When I think of paintings by Carlos San Millan, I think of glowing light spilling into interiors, dark and moody, the scattered stuff of daily clutter expressed with cascading swaths of bold, intuitive, luscious vibrating color. When I think of Carlos San Millan, I think of the effects of light.
Lucky us, Carlos San Millan is mid way through his second workshop at the League, and – lucky me – I’m starting to get some of his lessons. I wrote him a question for clarification, and he sent me an “illuminating” explanation of the tools he applies to give the illusion of light.
From CSM: You can get light from any kind of contrast: soft / hard edges, muted / saturated colors, dark / light value, cold / warm hues. Using contrast is much better than pushing the light values to the highest level.
To illustrate this I’ve attached a few paintings from one of my favorite artists that in my opinion masters light work, Emil Joseph Robinson.
You can see that he never needs to reach the maximum light value to get the effect of intense light.
It has taken me some time to realize the artistic benefits of figure drawing online vs in the studio, but I’m getting it. Whereas large fluid physical gestures with movement …
The League has a new mural, designed and painted by Nikki Barber. The mural honors Charleena Lyles, a 30-year-old Black, pregnant woman who was fatally shot in North Seattle by …
In the interview below, you’ll also see mention of “Ekphrasis.” In the days where each Thursday painter gave a brief presentation to the class, Skillman inspired us all with her …
Painting Light; Notes from Carlos San Millan
When I think of paintings by Carlos San Millan, I think of glowing light spilling into interiors, dark and moody, the scattered stuff of daily clutter expressed with cascading swaths of bold, intuitive, luscious vibrating color. When I think of Carlos San Millan, I think of the effects of light.
Lucky us, Carlos San Millan is mid way through his second workshop at the League, and – lucky me – I’m starting to get some of his lessons. I wrote him a question for clarification, and he sent me an “illuminating” explanation of the tools he applies to give the illusion of light.
From CSM: You can get light from any kind of contrast: soft / hard edges, muted / saturated colors, dark / light value, cold / warm hues. Using contrast is much better than pushing the light values to the highest level.
To illustrate this I’ve attached a few paintings from one of my favorite artists that in my opinion masters light work, Emil Joseph Robinson.
You can see that he never needs to reach the maximum light value to get the effect of intense light.
Emil Joseph Robinson
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