Inspirations - Richard Schmid

Around 2001, I bought a book called ALLA PRIMA - Everything I  Know About Painting by Richard Schmid.  I heard about this book from another artist.  Schmid tells about his life as an artist and the steps that he took from his early education and on to his own learning and experiences.  He has influenced my ideas and knowledge more than any other painter.

The book is costly but I consided it to be the tuition for a serious and practical course in painting from a master painter.  I found the book complete in what is necessary to make successful paintings.  He notes that painting requires repeated learning and practice.  It is easy to see the many hours in his life time dedicated to acquiring the skills of seeing in great detail and putting that observation accurately onto the paper or canvas.

The book contains 203 pages and 118 colored plates.  The plates (images) are extremely sharp and detailed opposed to images you may find on the web due to the low resolution of the web.

Since words do not illustrate his work I am listing some sources on the web for you to see.

This first one is his website Video #1 and if you look at all of the tabs on the left side you can learn much about him and his work. 

The second link is to a YouTube Video #2 which shows his labors on the Abbotsford House.

The third link is also a YouTube Video#3 which show a quick portrait study. 

Here is a Google list of Schmid's paintings however after page 5 they are intermixed with student works and attempts to copy his work.  Just click on the image it will enlarge slightly and the name of the painter will appear so no doubt will remain. 

There are many books by Schmid at Amazon but Alla Prima is the best for general information.  Maybe your library can put a copy on their shelves.  On his website he also has DVD demonstration lessons.  I have May  which is number 3 in the series.  At first viewing I was amazed at how rapidly with just a few strokes of the brush or painting knife he created a very realistic image.  He is truly a master.

I use many of his suggestions and ideas since buying the book.  I re-read particular sections that I want to review often.  I have placed markers on certain pages which are available for quick reference. 

Studio Set Up

In the studio, I have an 18" x 32" taboret which originally was sold as a buffet serving table.  The top slides back 3/4 of the way revealing a storage area.  We bought it over twenty years ago as a diaper changing table in the bathroom.  After the need for diapers vanished, I eventually took it into the studio and adopted it as my taboret for supplies and tools.

I dislike holding a traditional pallet so I bought a 16" x 30" sheet of safety glass which is about 1/4" thick made up of two sheets of glass bonded to an internal core of plastic.  The construction of safety glass is such that if it breaks, the shards of glass will remain attached to the plastic core. The corners and edges were ground smooth and I painted the back of the glass with a middle gray spray paint.  The gray is close to the standard Kodak middle gray sample sheet, but not an exact match. I like a gray pallet to better be able to distinguish the color values.

About half of the glass surface is used for mixing paint and the rest for color tubes, brushes and pallet knife in use.  Also there is a small bottle of Galkyd Painting Medium mixed with odorless mineral spirits.

On the bottom shelf are the pastel boxes and the PanPastels.

 

The sliding top opens and stores painting supplies.

If the pallet will be open to the air for a long time, I clean off the mixing area of the pallet with a pallet knife or razor scraper. Cover the globs of oil paint remaining with plastic wrap which clings nicely to the glass making an air tight seal. 

Allway makes a glass scraper with a slide that moves a single edge razor blade in and out.  The blade "cuts" the oil residue off of glass and only glass.  Use a light touch as the razor blade is harder than the glass and can scratch it. It is great for removing dried paints.

Allway glass scraper about $3 in many hardware stores.

To finish the job, use the denatured alcohol and a paper towel. Denatured alcohol is powerful stuff and not being a chemist I'm guessing that it breaks down the composition of the oil binder in the colors.  Watch where it goes.  Maintain adequate ventilation.  It is very combustible and the vapors are dangerous.

Some of these tips come from Richard Schmid, who has much knowledge to share in his books and videos.  I ran across him around 1998 - 99 on the internet and bought his book, Alla Prima, Everything I Know About Painting in 2000.  Subsequently, I bought one of his DVD,s and borrowed another from a friend. 

Moveable furniture allows for converting the use of the space for photography.

I am retired and working in a large well lit studio.  If someday I must live in a more confining housing situation, I would be willing to abandon the oil colors, pastels, and everything that goes with them. I could take a traveling watercolor box and a few sable brushes. I would only need a few square feet of table top temporarily and a small box for all of my supplies.  Cleaning up afterward only requires rinsing out of the brushes and letting everything dry. Finished. 

See the next post on Watercolors.