I’ve been experimenting lately with color ranges and techniques. I’m particularly interested in high key value ranges, where all the colors are pushed towards the light end of the value scale. Below is a recent high-key painting based on Maleny’s beautiful landscape. The idea was to capture the midday sun’s shimmering colors and sense of … Read more
“I long to see everything, to know everything, to learn everything!” Marie Bashkirtseff A while ago I wrote about Marie Bashkirtseff’s The Umbrella. It turned out to be one of my most popular posts. Let’s take a look at some of her other work and life as an artist. Key Facts and Ideas Tip: Who you … Read more
Let’s take a look at my recent painting, Maleny, Late Afternoon. It captures the tranquil landscape as the sun’s warmth battles nature’s cool greens. Reference Photo and Study Below is the reference photo. Feel free to try and paint it yourself. I also painted the following small study in preparation. Though it ended up being … Read more
Pattern refers to the visual arrangement of elements in some kind of sequence or repetition. Think of a line of trees, a floral dress, the design of a flower, the back-and-forth sway of the ocean. Patterns are all around us. Though some are more obvious than others. In this post, I cover: Tips for Using … Read more
I recently finished Steve Huston’s Figure Drawing for Artists. A recommended read, if only to see Huston’s beautiful drawings. Huston is one of those artists who is not only talented with brush and pencil but also inspirational in his passion and philosophy on art and life. Below are just a few takeaways from the book: … Read more
Artist Dan Knepper reached out some time ago offering to share his thoughts on art. He’s a professional artist and skilled landscape painter. Q: Did you have any formal training in art? Or are you mostly self-taught? I’ll apologize in advance for the long answer. I was a glassblower in college and learned nothing about … Read more
I recently put the finishing touches on Tree, Dappled Light. A simple painting with some challenging aspects. Reference Photo I painted from the following reference photo. I believe it was taken in Tasmania some time ago, but the location is hardly relevant. This is a study of trees and nature rather than a specific location. … Read more
“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” Vincent van Gogh Let’s take a closer look at Vincent van Gogh’s Irises. A beautiful display of shape and color with an illustrator-like feel. I’ll cover: Key Facts and Ideas For a painting simply of flowers, there’s a lot of meaningful history behind it. Here … Read more
Below are two recent but vastly different paintings based on the jetty at Kingfisher Bay. Together, they remind me of chaos and harmony. So much of art can be distilled down to a basic conflict between chaos and harmony. Chaos is unexpected, unwanted, unknown. It’s that burst of activity amongst a quiet background. It’s your … Read more
In this post, I’ll discuss how you can critique your own art. Critiquing art is no easy task, especially when it’s your own. We’re either far too critical or far too generous. But it’s a valuable skill that allows you to identify areas for improvement and to give yourself a pat on the back when you … Read more
Let’s take a closer look at Claude Monet’s Waterloo Bridge series. A beautiful display of color and atmosphere, as you would expect from Monet. The series includes over 40 paintings created from 1899 to 1904. Though many have since been sold to private collections, lost, or destroyed; only a handful remain visible to the public. … 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 Fraser Island, High Key. It depicts Kingfisher Bay’s jetty at blue hour—that brief period after the sun falls below the horizon line and all of nature’s pastel … Read more