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Jim, I was scrolling down and scanning along and my heart rate increased when I saw the Fechins--one of my favorites too. I heard someone say he was the only artist that I know of that both really loose and really tight painters all like. He's drawings are awesome. His paintings are powerful swirls of rich pigment.
For myself I started using lots of photograghy and was slowly convinced by (living) artists that I admired that I should work from life. I studied Sargent and he too said the same. So I began my devotion to life. It rather became a habit.
One day I was just finshing a painting of a complex still life painted side by side the subject...painted life size (sight-size) I basically painted from 14 feet away the opt. viewing distance. This friend came over (a famous landscape painter) and said SLIDE! you used a SLIDE! and I thought hey why bother. So as I shot the painting and before I tore down the set-up I photo'd the set-up. I then projected (this slide) of the set-up onto the finished canvas about 40x30" piece, and the drawing was within 1/8". So again why bother. If you draw really well even artists accuse you of using slides.
I am now seeing such nice results from artists working from photos (this group included) I'm getting interested again in the camera and to tell the truth I'm having trouble going back. I will have to learn much to be satisfied but I'm intriqued. Maybe a hybrid method, I like reading edges, color and values from life.
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