In part 2 of this multi- part conversation with narrative artist John Hull, John shares great tips on how he sets up his painting space and how that helps him stay focused on his art. John and Antrese also talk about the literature that has inspired John – he is an avid reader so the list of books is long.
John also talks about grad school, and if you scroll down to the bottom, you can see examples of his early work from college.
Leave a comment below, tell me what you learned from this episode.
And out of curiosity, how do you set up your palette and what does that set up do for your painting?
Show Highlights:
- The common thread between Corbet, Whistler and Gwen John.
- The system John uses to warm up and get in the “zone”.
- What Abraham Lincoln can teach us about sound studio practice.
- Discussion of books, and essays that have influenced John.
- Three essential qualities Tolstoy says artists must possess.
- Being vulnerable and sincere in your art.
- How John uses the color palette of master artists as a jumping off point when he’s stuck.
- Process of combining drawings and photographs to create larger scale paintings.
- The struggles during graduate school and finding his voice.
- John’s fascination of people who “misbehave” and people that devote their lives outside themselves.
- How your art has to grow out of what you care about, celebrating the normal, quiet moments.
Other Artists Mentioned:
Author/Books/Essays Mentioned:
Life with Picasso, Francois Gilot
Wallace Stevens, An Ordinary Evening, Poem
Joseph Conrad, Author
Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane
French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier– and the movie Coup de Torchon
Author Jim Thompson, and the book Pop. 1280
Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen : Reflections on Sixty and Beyond
Frank Delaney, Ireland: A Novel
JOHN’S WORK:
To see more of John’s work at johnhullpaintings.com
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This group of paintings came from two series that dealt with small rural communities. The setting are in Colorado and Iowa but they were places that reminded me of the town I grew up in.