“For me … a painting should be something to cherish, joyous and pretty, yes pretty!” Pierre-Auguste Renoir Let’s take a look at how to paint like Pierre-Auguste Renoir. I’ve never been much a fan of Renoir’s work. That was until I saw one of his paintings at the European Masters exhibition. A Young Girl With … Read more
(My “On the Easel” posts give you a behind-the-scenes look at what I am working on, what went well, what went wrong, and things I learn.) Below is Caloundra, Shimmering Light. It depicts a high-contrast scene, with the shadowed foreground framing the shimmering Caloundra estuary. Reference Photo Here’s the reference photo I painted from: Feel … Read more
“Monet is just an eye, but God, what an eye.” Paul Cézzane on Claude Monet If you forced me to choose an all-time favorite artist, I would have to go with Claude Monet. Discovering his work led me down an endless rabbit hole of color, light, and the challenge of capturing life’s fleeting effects on … Read more
Let’s take a closer look at Vincent van Gogh’s Grass and Butterflies. I’m always impressed at how well van Gogh was able to inject life into even the most simple subjects. There’s a sense of movement and activity about it. I’ll cover: Vibrating Colors The painting features a vibration of broken color. Van Gogh wove … Read more
Let’s take a look at Vincent van Gogh’s iconic Café Terrace at Night. I’ll cover: Van Gogh describes it well: “On the terrace, there are little figures of people drinking. A huge yellow lantern lights the terrace, the façade, the pavement, and even projects light over the cobblestones of the street, which takes on a violet-pink … Read more
I wrote about Erin Hanson’s work in a recent email. It was a popular one. She’s a remarkable landscape artist based in California. Her work has a distinct style she calls “Open Impressionism”. I’m pleased to have her answer a few questions about her life, philosophy, and work. Q: I Understand You Are Deeply Inspired … Read more
The top Impressionists have inspired me since my late teens. Not just for their beautiful paintings, but also for their outlook on life, art, and their constant search for light, color, and life’s fleeting moments. Below are some of my favorite Impressionist quotes. There are some wise words here. “Everything that is painted directly and … Read more
“It is absurd to look for perfection.” Camille Pissarro In this post, I take a closer look at the interesting life and art of Camille Pissarro. His work is colorful, and adventurous, and played a pivotal role in the development and popularity of Impressionism. However, he is often overshadowed by fellow artist and friend, Claude … Read more
“I must have flowers, always, and always.” Claude Monet In this post, I take a closer look at a pleasant landscape painting named The Poppy Field by Claude Monet. It depicts four people (probably including Monet’s wife and son) strolling through a poppy field at Argenteuil, Paris. Unlike many of the other paintings I write … Read more
Édouard Manet (1832-1883) was a French painter who bridged the gap between Realism and Impressionism. In this post, I take a closer look at his life and art. I cover: Key Facts Unlike many of his contemporaries, he was fortunate enough to be born into a wealthy family in Paris on 23 January 1832. His father … Read more