Canton Art Association
By Canton Citizen
Artist Tom Gill demonstrates a winter country scene. (Ed Roche photo)
Submitted by Irene Kelley
Tom Gill demonstrated in acrylic at the October meeting of the Canton Art Association, held recently at the Canton Public Library.
Gill started his professional art career in l982 after attending the Art Institute of Boston. He developed his own style using brush strokes that are loose but filled with energy. He calls his style “impressionistic realism.”
The subject chosen for the demo was a winter country scene. The artist uses basic colors: ultramarine blue, purple, thalo green, cadmium red medium, cadmium medium yellow, and titanium white. He does not use black, but mixes his own using purple and green. His palette is glass. He uses many kinds of brushes and does not use gloss medium — just water. When dry, the paintings are twice sprayed with varnish.
Chatting throughout the demonstration, telling humorous anecdotes about his work and grandchildren, Gill described his work as “abstract at the beginning,” but then he “pulls it together.”
Beginning with red and yellow strokes and advising artists to “keep it loose” and “use just enough water to make the paint flow,” Gill added several long strokes of paint. Adding purple, then blue to indicate shadows, he suggested to “jump around with the brush.”
Adding dark colors — reds and green throughout the canvas — Gill continued: “The more paint I use, the better I like it!”
He also suggested that it’s “good to work on two paintings at a time to work them together,” and if not “in the groove — not ‘smoking’ — change brushes!”
Gill put green strokes of color indicating trees to the top left of the canvas and added brown dashes to indicate a fence and then a building. He turned the painting upside down and began using a big brush to add glazes of ultramarine blue and white for the sky. He then darkened trees with quick slaps of a smaller brush.
Drawing shapes of leaves and branches on the trees, adding white and yellow to the clouds, darkening the shadows on the snow and further outlining the building — all done with quick “slaps, dots and dashes” — the artist completed his abstract, impressionistic painting to the delight of the audience.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=8943
Posted by Canton Citizen
on Oct 19 2011. Filed under Photo Gallery.
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