Katherine Wright asking: "How are you stuck?"

“How do you find yourself STUCK?”  This was the question that Katherine Wright posed at a recent FREE demo at the Seattle DANIEL SMITH Art Supply Store to the Artists attending the demo.  Answers ranged from “what to paint” (the anxiety of facing the white page) to “finding the motivation to paint”.  Looking around the room I saw lots of nodding heads agreeing with the answers voiced. 

Katherine Wright working on one of her sketches of the 3 men sitting on the bench

Katherine then demonstrated the different steps she would take before painting a scene of 3 old men sitting on a bench in front of an immense, beautiful fountain in Italy.  Working from a photo she took, Katherine zoomed her focus in on the figures of the men to see the values and shapes,and sketched out those shapes, getting to know her figures.  For some of the studies, Katherine used “horrible” newsprint and gouache telling us; “see how this is not precious?  I am free…I mess up my paper, I am freed up because it’s not important.”    Doing all these quickie sketches helps Katherine get to know her subjects, and helps free her up to play and experiment, because again, “it’s not important.”  Switching her focus, Katherine now began sketching out the fountain.  She then showed us several sketches already done and told us that “I know my subject so much I don’t have to refer to my photo”.  

Katherine Wright with the beginings of her watercolor painting of 3 old men on a bench

Katherine uses tracing paper on the final composition and transfers the composition on to her watercolor paper.  She uses masking fluid to preserve areas, then sprays a very diluted solution of watercolor on to the paper to give her a background and allows it to dry.  Taking an already dried copy, Katherine begins (working sideways on her paper) to paint in shapes working from an earlier black & white value sketch.  Telling us to use as “big of a brush as you can”, and that she has actually painted entire paintings even the details, with a size 40 round brush.  Then gradually, Katherine begins working towards painting in the details, and tells us that “these guys already have a lot of life [and] I’m adding Artistic Life to the painting.”

Jet Plane flying over DANIEL SMITH to land at nearby Boeing Field

“Airport Security – I’ve known several artists who have had their materials confiscated by airport security under the mistaken belief that oil paints are flammable.  Since putting the following notice in with my paints, I haven’t had any trouble:  “the US Department of Transportation defines “flammable liquids’ as those with a flash point of 140 degrees F or below, Artist grade oil colors are based on vegetable oil with a flash point at or above 450 degrees F.  THEY ARE NOT HAZARDOUS.  If you need to confirm this, please contact TSA at 866-289-9673 or their Hazardous Materials Research Center at 800-467-4922.”  “I also include a MSD (Manufacturer Safety Data) sheet from the paint manufacturer….”