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 [...]

By Guest Contributor Laura Vailati “I love to paint flowers simply because I love flowers,” says Karen Margulis. A sensitive artist devoted to painting with pastels, Karen has made simplification the key to the success of her [...]

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 [...]

These design tips on arranging a still life will help you elevate your painting from a mere collection of objects to a cohesive, powerful, and well-composed work of art. Pat has a new art video workshop [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]