(970) 927-9668
Andy Taylor, a Carbondale, Colorado artist, shares how pen and pencil sketches and oil pastel drawings are essential to his final oil paintings depicting Colorado landscapes.
“I do drawings (pen, colored pencil, oil pastel and a very few watercolors) for three reasons: The first reason is that drawing is quick, inexpensive and convenient. It is good exercise for hand/eye coordination and good exercise for mind/eye coordination.
“The second reason is to gather information in ways that might be useful for paintings — looking at the composition (how all the parts fit), the colors (is there anything special about them), and the values (dark and light). How does it all work on the page/canvas? I use the pen and colored pencil drawings for this purpose. The size is convenient for walking and travel; the media are indelible so when I drop the sketchbook in the river or when my water bottle leaks nothing is lost (both of which have happened).
“The third reason for doing drawings is to experiment. I can try all sorts of things on paper; if they fail, they get trashed — just a little time lost. A few times, maybe more than a few, I have felt that my art is stagnant or that I want to attempt a new direction or that I can do better than I have. Unlike “writer’s block” when words might be elusive, I am not at a loss for the images that I want to make — just the opposite — but I want to push what I think is good in what I have done.
“I have always turned to oil pastels as a means to try to move forward. I’m not sure why, except I like their immediate intensity, the ease, and the lack of commitment — the trash bin is always near.”
— Andy Taylor
For more information about Andy Taylor, please contact Ann Korologos Gallery at (970) 927-9668 or visit the gallery “under the clocktower” at 211 Midland Avenue, Basalt, Colorado.
