My painting teacher should moonlight as a management consultant. Here’s why…
Here is an insightful article written by my student, Kirsty Crowly. Ellen Michel Indulging in my passion Recently I took a well-earned break from work and spent time indulging in a few passions that had received scant attention over the 6 years since my first son was...
Hillside in Provence 1886-1890 by Paul Cezanne
Finally, we grasp the true feeling Cezanne wants us to take from the statement he makes. It is a fusion of nature and the self. It is a steady ordeal, search and meditation to grow as an artist, examining how marks on a canvas can reflect something more than the naked eye can see at first glance
What is Impressionism? The Basics
If like me you struggle to make sense of all the different styles of painting, let's take things back to basics. Starting with Impressionism, what is it and what sets it apart from other styles? Impressionism, is an art movement that began with a group of Paris...
2017 and another year with the Ellen Michel Art School
There is a certain clarity revealed when artists put their work in the public arena . In this case displaying to peers. And Sunday was no exception. The variety and scope of the paintings was dramatic. From landscape (urban and country) to portraiture, still life, floral and figure work. The variation of style also was quite diverse and took me by surprise.
Through the Looking Glass – the Prism – Breaking the Pattern – Igniting Curiosity for a new vision.
The Technology of Enchantment The aim of this blog is to give you, as the artist or the spectator an understanding of the technology of enchantment, in the production of Art. To illustrate how the technology is developed I will use an anthropological three phase...
Can You Throw Something Away You Have Never Had?
Mum its 'not hip' to use technique in painting My daughter said to me recently, 'Mum technique in painting is not considered important these days, so throw them away they do not help painting today. Techniques were the foundation and of all painting of the past,...
An Ongoing Commentary on the Importance of Observation of Nature to Painting
An Ongoing Commentary on the Importance of Observation of Nature to Painting The world loves Monet and his peers - bringing colour and light into the world - an optic sensation. Like all great movements, the French impressionist painters of the late 1800's did not...
Nature the Foundation for Painting
Nature the Foundation for Painting Continuing our lesson from last month we explore the strong case for the observation of nature as a basis for a painters training. From Giotto to Pollock we are exploring the implications of the observation of nature, its rendering...
Observation of Nature as a Basis for a Painters Training
Over the coming weeks I will explore the strong case for the observation of nature as a basis for a painters training. From Giotto to Pollock we will explore the implications of the observation of nature, its rendering and distillation. As a way of defining what...
The Importance of Under Painting
With all my years of teaching and painting experience, there still remains a fascination for the use of under painting. By under painting I mean the initial ‘wash’ of oil paint ( paint thinned to a watery consistency with pure turpentine) over the whole surface of the...