# 56 Two Paths Meet at a Milestone

                                                           "Going Home at 5 - III"

                                                         "Going Home at 5 - II"

Fellow Art Lovers:

Up until now, my paintings have lived in two separate worlds. And, until now, these two worlds have never met, at least with me.

In one world, I’ve painted with a palette knife, and I’ve generally reserved that tool for my landscapes in Normandy. Yes, I’ve painted some Philadelphia street scenes with a palette knife. But that technique seemed so well suited to landscapes because I felt the need to paint rapidly, to commit myself without hesitation, while laying down thick strokes of oil paint, and the resulting canvases had a very pleasing texture. The paintings transmitted a certain spontaneity, and – frankly – people like them.

In the other world, I’ve used brushes, and with them I’ve sometimes painted landscapes, but generally I’ve painted urban scenes and, especially, portraits, because brushes can give an artist more precision. Therefore, for me, brushwork takes more care and time, usually does not have the same spontaneity, and doesn’t give me the same feeling of freedom.  Although, my brushwork has loosened up a great deal in the last few years.  And, of course, I hope people like these paintings also.

In the painting you see at the top of this blog posting, "Going Home at 5 III," those two worlds have met and joined.  For the first time for me. Actually, joining these two techniques on the same canvas felt good. There was no “When Worlds Collide” moment, for those of you who like old movies. Actually, joining those two techniques produced no explosion or big bang. It seemed a natural extension of what I’ve been doing and the direction I’ve been moving in.   

And, if you were to visit my studio, you’d see that I’ve painted this same scene numerous times. So, maybe repeating the same subject is what it takes to make real progress - keeping the subject constant, so I feel greater freedom to adapt my technique.

Now, if you have a few more minutes, please take another look at both of the paintings - "Going Home at 5 III," and "Going Home at 5 II." You see how both of the paintings have large spaces of dark and light colors and a few selected objects. There’s no pretention to try and make the scene or the people look realistic. The idea was to show the beauty of life, the unity of the mother and daughter.  

But the version painted with a palette knife interprets the scene with less detail, less specificity, drawing more of your attention to the mother and daughter and the gaze between them. I know that I’ve shown enough, so you know what this and that are. So, now the version with the palette knife just tries to present an engaging surface. Why confuse the issue?

And this painting raises another issue. It points to what a lot of artists are doing today, and how we differ from artists who paint with an unbelievable level of realism. That is, the painters who achieve such high levels of precision and accuracy that, in one way, they approach photography. In some ways, these painters are like the Dutch Masters and the painters of the Italian Renaissance, who surely expressed ideas, like beauty and faith. And to emphasize their ideas, they used realism of the highest order, unbelievable precision and accuracy, and all of it even though they did not have all of the advantages we do today, like colors from a tube, a whole range of electronic tools, and every medium you could imagine just the turn of a bottle-cap away, just to mention a few obvious examples.

Let me say here that, in general, all styles are valid. Of course this is true, and it’s obvious. But I want to make sure that you don’t think that I’m passing judgment on anyone else’s style.

But the school I want to belong to are the painters who believe they are not bound by accurate realism, but jump beyond strict representation in their paintings to greater freedom to express their ideas. Sure, I’ve talked so often about my struggle to gain greater freedom that there’s no doubt that this is the group I feel closest to. And, with this latest painting, using a combination of tools, I believe I’ve moved a little closer to them.  

Thanks for your time.

Best,

Bill

#52 - Artist Raps his Creative Process in Painting to Jazz on YouTube.com

Fellow Art Lovers:

My new rap video, “A Painter’s Prayer,” is important for me. It expresses and demonstrates some ideas that I deeply believe and feel – not only every time I pick up a brush and paint – but also during all my moments thinking and reflecting and wondering about my art.

Those of you who have read my blog postings up until now, I’m sure you’ve seen how I’m constantly looking for creativity and more freedom in my painting. Frankly, I truly believe that all of us have the seeds of creativity within us. We, as human beings, if we really want to, have the power to create true works of art. Therefore, I believe that if I show and explain my creative process in just one discipline, painting, just maybe, I might stimulate others to have faith in their own creative power. And then, maybe, just a few more people will follow through with their own works of art.

I want to talk to you about Denis Vaucelle, a friend who lives in Normandy. He’s the French jazz pianist who’s the composer and performer of the composition, “Flying Alone,” which he performs in solo piano for “A Painter’s Prayer,” as well as the music for my earlier rap video “Six Foot Tall.”

Here’s what Denis says about “A Painter’s Prayer”: “As soon as I read Kosman’s text, I was touched by the truth of his message. I felt that my music could take on a deeper meaning and a more significant reality with Bill’s lyrics. I realized that rap is an extension of my music and is in line with my way of composing. In musical composition, just like a painter in front of his canvas, creativity is a strange process that can seem out of reach, where you sometimes feel blocked. But when your creative spirit takes over, you’re suddenly flooded with ideas.”

I want to talk about another person. She’s Anne Saint Peter, a friend and a fellow artist in numerous disciplines; she’s a visual artist, a photographer, and – as you see – a videographer. She’s the person who videotaped me in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park and took those creative shots of me, some of them truly in the cinéma verité style. 

By the way, I produced this rap video on my MacbookPro using iMovie with Apple technical assistance.

-0-

Here are the lyrics:

A Painter’s  Prayer ©

By William Kosman

Sometimes, the beauty of life touches me so deeply I could cry,

The Normandy countryside with its fields and trees and tall skies,

The city streets where people face tough lives but just don’t give up,

The human face that expresses so much life, emotion and soul,   

But sometimes I fear I’ll never capture that beauty bold and strong before I die.

How do I touch people’s hearts with paint from a tube smeared on canvas?

How can I pull on their feelings with colors and images molded by my mind’s eye?

How can I push back the troubling skies and dark clouds to move toward my goal?

To create a thing of beauty in a single panel that brightens the bleak spaces of life.  

Oh, help me reach into my soul and bring out the best,

Give me the strength to work without rest,

Let me use the skills I sharpened over the years of my life,

And then and then, set my spirit free,

And with paint and brush let my hand fly,

I don’t know if it’ll ever work, but I gotta try.

I start with dabs of color, choosing the elements I need, and marking their signs,

I take the plunge and let my palette and my brush and my arm work their own designs.    

I feel the strength of my strokes, the confidence in my gut, and the heat of my emotions.

My brush moves across the surface, and the shapes and colors create their own notions. 

But when the dark clouds move closer, I try to push them away,

The fog of self-doubt, the growing fatigue, the fear of irrelevance,

To feel my vision slipping, forgetting my purpose and my place in the universe,

I know the only way to break through is to keep hitting that brick wall, 

So I keep going, call it an adventure, convince myself I’m creating a miracle for all.  

Oh, help me reach into my soul and bring out the best,

Give me the strength to work without rest,

Let me use the skills I sharpened over the years of my life, 

And then and then, set my spirit free,

And with paint and brush let my hand fly,

I don’t know if it’ll ever work, but I gotta try.

I stop to judge my work, are these forms and colors bold and strong? 

No, no, I know now the canvas lacks one more bold gesture, 

I have to push myself a bit further, to make my work a bit worthier,

Do I have the strength to risk a grave error for the reward of new expression?

To move the canvas in front of me one more step toward perfection.  

Oh, help me reach into my soul and bring out the best,

Give me the strength to work without rest,

Let me use the skills I sharpened over the years of my life, 

And then and then, set my spirit free,

And with paint and brush let my hand fly,

And now I see and feel that this time at least it worked, and I don’t know why.  

“A Painter’s Prayer” © William Kosman.  “A Painter’s Prayer” © is the property of William Kosman and may not be reproduced without his written permission.

Links:

"A Painter's Prayer" video on YouTube.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu-6mMvzHTI

YouTube.com channel of William Kosman

www.youtube.com/billkosman

Again, thanks for your interest, thanks for listening, and thanks for your support.

Best,

Bill

# 51 - A Painter's Click

                                                                 Entree de Douvres

                                                                       Vieux Luc

                                                             Coquelicots a Tierceville

Fellow Art Lovers:

It’s interesting how real progress can come when it’s not at all expected, and when viewed after the fact, like a Sunday-morning quarterback, it can seem like the most natural event in the world.

That happened to me about five days ago, and – surprisingly – it had to do with painting.

I’ve always done a lot of sketching, because it’s a pleasure, it’s useful in planning paintings, and it comes very naturally to me.  Recently, here in Normandy, I’ve started giving hosts original sketches of some of the scenes I love when we’re invited to their homes for lunch or dinner. I find this more personal than a bottle of wine or a bouquet of flowers. 

Recently, looking at a number of dinners coming up, I decided to do maybe four or five sketches of some of my favorite places in Normandy, just to prepare for the coming dinners. Then, perhaps the next afternoon, I picked a spot to paint and set up my material.

Then something clicked.  I swear, my brush just started flying over the canvas, first in dark tones, and then gradually in lighter and lighter tones for the highlights of trees and fields and clouds and sky. Then, almost automatically, I brightened the colors and filled in important areas of highlight and reflection.

What had happened? First of all, I’ve been painting a lot here recently, and my strokes have become more and more confident. But more important, perhaps, I think I picked up for painting some of the gestures I make for sketching – with all of their speed and ease. The result was the painting, ”Entrée de Douvres.” Then, the next day, the same thing happened with the painting, “Vieux Luc.” It just seemed to right and natural.

I’m not going to go on forever about my pursuit of freedom, because I talk a lot about that, and you’re probably getting a little tired of it. All I will do is present three of the paintings I’ve done recently for you to judge for yourselves.

As I mentioned in my last blog posting, I’m only bringing back a few of the paintings I’ve done here in Normandy, because I’m planning to have an exhibit here. So, if you’re struck by anything I’ve shown in my last few blog postings, please let me know.

You’ll be able to see a few new Normandy paintings if you e-mail me or when you visit my studio during POST (Philadelphia Open Studio Tours) on Oct. 25 and 26.  

Thanks for listening, and thanks for your time. As always, I’d love to hear your comments.

Best,

Bill

#50 - Reaching a Milestone in France

Tailleville Field I

Reviers River 

Coquelicots Amblie I

Crépon Field 

Fellow Art Lovers:

One of my favorite streets in Paris is rue de Seine, which has about 30 art galleries and – along other things – a smattering of cafes and restaurants. One afternoon, while visiting one of the galleries there, I talked with an artist whose landscape style I really liked, it’s honest, direct and a pleasure to look at. Just like many people in other professions, we exchanged business cards. The following day, I received a message from her. She told me that she really liked my latest urban landscapes, which – she said – “brush up against the abstract.”

Of course, everyone likes compliments, but for me her comment was very perceptive. Yes, in pushing my painting forward toward more freedom, I have been moving just a bit closer to the abstract. And I found her way of expressing that idea appealing, using the French word “frôler.”

And her comments got me thinking about how this approach really suits me. It’s consistent with my character, my painting style and my goals for my painting, and it’s helping me move forward. This approach, and my knowledge of it while I’m painting, imposes a certain discipline on me, while at the same time gives me a certain license. That approach reminds me that I have the responsibility to express an idea in the most forceful way, while I can remind myself that, yes, that bit of canvas belongs to me, and I can do what I want. And that’s all consistent with my goals for painting, as well as writing: I want to tell a story, get a certain idea across to the viewer, and give the viewer pleasure in looking at my work. 

A lot of this comes naturally to me, that is without a lot of thinking. But more and more, I’m still a very emotional painter; I can get totally involved in my painting and feel kind of a painter’s high. But, in contrast to the past, even while I’m painting, I do get involved in a reasonable amount of reflection. It’s not just all gut and adrenaline.

Now, if it’s of interest to you, it’s up to you to judge. I’m showing you just four paintings of perhaps the 13 I’ve done so far here in Normandy. I believe they show a kind of progress, from representational to letting the brush take off and brush up against the abstract.  

Just a few comments on these paintings (Please remember: Just click on the image to double its size):

11.   One of the first paintings I did on arriving here in Normandy, this is a field near Tailleville. It looks like a lot of fields here in its simple beauty, and I tried to show that straight-forward beauty to the viewer in a slightly realistic style.

22.  This is a beautiful scene in the village of Amblie where the river Seulles passes under some foliage. I tried to make the foliage in the background slightly abstract, while showing the foreground clearer and more realistic.

33.   In a farmer’s field in Amblie, I just couldn’t resist this scene, because we have the field itself, a great sky and the scattering of the bright cloquelicots in the lush foliage. I just let my hand go on its own, and this is the result.

44.  This scene in Crepon was splendid. I went back to more realism because I wanted to capture the bulls, the open field, the sky and foliage in the foreground.

I’m going to keep working and see what I come up with.

If you’re attracted to any of these paintings, please let me know. I will be bringing back just a few of the works I’ve done here, because I plan on exhibiting here in France. Also, if you have any desires, like “I’d love a painting with cows,” please let me know. I do take strong suggestions for paintings.

Thanks for listening and for your support.

Best,

Bill