This Month:
August 2010 Trees - Part Two
I don’t generally paint tree “portraits”, per se. However, it is sometimes necessary to render individual trees as an integral part of a composition. When that arises, I usually follow the rules I outlined in the last newsletter. Read Article
The En Plein Air Zone Archieves:
July 2010 Trees - Part One
Each tree is a conscious, living thing, and each species of tree has a distinct personality that can lend emotion and credibility to a landscape.Read Article
June 2010 Structures in Oil
I have often seen landscapes that were beautifully painted; with loose and expressive strokes, and somewhere in the painting will be a structure that is tight, cerebral and looks like it was painted with a one-hair brush, thereby destroying the continuity of the piece. Read Article
May 2010 Structures
So often, buildings are an integral part of the landscapes we paint. Convincing architecture requires not only good drawing and a keen power of observation, but also a basic understanding of linear perspective (how the lines of a structure recede towards a singular “vanishing point”). All rectangular, level and plumb shapes have their “vanishing point” at the horizon. Read Article
April 2010 One of a Kind
Right off the bat, I told my wife, Max, if this ever becomes a job, I’m going to quit. After twenty-seven years of painting, I’m having as much fun now as I had at the beginning. I’ve never been starved for inspiration, nor have I had what they call “artist’s block”. Read Article
March 2010 Nocturnes
Few things in life are more romantic than a landscape suffused in moonlight. All familiarity is shadowed and veiled in obscurity. It’s a world of mystery, that at once draws us closer, and at the same time repels us with its vagueness and uncertainty. Read Article
February 2010 Let It Snow
I live in Colorado, on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. The area gets about 300 days of sun, and, generally speaking, the winters around here are fairly mild. It’s not unusual to get a few inches of snow and have the following day be sunny, and in the high forties or low fifties. It makes painting on-location, in the snow, fairly painless. Anyway, I got an itch to do some snow scenes, and I thought I’d share the demos and some thoughts about snow with you. Read Article
January 2010 Sweet Mystery: Part Two
We’ve all watched the objects on the ground blur into indistinct masses as they fade into the distance. Similarly, we’ve stared into a deciduous forest, in summer bloom, unable to distinguish one leaf from the next. Or how about those sunlit days, when the dark shadows are full of sticks, stones, branches and grass that blend into vague impressions. These are but a few of the sweet mysteries of the visual world that we must learn to integrate into our paintings if we intend to simulate visual reality. This is the poetry of painting. Read Article
December 2009 Sweet Mystery: Part One
If you are anything like me, you find it a bit irksome and tedious when people continually tell you things you already know. After all, we’re creative types. We want to be writing the book of our lives, not reading from it. This is an important point to remember when considering the people who will be viewing your paintings. Read Article
November 2009 Organizing Chaos
The human eye is an amazing instrument. When you think of its capabilities, it’s a bit overwhelming. It’s like our own personal camera, on steroids. It gathers in light bouncing off all objects, from the expansive sky down to the smallest detail. It is the artist’s most indispensable tool. Read Article
October 2009 Saving the Best of Last
There is nothing so exciting, or daunting, than facing a big, beautiful, white sheet of watercolor paper. You know that once you jump in with that first stroke, the game’s afoot, and the tempo is urging you forward as you charge loads of water and paint into those first washes. However, before you start swinging from the hip, remember that you only get that beautiful white sheet once. Read Article
September 2009 Letting the Paint Work for You
After August's newsletter (“Watercolor – Teaching the Unteachable” Aug. 2009), I received a whole bunch of enthusiastic emails. I’m thrilled that what we talked about resonated with you, and I thank you for taking the time to drop me a line and let me know. So I thought it would be a good idea to do a follow-up newsletter, demonstrating some practical applications for the wet- into-wet technique.
August 2009 Watercolor: Teaching the Unteachable
Of all the mediums, watercolor is the most idiomatically unique. After all, the vehicle used to move the pigment is water. And, what is more “Zen”- like and quixotic than water? Its very nature conjures up images of rivulets, streams and rivers, meandering across uneven terrain, skirting obstacles, and seeking the path of least resistance.
June 2009 Sketchbooks
I recently received an email, inquiring about what sketchbooks would I recommend. At the same time, Cheap Joe’s sent me a couple of sketchbooks to try out, and so I thought it might be a good time to present a short history of my sketchbook experiences, and to give a brief comparison of books I’ve use over the years.
East Meets West - A Guest Artist Presentation
Since the last half of the nineteenth century, the Japanese philosophy of “aesthetics”, and it’s accompanying artistic disciplines have both delighted and intrigued Western artists including American painters, like James McNeill Whistler and William Merrit Chase, who, on many occasions, allowed the principles, and practices of Japanese art to influence the direction of their paintings.
“Establishing a Focal Point”
methods for establishing a focal point and elements of interest in a painting – with painting examples
Jan 2009 “Craftsmanship”
examining the reasons for attempting a painting and orchestrating the elements – the underlying abstract design – historical examples
Dec 2008 “Another Approach”
the value of comparing and learning from other artists’ techniques and styles – watercolor demonstration by Frank LaLumia, AWS, NWs
Nov 2008 “The Incidence of Angle”
how masses and objects in the landscape receive their light and attain their values – using value studies – value study and four part watercolor demonstration
Oct 2008 “Back to the Basics”
understanding the large masses and how they receive light – painting examples
Sept 2008 “As Clear as Mud”
the causes and how to avoid muddy color – seven part painting demonstration
August 2008 “Compartmentalizing Your Washes”
learning to work in sections with a step by step demonstration painting
July 2008 “En Plein Air Painting – Then and Now”
a brief history of plein air painting with thoughts on the current craze – painting example
June 2008 “Lemons to Lemonade”
tips for turning disastrous paintings into successes – with examples
May 2008 “Las Flores de la Mancha”
complete painting demonstration from watercolor sketch to oil sketch to finished 36x48” oil
April 2008 “Who’s Responsible?”
theories on luck versus responsibility – winning in your own art universe
March 2008 “Narrative Painting”
step by step demonstration of a painting of the Mexican Revolution.
Feb. 2008 “Harvey Dunn and Dean Cornwell – Some insights into their working methods”
brief bio of Harvey Dunn and quotes from an evening at the Art Students League- brief bio of Dean Cornwell and description of working methods – painting examples
Jan 2008 “The Golden Age of Illustration”
A brief history of narrative painting – examples
Dec. 2007 “Painting Out Of Your Head”
working at the edge of your control – being the observer – painting example
Nov. 2007 “Contours and Shapes – Part Three”
learning to squint – recognizing obvious shapes – painting demonstration
Oct. 2007 “Contours and Shapes – Part Two”
shaking our conditioning – learning to recognize values and shapes – demonstration painting
Sept. 2007 “Contours and Shapes”
drawing and learning to measure from obvious shapes – experiments using old black and white photos – field sketch examples
Aug 2007 “Developing a Style”
thoughts on finding your own style – the pitfalls of cloning other styles – painting examples
July 2007 “Knowing Your Palette”
Tips for gaining a comprehensive knowledge of color mixtures – four demonstrations
June 2007 “Giving Yourself An Edge”
Tips, techniques, demonstrations and examples to help ensure that your finished painting is a success.
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