Weekend Workshop with Jesse Reno

I came across mixed media artist Jesse Reno's work as I have so many other good things in life: by fool's luck and a few too many hours on the Internet.

Following a chain of random links, I stumbled upon Jesse's website and was immediately drawn in by the depth and dimensionality of his work, along with its profusion of curious creatures, (which I have a penchant for, as many of you surely know by now).

Above: Jesse at work on a painting

Despite my historical misfortunes when it comes to finding art classes (that don't make me fume or fall asleep), I followed a good hunch I had about this Reno fellow and signed up that very night for his three-day workshop at Carol Parks' studio in North Hollywood.

I've just returned from the workshop and am happy to report that the trusty gut didn't lead me astray—I got all the weird creatures I could want, and so much more…

Above: "Baby Mastodon's Last Sunset," one of the paintings I worked on during the weekend.

Finger-painting, Overpopulation and Other Tricks of the Trade
In the interest of sharing with you a bit of what I learned this weekend, I've compiled a list of some of my favorite art process tips from Jesse (paraphrased in Fenderly parlance) that may also be of use to you. Keep in mind that this list includes only a hastily grabbed handful from Jesse's bag of art tricks, but nonetheless, I hope that you'll find something here that furthers your own creative process:

1) Get back to basics. Try starting your piece by painting with your hands. Let yourself revel in the sensual feel of the paint as you smooth it across the wood or canvas. Later on, if you get stuck with the brush, move back to working with your hands as a way to loosen yourself up.

2) If you build it, they will come. Add layer upon layer of paint, pencil, or other media to your surface and watch as surprising forms and patterns evolve. Trust the layering process to lead you organically to an image; pay attention and see who (or what!) wants to take shape.

Above: The first layer of work.

3) Overpopulate, rather than under-populate a piece in the beginning. That way you'll have more directions to go in. Filling your painting with crazy shapes and lines creates fertile material for something rich and mulit-dimensional to take shape.

4) Block it out. When something catches your eye or stands out to you from the rest of the colors and forms in your painting, use a single color to "block out" the space around it and make it pop forward. See what it looks like to isolate the form and bring it to the foreground in this way. You can always paint over it if you don't like it!

Above: This is the same piece, with a few more layers added. The swatch of blue paint in the right hand corner is an example of the "blocking out" technique.

5) If a painting is fighting you, strike back! Slop on an ugly color. Graffiti over it. If necessary, break things! Don't be afraid to make bold moves…You may be surprised at what happens, and following the energy can often mobilize you out of a rut.

6) Create your own pictorial language. Notice the themes, symbols and characters that reappear in your work. What is the story that's trying to tell itself through you? By observing your work from a place of curiosity, you'll stay open to new developments and can learn from what the art has to tell you rather than just repeating what you already know.

Above: At this point, Jesse is nearing the end of his demo (after a few hours of painting, split up over the days). The painting is not yet complete, but already has so many layers and dimensions. Can't wait to see it in its finished state!

7) Work on multiple paintings at once so you don't become too attached to the outcome or get myopic while focusing in on a single piece. Moving between several paintings will help to keep your work fresh and loose and may also make it easier to walk back into the studio, pick something up and go to town, rather than procrastinate about tackling a single, formidable piece.

Above: I worked on three pieces over the course of the weekend. This is the biggest, an old door that Carol gave me to paint on.

The Gift of a True Teacher

Part of the joy for me in working with Jesse was about coming into contact with a fellow artist whose approach to art process mirrors my own in many ways, but is different enough to inspire newness in my work and invite different ways of seeing.

Above: close-up of the door painting in process.

Jesse did not try to impose his views or techniques upon the artists at his workshop. Instead, he offered his experience and personal work style as a single possibility, while inviting others to experiment in order to find the ways that worked best for them.

To me, this is the true role of a teacher, in art, or any subject matter: to inspire you to explore new ways of seeing, to encourage you to work outside self-created limitations, and to develop and strengthen your own voice.

Above: "Blind Martyr Marathon," the final painting I worked on during the weekend.

To see more artwork and photos from the workshop, please visit my flickr page.