As the world seems to spin out of control outside of our studios, this may be a good time to revisit the ONE thing that truly enables you to stay engaged as a life-long artist: satisfaction from, and a love for, the PROCESS. Wanting to ... Read More...
“Do I Have What it Takes?” Three Critical Traits
March 23, 2020 by Leave a Comment
"Last Light on Split Rock" by Mary Pettis OPA28" x 16" - Oil on linen “Do I have what it takes?” This was the last question posed to me by an earnest young man at my last landscape workshop. It is frequently asked, and not just at the ... Read More...
What Geology Taught Me About Painting
March 16, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Besides being an artist, I am also currently a geology student at the University of Texas at Austin. I have realized much of the skills used in geology have applications in art. Here I wish to break down how all of us can learn from the ... Read More...
EMOTION; instinctive or intuitive feeling, as distinguished from reasoning or knowledge.
March 9, 2020 by Leave a Comment
I think that as artists, one of the primary goals of a successful painting, whether spoken or unspoken, is that we hope to evoke an emotional response from the viewers of our paintings. We want that untrained eye to approach one of ... Read More...
Why Do We Like It?
March 2, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Often we’ll hear someone declare “I just loooove that painting.” But do you ever listen to why they’re drawn to a particular piece? I do -- frequently. Because I come right out and ask “Why do you like it?” In galleries, ... Read More...
Geeking out on Studio Lights
February 24, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Prior to becoming a full-time artist I spent 12 years as a Digital Imaging Technician for a professional photo lab. It explains, at least in part, how I can get excited about things like matching the temperature of my studio lights to the ... Read More...
Berthe Morisot and Her Brushwork
February 17, 2020 by Leave a Comment
I received an email from my blog a while back asking a couple of questions about how Berthe Morisot painted. I thought my reply might be interesting to a wider readership, so here it is... On Feb 25, 2019, at 11:36AM, Malcolm ... Read More...
Technical Insights from “Weekend with the Masters”
February 10, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Today’s blog is from OPA Master, Dan Gerhartz, with some insights he shared during the 2012 “Weekend with the Masters”. Though it is a few years old, the information is timeless. Portrait Demonstrations… Weekend with the ... Read More...
Painting Backgrounds
February 3, 2020 by Leave a Comment
I have received a number of questions about painting “backgrounds” specifically for portraits. Too many students spend their time rendering the subject and then try to paint the background at the last moment. The result is often a disaster; ... Read More...
Where to Find Hidden Sales
January 27, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Most of us, as artists, often don’t know where to turn to sell our work. If we had our way, we would just paint and hope that checks come in the mail or money just shows up in our bank accounts, but this is rarely the case for artists. And ... Read More...
