When artists refer to “quality of line,” part of what’s meant is sensitivity to how the line is drawn as well as how the lines relate to and express the subject. The heaviness or lightness [...]

Once upon a time an ornery, young, and unknown artist in his early 20’s named Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni heard that his first big public commission was being attributed to a second-rate rival. So, [...]

What You Should Know The legend of the “lover’s leap” is found all over the Americas and the world. It was a particularly popular motif in one form or another during the Victorian period, peaking [...]

Carl Bretzke’s painting Diner After Dark (above), resonates with a timeless quiet.  We could be anywhere in America. Maybe at first we expect a nostalgic moment of vanished drive-ins and Hopper-esque iconography, but a closer [...]

Don’t worry about matching the colors the teacher is using.  If a pro is demoing a sunset, let’s say, her students often want to know exactly what red and what yellow to mix in which proportions [...]

Matthew Fox, “Creativity” Next in our continuing “best books for artists” series of writers who inspire, we introduce free-thinking “radical” theologian Matthew Fox. He teaches that creativity in its many forms is the beating heart [...]

Recognized for her expressive brushwork, contemporary compositions, and intelligent use of color, Nashville native Lori Putnam paints small to medium-sized works en plein air and creates large paintings in her studio. Having painted in 16 [...]

Lots of paintings are beautiful. Plenty elicit reactions like gorgeous, stunning, amazing! and whatnot. But when you stop to think about it, each “incredible” painting gets those accolades for reasons of its own – there [...]

A peek at Andy Evansen’s plein air painting journey at Lake Tahoe, where he navigated the challenge of simplifying breathtaking vistas and capturing the lake’s vibrant colors. “Coming from southern Minnesota, where the landscape is [...]

"The artist’s task is not the faithful representation of air, water, rocks and trees, but rather his soul, his sensations should be reflected in them. The task of a work of art is to recognize [...]