Robert Henri paintings: The Beach Hat on the left (1914) and Rosaleen on the right (1928) I admire the use of bold color in a painting that is seemingly out of place or too intense when viewed up close but pulls together into a convincing form when viewed from a few steps (or more) away from the work. Robert Henri would use dabs of intense color in noses, ears, and the inner eye quite frequently in his portraits. My admiration for his work made me want to use color in a similar fashion.
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“Feis" 2’ X 2' Oil on canvas. 2006
Realistic rendering of the human figure had been of interest to me for a long while, and something I was able to indulge in at PAFA. I still was not certain how I could incorporate some of the methods I learned into my own art. I wasn’t interested in replicating old masters works or even painting in their style, but I was interested in using a more figurative approach. Feis was a break from the simplified, unblended, palette knife work. I worked on a smaller canvas, but wanted to give the work the same punch as the larger so I chose a bright background and stuck with mainly prismatic colors. This was also the first time I employed a model I’d previously painted, who’s androgynous nature I found fascinating, amazingly beautiful, and most worthy of an exploration in painting. To purchase a reproduction of this work visit my online store at https://society6.com/product/feis_print#s6-770079p4a1v46 “Bulletproof” 4’ X 4' Acrylic and Oil on canvas. 2006
Heavily influence by the model, “Bulletproof” represents a young student of mine who possessed far more depth of character than her outward appearance might suggest. It was my first exposure to working with a young person who I discovered to have suffered emotional abuse by adults that she should otherwise have been able to love and trust. The painting became much more about her psychological state than merely her physical. I was slowly incorporating more of my learning from PAFA and rendering the figure in more realistic fashion, while maintaining my use of prismatic colors and simplified imagery broken down into shapes. This was also created in a new studio space large enough to allow me to actually throw, splatter, dribble, and dump paint on the canvas at will. To purchase a reproduction of this work visit my online store at https://society6.com/product/bulletproof-vbp_print#s6-875398p4a1v46 I have always had a love of color. As a painter, color is something I struggle with on just about every painting. Even when I think I have a color combination dialed in there are still constant tweaks that need to be made in the process. It is very rare that I apply a mixed color on canvas and have it react exactly the way I want it to when placed next to the other colors. Revision and experimentation are a must.
17x24cm Oil on Birch. A view toward The Bund and Huangpu River from the rooftop café of The Rockbund Museum I’ve always been fascinated with shapes created within cityscapes. The way light and shadow play off the buildings and interact with the sky. During my time as an art student in Philadelphia I would marvel at the distinct shapes formed between light and shadow and the severity of contrast that made the shadows seem as though they would swallow you and the light an ethereal transcendent highway. I was always keenly aware that the shadows contained objects of definition and detail. At the time, though, my limited skill with color did not allow me to communicate the effects and relationships of the elements at play around me.
"Obscured" 4’ X 4' Acrylic and Oil on canvas. 2001
Smaller than Tangerine, but easily twice as much paint (and twice as heavy), Obscured was my second large-scale work at PAFA. The intensive figure drawing and painting courses where beginning to have an effect on my paintings as I struggled to define my figures more, yet still throw paint. Since college I had done very little actual brushwork, opting for painting knives and other implements. I set up a challenge for myself in that the center of the eye is directly in the center of the square. Establishing a super-strong focal point, I then tried to pull the view out away from that point. Successful or not, it was the first piece that I entered in a juried art show upon returning to the Pacific Northwest. It was picked for final selection in the South Sounds 2000 Exhibition and received a favorable review from local art critic Lisa Gunter: Perhaps one of the most visually striking pieces of SS 2001 is Scott Michael Anstett's painted portraiture "Obscured." A 4' X 4' oil on canvas, Anstett stacks and peels layers and layers on top of each other with vivid blues, greens and reds combining for an alluring yet faintly disguised look into the women depicted. To purchase a reproduction of this work visit my online store at https://society6.com/product/obscured-zpl_print#s6-1060377p4a1v46 "Tangerine" 5’ X 5' Acrylic and Oil on canvas. 2001
This painting was influenced heavily by the model herself, a bright, vivacious, and incredibly beautiful young woman who’s main source of beauty flowed not only from her physical appearance but also from her lack of acknowledgment of those features. The challenge, I thought, was to have her pose without posing, to capture her beauty without her reflecting on the fact I was having her pose for a painting. Either by force of emotion or my lack of ability at the time to render my model realistically, the painting became much more about the spirit of my model. I imagined a beauty so fair that Gollum and the Evil One would creep up and make away with her. Her youthful exuberance and summer-girl vibe had me throwing myself into the work to the point it became a giant mess with which I wrestled to achieve my vision. This was my first critique work at PAFA. Although its sheer size made quite an impression, most of my colleagues commented on the overwhelming scent of the oils and Damar varnish that filled the large viewing room. I displayed this in the art store I worked in and received a commission work as a result - my first! A casual viewer came in to look at the piece and told me, wistfully, upon close view of the lips, that it looked as if she’d been kissed. Something about that comment has always stuck with me, and I find myself focusing on those types of ideas-certain features or feelings- when I’m working on a painting. To purchase a reproduction of this work visit my online store at https://society6.com/product/tangerine-vnb_print#s6-757984p4a1v46 After making the decision to pursue teaching abroad, the next couple months went by with the usual routines. I dedicated some time to researching what I would need to do to apply for a leave of absence from my teaching postion, as well as completing a re-certification program (which really had me wanting to leave education entirely). Kristin spent additional time sending e-mails to the hiring service and contacting schools to apply and direct them to the service for résumé info. The service held a job fair in December in San Fransisco. When she checked the list of schools attending it was very sparse. She chose not to register, but would later regret the decision as the list swelled during the week leading up to the fair. She continued to contact schools and put herself through a mini crash course learning how to Skype. Early on she was contacted by a school in Paris, France. We were both excited by the prospect of living in Paris, as we had both spent some time there and could clearly visualize how life might be. As an artist I was excited by the opportunities Paris could provide. Unfortunately, although the Skype interview went well, Paris made no further inquires. Next she was contacted by a couple schools in rural China, but we decided China was not someplace we really wanted to live, save for Hong Kong or maybe Shanghai. Pollution was a “deal breaker,” and kept Beijing off the list entirely. Next was a school in Eastern Europe, and so it went until there were a handful of prospects but no solid job offers.
It was now the month of May and Kristin was feeling anxious about the prospect of not being hired and continuing another year at her current school. She was regretting not attending the earlier job fair in December, but was hesitant to register for April job fair in London due to the airfare and lodging. We decided London would be a great vacation, even if only for three days, and she booked the ticket. We flew Icelandic Air, spent a day in Iceland, and then hopped over to London. We had a fantastic experience at our little AirBnB just blocks from Hyde Park. I spent a day in the National Portrait Gallery and toured the city on the Big Red Bus tour line when she was talking with schools at the fair. We walked the city during her free time. It was sunny and clear and the fish and chips were incredibly delicious. It was a wonderful vacation. But, as far as the job fair went, you could call it money wasted. Not one school at the fair hired her. To say that no one hired her is a bit misleading. A tentative offer was extended by one of the schools in London. But, it was made clear that I would have to be working to afford to live in London (but no teaching position available to me), and Kristin would have to obtain a certification needed in the British system. This same certification requirement kept her from an offer in Almaty, Kazakhstan (also a British school). Two other schools operated on different systems as well, such as International Baccalaureate, for which Kristin was not uniquely qualified. Her expertise was Advanced Placement, used primarily by the U.S. Her school and school district were also a pioneer in the Project (or Problem) Based Learning (PBL). Shortly before we were to leave for London she was contacted by an international school that was looking for a teacher with expertise in both. They would not be at the fair and requested an interview by Skype. Kristin informed them she would be at the fair during the time requested, so the interview took place early in the morning before the fair began. After we returned home from London this school contacted her and extended an offer of employment. Kristin accepted, and suddenly we were heading abroad. That “something new” that we were looking for was taking us to someplace entirely unexpected. Shanghai. This is #3 in a series that chronicles my own experiences as an artist and teacher ditching the daily grind and moving from Seattle, WA to Shanghai, China. "Wonderment" 4.5'X4.5' Acrylic and Oil on canvas.
This was one of the first paintings I created that I really felt was my creative work and not completed for a class project or grade. Completed in 2000, it is the oldest painting that I will still show today. My painting style and personal interests have changed quite a bit since then. I would never paint skin tones in this manner, and there are many other things I would change if I were to paint this now. The image itself was from a photograph that I took of my young daughter. It was not a random snapshot that I thought might work, but taken from a series of photos that I composed from the painting. We were heading in for dinner after a day at the beach. She was cold and wet and caked with sand, but her bedraggled appearance inspired me. She was not very happy with me dragging her back out to the beach, but nonetheless she had fun striking various poses as the sun set. If you can create an image that captures the viewers attention and can hold it for a few moments then you've really got something to work with. You can have the most beautifully painted image, but if no one is looking at it then you need to ask yourself what you have created it for. Not that it is worthless, but seriously ask, "Why have I created this artwork?" Do you want it admired by the general public? Perhaps you've created a painting to only attract the attention of other painters. This painting of mine would probably not be admired by other painters to a great degree, but it still receives praise when shown, which I believe speaks to the power of the image. To purchase a reproduction of this work visit my online store at Society6.com My wife and I both realized there were immense positives to our current positions. We worked in a well-respected district and school. We both spent considerable time developing curriculum and building strong relationships with students and families. I had worked to build a strong visual arts program at the middle school level, and she had designed a challenging, yet fun and engaging Advanced Placement Psychology course. It would be difficult to leave behind our accomplishments, teaching environments, and friendships. We’d be leaving behind family, a pet, and an area of the country that we deeply loved. As difficult as it was, I knew that something different had to happen. I had experienced “burnout” during a particularly rough year and never really recovered my energy and desire to benefit the school reputation or the administration. I made the decision to take leave for a year, in hopes that I could return refreshed - or possibly to a different school within the district (I had worked at the same school for over ten years). My wife was also beginning to experience burnout. We both needed something different … something new.
We made our decision to move toward a big change early in the school year. As early as it was, around October (when the summer’s idealistic teacher dreams implode), it was probably not early enough to start on a path to teaching internationally. Most international schools seem to hire around December or January, with most international job fairs occurring around that time. I was very much looking forward to an entire year where I could focus on my own art, music, and writing - as long as our finances could sustain it. I liked the idea of living abroad, but still had some reservations. My wife, on the other hand, has a passion for international travel. Knowing that I was fully “on board” with living abroad, she jumped at the opportunity and registered with an international teacher hiring service. I should have known that with her qualifications she stood a great chance at being hired. I should have started getting rid of some of our numerous possessions at this point, before I felt I would forever be trapped in a heap of IKEA bookshelves, unread books, wine glasses, and kitchen utensils. This is #2 in a series that chronicles my own experiences as an artist and teacher ditching the daily grind and moving from Seattle, WA to Shanghai, China. |
AuthorScott Anstett is a American artist, teacher, and avid cyclist living in the Pacific Northwest. Categories
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