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Last week, we sat down with our spring instructor, Diane Rappisi, and asked some questions about her studio practice...
Is the difference between figure in oil and figure painting in pastel only a matter of technique, or does it require a different mindset?
DR:
I love both oil and pastel. To me, the principles and processes of both media are essentially the same: observation of how the light is falling over the form, color and value changes as the form turns, and understanding the structure and rhythm of the figure.
The main difference for me is in mark making. When working in an alla prima style from the live model, I find that oil paint application feels more solid and dense. Pastel, on the other hand, seems more open to transparency and layering effects, depending on the pressure applied to the stroke.
So regarding my mindset, I feel that choosing oil for a particular painting feels more deliberate whenI have a particular vision in mind, while choosing pastel for a piece often signifies I’m feeling more open to playfulness and experimentation.
Who are the Cape Cod colorists? What impact have they had on your practice?
DR:
I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to study at Studio Incamminati, which was founded by Nelson Shanks in 2002. Nelson was a colorist—– he was a student of Henry Hensche and attended his school in Cape Cod in the 1960s.
Nelson took a lot from his experience with Hensche in Cape Cod. Color and light were
an important part of the curriculum when he opened his own school. But he then
took the next logical step in color pedagogy, and brought color study indoors under controlled, adjustable lighting conditions. We students spent many hours in the color study studios (as well as outdoors), observing the effects of light intensity and temperature on still life objects. This experience has been invaluable for me, helping me to understand that luminosity is not necessarily the ability to paint brilliant colors, but instead is a result of orchestrating color relationships in order to allow particular colors to glow.
Correct us if we’re wrong, but you seem fairly obsessed with luminosity and the play of light. Is this a result of the media you use, or do you pick your media with an eye to representing light?
DR:
We can paint in any light key we wish – deep, moody nocturnes; subtle, misty landscapes; blindingly bright beach scenes. Because I love color and its nuances so much, I tend to gravitate toward painting images that allow me to exercise a full color and value range. To me, this is the vibrant “play of light” that I so enjoy. Either oil or pastel will work well to represent the light, however I do find that oil can give me more saturated color in the dark areas. Pastel, on the other hand, has an intrinsic sparkle – each tiny pigment particle is reflecting light. Always a hard choice!
Do other media (watercolor, sculpture, literature, music, etc.) influence your practice?
DR:
Yes, yes, yes!
I love sculpture. I’m captivated by the drama of figural sculptures throughout history: The Winged Victory of Samothrace, Laocon and his Sons, and the monumental Bernini and Michelangelo sculptures. I so admire those amazing artists who can bring life to stone or clay!
Sculpture classes have helped me learn to observe the live model with awareness of and attention to all three dimensions. Backing up a bit, there is an early phase of my drawing process that I refer to as “posterization” (also called “notan”) which is very two-dimensional — reducing the composition to a pattern of only darks or lights. This enables me to assess the overall design and also to check the accuracy of my main shapes. Once that phase is worked out, I can then move on to building the form, trying to observe in three dimensions. With sculpture in mind, I try to “see through” the model in this phase— not only to record the details that are facing me, but also to imagine the complete structure of the head or figure, and mentally align the obscured features and limbs on the opposite side. This visualization helps to grasp the figure more accurately, and also to understand the rhythms, movements, and balance in any given pose.
I read a lot, and literature reminds me of the commonality and timelessness of our human
experiences. That is often what I try to capture in my paintings. Each of us is so exquisitely unique— in DNA expression, abilities and disabilities, personality, life circumstances, etc. I try to acknowledge this uniqueness in every painting I create, and therein lies the challenge. Uniquely beautiful, yet all sharing in this common experience of humanity.
Also, music in the studio is very energizing!
Are there any artists who used to inspire you who no longer play an active role in your practice or imagination? Can you outgrow an influence?
DR:
I can’t think of anyone that I’ve outgrown. Sometimes I get a chance to get reacquainted with the
work of an artist I’ve admired but forgotten, and I usually find that upon fresh examination, there is
so much more there than I was previously able to see.
On the subject of influence, who are your lasting inspirations?
DR:
First, I owe a debt of gratitude to Nelson Shanks for imparting information, training, encouragement and insight into the world of a master artist. His work, his philosophy, and his teaching team at the school have made an indelible impression on me.
Claude Monet, for his tireless repetitive studies of haystacks, cathedrals, canals, etc. in various seasons and lighting situations. He never accepted the idea of “local color.” He trusted his own eyes, and painted his truth. His perceptions were critical to the Impressionist movement and were a precursor to the Cape Cod movement that followed decades later. His example continues to inspire
my own work.
Mary Cassatt, for her sensitivity in portraying intimate maternal moments.
Roberto Ferri, Daniel Sprick, Gustav Doré and the sculptor Paige Bradley— I’m drawn to the insightful way each crosses into the liminal space between physical reality and the spiritual realm.
And then there’s John Singer Sargent— well, he just had it all. Excellent draftsmanship, fluid
markmaking, emotional drama, exciting compositions, color mastery, and incredible versatility (in subject matter as well as media).
And also Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell, for their thoughts on our commonalities and
connectedness.
Diane will teach Luminous Body: Human Form Expressed in Light in our Marsala studio from June 1st - 7th, 2025 - have you signed up yet?
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