BATTLE...or MEDITATION? | My State of Mind While Painting
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- Artist James Gurney uses gouache to paint a stream cutting through a snow-filled forest landscape. As he paints, he considers the state of mind he experiences while painting. Topics: What modern neuroscience teaches us about visual perception. Winston Churchill’s ‘battle’ metaphor, and some of Lao Tzu's ideas from the Tao-Te Ching.
WATERCOLOR AND GOUACHE:
Anthraquinone blue: amzn.to/2WrK1h8
Indian red: tinyurl.com/bd...
Yellow ochre: amzn.to/2SfXc2O
Titanium white: amzn.to/2XSOld4
VIDEO TUTORIALS:
"Gouache in the Wild" (Stream or Download on Gumroad): gumroad.com/l/...
"Color in Practice: Black, White, and Complements (Gumroad): gurneyjourney....
"Color in Practice" (DVD) jamesgurney.co...
“How to Make a Sketch Easel” (Download): gurneyjourney....
“How to Make a Sketch Easel” (DVD): jamesgurney.co...
“Watercolor in the Wild” gumroad.com/l/...
"Casein in the Wild" gumroad.com/l/...
"Flower Painting in the Wild" gumroad.com/l/...
BLOG POSTS WITH MORE GEAR INFO:
Gouache Materials List: gurneyjourney.b...
Watercolor Materials: gurneyjourney.b...
BOOKS BY JAMES GURNEY:
1. Color and Light: jamesgurney.co...
2. Imaginative Realism: jamesgurney.co...
3. Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time: jamesgurney.co...
OTHER OFFICIAL SITES
Gurney's official website: jamesgurney.com...
Instagram: / jamesgurneyart
Pinterest: / gurneyjourney
GurneyJourney Blog: gurneyjourney.b...
Facebook group "Sketch Easel Builders": www.facebook.c...
CAMERA:
Canon M6: (time lapse, video, and stills): amzn.to/2J4RTgX
Rode Video GoII Mics: tinyurl.com/ms...
QUOTES BY WINSTON CHURCHILL
“Painting is complete as a distraction. I know of nothing which, without exhausting the body more entirely absorbs the mind.”
“Painting is the same kind of problem as unfolding a long, sustained interlocked argument... It is a proposition commanded by a single unity of conception.”
BOOKS
1. "Painting as a Pastime: by Winston S. Churchill: tinyurl.com/zx...
-- Online source for Churchill audio: archive.org/de...
2. "Tao-Te Ching" by Lao Tzu (Laozi): tinyurl.com/yy...
3. "Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain" tinyurl.com/7e...
4. "The Case Against Reality" by Donald Hoffman. tinyurl.com/2p...
NEUROSCIENCE AND PERCEPTION
Podcasts:
1. Donald Hoffman with ZDoggMD: • The Case Against Reali...
2. Jeff Hawkins with Sam Harris: www.samharris....
3. Robin Carhart-Harrris with Sean Carroll: tinyurl.com/44...
4. Lisa Feldman Barrett with Tom Bilyeu: • Neuroscientist Reveals...
Music by Chris Haugen. • Chris Haugen - Firefly
Some of the links above are affiliate links, for which I make a small commission at no cost to you.
I am almost always afraid before I do any of the things I love the most. Painting, drawing, rock climbing, hosting nights with friends, cooking. I am learning that that fear is good and it is indeed a battle, but one which can be won and will always reward bravery. And in challenging that fear, I can reach a meditation. A peace which can’t be rivaled.
Someone once advised me to think that way about about stage jitters, and it's been helpful to remember that a little dose of fear is just a sign you care about what you're doing.
@@JamesGurney exactly, that self awareness in the moment can be hard but it is so useful
A great point. Master Artist Patricia Watwood just released a book called "The Path of Drawing". Based on what you said, you would enjoy it immensely and it would enhance your enjoyment of art and the process. Published by Monacelli Press. I love it, so inspiring.
Art and fear is great book addressing this, and also many other books not specific for art but anything in life. Only word i would replace is "battle" because battle means fighting it. And fighting or ignoring or running away from fear only means more and/or delayed fear. What i assume you really mean is facing it and let it be, or even better, embracing it. Inner peace that comes after that is immeasurable.
I'm really passionate about what's your opinion about my drawing videos.
"The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable." (Robert Henri, "The Art Spirit")
That's a lovely thought!
That's a wonderful quote, one I'd never heard.
I'm Ukrainian, didn't watch your videos since the beginning of the war, didn't draw as well. Trying to get back to an old good life. Thanks for your work, helps a bit.
I imagine the Russians bombing your country might be abit distracting
I hope you rebuild your life well, and better than before.
Best of luck to you friend. 👍
I cant imagine what you are living through. I hope creating art brings some peace into your life.
"We don't just go outside to to paint to make paintings, but to have the experience of painting and sharing it with others." Wonderful!
This is the type of niche content i live for. some guy crunching through fresh snow, painting landscapes in watercolor while reflecting on the tao te ching
Ha, I know what you mean. That's what's nice about TH-cam. It helps us all find our way to wonky topics, doesn't matter how obscure.
@@JamesGurney this longer format works really well for you!
Same
What an amazing explanation for the state of mind of an artist at work. I'm a person in long term recovery from addiction. I now teach drug and alcohol classes. And I'm so fortunate to incorporate art, and painting in my classes. I always encourage the women I work with to find some creative avenue like painting. Watercolor saved my life, and so I can only hope that sharing that with others may have a similar effect, maybe even play a part in saving a life. I teach the neuroscience of addiction, and I plan to now incorporate the neuroscience of painting as well.
What a great point. I need art in my life. I suffer from chronic pain and mental health issues following spinal injuries in a car crash. I bought a book in December, I would encourage you to have a look at it because it's one of the most outstanding books I've ever bought.
Master Artist Patricia Watwood released a book called "The Path of Drawing". Based on what you said, you would enjoy it immensely and it would enhance your enjoyment of art and the process. Published by Monacelli Press. I love it, so inspiring.
I hope it would aid your teaching. Another great series of books by English artist Jake Spicer are excellent. There's currently 5 in the series and a new one featuring Animals bring released in Spring 2023. They're called, "You Will Be Able To Draw".... Best of luck.
In my development as an artist, I always learned the most, when I learned about what other artists THINK about while working, rather than what they actually DO. Perception is more important to train than the muscles in your arm and hand.
Genuinely curious - why is it that you suggest creative outlets to women and not men?
@@majrminer Probably bc they work with women? Are you inclusive with every gender in your spaces?
Every time I paint it's a little different, yet some things are the same. Sometimes the painting is so easy, and takes little effort, other times it's Iike giving birth. Sometimes the solution to a problem with a painting, will come to me in the middle of the night while I'm sleeping, other times I instinctively know exactly what to do. But always I enjoy the process, even when I'm ready to pull my hair out, because I know that I will eventually work it out. Usually it's peaceful, sometimes when others are around, it's exilerating, and I become hyperfocused, other times I rush in too soon, and make a mess. I love all of it.
For the ones who love art, we have the privilege to watch this video, the painting in detail and thoughts of mr.Gurney.
Thanks for sharing your outdoor painting method. Great to see fellow outdoor artist out and about in all weathers! A man after my own heart.
I thoroughly enjoyed this combination of practical painting advice, the science of seeing and philosophical musings. I agree that it can be a battle to reach that meditative state, so much of life can get in the way...as well as the practical requirements of painting. But it's a worthwhile struggle indeed! I also really appreciated watching you walk through the winter landscape and hearing the snow crunch under your boots. How I miss snow!!
Based on what you said, you would enjoy The Path of Drawing by Master Artist, Patricia Watwood (released in November 2022) immensely and it would enhance your enjoyment of art and the process. Published by Monacelli Press. I love it, so inspiring.
@@damienkearns3654 Thank you for the recommendation!
Or as Data said in Star Trek, “that’s a complicated set of variables.” When I start thinking about all the techniques that go into one painting it makes me want to quit before starting something I’m sure to fall short of achieving. The colors, the values, the perspective, the details - OMG!
I returned to making art after 30 years determined not to fall into the traps that made me stop. I figured out that making art isn't a skill, it's a psychological state and that having the right mindset was the most important thing an artist must have.
So lovely to watch and listen to. I learn so much.And the inclusion of Smooth adds a certain something.
James! I really enjoy this video! The sounds, the images, the timming, the music, the dog and the process to get that beautifull picture! Thanks a lot for sharing. Flor
I love watching you draw and paint, it somehow brings me back to earth
Beautiful painting session. The sound in my headset was amazing.
it's always good to see Smooth keeping look out for you James! Glad to see you back at work!
Watching the process of you painting is a real meditation
I’m so excited watching this video :)
1) I hope you didn’t catch a cold, I get cold just looking at that much snow.
2) as an ASMR enthusiast I’m so so happy about the sound quality.
3) I love art, and your art as well as your TH-cam videos always cheer me up :)🙌
I didn't catch cold this time but the fingers and toes did get a little icy. For the audio, I'm trying out the Rode Wireless Go mics, which pick up everything.
You can only catch a cold (virus) by someone else infecting you, not by being cold. It's an old wives tale lingering on here in Ireland and abroad as well.
@@damienkearns3654 no way, the more you know :)
I just recently came across your channel, I'm enjoying it. I'm a younger artist living quite nearby Rhinebeck in the HV. Brave to get out there in the plein freezing air, though it has been quite a mild winter! thanks for sharing.
Beautiful and clear flow of thought process about painting
Really loved this longer-length video about your painting process and I'm learning so much. Thanks for such an immersive experience! You're a legend, especially that sponsorship deal you have.
I bawled my eyes out watching this after the Churchill quote and continued doing so the entire rest of the video
Inspirational James! Lot's to think about. Agree that it is a meditative process where you lose your sense of time. There were so many 'nuggets' in this video. Will watch multiple times. Excitement and peace simultaneously!
What a journey you made! Hope you find harmony!
so much to chew on, I'm going to be pondering your points for a while. terrific painting, thanks for sharing
James I was so disgusted with the Commercial Illustration Industry two years ago, that I left it. I know that is not a popular thing to say, but it serves to "illustrate" that a committed artist walked away from a life they loved because they saw a great craft (and artists) being run into the ground by lawyers and "Big Business"... It's not at all what I thought it would be. It may not be kosher to say, but God encouraged me to try again, and do it for the love of it. Your videos and serious exploration of painting and the world have helped melt the ice of my heart right when I needed it. Sincere Explorers make good teachers, and good teachers inadvertently help in the CPR of a stopped heart. Hope you, your Bride, and Smooth have lots more adventures. Thanks, man.
Honored, thanks so much. 🙏
There is such a Bob Ross quality to this…if he were an existentialist. Love it.
Because we can never transpose to a smaller scale the entirety of the information our focussed gaze can pick out of a scene, so many of us need to practice deciding how to translate the info we can see into a passable representation on the painting surface. And specifically, deciding what not to bother translating. Knowing which details we can get away with, and which are unnecessary or unattainable.
If there's a core skill to drawing and painting, then that's it. You said: _We don't really see what's in front of us. We see a model of it._ And to me, that seems like the thought of someone who has gotten very good at understanding how our eyes inform us, and how they can lie to us. (And in turn, how we can lie to the eyes of others through our paintings.)
Yay, you're back! Hope you are well.
Great stuff as usual, James...also love the Don Hoffman reference! We might be on the cusp of a paradigm shift, thanks to scientists and thinkers like Don , Thomas Campbell, and Bernardo Kastrup!
I live in Florida and really miss these snowy sights and sounds. Thanks for the visual and auditory experience along with the painting experience 👍👍 A lot to ponder. I like how you show that seeing things as a painter vs. just being a spectator really helps bring the painting to life. Personally, I would like to have a more meditative experience with my art making rather than a battle 😄
I just love your video production, James, it's amazing❤ so much food for thought once again❤
Love hearing about neuroscience from you! Had classes about it a year ago and did not think to connect art with bottom up and top down processing (probably because I still don't get it really well lol)
I love your videos! Awesome! 🙏 Greetz from the Netherlands
Great video, how dogs just love being out in the snow.
Amazing video, so calming with Smooth by the side, and your talent and reflections and thoughts on painting. Thank you.
I never forget how you once said in a video a while back that painting is like being in a plane that is heading for a crash and then you pull up to a perfect landing...lol.
And then to quote one of the French impressionists - "painting is easy when you don't know how, and hard when you do..." I can't remember where i heard that, it may have even been from you too.....
I hope to do more frequently plein air paintings in the future, you sir, inspire me
Wonderful, James! Thrilled to hear you talk about the practice in terms of meditation, and informed by neuroscience and Eastern philosophy. Not sure if you've read Iain McGilchrist's Master and his Emmissary, but it encompasses the lot. For me, it had chapter after chapter of profound insight, begging to be explored in pictorial form.
Thanks for mentioning McGilchrist's book. I dipped into it a few years ago mainly looking for his thoughts on lateralization, and whether really artists "draw on the right side of the brain," but I'll have to go back and see what else he says about cognitive processes.
Fantastic video. Really wonderful.
Thank you for this wonderful experience of your video including your thoughts. I have experienced some of these thoughts and wondered, is it just me...
Grateful ♡
you are so. cool! thank you for sharing all that you do
Most excellent
I like to think of art as a meditation. But it can be a battle, especially if you are trying to improve. I remember during the lockdown I printed out a bunch of Matt Stawicki art and held it up to my paintings as I was really trying to get Stawickis command of the figure down. I drove myself to the point of having panic attacks but I took a deep breath, pushed through it and after stepping away decided to relax and consult a veteran painter at the school I taught at. ( taught comics, and he taught Oil Painting) He explained to me some simple things I could do to prepare the surface of my painting that allowed me to better control the pigment. introduced me to the Zorn,and Reilly Palette and helped me find a method that worked for me. With renewed excitement I went and did a painting I would consider successful applying all of the things he taught me. And the funny thing is he was a coworker but just in a different department. Then what is even more funny is I come to learn that Matt Stawicki himself in interviews expressed the same anxieties and fears I had. It seems no matter how good you are, all artists are their own worst critics. I think Stawicki is an excellent painter in the tradition of Elmore, Caldwell etc but my guess is if you asked Matt, he'd humbly say he is not in the same league as those guys. Well I say yes, yes you are Matt.
I am not nearly as good in watercolor as master Gurney, but his videos always give me so much courage before painting… i’m not so afraid to make mistakes and take it all as a part of the process, even if most of the time my painting looks terrible… i trust that in the end it will all come together.. and it always does 💛 thank you for all the great lessons you offer us in your videos!
Great as always buddy thanks for sharing
I love your longer form videos and the pace of this one. I find painting to be the greatest of meditations; getting “lost in paint” is delightful. That is a lovely little painting. Smooth is such a good boy…how old is he now?
Smooth is over 7 years old-slowing down a little, but still an enthusiastic puppy.
@@JamesGurney Do husky type dogs ever grow up?! 🤣 Always sweet to see him in your videos!
Mr Gurney, I don’t know what’s changed but the quality of your videos has increased a lot.
I’m really digging the binaural audio too.
I love this longer video format. Even if you make a full 2-hour video of your unedited painting process while listening to nature sounds, I will watch it! (Yes, I am the type who watches 2-hr study with me videos in the background.)
Your videos are always so inspirational on so many levels. I enjoy the deep thought philosophy and history, looking forward to explore some of your links provided.
Mr. Gurney..I'm passing through a difficult time.....but with your video you sent me happiness...thank you!
Thanks, Jim. Does Jeanette help with photography? She’s a hero!
I appreciate the notes on how we are actually reading our own consciousness of images, not the images themselves. We have already interpreted what we see by the time we notice and name it. The next step is to articulate this interpretation for the viewer so that they can have the experience of interpreting our work. It’s a nice thought of how art connects us.
Jeanette usually helps out with a few reverse angles and over-the-shoulder shots but this one is all me. And yes, I love to think of painting as a sharable model of how we perceive the world.
@@JamesGurney im colour blind and always been too scared. i had a bad experience at school , being told off for using the wrong colours . you’re an awesome man and an inspiration 👍🏻
@@jesusislukeskywalker4294 I'm color blind too (red/green) and also had a nasty teacher once who kicked me out of class for confusing colors. I found a better teacher and eventually got a degree in fine art, sold more paintings in my degree exhibition than anyone else in my year. Even if you see color oddly, you can still match it. When you get confused, keep asking yourself is this color cooler or warmer than that. That's what I do.
As someone who is losing their vision to severe photophobia in my early 40's now I really enjoyed this explanation. I would not be able to draw in nature with all the bright snow, reflections, and other visual disturbances I have to deal with daily.
I was an artist. I used to love going out to my local park to draw on site. Drawing outside in front of the subject is always a challenge. The colors change and things move but it forces you to be more experimental and innovative as you pull from the fundamentals of observation.
Thank you, this was lovely. Years ago I found Churchill speech cassette tapes at a library, and I have been an admirer ever since. But I did not know he painted! Thanks again for all you do for art and expansion of a more conscious life.
Churchill’s paintings are easily accessible via Google. - - As are Queen Victoria’s! - both are well worth checking out, as clearly painting was a respite if not a full-on escape for them both~ ~ ~
Patricia Watwood just released a book called 'The Path of Drawing, published by Monacelli Press. She details a lot of your musings in this video. Meditation, mental wellbeing. It's a huge help to anyone wanting to begin Drawing and Painting or any artistic pursuit. It's critical for a lot of people's mental health.
Thank you for tapping upon subjects that artists only would be able to articulate. I also can feel mentally fatigued after painting, drawing something. I suppose the more I do this this might become less so, maybe not, but I wouldn't trade it for anything! Thanks again for another meaningful 'talk' and the beautiful end result:)
Thank you James. You've given us so much to think about in this video. The concept of seeing and the motivation to capture a scene in paint is fascinating and beyond any method or technique.
It's a battle to be water.
Painting is like taking a walk. It can be taken with purpose and a destination in mind, or it can be taken whimsically with reckless abandon in search of somewhere new and special. Either way, the walk is in itself more rewarding than the destination.
Really loved your video. It's always a pleasure to watch you paint and listen to your anecdotes about people, or places, or things... I definitely want to paint a new painting right now. Thanks, James. Have a great day
I totally agree, painting and drawing require an intense mental effort. Thank you for your instructional videos and the knowledge you share with us. I have bought also your excellent books.
I remember when the pandemic started you did a video by RR tracks and said Maybe we'll come out of this wiser and kinder. You do seem a bit kinder than before the pandemic.
Great as usual, James... but here I really don't like all that thick brown line you've highlighted that stream with !!
; )
Great video. Respect for your consistent plein air work, but I think one could capture that scene with today's camera technology, and enough patience to wait for the best light, and arrive at the same result in the comfort of a warm studio. After all, it's the mental construction that being created. Yes, I'm a wuss.
Except for the gouache titanium white, weren't all the other paint tubes labeled watercolor and initially used separately from the gouache for their transparent nature?
You're right: I hardly check tubes of paint to see if they're watercolor or gouache, because they're quite similar in their transparent state, and it all becomes gouache when you add the white. About that first point, that sounds like a good topic for a future video.
When you have a clear idea about what you want to do makes painting wonderful, when you are struggling with the idea or concept of what you are trying to do, it can be a battle. (for a bit) but you can over come it, or move on. No one painting is a hill to die on :)
I love your sponsors products! I have purchased several of them and enjoy watching them over and over, I pick up something new each time! Hope you make more! Smooth is doing a good job!! For me the battle comes in the form of discipline in getting myself out there and painting and then the meditativeness comes.. its a combo for sure! thank you for the video today!
Always amazing! Beautiful painting and wise words…
Lovely lovely painting and thoughts. I’ll have to try the alcohol in my water sometime! Our weather has been a yo-yo; either dramatically cold, or very warm and no snow!
I don't see it as 'fear', rather, but as 'anticipation', specifically, anticipation of meeting my expectations...which are always high, as they SHOULD be. Plus, if you are at all 'good' at what you are doing or involved in, you already KNOW that there is ALWAYS going to be an initial phase of irritation where the work is not yet looking like it will in the end. Now that I am older, I already KNOW this phase is coming, and so, I accept it. I do not 'fear' starting a new project, even though I may in fact 'feel' a bit hesitant to actually take the first step which is to START. The START is the hurdle. After that, it's smooth sailing so long as you keep at it til' the finish line.
Really great content. Thanks for elevating the quality of an ever deteriorating TH-cam
Did you know, and as artists, I hope you can relate to this, that the neuro tests make the elderly with no art or interest in art draw a cube with no instruction or a reference. Betty Edwards says people cannot draw cubes without instruction. I'm almost finished with my graphic memoir of how I used my health and fitness knowledge to stop my mother with mild dementia from forgetting me, and it worked. I tricked her off caffeine, then no prescription meds, forced her/tricked her/incentivized her to drink water, kept her away from high fructose corn syrup and other poison, because they made her mean and delusional, and kept her away from gluten. I'm always curious to know what artists think of this fact? My book is about how the right hand is not talking to the left hand with many aspects of our health, and people should use art to help with their caregiving. What are you able to draw without any reference? I’d be very curious to know when that happened in your art career?
Hello Mr Gurney, I love watching you paint and your story telling. I've learned a lot from you. Though I've been watching you for at least a couple of years, I had no idea you had other books besides the teachings. I think the Dinotopia series are phenomenal all the work you put into it, my goodness, you must have really enjoyed yourself.
I was also looking around your site today and purchased that book by E.G.Lutz and did request it to be signed to me by you. That in of itself is very exciting. Sorry I don't post more, but know I am an avid fan, and I absolutely love your work. 🌞🌻🩵🫶
Take care, be safe.
Peace & Blessings
(Mary) Katherine
This video came out a while back, but I wanted to wait to watch it - I’m so glad I did. It made the perfect moment on a quiet Saturday morning, it was such a delight to watch - the painting, the thoughtful reflection, the great music, and you bet I dug out the headphones! Thank you so much, this was a joy to watch! ❤
I really hope to try painting out door in 2023
Came for the painting, stayed for all your words of wisdom and thoughts. Thanks!
I just discovered a video when I was looking at your books on Amazon where you were the one assigned to paint the Australian dinosaur series Australia Post stamps. I remember those stamps! Little did I know at time who was behind them. Truly amazing.
I've truly enjoyed this. Thank you! Even the sound of the Amtrak train is reassuring. I wish we get snow in my country this year, 'cause temperatures are way to high now. Sending you warm greetings from the Hague, the Netherlands ❤🔥
I so appreciate your skill and communication about the painting process. thank you
Smooth is such a trusty painting companion.
Thank you for this. It's been nearly a decade since I've painted, and at this point it's a battle of anxiety to even contemplate it. But trying to think of it as a meditation is so helpful. Maybe I can pick up a brush again.
i think the top of your painting could have been rendered in larger swashes, and then you can narrow down the sharpness and such to achieve a field of depth. Working with a smaller brush in a landscape thats farther away isnt helping you achieve that result. Only when your 90% done with the composition should you start to worry about details and sharpness and or contrast, doing those too early shows. How much value did you loose in the reflections when you fast forward to the end? imagine if you did those just as sharp and contrasted to the final image it would have given you that effect.
Loved your reference and clips of Churchill and others and how to get the feel of this painting! Amazing!
I lose track of time too when doing art work. I get so into it the rest of the world just fades out.
Love everything about you as an artist, human and teacher. I notice the change in the boots. Such an ordanary subject transform in wonderfull art. Thank you and hope to see more start to finish tutorials. So much to learn from you.
Thank you for sharing this with us, Mr. Gurney! Great insights! Greetings from Germany!
Probably the most important topic and video on painting. Question to mr. Gurney: does language-based thinking versus visual thinking play a role in your processes?
For me these are two identifiable modes when working: automatic (energetic) and analytic (rational). A lot of my proces starts with this enthusiasm supported by a semi-automatic engine that has been cultivated over the years. But when there’s resistance - either from the mind not being focused or concrete visual problems that need solving - then I turn to asking active questions.
I recognize very much this idea of ‘visual information overload’, and that’s where active questions can help: it’s like the difference between eating the whole pie at once (anaconda-style), or cutting it into smaller slices through asking questions. And there are definitely neurological parallels, especially when looking at research on ‘saccades’ (eye movements) an the way they are steered by our thinking processes. Most of those actually correspond with they way we make marks with a brush or pencil, up to the point where both the eyes and brush marks start wandering at a certain point of effort. Exploring the inner world (painting from the subconscious, imagination and memory) is a whole other bag of tricks...
That being said: I love the automatic mode where it’s all flowing, and even though ‘rational mode’ often gets better quality results, it also feels kind of less mystical/warm and more cold.
I’ve been painting for about 15 years now, and drawing since I was 3/4 (35 now). And the past five years I’ve spent a lot of time doing mural projects. Especially when painting at 130ft, time, resource and energy-management become serious aspects. But I can heartily recommend it: replacing the classic brush with a roller and stick on a huge wall.
Coming back to the proces aspect, there is one thing I do struggle with a lot: when does the proces end? This is why life-painting and working on walls is such a good challenge: the time constraints are often very much set. But when creating autonomous work in the studio, it is often less ‘rational’ and more ‘intuitive’, which feels indulgent and great, but always leads to an open ended process that is much less satisfying. Perhaps because without asking questions the mind can’t really decide when ‘enough is enough’?
Lars, you've raised some powerful ideas, and I'm just trying to imagine what it would be like to be high up on scaffolding with a paint roller figuring out a painting. But you're absolutely right: there's a verbal part of my brain that mostly shuts off when I'm painting, and when I sketch next to my wife Jeanette, an hour can go by without a word. While I'm in the moment on location, my thought process often feels scrambled, like the undifferentiated bits of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly during metamorphosis. The voiceover that you hear on my videos is an attempt to rationalize and verbalize the process. But inevitably I hit a philosophical wall: How accurately can I or anyone really know what really goes on inside my mind? Acccording to David Dennett in his famous Ted talk, the idea that we can accurately understand our own conscious processes is largely an illusion. th-cam.com/video/fjbWr3ODbAo/w-d-xo.html
Thanks James - another classic. Your videos are the best thing on TH-cam- pure joy
It has been a battle for me every time when I draw in the past 12 months. I haven't felt the excitement and happiness I used to feel when I draw for almost a year now. It's mostly because reality kicks in and I feel like I must improve to be able to earn money from drawing. It has been so frustrating and I have lost most of my confidence throughout this year. I am still trying hard to improve, but I always feel worried and hopeless and feel like I'm such a failure. I feel like I can't stop though, if I want to find a job, I must continue, no matter how frustrated I am when I draw.
By the way, I love your videos! I like the fact that you always include the nature in your videos, they are pretty relaxing and at the same time educational to watch!
The only thing worse than the debilitating frustration you describe is unassailable self-satisfaction, because it blocks the openness to learn and improve. You've just got to dial your brain halfway between the two. I believe any skill can be learned if it's broken down into manageable parts, but you do have to muster the persistence to push through the rough parts. As far as developing an income-earning career path, we all have to figure that out, even us old pros have to reinvent our business lives during times of disruption.
@@JamesGurney Thank you for this, Mr Gurney.
I needed that as well.
@@JamesGurney Thank you! I will keep reflecting the way I learn and pushing myself to stick with my learning schedule. I have stopped drawing for the last 1-2 weeks, but I don't want to keep up, it's time to keep learning.
Thank you so much!!!
mind of state
Hi James, I love paintings like this! You and Dianne Mize have helped me improve my painting drastically. I do have a question. I enjoy painting with gouache, but I can’t tell how dark it’s going to be when it dries. It’s probably just me, but I can’t predict at all. Is there a way to tell or a rule to help determine so that one isn’t having to go over the painting three or four times? Of course anyone who might know is welcome to answer. Thank you. Julie 😊
This was such an interesting way to approach the question.
I would argue that it is sometimes both and sometimes both at the same exact time. I think it depends on where your perspective on your own artwork and the art world is in general is at the time of you making the artwork.
James, you have a phenomenal channel which I have only just stumbled across. Thank you for providing so much knowledge and instruction
Return with a question: what kong of pensil for the dark of the small river. Sorry for my poor english.
I am just curious if you ever think of having a pallete made from Brass from Watercolor Paint Box company a Craig Young? I know it so expensive it takes 12 months to shipp
I bought Color in Practice yesterday. As a partially color-blind beginner, I found the video WELL WORTH the price.
When you describe the feeling you have when you’re painting, I can identify with that. Sometimes I stand back when I’m finished painting and I wonder how I even did it. Because I can’t always repeat that exact same process. It’s almost as though I am inspired. Because without that feeling of inspiration, I really don’t make a good painting. And I have to struggle through it. I go over a lot of my paintings and of course some are not very good but others are very good and I look at them and I think how did I do that. But I know it was that moment of inspiration that made the difference, reaching a different level of consciousness and acute awareness.
If I had to pick a National Artist , like a National Bird ( Eagle), I would pick James Gurney. A National treasure. IMHO
Your dog must have COLD FEET! LOL. THANKS for the wonderful tutorial. I really enjoyed it.
firstttt, been waiting for your new video Mr. Gurney
🧑🏽🎨 James Gurney
Where you been man?
Missed your videos
On thr grind as they say