Brain Sindler Artist Interview, Palette, Tonalism

“Painting's greatest power, not unlike music or filmmaking, is the ability to move people”.

A painter of tonalist landscapes, Brian Sindler received his art training at the American Academy of Art and the French-style atelier School of Representational Art. A former musician, Brian did not take up painting until his early 30’s. Since then, his emotive landscapes have claimed numerous awards, including the 2018 Gold Medal at the National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic, 2018 Best of Show at Paint Grand Traverse, 2015 Best New Artist to Easton, and 2011 Best of Show at the Door County Plein Air Festival. Recent Publication include “3 to Watch,” Fine Art Connoisseur and the featured article and cover of Plein Air Magazine.

Tonalism.com: Do you call or think of yourself as a Tonalist? How or why / why not?
Yes, I do. It makes for a great hashtag on Instagram! I also consider myself a guitarist, a pianist, a bassist and an occasional optimist. I gravitate towards Tonalism in my own work and in the work of other painters.

Tonalism.com: What is your definition of Tonalism?
Paintings that represent the mood or the feeling of an environment while eliminating unnecessary details. It’s about expressing a sense of a place rather than copying the topographical characteristics of a location.

Tonalism.com: What’s been the story of your journey as an artist?
Brian Sindler: My journey as an artist began serendipitously. While visiting a friend’s house to look at thousands of works of art that he had procured from a contemporary folk artist. I thought to myself, Hey! I can do this! The next day I went to an art supply store, bought pastels and paper, then started painting Picasso-like figures and still lifes. I was a musician songwriter and after a band break up I had a lot of spare time. I quickly became obsessed with Picasso and painting. I worked my way backwards from his late paintings to his early paintings. When I got to the blue period I realized I needed to learn how to draw. So, at the age of 40 I decided to study painting and enrolled at the School of Representational Art in Chicago. Upon graduation I began my career as a landscape painter and have not looked back since.

Tonalism.com: What are the main objectives of your current approach?
Brian Sindler: I’m always looking to eliminate unnecessary details while trying to make a statement that's deceptively simple. Trying to simplify a passage in a painting in an interesting way can make or break that painting. I’m of the mind that if I just keep painting good things will happen. I look for happy accidents. Seeing shapes in the marks on a painting can set me off in a different direction and straying from the original plan can be rewarding. Sometimes I ruin a painting or two but it’s a risk worth taking.

Tonalism.com: What was the actual process or series of events that led you to paint as you do now?
Brian Sindler: I’ve tried just about every process and style you could imagine in my painting progression. I’ve used blowtorches, belt sanders and paper towels. I’ve tried throwing paint and scraping light paint off of dark surfaces. I’ve painted on cardboard and plexiglass. I’ve worked impressionistically, painted like a Fauve and worked in a Cubist manner. I’ve also done monotypes, etchings, lithographs and linocuts. I've made hundreds or thousands of very bad paintings in my journey and this is what’s led me to where I am now.

Tonalism.com: Please describe a little bit of your painting process
Brian Sindler: I don’t start every painting the same way. Sometimes I tone a canvas but most often I don’t. I don’t have a set color for toning a canvas, it’s usually a cool grey or a warm brown. The one thing I’ve been pretty consistent with over the years is my palette. I typically use one blue, two reds and one yellow. I’m a big believer in mixing my own colors. The following is what I use for my acrylic palette. I arrange my palette with Titanium White in the upper left corner. Below the white on the left side of my palette is Cad Yellow Light. Below the yellow is Naphthol Red. Along the top of the palette to the right of the white I place Phthalo Blue (red shade) and to the right of that is Permanent Crimson. I have a wet box that consists of a sponge and palette paper in a plastic box that can be sealed at the end of each painting session thereby preserving the paint and color mixtures for the next day. I’m an intuitive painter but I recognize the benefit of using pen on paper sketches to create armatures for better compositions. I rarely spend more than a few minutes on a sketch. I aim to distill the important information into a useful design. I work in the studio during the winter and I work both in the studio and plein air in the summer.

Tonalism.com: Can you describe how you decide on a composition, what makes a piece feel 'right' to you?
Brian Sindler: Before I begin the painting process I have to find a motif that strikes me with it’s emotional potential. It must feel right, it has to convey the possibility of being a painting that can carry a mood. I’m looking for an emotional armature not a pretty or dramatic “scene.” When beginning the painting I used to start by making several compositional sketches of the motif that impressed me. These ink drawings would be my way of distilling the information I am seeing in nature into an interesting composition. Recently I’ve been painting directly onto the canvas, bypassing the ink drawing stage. I make design changes as the painting progresses, facilitated by my use of acrylic paint and it’s fast drying property. The years of making the preparatory ink drawings has given me the skill to design on the fly. Ultimately, through adjustments and revisions, I am working in the interest of building the painting, not rendering the topography that exists before me. My efforts to infuse emotion, mood, and feeling into the painting are a critical priority for me. Knowing when a painting has been successful has a lot to do with experience and the cultivation of appropriate aesthetic concerns. It’s like throwing a baseball to someone 30 yards away. When you throw that ball through the air the chance of hitting your target corresponds with the amount of times you’ve practiced that particular skill. As I’ve stated before, there is no substitute for doing the work. You simply have to paint.
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*One of Brian’s major influences, John, George, Paul & Ringo, and the analogies between painting and music.*

Tonalism.com: Could you name any specific influences on your work?
Brian Sindler: My biggest artistic influence is the Beatles. I am amazed by the quality of the work, their progression through experimentation and their ability to create so many different moods throughout their catalog of songs. I see so many analogies between painting and music. When I heard Roger Waters talking about negative space in Pink Floyd’s music it resonated with me. When it comes to the visual arts there are so many artists that have influenced me it’s hard to remember them all. My first influence was an artist named Angel Botello, from Botello I went to Picasso. From Picasso to Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, Whistler, Diulio Barnabe and Rothko. The painter that has had the biggest overall influence on me is Russell Chatham. I saw something in his work that struck a chord in me and I still feel the same way as I did the first time I saw his work. As far as books I thumbed through as many books as I could get my hands on. The book most important to me is Russell Chatham's "One Hundred Paintings". A History of American Tonalism is a must have, as are any retrospective catalogs on Whistler. I’d recommend for any artist to expose themselves to as many artists as they can. Not just tonalists but artists of every style and genre. For creative practices I would recommend making numerous small paintings. Working out ideas on a small format will allow you to progress at a faster rate than spending hours on a large painting. Having to start over everyday will solidify your process.

Tonalism.com: Any advice for the aspiring painters / Tonalists?
Brian Sindler: Paint and edit. Try and find a like minded painter to share ideas and critiques. If you want to get better, you need to paint. There’s no way around it, painting like everything else is work. Continue to paint and edit your work. Every time you make 20 new paintings edit them down to four.

Tonalism.com: Saving the big question for last: What is art’s purpose in the world?
Brian Sindler: For me art is about personal expression. It pleases me when someone is drawn to my work or has an emotional connection. I think we can get carried away overstating our importance in the world. Painting's greatest power, not unlike music or filmmaking, is the ability to move people. How you move them is up to the individual artist. Some people shock, some people preach, and others entertain. I believe there is validity in all those approaches. Painting like most skills in life can be difficult. I would caution people not to get caught up in secret formulas, buying every paint manufacturer’s new color, relying too much on gadgets or putting too much faith in marketing. There is no substitute for painting. There is a time for marketing and it usually is best when you actually have something to market. If you get your heart right your wallet will follow.

Brian Sindler

“Painting's greatest power, not unlike music or filmmaking, is the ability to move people”.

Hannah Woodman

Dennis Sheehan