PROGRAM OCTOBER 1, 2019 - TOM POWELL

Today’s Program:

Guest: ‘A Study in Values’

Thomas Powell took us on his latest exploration of monochromatics and use of grey mixes and tints, as he pursues the ‘Holy Grail of Value’!

• Paduca, Indiana, Nebraska, lawyer for health company, moving to Fayetteville, NC, law pays for art supplies
• Lawyer, stress level was through the roof, blood pressure, weight, new job - took up painting to relieve stress and find joy. Paints 2 - 3 hours starting at 4:30 am to reduce stress; no formal training; have taken some classes at Arrowmont in KY with Mary Todd Beam: her books are The Creative Touch and Celebrate your Creative Self

• Mary Todd Beam class changed his path
• Started in full color - she suggested that you look at things differently, got more creative and playful
• Lauren Finn - UP Michigan; discussing tonality, his pencils are watercolor pencils, she taught him about that, focus on values and tonality, not color
• 50/50 tonal and transparent
• thinking about shapes, not color
• Influences - Van Gogh, Carravagio - high contrast, Ash Can school of artists - John Sloan, Everett Shinn
• does lots of street scenes, crowds, breaking crowd down - legs only, umbrella as the crowd
• Materials
• pencil drawing - shows through, part of the work
• art graf - tin of graphite - water soluble, settles into crevices - mid range of tones, • cake of carbon - blackest black
• Caron D’Ache graphite sticks - RBG - tinted graphite
• india ink for deepest black
• hazy white - white pastel
• Daniel Smith graphite paint
• Dervan Liquid Pencil - permanent and liftable versions - uses on backgrounds
• ArtGraf putty for drawing, water soluble
• Graphite powder - learning to use, can’t replicate
• charcoal powder - interesting texture
• Caron D’Ache sticks, water soluble
• walnut ink - warm tone, less granulation
• Derwent Ink Tense Grafitint, pens
• fixative on graphite paint
• Bee Paper Watercolor paper
• Shizen Watercolor paper from India extremely textured
• paints from reference images, uses own or flickr images - asks permission
• focus on values, not distracted by color, also design - shapes, etc
• Murder of Crows series
• Sells by open house a couple times a year
• Demo of a rainy street scene and a crow

  Tom Powell of Louisville KY was our guest on October 1, 2019.  While he now paints mostly in black and white or sepia, he also brought samples of his colorful paintings

Samples of his black and white paintings

The second painting was of a raven.