This report is a summation of an experiment to find the most creative approach for the writer in painting with watercolor. The research comes entirely from actual experiences and through experiments with the medium. Several approaches or methods of beginning a watercolor have been tried and analyzed following their completion

Howerton, Glen

English

Fort Hays State University

Fort Hays State University FHSU Scholars Repository Master's Theses Graduate School Summer 1958 Experiments in Painting Glen Howerton Fort Hays Kansas State College Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.fhsu.edu/theses  Part of the Art and Design Commons Recommended Citation Howerton, Glen, "Experiments in Painting" (1958). Master's Theses. 604. https://scholars.fhsu.edu/theses/604 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at FHSU Scholars Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of FHSU Scholars Repository. EXPERIMENTS I N PAINTING A Report Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School Fort Ifa ~TS Kansa s State Coll ege In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Sc ience in Art Education b y Glen Howerton Jul y 1958 1 This repo1°t is a s 1.J111.1ation of an experimer1 t to find tbe most creative approac'\for tbe v1riter/ in paintinf: nit_1. watercolor . 1rhe rosearcb c omes entirel~ frm·1 actual experiences and throurh experiments witJ:i tr'e !'1ediurr •• Several approaches or ~ethods of beainning a watercolor have been tried and ana: lizet follor1inr· their coriplet:.on . Creativi t;r, to the nriter, is Uc brin.__·L1.-· irito beinrr a thou,.. t or imar•e and t:.rour r. t· e use o..:· r·ood cesi,..·n '-' I mnke it into a vis\..1.al imar·e . Tbrour.b crcativit:r in paintinr: man can cormrnricate 1-'..is tbo:."·:1ts, feolinr;s and ideas to otb.ers . The '.'ll'iter feels t"r_at o. variet of a1rroac' es sho 11 ld be l'sed in tl e teac' inp· of art, because me neec.s to lea.,..,n t1 0 vocabular· of a medium '>ef ore one i.s able to cor 1'nica te 2 RETA IffER ·;rnLL An ink sketch rms made at a location sit1..1.ated in a neproid district . The colors were applied directl; from rien:ory as the paintin[i; \WS beir:.[ comple ted in t!:'e stnr :-o . In this approach one adhers too closel: to ~i~vte detail ratl:er than e:::pressinf ris interpretati •n of the subject, which tends to inhi"-,it freedom in paintin'> 11his evolves into a painti1V7 rLic' is alr:ost an exact cory of v1l at is t:1Bre in the b eginning. T'1is method does ana:r with al'Tost all creativit:~ arid is dor irw.ntl~ illustrative , whicb is a snperficial paintins rather tr.an one of feeliw and personal 1nterpretatiun. I /£·.••-~• \ i j ' -~ '--I l· __ /' .. -..:.,.. - . _...,. ( ......,_ __ .. __ ., ... ,...._ ........... -/ J_ \ \ --~' I 5 rr;E DOCK This paintin.r be[an with a ver•·.r small, q_t.ick sketch of a railwaJ ice dock . The sketch was put aside for about one ''ear "before t17e painting was c011pleted . In this approach W'C~ of the detail IBd been forrotten and therefore enabled the writer to more frrel~ express ~is f eelinn·s of t' _e subject . 1J.11'1is :method seer· s to involve a little nore thinkirir, but is lac,d· f in co::.:..'.~1le ~e fulfill:'1ent of tre creative act. 8 ACROSS ·rrR A sn all color sketcL vms made of an industrial area located near the Kaw River and the final paintinr- was completed in the studio . In this approach one becomes so concernea witb the detail that it still blocks out freedom of e:pression. ~he writer has found ver~ little creativlt~ in tbis method . 11 OLL1 ILL 1:1 is pain tin· ·ms direct, v1itl o t 1 a.ki::-ir- a "'irelir :nary sketch. The c omplete paintinr• zms r1ade at t'1e site of an old i-•o.in 11.ill . T:1e colors v,ere first blocl:eu. in then the S''hject ,,.., s applied in more co1 :ple te de to..il . As t~ e pain t:::..nc 1ro ressed ideas were added or -~a ~en a\la: derenditir· on .0'7 ~.c writer felt about how the desi~n sho~ld be . _111ro 1 cr.. ti.ie elei.:_ina tion and ac,c it ion of detD.il tr:~e writer t'.as e ;:perienced and ''sed the cr·eative 1 roces9 . ore tl an before . It is felt h8.t creativi t co·,1d '"'e developed coEpletel, in tbis met~od . r CROOKED CREEK This paintinr 1")esan b~ pla c inr onl: tL.e ncce s sar ../ detail of sl.1.1)ject 111.atter extra c ted from a photocraph on tr e paper . ~-.rom then Ol1 tl e photor;raph was for ·otten and the paintinr developed according to the feelin~s and inte1°1Jretations sugr·ested to t:_e ·,iirlter b· t' e sur ject natter involved . It is fmmd t.iat tl is netL.od is ver·, r-ood for caininr, an idea, 1n~t to t .. 1.e Hri ter wo..s not complete creative thinkin"' . The r.ind vms still ''Tided too nu.ch by t'be rm e111er· :1ce of n'_at nas in t 1-e pbotoC'"rap'1 t: ereb inhibitin~ the nritcr· in e;:pressir .. ', l 1 ir.:self co: .. pletel:/ • _, -1'7 B0T1.'LBS This paintinr oririnated wit~ a very shwle sketch from im.arina tion . The paintinr; was then developed from tliis rou:-:1 sketch . A paintinr develo·oin,· frOin the imar ir1atinn or the subconscio 1s rrind tends to "be much st:::·or...r er in desi'.:'"n quality . This evolves r~on a etter use oft: o 9rinciples whic' povern __:ood desi""D • This anproach does not inLi' ::.t free thinkinr and to 'he writer is con,1ete creativity. I f / j 4---~= I --· ~/--------\ J 20 TIPPLES The idea ,as partiall v developed in the mind hefore starting, but most of the subject r·atter was developed as t~e painting pr ogressed . The idea t½en srew unti l it seeved to be cmpletely expressive of the writers inner feelin~s toward the subject . 'l_lhis is a very free and creative Let::od of paintin,:, b~ dravrii..,S from the minds past experiences and addino; to them accorCin[ to ~ow one feels thin~s shoul d be or~anized . Ver:• strong design qualit·~ ca'1 be E"ainei by t:,,is approach . 23 TB.E:::S '=1he composition rms started v1ith t' e onl- knorm idea bein('I' the color and onl•T brown or r-_e~ed colors ·were 8elected . After t}:-ie color n.pol ·~co.ti'.)tl H"' s fh-.e '' .c content of the paintinr:r was 1'01tall} visnalized before o.n:rtllinr was drnvrn. The pa inti 1.r· irms then }m.de exo.ctl:r like 'L e riental irJar·e without deviat5on or e:~erimentation on t~e part of t~e "Jriter . This approach causes t 1---..e comi')osition to be a rood pictorial representation, b 1 '.t is ver:r ueRl:: in design . It a l so in~ibits tte artist in freely expressin~ ~is co~,10te interpretat.; on of tl..,e subject . 26 SEIPS The content of this paintinr oririnated fror, placino paint on t~_e paper ·i' a ."'ap'"'az:=i.rd 1.:iar,ner v1it~1out a precoi-icelTred notion of v1hat \'!Ould be t':-le end resnlt . Tr>is content g-rer1 as the paintinr developed and after tbe idea was conceived a fe~ of the details vere refined . This is an excellent wa~ to appro~cb crentive paintinr except it is felt t;l-,e desirn i·-1 t:::is pc.rticulaP riaintiw' is ver· weak. The approach lrneps one from becominc involved with a lot of nnnecesso.r:~ det8.il ".nc-:. eno.')le~ t ... 1e o.:."'tis·r to more frec1~~ e;:press l:is er•oV ()Y'J.S abo'it t'1e subject involved. 29 It is realized b? tl7 e vrriter t>at r~ore ti:"rle a11d research could '-,e YnrJ.de on eR.c~ of the a:,pro~c 1es illl1 st:i_,ated . It is also realizee. t>1at eac'_ ap~ro8.c. CO''ld le e::nlo-erl and developed nntil t>e 1 wot le~ all 1-1e e::-:celle.,,.,t e::a"'r1les of cren tivit:-- ut t:1is uas 11ot t>e : l7.l"'~,ose of t' e rc,Jort a~1d the writer a~d it ls felt t' nt t~ic nccomplished. Tbe 1nost crenti7e apD1'01.cl ,as fov.ric ~o 1,e v1~1en t:_e ir'1a e ·:ms -:,artinll cle-:elo- cC i t· e i c a· a t' e,,... lettinc t'1e i 1 a"e "'rov1 ·.·:~til t· .e feel.:..r, o~ co' lei.,e1 01.1 is culr.inated . 'l'l ::.s uf'.s 2c:ieh·ed i11 1' 1 inple'1 11 a1c also 

Experiments in Painting

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Experiments in Painting

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