I started landscape painting as a child and have been captivated by it ever since. I feel like I have hardly even scratched the surface. The following is a comprehensive guide for those looking to join me on the landscape painting journey. It’s aimed at beginners, but intermediate painters may also find some value. Step … Read more
Here’s a painting I’ve been working on. It’s not yet complete, but it’s mostly there. It depicts the beach at Byron Bay, Australia. We visited Byron Bay a few weeks ago to celebrate Chontele and my 10-year anniversary. This painting will be a pleasant reminder of that time. I’m painting from a photo, but what … Read more
Most people know of Gustav Klimt for his golden The Kiss painting. The problem (if you can call it that) with having one widely successful painting is that it tends to overshadow the rest of your work. And that’s a shame when it comes to artists like Klimt, as he had quite an extensive and … Read more
A few years ago, I purchased two books by Jeremy Mann titled Mann Volume 1.3 and Mann Volume 2.3. They document Mann’s plein air studies and travels. In his own words: “The following pages contain a duplicate of the book of plein airs I’ve carried for the past three years. Oil on non archival paper … Read more
Yesterday, I watched a documentary by artist Jeremy Mann titled A Solitary Mann. It gives you insight into Mann’s work process and life as an artist. It goes for 45 minutes but I recommend you set aside some time to watch it in full if you can. I found it quite inspirational. So much so … Read more
I want to share with you one of the few paintings my dad ever did. (You can see it below, but make sure to read the rest of this post for context.) He painted it in 1972, some 53 years ago. He was 26 at the time and lived with an artist friend named John. … Read more
When it comes to Claude Monet and many of the other master painters, there tend to be a few dozen wildly popular paintings that dominate our attention. We all know of Claude Monet’s Impression, Sunrise, Woman With a Parasol, and his Water Lilies series. But what about the hundreds or thousands of other paintings that … Read more
For your inspiration today is a colorful painting by John Constable titled Sunset on the Seine. (Sorry for the fixation on sunsets lately! I’ll change it up after this.) This is one of those paintings that makes me want to pick up a brush and push color around. It’s also unusually colorful from what I … Read more
A few days ago, I published a timelapse of my O’Reilly’s Sunset painting (below). I thought it would be helpful to provide more information on how this painting came together and the lessons learned. Timelapse Video In case you missed it, here’s the timelapse video of the painting process: Reference Photo Below is the reference … Read more
For your inspiration today: a Scottish artist named Arthur Melville. You may have heard of him—he did quite well during his time. But I only recently came across his work. It’s his watercolors that I find particularly stunning. They have a wonderful combination of intricate details, pale washes that melt together in interesting and unpredictable … Read more
I recently came across the below painting by Frits Thaulow titled Water Mill. Look at that water! Stunning. I subsequently went down a rabbit hole exploring his water paintings and what makes them tick. These are my findings. Capturing the Water’s Movement and Nature The first thing that strikes me about the water in Thaulow’s … Read more
I just put the finishing touches on this painting: Kedron Park Sunflowers. I left the background and sky a bit vague and rough. In isolation, it almost looks unfinished. But it felt like enough in the context of the whole painting. Leaving these areas vague has two key benefits: First, it focuses your attention on … Read more