The irrational becomes reality
Yes, it’s pretty irrational to believe all this Christianity stuff. I mean, to think of God as three distinct persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…and yet be one God…is pretty crazy. To actually...
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“God bless America.” Really? You must be kidding. I’m personally tired of hearing it, actually repulsed when hearing it spoken by American leaders that could care less what God thinks or says. It is an...
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Creation of a painting: Motivation thru completion
I’ll never forget the experience. It happened many years ago while spending several days painting in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas. There I was alone in the Tallgrass Prairie, a wilderness for...
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Why draw? Let’s just paint.
Some years ago when I was asked to teach a weekly art class, I gladly accepted. I expected a class full of eager, enthusiastic students, ready to tackle the challenges of becoming fine artists. The...
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Joel Carson Jones interview revisited
I had the privilege of conducting this interview with Joel Carson Jones a couple of years ago. Many of you missed it because there were fewer followers of the blog at that time. I contacted Joel to see...
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Norman Rockwell and the Museum
When I was in college pursuing a commercial art degree in advertising design, Norman Rockwell was not a name you would mention among the fine art students. His name was often spoken of with disgust...
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Corot featured in the “Art Journal”
I’m sitting here with the 1889 edition of The Art Journal. Published in London by J.S. Virtue & Co. Limited, this thick seven pound 13″x 10.5″ volume is elegant in its writing, beauty, quality of...
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Kenn Backhaus interview
If you read this interview with Oil Painters of America master artist, Kenn Backhaus, it won’t take long for you to realize that Mr. Backhaus is also a master teacher. He not only knows a lot about...
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Value of the field study
Creating paintings en plein air has been an important part of my fine art career that began in 1982. I had just left behind a 10-year freelance illustrator career in pursuit of this new dream. While...
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Marc Hanson revisited
I’m a huge fan of Marc Hanson’s work. There is a special sensitivity to the subtle nuances of nature that he seems to capture with ease and just the right touch. When I began interviewing artists for...
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Defining the Concept
When painting outdoors in Portugal some years ago, I had just put the finishing touches to a painting when to my delight and total surprise, I heard a lot of little hands clapping. There behind me...
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Determining the Concept
David Leffel, in Linda Cateura’s book Oil Painting Secrets from a Master, says “The idea for a picture comes before you begin to paint. It is the artist’s way of seeing things.” When someone designs...
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Executing the Concept
In some ways, I believe, determining a concept for a painting is more difficult than actually executing it. Knowing what you want to say and how you’re going to say it is critical to one’s success as a...
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Just how good is good enough?
It seems to me that when considering the afterlife, if one believes in such a thing at all, most folks believe there’s a heaven…but not so much the other place. An article, recently read, stated that...
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Howard Friedland and Susan Blackwood interview
Howard Friedland and Susan Blackwood are two well established, and highly respected, professional painters working in the fine arts . Although their professional names differ, they’re married and share...
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All the winners, Plein Air Southwest Salon 2016
The Outdoor Painters Society held its annual premier event last night (9 April 2016) at Southwest Gallery in Dallas. Plein Air Southwest Salon 2016 featured 217 paintings from 88 artists representing...
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Roger Dale Brown revisited
One of the great things experienced when putting together this weekly blog and conducting artist interviews is that I get to “meet” so many wonderful artists and amazing people. Roger Dale Brown is one...
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The Clark Museum
I first became acquainted with the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute (now just The Clark) in 1993 while a student at the Lyme Academy of Fine Art in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Sterling and Francine...
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Michael Albrechtsen interview
I had the distinct privilege of meeting Michael Albrechtsen a few years ago during a plein air event in the Flint Hills of Kansas. I had admired his work for years prior to actually meeting him. As it...
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Oil Painters of America National Exhibition and Convention
Oil Painters of America has asked me to conduct two interviews during the 25th National Exhibition & Convention to be held this week at Southwest Gallery in Dallas. Both interviews will take place...
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