If you want to make any progress as an artist, keep the door firmly shut. Victoria Street, by Carol L. Douglas. Available. Shelter-in-place has, perversely, not given me lots of alone time. My adult children have, in various combinations, come to quarantine themselves at our house, and who can blame them? Tiny apartments may be smart […]
Argus, oil on linen, 84×82 inches, 2014 In the fall of last year I was lucky to get an opportunity to meet and talk briefly with Jessie Fisher at the Missouri Valley College at a group show I was included in. I was intrigued by many of the things she said and afterwards I found […]
Black Lives Matter protests have taken place all over the world in the weeks following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. As a way to process emotional responses, or to communicate a direct message, there has been a surge in political art being made and shared on social media. Here are ten powerful examples […]
Your assignment this week is to paint an evergreen, using one of the great masters as your muse. Herdsmaid, 1908, Anders Zorn. You could identify the species of trees in this painting, but it’s short on detail. Last week, I wrotethat there are as many ways to paint water as there are moments in the […]
Bill Scott’s studio, Philadelphia, 2020 I’m delighted to share this email interview with Bill Scott who writes from his home in Philadelphia. I’ve long been intrigued by Bill Scott’s paintings and prints and was lucky to view an exhibition of his works last year at the The Pierre Hotel in NYC. He was scheduled to […]
A painting in transparent acrylics or oils on top of a panel covered in gold leaf, or another metal leaf, can glow with a shining light. The procedure for painting on top of gold leaf, silver leaf or copper leaf – genuine or imitation metal leaf – is not as complicated as you might think. […]
Yes, we should be more self-reliant, save more, have deep pantries and buy local, but don’t underestimate the greatness of the economic system we have created in this country. Photo courtesy of Kellee Mayfield. I’m writing this from my own home. That’s a wonderful statement, but there’s also a certain irony in admitting that I’m […]
Royal Crown, oil on panel, 27 x 30.5 inches, 2020 I recently had the wonderful opportunity to interview the painter and video artist, Ellen Kozak, over skype from her studio which overlooks the Hudson River, a subject that she has focused on for the past 20 years. The interview was further edited for greater clarity […]
Matthew Burrows is an East Sussex based abstract painter. However if you regularly post your artwork to an Instagram account you may recognise his name as the founder of the Artist Support Pledge. When the Covid-19 pandemic started to affect the UK in the first half of March, Matthew Burrows had the idea to start […]
We had almost cleared quarantine, so why were we suddenly all feeling rotten? Kellee Mayfield listens to rap music while painting. Photo courtesy of Jane Chapin. “Kellee,” I said quietly over breakfast, “you need to take my temperature.” Kellee Mayfieldhas this nifty no-touch thermometer that she aims at your forehead. If you’re below 100° F, […]
