The art of the mark – why photorealism just doesn’t do it for me!

Andy Walker
Aug 15, 2023
3 min read

I spend just a few moments most days scrolling through Instagram looking at the artists that I follow, those that inspire me to make art. And every now and again Instagram tries to entice me to follow others by highlighting their work. Now, this is great when you get excited about a new artist (and I want to share three of my favourites with you today), but it also acts as a filter to show you what doesn’t work for you. Those styles that do not interest you.

So that got me thinking about why I like some art and why some of it just doesn’t hit the mark.

I read this quote last week:

“I firmly believe that it is our vocation to make people feel and not just see.” Mike Barr – The Artist Magazine September 2023

And that for me sums it up. I need to feel something when I look at a painting, and not just see something. For me photorealism (that is making a painting look exactly like a photo) is extremely clever. I am awestruck by the technical prowess of painters who can paint like this. But I don’t feel anything when I look at these paintings.

What makes me feel, what awakes emotion in me, is often something about the way a painting has been painted – the raw brushstrokes, the looseness, the way that I need to interpret what is going on and interact with the painting. Often this is subtle, something going on subconsciously. But it is happening, even when I am not aware of it. It goes beyond the cerebral (that’s very clever) and touches the soul (aaaaaah!).

Let’s take a look

Let me share three artists with you who use juicy brush marks to bring emotion to their paintings.

Colley Whisson

Here are three of his oil paintings which show that looseness and that expression of brush marks that I aspire to. Check out his website here to see more paintings.

Here is his philosophy, which echoes what I am trying to convey in this blogpost. He says, “I have long believed “It’s not what you paint but how you paint it”. With this in the fore-front of my mind I’ve dedicated myself to developing my skills to the highest level possible. I’m aiming to tell a visual story with clarity and sophistication but I am also driven to distort and abstract the image as much as possible while still maintaining a realistic image.”

2. Pavel Shumov

I love this guy’s paintings. They go to the extreme of looseness and bold juicy brushwork and they really do make you interact and feel your way through the picture. You have to study them to see what they are, and you find surprises along the way. You, as the viewer, have to interpret the paintings your way. That involves emotions. Feelings. See more of his paintings on his website here.

3. Maggie Siner

This artist also uses bold brush strokes to express the subject in front of her, and makes us work for the reward and therefore to feel something. She often paints simple subjects – pillows and sheets on a bed, clothes draped on a hanger, even some toilet rolls on a shelf! – but by the way she paints these mundane articles she brings life and excitement to them. Any subject can be made exciting, no matter how simple, proving that it is the way the painting is done rather than the subject matter that is ultimately more important. To see more of Maggie Siner’s paintings visit her website .

Finally…

Here are some of my plein air paintings from my recent holiday in England and France. They are all 5″ x 7″ water-mixable oil on MDF panels, and most were completed in under an hour. I have tried to paint loose and with nice brush strokes and to capture the feel of the scene in front of me.