Happy New Year, Year of the Horse

Have a Happy, Safe and Prosperous New Year !

馬到功成 !
身體健康 !

Depiction of shape and form

I enjoy painting Canada geese.  It is their black neck with the white break just behind their eyes that catches my fascination initially.  I consider that particular feature, along with their knobby legs to be perfect models for practicing my calligraphic strokes.

Xie He was a Chinese critic in the 5th century who proposed the 6 doctrines, or canons , of Chinese painting.

He listed Vitality, possessing of energy as the top priority of the art form. This was followed by the mastering of brush strokes, calligraphic traits. The 3rd on the list was depiction of shape and form.  I had his words in mind when I started out to explore how to paint Canada geese.

I assert that these 3 doctrines are tightly intertwined.  I also believed that depiction of shape and form trumps the first two.  Only after one masters the depiction of form and shape can one transmit the confidence and savvy into lively brush strokes with conviction.  Obviously one has to master the foundation of brush strokes in order to proceed.

Allow me to share some of my sketch studies when I first embarked on painting Canada geese.

The black band at the front of the head reminds me of a parallelogram with a spout attached to the bottom.  The white band begins behind the eye and ends at where the neck would begin, with the lower edge forming the bottom of the head.

The neck itself is the expressive part.  This is where good practice of center tip brush stroke comes into play.  The curvature and attitude of the neck animates the story.

The body of the goose reminds me of the shape of rhombus or football (rugby).

Alternatively it could be a teardrop shape when viewed from above, or tail fin shape when the bird is floating on water;  just hark back to the Cadillacs of years gone by.

 

 

 

As far as the lower extremity is concerned, I would play up the knobby knee joint with the bow legged pigeon toes and I can parlez the feel of the goose waddling down the grassland.

By observing these birds feeding  and playing, one could successfully incorporate different neck attitudes with certain gaits and really bring your painting to life.  This is a proposition with a sanguine outcome.

Hopefully my observation and interpretation of the Canada goose will help any geese  enthusiasts with their painting projects.

Good painting to all.
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Ole Oak Tree- Happy New Year 2014

Today is the first day of 2014.

 I am not a person to make new year's resolutions.  I know too well that I make them  just so I have something to disappoint myself with :).  I have been harboring this image of oak trees, and I have no explanation for it. 

Why oak trees?  Perhaps they provide a big and sturdy umbrella?  Perhaps they weather the winter well?  Perhaps they are there !

There is no better day than today to record that on paper.

Happy 2014.  I welcome thee.