A Closer Look At Shearing the Rams by Tom Roberts

“Paint what you love, and love what you paint” Tom Roberts Let’s take a closer look at the iconic Australian painting, Sheering the Rams by Tom Roberts. When I think of outback Australia, this painting comes to mind. I’ll cover: Dimensions: 48.2 x 72.1 inches (122.4 × 183.3 cm) Year Created: 1890 Medium: Oil on … Read more

Creating a Painting Is Only Part of the Story

A student emailed me earlier with a question about light and color. She had done some small flower paintings outside and they turned out well. But when she took the paintings inside and hung them up, she was shocked to see the colors looked completely off. What appeared as warm and luscious colors outside now … Read more

Learning Control and Restraint

In a recent email titled Revisiting a Familiar Subject, I shared two of my paintings featuring the jetty at Kingfisher Bay, Australia. One was done many years ago when I was a beginner, and one was done earlier this month. The biggest difference between the two paintings is in my handling of color. In my … Read more

Anna by Swedish Painter Bruno Liljefors

For your inspiration today: Anna by Swedish painter Bruno Liljefors. (Click here to download a high-resolution photo of the painting.) What I love most about this painting is the interesting mix of realism and loose, painterly brushwork. Liljefors painted the subject (Anna) with fine rendering and clarity whilst the rest of the painting is more … Read more

La Chula by María Sorolla

I came across this stunning painting the other day titled La Chula by María Sorolla: At first glance, I assumed it was by THE Sorolla. But turns out it was by one of his daughters, María. I went down a few rabbit holes regarding her life and work, but I’ll save that for another day. … Read more

What’s the Visual Path of Your Artwork?

This is a detailed guide on the idea of a visual path or journey that a viewer takes through your artwork. This is something I actively think about whenever I’m drawing or painting. I consider questions like: Where does the journey start? What direction is the viewer pulled? How do they work their way around … Read more

Mediterranean Pergola With View of a Mountain Village by Konstantin Gorbatov

For your inspiration today is a painting by Russian Post-Impressionist Konstantin Gorbatov, Mediterranean Pergola With View of a Mountain Village.  What luscious colors! You can almost feel the sunlight and fresh air.  It’s a busy painting, with plants, flowers, vases, dappled light, the mountain in the distance, and the patterns created by the sky. There’s … Read more

Frank Frazetta on Design, Creativity, and What It Means to Be an Artist

I stumbled across an old video you might find interesting. It’s an interview with Frank Frazetta, one of the all-time greats of illustration and fantasy art. I wouldn’t say I’m a fan of these genres or even Frazetta’s work in general, but there’s always something to learn from those who have achieved mastery. Frazetta was … Read more

With Quiet Paintings, You Have Nothing to Hide Behind!

Here’s a painting fresh off the easel: Kingfisher Bay, Morning Light. I painted this from a photo I took on our last trip to Kingfisher Bay on Fraser Island, Australia. It was 6:24 am on the jetty, with the sun low on the horizon line, and when all the wonderful pastel colors had come out … Read more

On the Easel: Gumdale, Red Flowers, Blue Sky

(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.) Let’s take a look at how I painted Gumdale, Red Flowers, Blue Sky. I run past this spot almost every day. On this particular occasion, everything was just right. … Read more