Who is the artist? MS du Toit

This is actually very interesting and something artists do not think about. The number 1 question any viewer of art will ask when they stand in front of a painting is: Who is the artist?

Even though they would not know anything about the person, they still want to know the name. Many people will buy a piece of art because they like it and it will look nice in their house. But many people will buy a piece of art because of the name - they might not even really like the art but they value the name.

The trick for any artist is therefore to increase the value of their name and thus increasing the value of their art. And that is no easy task. Some artists do it by creating a painting of a naked public figure and their names are immediately all over the news and on everybody's lips, but they might soon be forgotten again.

Others do it by creating one painting after the other, all looking the same, almost creating a fashion. But fashions come and go and you begin to wonder whether those artists can do anything else.

I do not know the answer, or whether there is a right or wrong, all I know is that I would like my own work to stand the test of time like that of names like Van Gogh and Renoir. And then maybe, one day, my name will also be known.

This painting is from a photo I took when visiting some family. I was so caught up with sun coming in though the window and brightening up the room and the beautiful colours that I knew that I just had paint it.

Remember to visit my website for more paintings to view: Painted Canvas

The Colour White

Colour is a very interesting subject, a science by itself. To write about colour I will be busy for a very long time, so I am not going to even try to go into the physics of it. Most people do not even have to think about colour, except when they want to buy a car or what colour shoes to wear with their clothes.

But an artist has to think about colour all the time. We have to observe how objects reflects the nearby colours. We have to think about which colours are found in shadows, how colours change from sunny skies to overcast conditions. We have to think about how indoor lighting effects portraits or still life studies. Then we also have to figure which tube colours to mix to get the millions of colours we observe. It is difficult to be an artist!

We have to think about colour harmonies, colour contrasts, warm and cool colours, colour brightness, complimentary colours and how to apply it. You cannot use just one hue of red to paint an apple - it will look flat. There must be a highlight and shadows. For the highlight of a red apple you do not use pure white, also not white added to red (pink). You must add a touch of green, the compliment of red, to white. The same goes for the shadow, you use green in the shadow area. That is one way to make the colours sing. They compliment each other.

So how do you paint a white object, like white roses, in a white object on a white cloth against a white background? By adding touches of colour to create highlights and shadows. In this painting there is not one spot of pure white, and if you look closely you will see lots and lots of colour!

Please also note that I have updated my website again. You will find this and other new paintings on my website.
Click here to go to Painted Canvas, the website.