This painting (oil on canvas, 40” x 30”) took three class periods to complete, that’s about seven hours. The artist started by putting down the colors he wanted to work with, reminiscent of the rich sepia and ochers of the Renaissance, he said. Rectilinear shapes fell into place, hinting at the Golden Section. This is not surprising when you have the Renaissance on your mind and one of the recent topics under discussion in the class had been just that, the Golden Section, its history and uses, briefly of course.
The working method adopted by the artist, Bruce Boyer, was to sit back from the easel at a distance of about six to eight feet and look at the painting in progress. Then he would get up and quickly add something. He had discovered, he said, that the painting tells you what to do.
The painting tells you what to do!
Well, how hard can that be!? Consider this: In the theater, actors will tell you that the hardest thing on stage is to listen. So it is with painting. Listen! This takes tremendous 
concentration. My students often tell me that after three hours of this work, “I’m ready for a nap.” It’s hard work.
I’m showing this painting in four stages and without commentary. I invite you to study the process—the conversation. Listen!
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Next , the completed work. Bravo!
All contents copyright (C) 2010 Katherine Hilden. All rights reserved.
artamaze by Katherine Hilden 