BRUSH CALLIGRAPHY
by Armand Cabrera
Brushstrokes carry a message whether
you will it or not.
The stroke is just like the artist at the time they make
it.
All the certainties, all the uncertainties,
all the bigness of their spirit and all the littleness
are in it.
~Robert Henri
Brush Calligraphy is the stylistic
application of your paint.
 |
Armand
Cabrera_
Eaton Canyon Evening
9x12 lb - outdoor
|
The paint is applied without overworking it once you
have laid it on the canvas. Brush calligraphy can be instinctive
as an outgrowth of your style…or an intentional
approach to strengthen the composition and design of your
painting. Brush calligraphy shouldn’t be haphazard.
In other words, a conscious approach to your brush application
is always preferable to an unconscious one. Effective
brush calligraphy is often a valuable way of intensifying
passages of interest and design overlooked by many artists
who restrict their thinking in terms of color and value.
Many times, a small sketch has more life than a larger
studio painting because of brush calligraphy. The
quality of a stroke you make with the flick of your
wrist on a small painting becomes a challenge to reproduce
on a larger scale because the effort of your whole
arm is needed to gain the identical outcome. When
you consider the relationship between the size of
the stroke, relative to the size of the canvas, you
will understand the challenge when using a large brush
with adequate paint for the result you wish to accomplish.
Paint strokes are not just about direction or size…they
also encompass the thickness of the application. When
thicker passages of paint are applied to a painting surface,
you create a sculptural effect. The combination of these
effects takes your painting beyond the idea of reproducing
what you see. Brush calligraphy offers the viewer layers
of interest beyond the initial two dimensional image and
the ability to render it. A purposeful approach to brushwork
makes a painting a forceful statement.
