Summer Meadow by Stanislav Zhukovsky

For your inspiration today is a painting by a Russian artist named Stanislav Zhukovsky. It’s titled Summer Meadow, Pobojka. It’s a simple and pleasant landscape. (Not every painting needs to make a grand statement. It could just be pretty.) There’s a pleasing temperature contrast between the pink flowers and the surrounding greens and blues. The … Read more

Painting Perth’s Rocky Coastline

At the start of the year, Chontele, Elora, and I spent a week with friends in Perth. It has some beautiful spots, particularly along the coast. My most recent painting is based on a photo I took at Cape Peron.  This was a surprisingly challenging scene to paint well.  The big idea of this painting … Read more

Thomas Moran’s View of Venice

For your inspiration today is Thomas Moran’s View of Venice. It’s an intricate watercolor painting of Italy’s Canal Grande.  (You can download a high-resolution photo of the painting here.) Below are some key observations about the painting. Compressed Values and Dark Accents Here’s a grayscale of the painting: The painting follows a theme of compressed values … Read more

Why You Should Take Progress Shots of Your Work

I have taken progress shots of almost every painting I have created over the past seven years. This has been an invaluable habit. Not only does it remind me how each painting came together, but it also helps me solve problems that arise in my paintings. Often a painting will be coming together nicely… until … Read more

My Problem-Solving Process

The other day, I gave you a behind-the-scenes look at how I painted Boats at Wynnum (here is a link to that post if you missed it). I had to go heavy on the problem solving with this painting. Particularly regarding the boat. It was tricky to make it appear realistic yet also consistent with … Read more

It’s Easier to Paint From Your Own Reference Photos

Someone emailed in saying they hope my Painting the Landscape workshop will give them the confidence to take and paint from their own reference photos. The thing is, painting from your own reference photo is easier and more effective than painting from one taken by me or anyone else. When you paint from your own … Read more

Steve Huston on Sketching

One of my goals for 2023 is to do more drawing. This isn’t so much a challenge of motivation or drive but rather uninterrupted time. I’m critically short on that, perhaps more so now than ever. My solution has been to wake up around 4 am each morning and get some drawing in whilst everyone … Read more

New Reference Photos: Perth Beaches and Gardens

We are in Perth at the moment staying with a friend. I haven’t been able to do any painting, but I did take a few good reference photos. You can see them below. Feel free to download and paint from them as you wish. I’m eyeing off one of those rocky shore photos with the … Read more

Noticing Beauty in the World

The other day, I opened my Landscape Painting Masterclass for enrollment. This isn’t just about learning how to see and capture the beauty of the landscape. It’s also about learning how to see the beauty in everything. Most people go through life naive to the beauty around them. But, once you learn how to see … Read more

A Small Study and a Lesson on Reflected Light

Below is a small painting I did of Elora and Chontele in my parents’ garden. This was only meant to be a relaxed study done in preparation for a larger piece, but it turned out to be quite charming in its own right. (That’s often the case with studies like this: the less I worry … Read more