Hidden in Plain Sight
The highlights of reflective surfaces allow Kim Starr to create unique focal points in her paintings
The highlights of reflective surfaces allow Kim Starr to create unique focal points in her paintings
Ididn’t attempt oil painting until the last quarter of my third year in college. It was after college that I developed my style. I did a bit of experimentation with different mediums but decided on oil painting for its longevity and versatility. I was introduced to a successful plein air painter very early in my career, William F. Reese. I took a “Painting from Life” class from him that made a great impression on me. He personally gave me some good guidelines on creating and selling. I remember him saying something to the effect “Think like a man.” An “old school” term for trying to tell me to take my work seriously and choose between a family and other avenues of distraction. At that time Reese was connected to the Mack Gallery in Seattle where I attended one of his shows. It was a full room of people and a bounty of work. Why does this matter? His paintings are beautiful. I was able to see him work and follow his method that day in class. I’ve always remembered that experience. I took away useful parts of that knowledge and expanded on my own style. I have painted many subjects that caught my attention for one particular reason: they sparkle, shine and reflect. And, of course, the lighting. That could be water in a vase of flowers, an ocean wave, or in this case, polished
metals. Zeroing in on the one spot, the highlight. The final touch that finishes the painting. In the process though, there is a lot of building around it that brings that highlight out. I was at the Reno Air Races in Nevada taking reference photos of the highly polished aluminum airplanes because, of course, they are so brilliant! The one in the demonstration is a replica of the Lockheed Electra that Amelia Earhart flew. After this unveiling at the races they delivered it to the Museum of Flight in Seattle. The captivating element is the fact that the subject is only made visible by what is reflecting on it. I start by focusing in on the area that caught my attention first—the main highlights and how they expand the light around them. I learned to stretch my own canvas in college and have been spoiled by the quality that I get by doing it myself. I still continue to do so. I stretched a 40-by-60inch canvas on medium weight stretcher bars and gave it two coats of gesso. I then give it a neutral background with a paint and thinner wash. That provides a middle tone where your eye will automatically fill in the space between colors. The image composition is scaled up onto the canvas with a graph. I sketch the outline with thin paint. Then I put the first brushstrokes on to give me a guide for placement. Often it is white because it has the most contrast. I will work on one section of the canvas that I will finish within the day because I like to work with fresh, wet paint. Then I move onto the next section the next day, etc. Rather than painting over any part of a previous day’s paint, ever, which changes the character, I make it a point to keep moving on to avoid getting stuck in over analysis, which can lead to overworking or making mud. There’s a very emotional association and intuition going on every moment that the painting is being created. There are constant choices throughout the painting with every single brushstroke. The questions to myself are “Do I like it?”, “Is it in the right place?”, “Is the color right?” etc. When applying paint I experience a sensitivity to the sensation of the paint on the brush and the flow as it glides across a texture, as on the canvas. So many decisions are based on how it feels. I approach a painting with the idea of making it fresh, spontaneous, clean and with a minimum of brushstrokes in the right places that create the “impression” of what I’m painting. The character of brushstrokes and the colors I choose are where I find the thrill when I look at the finished painting as if for the first time. My intention, ultimately, is to make an extraordinary and beautiful thing that I love, that I would want to hang on my wall.