Painting from life always brings the freshest results, but we all paint from photos.

This page includes reference photos and the paintings I created from them. You are free to work from your photos or from my reference photos during a class.

We spent a little time in class learning about color wheels.

For this lesson, we will apply color to our value underpaintings.
In applying color, we want to think about Atmospheric Perspective as explained in John Carlson’s Guide to Landscape painting.

A coherent landscape painting is an arrangement of 3 – 4 large masses in a simple four-step value scale.

I enjoyed sharing my love of pastels with the Teen and Adult students this week.
I started each class with a demonstration.

Composition is the design of your painting. In the end, it is another tool you can use to convey your ideas. I was working with an art instructor once who told me to make sure that my dominant vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines all meet at my focal point. That is composition in its simplest form.   And I am a firm believer in following your instincts, but the following is some information on the technical side of the composition.   DaVinci was a firm believer in the math behind the composition, and who am I to question DaVinci?

Oil painting supplies can be expensive, but the quality can directly impact your work. For example, you can purchase a student pack of paintbrushes and frustrate yourself because you cannot produce the mark you want. Or you can invest in one or two good paintbrushes that you take excellent care of; they will produce for you continuously. The same goes for inexpensive painting surfaces – unless you apply an additional level of gesso, the inexpensive ones will soak up your paint.