By Marty FugateCorrespondent

The roosters crow violates local noise ordinances. To be fair, the iconic, barnyard fowl has something to crow about. Look, and youll see the beast everywhere from folklore to breakfast cereal, cartoons and the Chinese calendar. (2017 is the Year Of The Fire Rooster, actually.)

The rooster also roosts in Tim Jaegers paintings. Although the Sarasota-based artist tackles a variety of human and animal subjects, hes best known for this exuberant bird. Jaegers latest rooster-related piece, CS No. 24, is destined for the Anderson OBrien Fine Art gallery in Omaha. This multimedia image comprises acrylics, oil pastels, fabric and stalks. At our request, Jaeger kept this rough diary as he put the image together.

Getting Started: The first step is the hardest. As Robert Rauschenberg once said, An empty canvas is full. Theres infinite possibility; I can go in any direction, and nothing tells me which way to go. Confronting a blank canvas always fills me with anxiety and intimidation the same nervous feelings I had when I first started painting. The only way to get past this is to simply start making marks.

Turn Back or Keep Going: Within the first ten minutes, I can usually feel whether a painting will be successful or not. I say, feel, because this knowledge comes from the gut, not from intellectual analysis or an art theory book. If my gut tells me the piece is working, I keep going. If I know its a false start, I stop.

Rough Outlines: If Im confident in my first brush strokes, Ill follow up by painting the rough contours of the figure those few basic lines that define the form. Its a literal outline, but also an outline of where I want to go with the work: a visual means of writing notes to myself. Its my way of knowing where things are and should be as I make further progress. Ill constantly refer to these marks as I keep going, for as long as I can see them. This layer is really the foundational level. By the time Im through, Ill wind up painting over most of it.

Over-painting: I like to start with darker colors; this creates the illusion of depth when I paint lighter colors on top. Ill keep on doing this, adding lighter and lighter colors, one layer after another. Up to the very end, Im working with opaque acrylics, and its a slow process. Normally, it takes me anywhere from two to four weeks to create a painting. Ill usually work on four to five paintings at a time.

Finishing touches: The last week of painting is probably my favorite. I know Im over the hump and the end is in sight. At this point, Ill cease adding opaque colors. Ill concentrate on glazes and varnishes. When my gut tells me the painting is complete, Ill put on the last brush stroke and thats it.

Read the rest here:
Anatomy of a Painting: Artist Tim Jaeger looks at his 'CS No. 24' - Sarasota Herald-Tribune