I found some of my childhood paintings the other day. They were stored away in a dusty corner of my parents’ garage. I figured you might like to see them. They aren’t masterpieces, but they are invaluable to me as they represent the start of my lifelong journey at the easel. I always find it interesting … Read more
(My “On the Easel” posts give you a behind-the-scenes look at what I am working on, what went well, what went wrong, and things I learn.) Below is Gold Coast, Sand Dune. It’s a simple beach scene, with glaring sun and an interesting play between light and shadow. Reference Photo and Study Here’s the reference … Read more
“Monet is just an eye, but God, what an eye.” Paul Cézzane on Claude Monet If you forced me to choose an all-time favorite artist, I would have to go with Claude Monet. Discovering his work led me down an endless rabbit hole of color, light, and the challenge of capturing life’s fleeting effects on … Read more
(My “On the Easel” posts give you a behind-the-scenes look at what I am working on, what went well, what went wrong, and things I learn.) Below is Minnippi. It’s a subtle painting with cool greens and sharp black accents. I’ll run through how I painted it. There are also some wonderful student works at … Read more
Below is Minnippi Parklands, Sunny. It’s a pleasant landscape from a local park I run around. The sun was high, the water crystal clear, and the colors crisp. Reference Photo and Study Here’s the reference photo I painted from: Details Refer to my supplies list for more details on what I use. Notes Progress Shots … Read more
Below is Gold Coast, Path to the Sea. I painted this almost entirely with palette knives. I wanted to capture that day’s cool sea breeze, warm sunlight, and crisp colors. Reference Photo and Study Here’s the reference photo I painted from: Feel free to paint it yourself. I didn’t paint a study for this. Sometimes I … Read more
Today’s inspiration: Summer by one of the American Impressionists, Frank Benson. You can almost feel the sun’s warmth and the crisp sea breeze. Here are some key observations and takeaways: It was painted in oils, but it has a distinct, pastel-like finish. Oils are versatile like that. There’s an interesting play between hard and soft edges. … Read more
Let’s take a closer look at Vincent van Gogh’s Grass and Butterflies. I’m always impressed at how well van Gogh was able to inject life into even the most simple subjects. There’s a sense of movement and activity about it. I’ll cover: Vibrating Colors The painting features a vibration of broken color. Van Gogh wove … Read more
Just a simple one today: Maryvale, Sunny Landscape. Reference Photo and Study Here’s the reference photo I painted from: Feel free to paint it yourself if you like. I also did a couple of color studies for this painting (top left and middle): Details Oil on stretched canvas. 16×20 inches. Main colors: Ultramarine blue, cobalt … Read more
This is a brief lesson on color temperature. As a reminder, color temperature is how warm or cool a color appears. For example, red appears warm next to blue. Orange appears warm next to purple. But that’s a deceptively simple explanation. Effective application of color temperature is much more nuanced. A great exercise to help … Read more
Here’s a painting to spark your inspiration: The Girl in the Forest by Russian master Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky. I featured this painting in my updated composition guide, but I think it warrants a closer look. Below are some key observations and takeaways: The girl and two trees frame the left-hand side of the painting. There’s a strong vertical theme: the … Read more
Hi there! First, thanks for all the wonderful emails we received over the last few days. If you are not aware, Chontele and I welcomed a beautiful baby girl on 26th June. Anyway, back to painting. I just published an updated version of my composition guide. This is a long one, so feel free to … Read more