Teachers of Mine: Stephen Early

Okay, I'll tell you straight up as a guy who loves the figure that painters who are heavy on figure will get more intense and interesting reviews on this blog than still life, portrait, and landscape painters. I must express my excitement about Stephen Early's figure paintings. Stephen Early is one of the people I worked most closely under during the workshops I took at Studio Incamminati, along with Lea Wight and Kerry Dunn. I am particularly inclined toward his work and his teaching because of his inclination toward the figure in motion, as well as his slight emphasis on form over color.

The above painting is one of the most exciting contemporary figure paintings that I've seen in person. I had seen reproductions of it several times before seeing it in person and did not take any particular notice, but there is such a pearlescent subtlety of color and form that the tones are not easily translated to pixels photographs. The transitions are much softer and delicate than they appear here, and the textures are built up in the hair in a way that makes it seem tactile.


I got to see the mime paintings around the studio and on the easel. Some are quite small, even miniatures, although I don't remember which ones. I find them very quiet and introspective The white makeup opens up interesting color possibilities too.

He builds form almost with patches or "pieces" of color, like slapping patches of clay onto a sculpture, which are eventually modeled into the round. See the little study to the right. It's a way of working I hadn't really thought of before, and I find it a very useful approach at times.


Gorgeous.



Steve uses a drawing technique in which he begins with a 1/2 charcoal dust and 1/2 graphite dust ground tone. He thin draws with graphite and erases out the lights. I use this myself now, and it works beautifully. It is a quick way to get lots of form.


A graphite tone was slapped in with denatured alcohol and then worked into if my memory serves me correctly.


Very cool little grouping.


Steve produced this as part of a portrait project for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, featuring portraits of children with craniofacial conditions. He used the below painting by Antonio Mancini as a guide.


Antonio Mancini is Steve Early's great hero. This portrait of a boy with tin soldiers hangs at the Philadelphia Art Museum.


Incidentally the boy with tin soldiers sits next to this other Mancini, which is one of the most inspirational paintings I've ever stood before.

While I'm at it, below is possibly my favorite painting from the Art Institute of Chicago. Also Mancini.

Teachers of Mine: Lea Colie Wight

Lea Wight is not only one of Studio Incamminati's very finest instructors, she's a genuinely nice person. I do not know what is better, her drawing sense or her color. Both are impeccable. Her compositions are infused with luminous optimism and her figures are warm with humanity.


Lea is great at pulling the viewer into the picture plane. The placement of the foot in the foreground here is a perfect entry point, like a great opening line to a song.


A fish on a dish has never been more exciting.




The open door is a very intriguing exit point. I love the warm light peeking through.


Powerful "duo-tone". This is Incamminati's technique in which there is a single shadow color and a single color for the light. The figure is fully modeled creating tonal differences by varying the pressure of the brush against the gray ground. This one's called "serpentine".


I find her drawings both gestural and deep.


This is one of the best graphite drawings I've ever seen. Look at how free and rapid the strokes are, but they come together to make this beautifully formed figure. The strokes toward the bottom right seem to drip off of the paper.

Teachers of Mine: Kerry Dunn

I took a few two-week workshops at Studio Incamminati in Philly, and became pretty good friends with Kerrry Dunn, one of their instructors. He's the same age as me, but I learned a great deal from him. I love that he is dedicated to strict life observation, and in terms of technique he probably is the closest painter to Nelson Shanks himself. If you're ever in Philly have a beer with him some time. He's a laid back dude, and loves to talk painting.




Cool bit of experimentation. Kerry talked about doing something like this. I dig it.


I admire when people can honestly take the world's most mundane objects and make something beautiful out of them. I've never really pulled it off because I get too bored. For Kerry, seeing itself is exciting. The phenomena of light and color are enough to hold his attention, and ours too. The water bottles are stunning.


Poor birdie. Beautiful painting. Good call choosing an oval composition.


Kerry's a Converse man. You've gotta love him for that.