Paucity Principal

The Paucity Principal

pau·ci·ty

noun /pôsitē  paucities, plural

Paucity means "the presence of something in small or insufficient quantities or amounts; scarcity." In our game, it's one of the main principles. Robert Genn

Artist, Robert Genn, is a big supporter of the power of paucity in an Artist’s work and I happen to agree with him and have been using it in my work for over 20 years, long before I knew there was a name for it. To put it into layman’s terms it would be the difference between a Robert Bateman painting and a Rembrandt drawing or a full orchestra playing and a simple flute. My mentor and friend Elaine Bigelow always referred to it as “Less is More, You don’t have to tell them everything”. For the main stream Art critiques and buyers this looks like unfinished work but I ask you when is a painting or anything creative finished? I say when the Artist say’s it is.

This concept is not popular with galleries and those that do not appreciate art but it is the way I chose to paint and I encourage you to try out the idea no matter what your artistic discipline. As an artist I can tell my story in the way I chose, just as an author tells their story in the fashion they do. Even an Author knows that too much description within a story can be worse than not enough as the viewer becomes bored; there is no room for them to use their imagination.

When we leave out some of the information that we see in reality we now add a 4^th dimension to the world, the dimension of “Perception of Content”. This powerful dimension allows the viewer or the listener to now become an active part in the art being created. When a line on a painting is left unfinished and is placed in a certain way the human eye will finish it, by doing this they are part of the process of painting, with out them it is incomplete. This is often used in stage production, when only key pieces of furniture or props are given to the actors to work with and the audience must imagine what the rest of the room would look like. The beauty of this process is the imaginary window the actor looks out can now become the viewer’s window at home and through this they are part of the performance.

We, the artist, are no longer required to fill in all the information. Rembrandt showed us in his simple line drawings that as long as you are true to your self and sensitive to your subject the viewer will know what you have drawn. Singing without the benefit of an orchestra can be as hauntingly beautiful as with. An actor holding his hand in a certain way and lifting it to their lips will allow you to believe the glass is there, half full or half empty. Which it is, is up to you.

Sandra Taylor Hedges

The Wall

Recently I was asked to do a commission painting of a seascape of a southern beach from a vacation snap that my client provided.  The first problem was the photo was not the best view I am sure of this section of beach, but what can you do.  So with some encouraging on my part and a few drawings I convinced them of the wisdom in adding a horizon line and some sky in the distance.  That along with a couple of other minor adjustments and we had a composition that I felt would work and they were excited about. 

This as I discovered was the least of my problems.  Getting excited about painting it was my real challenge.  When we as Creative people engage ourselves in the process we usually have a catalyst or idea that we are challenged by and when we are asked to do something that is old hat to us, we can hit “The Wall”. 

You know what “The Wall” is, it is that invisible barrier that comes up and keeps us from taking another step forward.  Runners experience “The Wall” often on long runs when suddenly even though up to this point everything was great it’s as if the air became thicker and their feet have sunk into mud and every muscle screams for them to stop.  Experienced runners know that this is the time to keep pushing because very shortly the energy will return to them and they get a renewed burst of strength.

It is the very same process for Artists we just need to recognize it and push forward.  When we are in our creative place time does not exist, we are focused and full of energy but when we are asked to do something (especially with a time limiting factor added in) that is not stimulating to our creative self we need to find ways to not hit “The Wall”.    How I got myself into the right space to work on the seascape was listen to sounds of the ocean from my computer, and look at lots of photos of beaches that were similar to the one I was going to paint.  When that didn’t do it for me anymore I took myself outside into the elements near the water to at least feel the energy of the water near by and feel like I was on location. 

For you depending on your discipline and the commission you are working on this may look very different, perhaps playing some music, taking a walk, going to a concert or play may be what you need to get yourself motivated.  The important thing is to not allow your Left Brain to start pulling up the list of things to do that takes you away from working on your commission. That tricky Left Brain is always trying to make us do practical things that it is good at and keeps it in control.  If this happens the next thing you know days and weeks have passed and now your customer is calling you asking when it will be ready and you are still stalling. 

So take it from the long distance runner, do what ever you can to push through “The Wall” because when you come out on the other side of it, you will be brilliant!!

Sandra Taylor Hedges