257: Art and Introversion
EVERY once in awhile I read a book that clarifies my thinking with such astonishing force I shudder to think of my future in the absence of such information. I ...
Author: Brad Teare
258: An Alchemist in his Apothecary
“I spin a cocoon around myself; let others do the same. I leave it to time to show what will come of it–a brilliant butterfly or maggot.” —Casp...
259: Failure=Experimentation
AS I WAIT for my new studio to be completed I decided to reconfigure my old studio for painting experimentation. I removed my couch and added a set of fou...
260: Types of Success
I RECEIVED an email the other day asking about the advisability of pursuing a career in art. In general if someone truly wants to be an artist no amou...
261: Creating as Naturally as Breathing
“You must always work not just within, but below your means. If you can handle three elements, handle only two. If you can handle ten, then handle only five. In...
262: You Can’t Until You Can
OVER the last year I’ve written an unprecedented amount of posts about artistic improvement. Recently I’ve been reflecting on the idea that artists ...
263: Ideas for the New Year
Desert Blossom, 9″ x 9″, woodcut IN the coming year I want to shake up this blog by exploring new ideas. Chief among them will be painting with thin...
264: Paint is Still Just Paint
Closeup of a recent acrylic painting, Turn To Light, 48″ x 36″. WHEN things go bad with a painting negative voices sound off in my head. When I’m pa...
265: Why Paint With Acrylics?
Closeup showing Zinc White texture SOME have asked if I’m abandoning oils in favor of acrylics. The answer is I continue to use both depend...
266: Review of James Gurney’s “Fantasy in the Wild”
MY new year’s resolutions include having more fun with art while exploring techniques outside my normal purview. A video that admirably ful...
267: Sanding Acrylic Paintings
A FEW blog entries back I mentioned that it was nearly impossible to sand acrylic. I wanted to sand heavily textured areas to create even more complex text...
268: Realist vs. Abstract
RECENTLY a friend and fellow artist told me about a new website and movement called NoLabels.org. In the United States the level of political discourse has erod...
269: Painting an Acrylic Underpainting, 1 of 4
IN the following video I paint the first half of an acrylic underpainting. This is in preparation to adding a layer of acrylic medium over the dry underpainting...
270: Painting an Acrylic Underpainting, part 2 of 4
HERE is the second part showing how I finish the underpainting. It is now ready to apply a layer of medium and add the final colors which I will demonstra...
271:Why we like what we like
WHILE I was painting my newest acrylic I reflected on the impulses that drive us to find our particular styles. Although on a certain level my oil painting...
272: Using Pinterest
RIGHT before I went to New York I was advised by a mentor to “look at everything–suspend judgement and just look”. In New York City there was a lot ...