DAVID CHEN Demonstration
19th November
2016
Seascape in Oils
This time David Chen had been asked to do a seascape in oils. He had no
pre-conceived idea and asked around until Col Foster produced a
Lorraine Wigraft pastel of a bay with a rim of land curving around. He
would not do a copy of it but his own painting would be suggested by
it. He discussed composition showing that he knew the rules but also
that he was prepared to break them. So he went for a half way
horizon instead of an unevenly placed one. He said, “The rule is: Don’t
do half. So I do half.” He was quite amusing with his comments and
had the audience laughing.
Starting on a previous painting he threw down a patch of white as a key to develop his range of tones by comparison. The existing darks of the old painting were useful in the tonal range. There was no drawing. He is a painter who starts in the middle and develops as the feeling strikes him. Gradually an image was emerging – a rim of land with a bay and half a frame of sky. The lightest tones were the white break of waves and a mid part of the sky. The mid tones were the water and the darks were the peninsula. He was using the one flat brush all the time, changing colours by scrubbing it in squares of newspaper. One brush for everything, a one inch $3 brush from Bunnings. “Don’t spend lots of money on brushes,” he said. “But buy good pigment.”
Getting
the tones right
Building up the colours
It was developing well. Very painterly. No apparent emphasis on drawing, more on tone and colour. He could probably sell it at this point. The raw edged thick paint would attract art lovers. However my knowledge of David Chen made me realize that no area of his painting is sacred. He is likely to paint over it at any time. Across many demonstrations by top painters, David, Greg Allen, Peter Smales, Lorraine Wigraft, we have been shocked by their readiness to go over lovely areas of their painting if they feel like it. “You have to learn the rules before you can break the rules,” said David.
He did actually stop at this point, much earlier than expected. There were many lessons here, challenging our preconceptions about how to do art.
After afternoon tea he started on another old
canvas.
“What are you painting?”
“Have a look.” He is very funny.
“What is it?”
“I haven’t decided.”
“Why are you making those
strokes?”
“They are dynamic strokes. Intuitive.
I am painting not
what I see but what I want to see.”
The paint seemed buttery and
responsive so even strokes without paint had an effect. He scrubbed in
areas of blue.
“You have to discover.” So he paints and finds out. Once again his second painting emerges from a jumble. It is a bay surrounded by dark hills. The sky has emerged somehow.
“Trust yourself. Don’t
listen to what people say… But listen to me.”
Finished Demo painting
Amusing. Entertaining. At the feet of the master.
Report by Colin Browne