Class responses: Painting Trees

I happened to be able to answer a few of the beginning class questions before the technical problems set in so I will continue from where I left off!

Painting Trees
When watching all the different clips about painting, styles and moves made a lot more sense to me. It was really easy to see the approaches the painters made and how they differed. In the clip of "Happy Trees" and "Painting Mountains" the artist seemed really relaxed and focused on the journey of the piece, rather than the main object. His brushstrokes were leisurely and he was not worried about messing up.
The artist who worked on the disney film had very different styles. Through research, they were able to collaborate to produce a medieval-looking background. This gives the audience a feeling of being drawn back in time to the story of romance and adventure.
The most interesting clip was when the three different artists all painted a tree. Their first move is in setting up their work. They all take different approaches and even use different mediums. They also all sit in different areas which means their perspective of the tree will be different. Walt's approach was to reproduce the tree graphically. This meant dark lines creating a solid picture. He compares the tree to a skyscraper. Josh takes more of a spiritual perspective and sees the tree as full of life. He says he sees the tree as "a living personality." Therefor he uses large strokes to convey motion. Ivan, the third artist, says he sees "all the richness and variety of nature." He makes his painting a detailed study of the trunk.
While all of the artist are painting the same subject, their styles and moves turn out completely original pieces that say a lot about their personalities. Not one is better than the other, as there is beauty in each of their styles.