Dogme 95

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In my first painting, I did a preliminary sketch and then in the painting, saved the whites, and worked with light layers of a limited palette. All that painstaking planning led to a very mediocre painting. I think I know why. Later, I was walking with a fellow painter to lunch, and she said she doesn't do value studies because they don't help her. I told her I always do a value study. Then I found myself thinking that when they work, they work, and the painting works. When they don't work, I will sometimes do the painting anyway.
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Why? I don't know. I feel it'll be ok, and ignore the message the little thumbnail is giving me. I have almost never done a series of thumbnails to work something out. That's what they say you should do, that thye don't take long, they are quick and avoid potential problems. I give it a first shot - good or bad - and then attack my painting. That is what happened today. The value study had the same problems the painting does. Note to self: do a minimum of 4 value studies or thumbnail sketches. If the first one is meant to be the best, it will still be the best after the other 3 are done.
After that first painting, I had limited time before lunch, so didn't want to pack up and find a new spot. So, I turned my chair around and saw a stunning view - a path of water running alongside docked boats. Skipping the value study, I picked up the largest brush, told myself I would paint bold and just go for it. Lots of constraints led to no time to feel any pressure or be painstaking. Here it is.

I like how it sits dynamically and diagonally on the paper. The same limited palette as the first painting (not shown) was used, but applied boldly, it has a completely different effect.

The title Dogme 95 refers to a film movement in 1995 in Denmark called Dogme 95 in which a set of parameters were imposed, with the theory that with these constraints, creativity would flourish.



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