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
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
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
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
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
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
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
For your inspiration today is Mont Sainte-Victoire by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Mont Sainte-Victoire is a mountain in France that overlooks Aix-en-Provence. When people think of paintings depicting this mountain, Paul Cézanne’s series is the first to come to mind. But I think Renoir’s more colorful interpretation deserves some attention. This painting is a great lesson on … Read more
Here’s a painting fresh off the easel: Perth Gardens. One of the key challenges of this painting was making the feature plant stand out as a soft focal point, yet also appear woven in with the surrounding landscape. Getting it right involved a lot of back and forth between blending the plant in with the … Read more