Arizona Mountain

This image of Arizona was a fun location and painting for me. It brings together so many thoughts feelings visual images. I had always wanted to go to Arizona since I was in college and saw my first issue of Arizona magazine. It seems to me that the dessert offered so...

El Greco’s Christ on Cross Study

In the academic circles it is considered good practice to go to the museums and copy an Old Masters painting. The idea is that you can learn so much by imitation. For me it was a great learning experience. I arrange to have a group visit the museum. I was very...

Preliminary painting development takes some of the anxiety out of painting. “Woman with Basket”

For as long as I can remember I have heard how beneficial doing pencil sketches, small thumbnails or color studies can benefit my work. But thinking I know better, I skip ahead missing these important steps. Now I go back to these most important steps in developing a...

Caveman could only see in Earth Colors

Early cave men used only earth colors to draw on cave walls. Early Earth must have been subdued in color only having earth tones. Or cavemen’s eyes could not see color. Even the early master oil painters mostly painted in earth colors using sienna’s, ocher’s and...

Paint like a Master? Is It a Good Thing?

I can understand all of the thrust to understand the masters or better old master painters and all of what they have accomplished and the ability to create appreciated paintings. But painting like a Master is a conjured term. There is not just one process of painting...