Glenn Hirsch, Instructor www.glennhirsch.com

1. Texture and Surface
Select Student and Master Work
San Francisco Art Institute
Intermediate/Advanced Painting
Glenn Hirsch, Instructor

2. Joseph Hovadik

6. Daniel Rabier

10. John Reamer

14. Kathy Wilson

18. Ken Gorczyca

26. Peggy Millar

30. Elke Ullmer

36. Painting Texture and Surface

37. In the caves, painting began as an extension of the sense of touch
and texture

38. The most common marks in caves are ‘fluting’ – or what
anthropologists call ‘macaroni’ – people dragged their fingers through
the soft limestone for the pleasure of leaving their mark and feeling

39. In contemporary painting,
texture can be thin or very
thick – even if you can’t
touch it, you can imagine
what it would feel like.
Manuel Neri 1985

40. Part of the pleasure of viewing paintings is to get very close, so you
can see the tiniest texture as the paint drags across the weave of the
canvas

41. Texture can create a ‘sub-
text’ of meaning. Here, for
example, the face is
deformed brutally yet the
paint is applied with delicate
and sponged marks.
(Francis Bacon)

42. This is an ink drawing which is
completely flat to the touch, yet
the marks create the illusion of
texture in the mind’s eye.
(Rico Lebrun ink on paper)

43. The subtext of ‘touch’ –
built-up texture.
(Robert Haemmerling)

46. Vincent used painting
knives as well as
brushes to create
texture in his work.

47. Can you see the texture in the sky? (Vincent’s view of Paris from Montmartre)

51. Vincent often worked-out his painting knife strokes in separate ink
drawings like this.

52. Scraping with a painting knife or
the handle of a brush while the
paint is still wet can reveal a
contrasting color underneath.
(Arnoldo Roche)

54. Student work
by Katy
Holander

58. This painting has sand mixed into the paint which adds a ‘gritty’
texture both to the paint and to the meaning of this ‘funereal rite.’
(David Miller)

60. impasto painting with knives

62. Smearing, like butter on toast
Flat, minimal and smooth

63. Double-Loading and SMEARING 2 COLORS TOGETHER

64. Thin LINES
hard edged PATTERNS

65. Press and lift, use the TENSION of the blade
SCRATCHING and scraping

66. Change the PRESSURE of your hand, create thick and thin in flowing motion

67. Eddie Fitzgerald