What to Paint?

Art begins with ideas, and ideas do not easily come easily. Personally, as an art student, I had trouble on determining “What to Paint." I learned to paint using still lifes. I composed objects that interested me.

Traditional subject matter can be divided into three categories: still lifes, landscapes, and figures.

Still life - Is an arrangement of inanimate (lacking the power not move). A banjo, bowl of fruit , and armchair or any object. It is helpful if objects have special meaning to the artist.

Paul Cézanne, French 1839-1906

Vincent van Gogh, Dutch 1853-1890, Post-impressionist.

Wayne Thiebaud, American born 1920

My first paintings at the University of Oklahoma were from stuffed animals found at garage sales and thrift stores. Stuffed Animals #1, Oil, 36" x 60", 1984

Duck Hunting, Oil, 60" x 60", 1985

Combination of Still life and Figure -

Leonardo study with African Mask, Oil, 54" x 60" 1986.

Later while studying at Rhode Island School of Design for my Masters in Fine Arts in Painting, I painted still lifes from objects found in junk yards. Honestly, I didn't know what to paint! I started my day by painting a small work on paper.

"Painting a day #72", Acrylic on Paper, 15" x 15", 1987.

"Painting a day #160", Acrylic on Paper, 15" x 15", 1988.

Still life with ceramics, Oil, 72" x 60", 1987

Landscape – The emphasizes features of the natural environment, such as mountains, trees, fields and lakes. Paintings of cities, architectural forms, the ocean, lighthouses can all be classified as landscapes. While studying in Oklahoma, we were assigned to do a landscape in drawing. I drove for hours and hours to find an interesting landscape. Oklahoma has few trees and is flat. I ended up drawing a fence.

Claude Monet, French 1840 - 1926

Richard Diebenkorn, 1922-1993, Cityscape, Oil.

Edward Hopper, American, 1882-1967

David Hockney, American, born 1937

Winslow Homer, American, 1836-1910

Jane Wilson, American, 1924-2015

Georgia O'Keeffe, American, 1887-1986

Oklahoma Landscape, pastel on paper, 30" x 22", 1987.

Pondicherry Park Winter, Acrylic on Paper, 24" x 18", 2019.

Pondicherry Park Spring, Acrylic on Paper, 18" x 24", 2019.

Figure – Human or animal forms are another traditional subject matter. This includes, in portraits, figures in motion, a cat in a window, man of a beach or any combination.