Watch Me Paint: World-Class Art, World-Class Instruction
Sunset at Castine, oil on canvas, 12X9, $395, available through Castine Plein Air. Maine—where people offer you a spot on their deck to paint the sunset and add, “There’s a bathroom on the lower level and cold drinks inside, anything you need.” And then simply leave and let you paint. Or see you painting outside …
Continue reading “How do I love you, Maine? Let me count the ways.”
The Halve Maen Passing Hudson Highlands, by little old me. If you want to see The Halve Maen Passing Hudson Highlands, above, you’ll need to get out to RIT-Dyer this month, because the painting is sold and will be shipped after Intersections of Form, Color, Time and Space closes. I painted this for the 400th anniversary of …
Red sky over the Duchy says I’ll have an opportunity to catch up on my studio work today. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning;Red sky at night, sailors’ delight. Dawn this morning featured a lovely rose-colored sky. Since I trust the ancient couplet, above, as much as (or more than) I trust the Weather …
Boats, by little ol’ me. Social media allows you to get your work out to a larger audience. Last week I got into a spirited discussion with other painters about social media and marketing. As I frequently do, I cited one of my favorite painting students. In his other life, Brad VanAuken is a brand …
Bathers with a Turtle (Baigneuses), 1907-08, Henri Matisse This week some friends were discussing Thomas Kinkade, whose work is being dragged out into the public sphere through a retrospective, which in turn has engendered a flurry of new stories about his troubled life. (Predictably, none are positive.) I was curious about why his landscapes said …
The Amathus sarcophagus (5th century BC, Cyprian archaic period) was excavated by General Cesnola in Amathus, Cyprus and purchased from General Luigi Palma di Cesnola in 1874. Frankly, it’s absurd to talk about intellectual property rights for objects purchased from tomb robbers. I believe that our shared art heritage should be available to all (especially …
Sea and Sky August 10-15, 2014 Belfast, ME Ocean, woods, sea, sky, hiking, birds, sea creatures, waves… what’s not to like about painting in Maine? As regular readers know, I had a fantastic summer teaching in Maine in 2013, which was followed up with a cancer diagnosis that shook my world. This—combined with my manager …
Buffalo’s City Hall. Finished at the start of the Great Depression, it raises a fist to the world. Its tile bands and frieze work are characteristic for Buffalo architecture. This week, in honor of Dyngus Day, I’m concentrating on my home town, Buffalo, New York. A few years ago, an architect friend of mine seemed …
Carol T’s Adirondack Lake, not yet finished. I suggested she put the two of us in her canoe. I discourage my students from working from photos, but last Saturday three of them had compelling reasons to do so. Carol T. can draw and paint with almost perfect fidelity. She is so accurate that her drafting …
I’m off to Maine and Rye! I’m leaving some of my favorite landscape paintings for you—works by Canada’s mighty Group of Seven painters. I love them because they combine the freshness of impressionism with a love for the northern landscape. The Edge of the Maple Wood, 1910, AY Jackson As a young boy, Jackson worked …
Continue reading “Seven Days of the Group of Seven—AY Jackson (1882-1974)”