I spent yesterday photographing a great painter by the name of William Kortlander. The afternoon consisted of me trying to understand how Kortlander approaches the creative process. Along with watching other photographers work I’m fascinated with how artists in other medium’s approach the process of creation. As photographers we’re always told if you want to understand composition to study not only good photographs, but paintings. In watching Kortlander work I noticed he’d analyze his composition in a variety of ways. He’d take the painting off his easel and lay it on the floor or he’d take it into the living room to see it in a completely new environment. You often hear artists saying that a timeless piece of art is one that you can tolerate seeing day after day on your wall. He’d also did something Cartier-Bresson did and that was to look at his work upside down. This took the focus off the subject matter and made it more about the shapes.
Bill also gave me this great quote, which I thought worked nicely with the picture I took. “I always like the connection with nature. I’m able to step outside and walk through what I’m painting.”
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