The top Impressionists have had a tremendous influence on my personal development as an artist. They tested the boundaries of what is possible with color and demonstrated that subject matter is not the be-all and end-all in painting. They showed you can paint something just because it is pretty, without any deep underlying meaning, and you…
William Wendt – Inspirational Landscape Paintings
William Wendt (1865 – 1946) was a German-born American painter who was known for his bold and colorful landscapes. He spent much of his life painting the California landscape and his prominence earned him the title “the dean of Southern California artists”. Many of his paintings feature lush trees, rolling hills and a beautiful sense…
Seascape Painting Tutorial – Learn How To Paint This Simple Tasmanian Seascape
In this post I will walk you through this very simple seascape based on a photo from Tasmania. I will say firstly that just because a subject is simple, does not mean it is easy to paint. In fact, it can sometimes be even more challenging to turn a simple subject into an interesting painting than…
Willard Metcalf – Beautiful Impressionist Landscapes
Willard Leroy Metcalf (July 1, 1858 – March 9, 1925) was a prominent American painter known for his beautiful impressionist landscapes. He initially started with portraits and illustration, during which time he would have developed his accuracy and drawing ability, but it was his landscapes which brought him to fame. Willard Metcalf – American Painter The…
Bold Impressionist Artworks By Tom Thomson
I recently stumbled across a remarkable artist named Tom Thomson (August 5, 1877 – July 8, 1917). He was a Canadian artist whose work influenced a group of landscape painters known as the Group of Seven. Thomson passed away before the Group was officially formed, however he is sometimes incorrectly included in the Group. Thomson started drawing and…
A Demonstration Of How To Use Color By Childe Hassam
Childe Hassam (October 17, 1859 – August 27, 1935) was a brilliant American painter who had a unique impressionist style. In particular, the way he used color is inspirational. Few artists have the ability to push such rich and vivid colors without the painting appearing jarring or overdone. Hassam was a busy artist, producing over 3,000…
The Cliffs Of Étretat Through The Eyes Of Different Artists
The cliffs at Étretat seem to be a popular subject to paint. They have been painted by several famous artists such as Claude Monet, Eugene Boudin, Gustave Courbet, Gustave Loiseau and Henri Matisse. The reason the cliffs are such a popular subject to paint is most likely the naturally strong design created by the formation…
Using An Analogous Color Scheme To Create Harmonious Paintings
This post will be all about using an analogous color scheme to create beautifully harmonious paintings. I will say first and foremost that a color scheme is not really that important. I rarely start a painting with a pre-determined color scheme in mind. The color scheme itself does not really create harmony, it is just…
Beautiful Impressionist Paintings By Australian Master Sir Arthur Streeton
Sir Arthur Streeton (8 April 1867 – 1 September 1943) was one of the leading Australian landscape impressionist painters and a member of the Heidelberg School. He is one of my favorite landscape painters, mostly due to his ability to so accurately portray the Australian landscape. Many of his paintings are in a very high…
How The Impressionists Used Complementary Colors To Great Effect
Complementary colors are basically colors which are on directly opposite sides of the color wheel. So blue is a complement of orange, red is a complement of green, yellow is a complement of violet and so on. Complementary colors provide striking visual effects when paired together. Claude Monet said this about complementary colors in 1888:…
