red, yellow ochre, French ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and indanthrene blue. His brushes are the same as those used by an artist he admires, Joseph Zbukvik – Escoda #18 and #24, flat 1-1/2 in. and a hake brush.
Bruce is interested in mood and atmosphere and says “when you understand the lighting you are able to make drawings with strong contrasts”.
Beginning with his light areas and working toward the darks, he uses a paper towel to dab up runs, etc. Once the darks were applied, the painting began taking shape and figures were put in loosely to add a sense of scale. He says that after taking a weeklong workshop with Alvaro Castagnet it changed his painting style forever.
Bruce says in order to make your eye move around the paintings paint shapes that lead to focal area with extreme value contrast. This will grab the viewer’s eye making excitement and drama. Do not try to duplicate the photograph! Be spontaneous and use vibrant colors with lots of contrast in an impressionistic manner.
Following his presentation, Bruce critiqued paintings by our members, mentioning that when inserting figures into a landscape be aware of scale – the farther away, the smaller the figure will be. Of a submitted portrait he said that artist Mary Whyte says “eyes tell a lot”, and Bruce was complimentary of the eyes and skin gradation in the portrait.
Bruce will have a workshop on March 9-10, 2018 at his studio in Pendleton Art Center.
Bruce will be donating a painting to be raffled off at our December meeting. (Thank you, Bruce!)
Program notes a collaboration by Jane Hittinger and Deb Ward.
