Cézanne on painting: “then the canvas closes it’s fingers”
“If I reach too high or too low, everything is a mess. There must not be a single loose strand, a single gap through which the tension, the light, the truth can escape. I have all parts of my canvas under control simultaneously. If things are tending to diverge, I use my instincts and my beliefs to bring them back together again….I take the tones of colour I see to my right and my left, here, there everywhere and I fix these gradations. I bring them together…. They form lines, and become objects, rocks, trees, without my thinking about it. They acquire volume, they have an effect. When these masses and weights on my canvas correspond to the planes, and spots which I see in my mind and which we see with our eyes, then the canvas closes its fingers.” Paul Cézanne
What a wonderful description of the painting process!
Fall Course Schedule
We’re looking forward to a full program of courses and workshops with the Ottawa School of Art: downtown, in Orleans and on-line!
Details and direct links to each of the the Course Registration pages are on our website at: https://www.davidkearn.com/workshops/
Plein-air outings continue through August
We’re having a great plein-air summer and weekly outings continue throughout August! Details posted to our website at: https://www.davidkearn.com/workshops/
Annual OSA Instructors Exhibitions
I’m looking forward to participating in the annual instructors exhibitions, both downtown and in Orleans. The dates for your calendar are:
The ByWard campus Instructor’s exhibition will run from September 4th to October 5th. A vernissage will be held on Thursday, September 4th from 5 to 8 p.m.
The Orléans campus Instructor’s exhibition will run from September 7th to October 19th. A vernissage will be held on Sunday, September 7th from 1p.m. to 3 p.m., during the OSA Orléans campus’ “Open House” event.
OSA Intro to Life Modelling Workshop
If you’re new to modelling or looking to get back into it, join the OSA’s Beginner-Friendly Draped Life Modelling Workshop. This relaxed, supportive 3-hour session lets you pose alongside Jorge and Jessica (two great models) while learning the art of life modelling — posing for artists during drawing sessions with a focus on gesture, expression, and body awareness.
Saturday, August 16, 2025, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., 35 George St., Ottawa, ON K1N 8W5. Registration: models@artottawa.ca
What if all art is fake – does it matter?
Pretending to be, or passed off as, something that it is not is always a big problem but does that make the image itself any less impactful?:
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/jul/10/the-strange-truth-about-fake-artworks?
I’ve been AI’d!
A Break-a-Brusher contacted me recently because one of my books had been attributed to them in an AI search on their name. Weird as it comes eh! Not wishing to dive into the AI debate, nor how I fixed this lunacy, what is to be believed these days?
The AI-free Break-a-Brush Newsletter of course!
Break-a-Brush!
David & France