Simply Painting

At noon each week day our public TV channel broadcasts a how-to paint program. Oils one day, watercolor another... each day is a different artist.

I've come to enjoy Jerry Yarnell's programs, especially after he's gotten more comfortable making the videos. Lots of good information there for oil painters. I'm also currently enjoying Buck Paulson's mixed media knife painting. (He looks and sounds like he should be conducting a Sunday school session. A Mr. Rogers type. Very nice.) Background monotone painting in acrylics with oils as the top 'finish'.

I've begun to skip Wednesdays. Thats Bob Ross' day. He's also a good how-to instructor, but I'm saturated and if I see another tree added (when I think its too much) I may scream at the top of my lungs. You know, to help him hear me in heaven. And his paintings all seem to be the same. This time a few dozen trees on the left, that time a few dozen trees on the right.... and the background is always a majestic mountain range. Absolutely nothing wrong with it, but I need a break right now. Thats all.

What I've come here today to do is tout Frank Clarke's Simply Painting series. I failed to appreciate it before. That is, before I picked up some watercolor and tried to do something with it. ("ohmygawd, what the hell is that suppose to be?!")It hit me today... what a gem Clarke's series is for the beginner. The painting subject is simple, his instructions are simple and entertaining, and following his lead, I, too, would say "anyone can paint." And "paint for the fun of it."

Clarke looks like someone you would find under a four-leaf clover. He'd be sitting on a pot 'o gold drinking a stout. And such colorful shirts he wears! It was his shirt he was wearing today that was the final clincher on making a post about his program series. You see, I went to check out his web site (had never done it before) and there is a tab at the top of the screen labeled "videos." I clicked on it and a short teaser began without me doing anything. He talks about equipment needed to get started. And in this video he is wearing the same colorful shirt that he had on today in his instuctional video. I chose to decide it was an omen that I should make this post.

Anyway.... if you're one of those who say "oh I can't paint" but you'd like to give it a try, you know, just for the fun of it... check out "Simply Painting" if you have a chance. Seriously... for the fun of it. You can do it. You can do it with Frank Clarke helping you out. Honest.