June 2001

 

The Wittig Report - on the interface between Life and Art

 

Welcome to the Wittig Report. On the one hand there is ‘Art,’ and on the other hand, there is ‘Life,’ and somewhere in the middle, they meet.

 

May was a busy month, most of it occupied with a single painting, which unfortunately, I was unable to finish in time for this newsletter.  It will certainly be done in time for July.

 

There is an aspect to painting that most people are at best only subliminally aware of, and that painters know all about, but rarely mention. When a person paints, they wind up spending most of their waking life alone, in a room, with the paint. School has no bearing on learning to paint, it is what some painters do before they begin the actual process of learning to paint. One learns to paint alone… in a room… with the paint.

 

The silliest question I have ever been asked is, ‘What are your credentials?’

 

May 2001, two alkyd paintings:

A painting of my dog and long time companion Bernie, keeping her silent vigil: http://www.robertwittig.com/full206.html

 

A click-through series, showing the painting process, start to finish, of a rural Michigan schoolhouse: http://www.robertwittig.com/full207.html

 

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Article: Requiem for a Mutt

 

 

I had my dog of fifteen years put to sleep (killed by a veterinarian) last week. I stayed with her through the entire process, holding and petting her while the veterinarian administered the shot. It was my decision, and I am sure that if I could have asked her whether or not she wanted to die at that particular moment, she would have said 'no'…

 

To read the Article, click here: http://www.robertwittig.com/paper27.html

 

The City of Bangor, Michigan Website features two of my paintings:

This means exactly what it says. This small Michigan town – city, which I have been visiting and painting for years, saw fit to include two of my paintings and a brief biography on their municipal website. I am honoured.

To check it out, click here: http://ci.bangor.mi.us/

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Erick Braks – Human Figural Drawing

Drawing the human figure and face requires skill, and a certain amount of courage. People are going to criticize your work for being ‘old fashioned’ and ‘out-dated’, while other people will criticize your work for being flawed, or inaccurate. Nuts to them all, I say. Apparently, so does Mr. Braks. Excellent work.

To visit Eric Braks’ Website, click here: http://ericbraks.tripod.com/index.htm


 

 

Questions, comments, submissions

 

I’d be glad to hear from you. If you have any questions, comments, rebuttals, ideas for future articles, or submissions of your own, contact me at wittig@robertwittig.com and I will reply promptly, and include your response in an upcoming issue, where appropriate.

 

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For further exploration, my website address is: http://www.robertwittig.com/ , or simply click the ‘Home’ link at the bottom of any article you have accessed.   thanks,   -wittig