James Gurney's Philosophy of the 'Non-Motif"

-

    When you go out for a Plein Air painting session, you might intuitively be inclined to look for the most 'classically beautiful' scene you can find. You'll look for mountain ranges, flowing creeks, and fields of flowers. But what you're more likely to find is grocery stores, littered streets, and park benches. Although you might be disappointed to see that the world around you isn't as pretty as what you see in master's paintings, there is another way to look at it. Is it possible to make the average world that surrounds you beautiful? Enter James Gurney's Idea of the 'Non-Motif'. In issue #149 of the International Artist Magazine he defines the 'Non-Motif' as "...a scene from our everyday world that is familiar but rarely interpreted by artists. Unlike a picturesque motif, a non-motif us unconventional, unexpected, but also commonplace and recognizable." By painting what you see in your everyday life, you gain a new appreciation for your surroundings as well as solve the "nothing to paint" issue. Below is my attempt at painting the unconventional. Linked below are the video I made on the topic, James Gurney's article on 'Non- Motifs' as well as the original article the idea was mentioned in. 



My Non-Motif Video
Link to Mr. Gurney's Blog
International Artist Magazine #149

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

10 Tips to Stay Safe while Painting Outside

-
Image
Photo by Chase Baker on Unsplash  Since 2020, Plein air painting and Urban Sketching seem to have had a boom in popularity. The popularity of Plein air and urban sketching videos on YouTube have caused many people to try it for themselves. And while this is great for the art community and individuals alike, I feel like a lot of us fail to recognize the etiquette and safety concerns that need to be addressed. In this Article I am going to cover some Plein air and Urban sketching etiquette that should be maintained, as well as tips that will keep you safe while making art outside. 1. Mind People's Privacy I know we have all see videos on YouTube of sketching people from life or sketching someone's house from life, but, many people aren't going to like that if they catch on to what you are doing. While you may have wholesome intentions of improving your art skill, not everyone knows that. And in a world where many people are isolated from their neighbors and hold their privac...
Read more

Artist Review: Duke 209 Fude Nib Pen

-
Image
  Duke 209 Fude Nib Pen When looking for affordable beginner fountain pens, it can be hard to find good-quality a pen not made out of plastic. One of the more attractive pens in this niche is the Duke 209 Fountain pen. This text review will give a general overview and give my genuine opinion of whether this pen is worth the price. Nib      The Duke 209 comes with a "Fude NIb" meaning that the end of the nib is bent upwards. The nib is bent to an angle of approximately 45 degrees, allowing for both broad and fine lines. It writes rather smoothly and does allow for upside-down writing to make even finer lines. Build      While the Nib itself is said to be made out of stainless steel, the rest of the body is aluminum. This makes the pen quite light, weighing only 23 grams. A notable feature of the build is that the threads of both the male and female sections of the pen are made out of metal. On cheaper pens, this midsection of the pen (when made out of p...
Read more

What's up with Limited Color Palettes?

-
Image
In the internet art sphere, limited palettes have been pretty popular for quite a while. Limited color palettes are exactly what they sound like. When painting or drawing, instead of using a large amount  of colors (12-24), a limited palette only relies on a small amount of colors (2-5). Because limited color palettes are so 'limited' (obviously) they rely heavily on improvisation and color mixing. Both limited and non-limited color palettes have their pros and cons, this article aims to explain some of them. If you've never used a limited color palette, you may be wondering to yourself, why would someone want to use less colors when they could use more colors. While painting with less colors may seem like and unnecessary handicap, I promise it does have its benefits.  For one, when you use less colors, you begin to get very comfortable with how those specific colors interact. And, if you chose a yellow, red and a blue, you will learn everything you need to know about how t...
Read more