 Styles of visual art are available to us today like never before. And it's amazing to see what so many artists are doing from all over the world. Variety of style and technique in our visual art culture is vital as it reflects the diversity of thought, experience, and perspective. Different approaches to form, color, and medium enable artists to express a wide range of ideas and emotions, from traditional beliefs to modern innovations. This richness fosters dialogue between generations and communities, enhancing cultural understanding and evolution. A varied artistic landscape also encourages experimentation, challenging established norms and pushing creative boundaries, which contributes to a culture’s growth, resilience, and ability to inspire others globally. Diversity in art nurtures a dynamic and inclusive cultural identity.
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 Contemporary art defies traditional movements, and is bound by no singular style or school. Artists today blend diverse influences, techniques, and cultures, creating a vibrant, eclectic global art ecosystem. The internet has amplified this new art world reality, enabling a global exchange of ideas and recognition of artists from every culture, country, and race. Unlike the past’s Western-dominated narratives, today’s art world is more inclusive, celebrating a multitude of perspectives. It used to be that artists like myself could only learn about art through history books, magazines, and film documentaries. But it’s super exciting to see so much extraordinary art now. Here are some painting that recently showed up on my Instagram that I really liked. A few years ago, I had the privilege of showcasing my work in a solo exhibition at Axis Gallery in Seattle. The show featured 50 of my oil paintings, each reflecting my deep affection for flowers and vibrant color palettes. Alongside these, I presented pieces from my Post Personalism series—a body of work that delves into themes beyond self-centricity, exploring concepts of cosmic consciousness and other mystical ideas that captivate my imagination. Have a wonderful day filled with color, textures, and mysteries.
 Quirky and beautiful realistic fine art painting brings a delightful twist to traditional realism. These works capture everyday scenes and objects with meticulous detail, yet infuse them with unexpected elements that surprise and charm the viewer. Whether it’s a whimsical play on scale, an imaginative use of color, or the inclusion of fantastical details within a realistic setting, these paintings balance authenticity with creativity. The result is a captivating blend of the familiar and the extraordinary, where the ordinary becomes enchanting. This fusion of quirky and beautiful invites viewers to see the world with fresh eyes and a sense of wonder.  I have been watching Turner Vinson's plein air YouTube videos. He is the most enjoyable plein air painter to watch because his approach is so direct and spontaneous. He smears, drips, and brushes color onto the canvas in a way that appears out of control and wild, but he is always studying his subject carefully. His marks are intentionally spontaneous, which is what makes him interesting to watch. Plus, he sometimes paints very large paintings outdoors, and the complexity and difficulty of carrying and managing canvases and supplies shows tremendous intention. He often uses very thick paint. I noticed that he uses the cheapest brands he can find, which is smart since he's using so much paint. See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbZ5P-KyqRs
  Oil painting by artist Mickey Culver [email protected]
Culver's painting blends realism and abstraction, offering a unique visual experience. The foreground stripes make us respond to the piece as if it were abstract. The abstract effect is accentuated by the seemingly disconnected landscape to the left and right of the vehicle in the upper part of the painting. However abstract this painting may seem, it is actually a realistic painting. It is an illusion on a highway. A mirage in which shimmering pools of water seem to cover the roadway far ahead. This mirage occurs when the air near the ground is much hotter than the air above it. This temperature gradient causes light rays to bend (refract) as they pass through layers of air at different temperatures, creating the appearance of water or a shimmering, blurry effect on the road. This is specifically called an 'inferior mirage', as the mirage appears below the actual object. As artists, this painting may inspire us to look for unusual phenomena in the world around us that would create a dynamic and thought-provoking composition, challenge viewers' perceptions, and invite diverse interpretations.  Visual Color Memory Before I discuss the chart below, let's discuss visual color memory. Being able to create the exact color you want for a painting is a wonderful challenge and good skill to have. The first step is to know what colors you already have. And by "knowing" your color, I am saying can you see them in your mind without looking at them physically? You can probably see in your mind the difference between blue and red. But can you envision the more subtle difference between Cadmium Red Medium and Cadmium Red Light? When you look at the colors on your pallet, look at them with the intention of remembering what they look like. There's nothing special you have to do, just give the colors your attention for a moment and you will be committing them to your visual memory. Make Your Own Color Chart It can be helpful to make your own chart that has the colors you own. Next to each square of color, have the same color with some white added. That way you will see the pure color plus each color as a tint. Do this with each new color you buy to increase your visual vocabulary, and soon you will easily see in your mind, for example, the difference between Ultramarine Blue and Phthalo Blue. Or between Quinacridone Red and Quinacridone Magenta. The Color Mixing Guide The chart below (brought to my attention by one of the painters in my program) can help you, if you are new to color mixing. It shows all of the basic colors and what they look like mixed with each other. I found this chart to be very useful for my students. However, I must add one caveat. While the color mixtures are accurate on the chart, what the chart does not tell you is that there is a little bit of white added into each mixture of color. Nevertheless, I am recommending this chart as a very useful color matching aid. I believe it will help you on your journey to master full color matching. Where to Buy I found this chart on Blick Materials website for around $14. There are other cheaper charts that look similar, but they don’t have the same level of detail as this one.   Your Painting and Copyright Law
In my studio, I sometimes provide reference photos of paintings by other artists. But the images I provide are intended for educational purposes only. And copies painted of them are not meant to be sold or presented as your original works. Can you paint a picture of another person’s painting? Yes, but you cannot sell the painting. Or promote it in public/online as if it were your original idea. Can you post your copied painting publicly online? Yes, but: 1. You cannot offer it for sale. 2. You cannot sign it as if it were your original painting. 3. You must attribute the painting to the original artist and provide a link to the artist, if you know who it is. For example, you would specify in your post: “This is a study of a painting by Joe Smith at www.JoeSmith. com” If you want to be extra courteous, contact Joe Smith first and ask him if you can paint a copy of his painting. If you are unaware of who the artist is, you could do a Google image search. And if you still cannot find who the artist is, then state in your post: "Image found on line, artist unknown." Can you share images of your copied painting with friends? Yes, but technically, you cannot sell it to them. Can you give your copied painting away? Yes. However, best practices would suggest that you credit the original artist, if you know who it is, on the back of the painting along with all the other important details of the piece, like the title, dimensions, and medium. Can you paint a painting that is a dramatically altered version of another painter's painting? Yes, if it is altered sufficiently. The criteria is that if you paint an alteration of say Joe Smith's painting, it shouldn’t look like any specific painting by Joe Smith. This is a gray area in copyright law, so I can’t say exactly how altered it must be from the original. Can you paint in another artist's style? Yes, an artist cannot own a style. Artists can only own specific physical or digital works. In other words, you could paint in Van Gogh’s style all you want and sign it as your own, but you could not paint a copy of any specific Van Gogh paintings and claim it as your own. Are there copyright-free images to use as reference photos? Yes, do a search for copyright-free photos and lots of options will come up. Can you use AI-generated images as reference photos, which are cobbled together images of other artists artwork? This is a new topic, and precise rulings have not been made yet about copyright ethics and AI-generated images.  There is no universal standard for what a wall label should look like, or the information that it should contain. Art galleries and museums will have their own stylistic preferences. However, here is what a typical wall label may look like if you are making your own: Label dimensions: 3” horizontal by 2” vertical Font: New Time Roman, or Arial, or Aptos Font size: 11 point  Here are the items your wall label must contain:
Title: Artist: Dimensions: Medium: Price: Contact info: About the Title If your painting is from your own reference photo, then you can title it whatever you wish. However, if your painting is a copy of someone else's painting that was found online, then it is not an entirely original work of yours because you are copying somebody else's work. In that case, your title should say: "This is a copy of a painting found online, artist unknown.” If you do know who the original artist is, then for the title you would say: "This is a copy of a [Artist name here] painting" Dimensions Indicate the width first. The dimension is for the artwork only and does not include the frame. Medium Oil on canvas. Or Oil on board. Or whatever the medium is. Price You can have any price you want. There is no universal standard. But naturally, if you are new to painting you would price your work on the lower side. If your painting is a copy of another artist’s work, you must put ‘NFS’ for the price. Because it is unethical to sell a painting that is a copy of another artist work. NFS means Not For Sale. Your Contact Information If you would like to be contacted about questions or for a possible sale, you must put your email address on the label. However, if you do not want to make your email address public then do not put it on the wall label. Printing Your Wall Label After printing your wall labels, draw a 2" x 3" box around it, then carefully cut it out with a blade or scissors. Make sure the cut lines are straight and cut carefully. You want your label to look professional. Back of Painting Information All of the information on your wall label, except for price, must also be permanently applied to the back of your painting. That way, people hanging your artwork can associate the information on your wall label with its specific painting. Do not use a felt tip pen to write on the back of a canvas because, over time, it may leach through to the front of the painting. I typically use a soft lead pencil. Write legibly, clearly, and dark enough so no one has to struggle to read it. The price is never included on the back of your painting because it can change.  Painting from a Photo on Your Device Pros: Your reference photo is handy, right there on your device, and it looks so colorful! Cons: You will never be able to match the colors on a backlit screen. Your device makes the colors more brilliant and saturated, which is a radically different color environment than a printout. But a good hard copy printout is far closer to what your painting will eventually look like than on a backlit device. So if you want color and value accuracy, then a printout is better. Below left: Device shows bright colors. Right: A printout is not as colorful but its colors will be truer to what you can achieve with paint.  Why is it difficult to get a good quality printout from my printer at home? 1. Because most printers are not designed for high-quality printing. 2. Because you're using regular copy paper which will never, ever, produce a good-quality reference photo. Below left: Regular copy paper. Right: High quality copy paper.  Furthermore, you need a high-quality printer to produce high-quality prints. I have a Canon Pixma Pro 100 (around $600). It is outstanding, but I do no recommend getting one unless you are printing lots of professional high-quality photos. Instead, get your prints from FedEx Office and Print. High-Quality Prints from FedEx Office and PrintBy request: Here are instructions for getting good-quality prints from FedEx Office and Print. Step 1: Go to FedEx Office and Print: https://www.office.fedex.com/#!upload/multiple/pid%3D1456773326927/false Select: Copies & Custom Documents    Next page:  Next page:  Scroll down to select a FedEx Office and Print location:  Scroll down to contact information:  Once you make your purchase, you will receive a notice from FedEx Office and Print that they have begun your order. Then later, usually within 24 hours, you will receive a notice that your order is finished and ready for pick up.
 One of the painters in my program, Amanda Baumgartner, recently finished this painting of a dramatic cloud and reflections in water.  Please check out Amanda's Instagram video of her in the process of painting: https://www.instagram.com/p/C8CsyGjJmjS/ Painting pictures of the sea in oils is both challenging and rewarding. Capturing the dynamic movement of waves, the play of light on water, and the vastness of bodies of water requires skill and patience. The challenges include rendering realistic textures and achieving the right balance of colors to depict depth and motion. The rewards come in the form of creating a scene that evokes the power and beauty of the sea, and offers viewers a sense of tranquility and awe. Famous sea painters include J.M.W. Turner, whose dramatic seascapes are legendary, and Winslow Homer, known for his realistic and evocative marine scenes.  "Breezing Up (A Fair Wind)" by Winslow Homer was painted between 1873 and 1876  J.M.W. Turner- "The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to Her Last Berth to Be Broken Up", 1838
Oil Painting on Gold Leaf: A Fusion of Metallic Reflection with Opaque and Glazed oil Paint6/3/2024   Gustav Klimt created his gold leaf paintings primarily during his "Golden Phase," which spanned from the late 1890s to the early 1910s. This period is characterized by his extensive use of gold leaf, inspired by Byzantine mosaics and the Art Nouveau movement. Oil painting on gold leaf is a technique that marries the luminous quality of gold with the rich texture of oil paints. The process begins by applying thin sheets of gold leaf to a prepared surface, using an adhesive called ‘size’ to ensure it adheres smoothly. Once the gold is set, artists paint over it with oil paints, often using glazed layers to allow the gold to shimmer through. This method creates a striking visual effect, enhancing the depth and brilliance of the artwork. Historically used in religious iconography and fine art.  Gustav Klimt. Noticed the scale of this piece compared to the stairs on the left, it's quite large  Stephanie Rew https://www.stephanierew.co.uk/  Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room; James McNeill Whistler (1834–1903); 1876–77; oil paint and gold leaf on canvas, leather, and wood.  Chinese Women and Children in a Palace Garden - screen, formerly attributed to Kano Eitoku
While I do not teach gold leaf techniques in my studio at the Phinney Center in Seattle, if you are interested in experimenting with gold leaf techniques, there are many informative instructional videos on YouTube. |
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Patrick Howe, Artist, Author and Educator Seattle, WA. Contact: [email protected] |
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