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Spring at Last! The daffodils are in bloom at my house and all of a sudden I have more than enough fresh flowers to paint. This piece (11x8)

is not quite finished, but as I was studying it, the thought crossed my mind that this painting could provide a good visual explanation of my general approach to backgrounds. Well.... actually what I was thinking ,was that probably somebody who has studied with me will email this same image with various areas of the background circled, requesting an explanation for how I could possibly come up with these colors when I keep advising people to paint what they see. Watching and listening to students, I realize that many are convinced it's just a matter of a little pink here and a touch of yellow there, and that I invent those either at the beginning or at the very end. The real answer is far more simple than that, which is not the same thing as easier. I actually go to quite a bit of trouble to make sure I can put down the notes I see and get my brain out of the way, so to speak.

I'm certainly not above using my artistic license when the situation calls for it, or leaving a happy accident if it seems to fit. However, when starting out a painting I'm generally very true to the relationships I see and especially when it comes to values and colors. I've set up a composition that is visually pleasing to me and my goal is to capture as much of that beauty and atmosphere as possible. Sometimes the backgrounds are a solid piece of cloth where I'm searching for nuances in value and color, but more often than not, I've created an arrangement where there's plenty of variety in the background already and all I need to do is interpret and perhaps tone down or simplify the shapes and notes that are there. Sometimes it's a rug, a tapestry or print. Other times there could be bottles or other objects that end up being just abstract shapes. In this example I'm using a favorite backdrop which is a rather expensive silk scarf that I spotted years ago in the Smithsonian gift shop. I was drawn to the harmonious and gradual color transitions and sure enough, I've put this one to good use. The backside has a slightly different color overall so it's sort of 2 backgrounds in one. 

So, why would I go to this expense and bother when, after decades of painting I could easily invent a bunch of different colors in my backgrounds? It's because the qualities that I value the most in my work become elusive when the intellectual side of my brain tries to run the show. The background notes touch nearly every other object in the composition, and in turn, that affects every edge which affects the mood, the atmosphere, the conversation, etc.  The more of that pure seeing I get in my paintings, the happier I am with them and the more fun they are. When it works well, there's a magic to the process that's hard to describe. All of the artists I admire speak of this state and athletes often refer to it as 'the zone'. An 'X factor' maybe? When I paint in this way the results are more playful, more interesting, more honest, more sensitive and more surprising than anything I could possibly come up with out of my head. That is the reason I go to the extra effort.

Later, when I've pretty much nailed every note as accurately as possible, that's when I'll allow the thinking side of my mind to do its thing. Straightening a vase or bottle, building up the paint in an area, adjusting a clunky shape or discordant color ---all of those are things that come into the picture eventually. The tricky part is knowing when and where to use analytical knowledge, and when to hopefully get it out of the way, which is always the greater challenge.  I will probably look at these daffodils for a few weeks before attempting any finishing touches. When I have the luxury of time, the adjustments I make are usually fewer and sometimes quite different from what I might have done if I had pushed myself to completely finish the painting right away. In this case, my instinct right now is to pretty much leave the background as it is because it's doing the job I intended for it to do --- complement the flowers, convey depth, and not compete with my center of interest. 

"I do not judge, I only chronicle." -- John Singer Sargent

"Humble yourself before nature, it is too majestic for you to do it justice." --- Charles Hawthorne 

"Go with the flow." --- Anonymous