Reflections of an Artist

Reading About Medieval Cathedrals

Cathedral at Saint Denis

      If you are curious as to why I have a photo of a cathedral, let me explain. I did consider becoming an architect before I went into fashion design.  Currently, my love for architecture has me engulfed in the book "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett. I am reminded of my wonderful trip to Italy a few years ago with all the amazing sites in the Medieval towns. Then, I was swept back in time by the architecture. Now the book is having a similar effect.

       It is a historical novel about the construction of a cathedral in Medieval England. The characters are loving, ambitious, flawed, rebellious, and grotesque. But for me, the most important character is the cathedral. I am upset with every setback in construction and invested in whether the building is completed or not. In the book Jack, the master builder who dreams of building the most beautiful cathedral, is inspired by the pointed arches of Saint Denis.

Pointed Arches of Saint Denis

      Before Saint Denis, all arches where a domed half circle and churches were dark with massive walls. Imagine the amazed reaction when this cathedral was first constructed. This innovation so radically changed how cathedrals were built and how they looked that it influenced everything that came after it. The walls could now hold large windows that allowed the inside of the church to be light and open. Stain glass was added which enhanced the magical effect. The height of the cathedral seemed to reach to heaven.

      After Saint Denis was built, these new ideas sped throughout Europe and were used to build even more magnificent structures culminating in Notre Dame de Paris and Chartres Cathedral.

Cathedrale Notre Dame

Chartres Cathedral

Mian Situ Demo: Finished Portrait

      In my prvious blog post I wrote about the Mian Situ demonstration. This is the final chapter and Mian completes the portrait.

      Mian Situ is one of only a few artists who achieve master status when they are alive. I have admired his work at the Masters of the American West Exhibition at the Autry Museum and at the Gold Medal Show for the California Art Club so I was very fortunate to be able to attend a portrait demo by Mian last weekend through the CAC.

Portraits True Colors

      The portrait above is after the first twenty minute pose and shows the true colors of the painting. Mian has begun to block in the flesh tones and applied the bright highlight. On the shadows of the face and neck he used a mixture of sap green and burnt umber.

Mian Situ Continues After the Break

       Mian continued to apply the colors to the face and then began to work in the details of the eyes and mouth. Above he is creating the shadows around the eyes. Even with only forty minutes to paint he managed to achieve a remarkable level of detail.

Portrait after Second Break

      After the second break the portrait is a wonderful likeness with interesting shapes, varied brushstrokes and lovely colors. There was only another 20 minutes to paint and Mian would work furiously to complete the portrait.

The Final Twenty Minutes

      Mian applied more paint to the hair and used his fingers to smear the paint forming wisps that extended onto the background.

Using a Palette Knife

       With a palette knife, Mian applied the background forming interesting shapes that hinted at the wallpaper. He carved into the hair color with the neutral colors while allowing the background to be the positive space.

      With fine brushes Mian worked on the details of the face. He captured the subtle nuances of the mouth and eyes. The portrait was nearly complete.

Final Portrait by Mian Situ

      Thank you to Mian Situ and the California Art Club for making this event a once in a lifetime experience.

Mian Situ Demonstration

I have admired Mian Situ's painting both at the Gold Medal Show for the California Art Club and at the Masters of the American West Exhibition at the Autry Museum so when the CAC scheduled a portrait demo with him I jumped at the chance. It involved four 20 minute poses with a model. Above is his initial sketch and the model he was painting.

Mian was quick to block in the massed and was soon adding the lighter colors on the face.

Mian Situ blocking in the main shapes

The primer is a combination of black, burnt umber and white. It is a soft putty color that can look blue against the peach skin tones or tan against the black hair. Mian mentioned that he rarely uses black from the tube but instead will mix a black to keep the darks lively.

Portrait at the first break

After the break, Mian continued to lay in the different plains of the face. As he worked on the portrait, the features began to emerge.

Starting on details

The California Art Club did a wonderful job of setting up the room so everyone had a great view. They also providing two screens with a projected image of the portrait as Mian was painting.

Here is the painting at the second break.
I hope you will come back to see the final two segments of this demonstration by Mian Situ in tomorrows post.