Brett Van Egmond
and his art
I am at a point where I feel comfortable with my new painting and ready to move forward. I like the way it turned out and plan on continuing down this avenue of process for a while. I enjoyed being able to elaborate on the composition, making the painting my own, as opposed to painting a photograph. I’m still deciding on what my next big project will be, but in the mean time I will be at the beach and will have the opportunity to paint while I’m there 
Again please let me know what you think about my work and what I can improve on. I never really can finish a painting because art, for me, is an ongoing struggle to bring into light my mind’s vision and it is impossible to make tangible because in a matter of seconds the clarity of a thought can vanish. With practice, I believe, it is possible to better articulate one’s self but I believe that part of the beauty of the process is the frustration with the results. The inherent imperfection of the human hand that will always leave a signature even on the most realistic paintings makes art, as a profession, more exciting and enjoyable because it never really ends.
P.S: I titled ‘my next painting:’ Tension
I have been working on my ‘next painting’ on and off for about a week now and am feeling pretty good about the outcome. I still have some final touches to put on it but a critique is in order. I invite anyone to check out my complete portfolio either on deviant art or my digicaiton page. As I said before my goal this summer is to evolve, for that to happen, I need to figure out what is and is not working. The more opinions I have the better. Keep in mind that there is a difference between being objectively and cynically honest. I have seen students give up their artistic dreams because of a critique where their teacher was brutal and overly critical. The critique lacked the care for growth and was solely preoccupied with personal bias. It is important to remember, when having your work critiqued, not to take anything personal but it is understandable that when one devotes time and effort into creating anything it is hard distance one’s self. I want to evolve not become extinct. So, let’s refrain from ripping me a new one Anyone can make suggestions! Look at my previous work and compare it with my new painting and let me know what your liking, not liking, recommendations in terms of technique and artists to look at, or anything else you would like to share. I have a lot to learn, and hopefully with everyone’s feedback I can make some great strides. If I don’t implement your suggestions in this painting I promise I will in another and of course I will post the play by play on this blog.
Thanks for your time and suggestions!
This summer my goal, as an artist, is for my works to evolve and to push my comfort zone. Check out my most current portfolio with my personal as well as school work here.
This is my next painting. I usually paint in oils, in this case I toned a 18x24” canvas in burnt sienna acrylic, and sketched my under painting with a stick of vine charcoal. I was inspired by a photo I found in a Smithsonian magazine. I made some changes to the composition: lengthened the sky, made the perspective more dramatic, and elaborated on the subject matter in the foreground. I am a big fan of William Turner’s landscape paintings and respect the very intense state of obscurity and clarity that most of his paintings have. There is always just enough information to convey the subject without loosing the dream-like sensation of the sometimes swirling compositions. In my next painting I tried to replicate some of his obscure masts and threw in an ocean. On the mast I plan to have medieval-like flags that will have various country’s colors for a couple of reasons:
This painting, I hope, will be the start of my painting workout routine for the summer. I just saw the Karate Kid and I am ready for some jacket off jacket on action.
