Alex Kanevsky:

Notes from the ESpaint Madrid workshop june 2015

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About materials
Supports:
Alex Kanevsky works mainly on board, birch plywood treated with
several layers of acrylic gesso applied with a wide spatula; the kind used
as window cleaner. This form of application leaves a completely smooth
surface. After drying each layer 3 or 4 consecutive layers are applied with
the same procedures.In larger sizes AK uses Belgian linen canvas rather
than cotton because it is less absorbent. He Uses a Polyvinyl Seizer and
then several acrylic gesso layers (4 or 5) that are being sanded to leave
a sufficiently fine finish surface
Color palette
His palette is based on a selection of primary colors both opaque and
transparent and others that are useful as for example transparent oxide
Brown or madders.This is a list of the most commonly used colors in AK
palette

cadmium yellow cerulean blue (french)

naples yellow cobalt blue
naples yellow red royal blue light
cadmium orange ultramarine blue
vermilion red sap green
alizarin crimson cinnabar green
permanent madder brown viridian green
transparent oxide brown (several titanium white
different ones)
raw sienna titanium buff
raw umber Neutral or warm grey

vandyke brown



AK does not organized the colors in a certain way in the palette.

The paints are made by Rembrandt, Mussini, Triangle Coatings,

Art Guerra, Williamsburg.

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Brushes:
AK uses Raphael brushes - both bristle brights and synthetic. These
brushes have a very precise cut edge and are fairly thin in density of
fibers which is useful to avoid absorbing too much paint and makes easy
the technique of combining dense paint brushstrokes with glazing ones.
He also uses cheap Chinese flat 2” (5 cm) and 3” (7,5 cm) brushes.
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Medium
As a medium he uses, almost exclusively, Liquin made by Windsor &
Newton in all phases of the painting varying the proportions of medium
and pigment. His choice of this medium is derived from the great
flexibility that allows application and combination of more impasto
brushstrokes with very liquid paint glazes. After drying, Liquin leaves a
uniform eggshell surface contrary to what happens when a lot of
turpentine is used, the last leaves a rough surface by evaporation of the
solvent.
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Composition
AK recommends to do always 3 or 4 quick and expressive sketches to study
the composition before start the actual painting. In these preliminary studies it is
very important to consider the whole two-dimensional space within the painting
and to pay attention also to the relationship between the spaces and the relative
importance of all the elements. Is important to avoid focussing solely on the
main subject of the painting and "fill in" the rest of the space around it. If these
spaces do not have our interest, nor will have that of the viewer.
About the Technique

AK starts with the first paint applications in which he uses much Liquin and
neutral colors looking especially for the composition. At that moment he doesn’t
pay much attention to form or color. This phase can easily be rectified with a rag
and turpentine until you get to a pleasant composition result . When the paint
applied is still not completely dry (in about 60-90min) He works with less liquid
in two ways: either painting above without mixing with the substrate or pressing
with the brush to promote the mixing with the background color. Almost as if
sculpting. This technique allows great flexibility in the nuances that can be
obtained in each color application.
To prevent muddy colors result, one must work with simple mixtures where
there are few components. If you start with a simple color mixing and start
adding others to try finding the color you look for, it will add dirt to the color and
the painting will inevitably get muddy.
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About color mixing
Analogy of the soup; the basic ingredients of the soup are meat, potatoes and
water. To improve it, small ingredients are added like pepper or parsley or herbs
in small amounts but with high capacity to modify the flavor and accentuate the
result.
In painting, for example, To get a basic orange we start from the basic opaque
cadmium yellow, cadmium red and white.We can give character to the resulting
orange with very small amounts of intense transparent colors such as madder
lake or ultramarine blue addressing toward the color we want without getting a
muddy mixture.
You have to mix well the colors in the palette so that the color transferred to the
canvas has no streaks or imperfections and be the one we wanted to apply.
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About the brushstroke
Always work with brushes that seems to be a little larger than necessary to do
the job and make sure that every brushstroke makes sense. If it can be
expressed in two big brushstrokes, why doing the job with 50 small? That way
of painting just drift to a boring gesture that is transmitted to the picture and to
the viewer.
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About the process of the painting
You have to look more and paint less. In each area you must honestly express
what is intended and with appropriate gestures. If you want to express a flat
surface, you have to make a flat surface with a big brush and leaving virtually
no trace.
AK Emphasizes the use of colors with subtle variations and similar values next
to each other. Above them, the imprint of a splash of vivid color highlights
throughout the chromatic play.
Often works very well the contrasting of much abstract and strong
expressiveness areas combined with detailed and nuanced color areas.
If you want to create an effect of destruction or paint movement, you must first
build it.Do not try to paint destruction. It is created with detail and then really
destroyed.
There are several aspects in realistic painting, shape, color, perspective,
composition. Maybe is not a bad idea to focus on one or two of them that
interest you and bring these to perfection leaving the other to survive. Cezanne
is an example: form and perspective are left aside in favor of color and
composition.
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About the intermediate stages
In the intermediate process you must must stop to look and then go solving
problems in a process that is more technical. Once completed you have to stop,
look again and either terminate or add any element that will likely force rebuild
everything.
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About completion
Guest analogy: you must face the painting as a guest, you are invited there but
you can not stay indefinitely. For some time you are very welcome but after a
certain time you have to know how to say goodbye.
Mountain analogy or knowing when to stop: we are always working hard to get
to the top of the mountain, but once at the top the next step is always down. In
painting if you keep adding and adding, suddenly you are descending from the
top. To avoid this you have to stop while glimpsing the top and leave the viewer
with his imagination to provide the rest of the work.
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About Depth and focus.
When you look directly at an object, the focus is on that object. All the
surroundings are blurred with no details. In painting, this is achieved by
specifying with details and vivid colors the object in focus and leaving the other
parts with low intensity colors and blurring and no defined outlines. Sometimes
though, the rules are to be broken; you can do the reverse seeking a
compositional effect.
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About the risk
You have to work out of the comfort zone and take risks; the painter's work is an
interaction in which there is a dialog between the painter and the painting. You
must listen to what the painting is telling you.
Analogy of serial monogamy: Elizabeth Taylor was married eight times but each
completely devoted to her partner. In the development of a picture you have to
commit to your original idea and continue faithful and committed to it until for
any reason you are convinced that the commitment must change. And then it is
time for a new state of equal commitment and dedication.
Taking risks does not involve forgetting your knowledge arbitrarily. Kanevsky
explained this with analogy of chess: the chess player begins with four known
basic moves. It is in the middle game where you have to take risky decisions
and be creative.
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