Articles offering advice on a variety of visual art subjects, including plein air painting, equipment, business practices and more.
Ever since the early eighties, when I began studying plein air painting in a serious way, I have been cautioned not to “chase the light” when painting on location; but as in everything, in art there are no hard rules, only a lot of sound advice based on […]
John Hughes’ tips on getting your plein air equipment organized.
In our March 2011 edition John Hughes says studies are as important inside the studio as they are out in the field.
Most of us had our first experience with art through coloring books filled with line drawings. Next in our progression came the obvious tool of convenient necessity, the pencil (a wonderful medium, and, in the hands of a master, a true thing of beauty). Pencil drawing lends itself […]
For a landscape painter one of the joys of winter is the exhilarating experience of painting a snow scene in the open air. The excitement of a snow painting is just as much a visual experience as it is about braving the weather. Of course the extreme conditions […]
Understanding angles and the values they create is a must for landscape painters, as well as painters of any subject. To understand angles we have to first discuss “planes,” which in painting generally means a somewhat imaginary flat surface based on reality that simplifies the undulations of forms […]
This month I would like to talk about painting outdoors and two different types of situations for plein air artists to try. First of all, painting with a group of friends: it’s a good thing to do, the camaraderie alone is usually worth the trip out into the […]
Because of their ability to create beauty and form, the illusive character of shadows must be observed and understood by the successful landscape painter. Shadows, it could be said, are the essence of form. Without them a landscape is reduced to flat masses, lacking in much interest and […]
by Curt Hawkins “Shadowed Arch” by Kate Starling, 30″ x 40″. Watching Colleen Howe set up her easel during the “wet paint” painting session is a defining moment. I get it. On the spot painting. I watch Colleen Howe squeezing tubes of oil onto her palette, squinting into the […]
Probably the biggest challenge in learning to paint plein air landscapes well is dealing with the confusion presented by the details of the scene. The first thing an artist usually notices about a subject, details can turn into a stumbling block when they become the focus of a […]
When going on location to paint en plein air, there are several things to keep in mind. First and foremost is your reason for being there, which will modify your approach and results to a certain degree. The thing you should settle on right away is your purpose that […]
Normally I focus my remarks on the painting process, but today I would like to take a moment and wax poetic on the subject of painting in a more general sense. I am mainly directing this commentary to young aspiring artists who are trying to find themselves artistically. […]
John Hughes painting at String LakeThe title here says it all. If an artist can distill visual realities down to a few simple shapes of value and color he/she will finally begin to understand the painting process. Try this sometime (at first it will feel a little strange […]
Composition (and design) has been — with the possible exception of color — the topic of more theories than any other aspect of painting. It has been studied, discussed, written about, theorized, pontificated on, and generally beaten to death for centuries by artists, art historians, critics and experts […]
Paint boxes come in a lot of shapes and sizes. They have been around for a long time and over the years innovations and improvements have been made to make the job of the plein air painter more practical and enjoyable. Let’s start with the basic box, usually […]
One of the most debilitating emotions for a painter is the fear of failure. Whatever form it comes in — fear of starting a canvas, fear of ruining what was initially put down on the canvas (causing one to protect what’s there) or fear of finishing a painting […]
One of the beauties of painting on location is the excitement of being out in nature, capturing a fleeting moment that will never come again in exactly the same way. There are days when the light is near perfect, the air is clear with the aroma of fallen […]
This month we kick off a new series of articles by award-winning artist / instructor, John Hughes. Hughes has been teaching private plein air workshops each summer and a class on plein air painting at Salt Lake Community College for the past several years. He is a highly […]
by Michelle Wimber With times as rough as they are few may be considering starting an art collection. Even when times are good one might think collecting art is only for the rich and well-connected. But there is hope for the average person. I love art, but being a […]
