Anders Zorn was a remarkable Swedish painter known mostly for his nude female portraits painted with virtuoso brushwork and luminous colors. He is often referred to as the “Swedish Impressionist”. In this post I provide some of the key facts about his life and art, breakdown his style and technique and take a closer look…
A Closer Look at the Mont Sainte-Victoire Series by Paul Cézanne
In this post I take a closer look at the Mont Sainte-Victoire series by Paul Cézanne. Mont Sainte-Victoire is a mountain in France which overlooks Aix-en-Provence (the town where Cézanne was born). Cézanne painted it on numerous occasions during his career. The series not only provides an interesting take on landscape painting, but it also…
Edgar Payne – Master of Landscape Composition and Color
When I think of landscape painting, one of the first artists who comes to mind is Edgar Payne. He was one of America’s most prominent landscape painters who had a remarkable eye for composition and color (he literally wrote what many consider to be the book on landscape composition). Key Facts About Edgar Payne Here…
A Closer Look at “The Oxbow” by Thomas Cole
In this post I will be taking a closer look at “The Oxbow” by Thomas Cole. This is a grand landscape painting with undertones about the growth of civilization in America during the 19th century. Cole was the founder of the Hudson River School, which was a group of landscape painters known for their romantic portrayal…
What You Can Learn from These Master Winter Landscape Paintings
In this post I will be taking a look at several master winter landscape paintings. Sadly, I don’t get much of a chance to paint snowy, winter landscapes. There is not much snow in Australia as you would expect. But next time I travel to the snow, I will draw inspiration from the master paintings…
A Closer Look at “The Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh
In this post I will be taking a closer look at “The Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh, which he painted in 1889. With swirling lines and dramatic colors, this dreamy depiction is one of van Gogh’s most iconic works. “I don’t know anything with certainty, but seeing the stars makes me dream.” Vincent van Gogh…
Alla Prima (Wet on Wet) Painting Tips
Alla prima refers to a direct painting approach where paint is applied wet on wet without letting earlier layers dry. In Italian the term alla prima means “at first attempt”. Paintings created in this approach are usually completed within a single session. This made it popular with the Impressionists, as they were able to more easily…
Forest Painting at Crystal Creek
I recently returned from a beautiful getaway at Crystal Creek in New South Wales, Australia. My partner and I stayed in a villa nestled within the forest. I used this as an opportunity to do some forest painting on location from the balcony of our villa. I usually paint from a studio, so this was…
How to Paint like Claude Monet
Claude Monet in Front of His House at Giverny, 1921 In this post I will be taking a deeper look into one of my favorite artists, Claude Monet. Monet and many of the other great Impressionists have been instrumental to my own development as an artist, particularly in relation to color and brushwork. Like many…
5 Ways to Simplify Your Paintings
Simplification in art involves taking the complex details which we see all around us and simplifying it into a story, or a work of art. With every painting I create, I look for different ways to simplify what I am trying to say. In this post I discuss some of the different ways you can…
