I was very fortunate recently to be the juror for the Abstract Category for the Artist Magazine 36th Annual Art Competition. I reviewed some really amazing pieces and it was difficult to choose the top award winners.

I have had so many questions lately asking how to develop an abstract composition as a beginner, I decided to make this video describing one method I have used (and still use). Several years ago I researched classical design compositions, some of which are more than a century old (some two!). I decided to update them a bit for abstract paintings, add them to a handout sheet and provide them to my students at workshops.

The subject of commissioned paintings for clients comes up on a regular basis in discussions with students in my workshops. Most say that they don’t like doing commissions for people because some folks have unreasonable expectations, or the clients want them to paint subject matter that they don’t typically paint, or the clients have them make too many changes to the painting before accepting it.

I get asked quite often my thoughts on making prints from original work. In this post we are talking specifically about giclee prints, which are essentially photographic reproductions made from scans of original paintings.

n this video I am painting on a 30x30 gallery wrapped canvas. The painting, part of a series called Sea Glass, is a commission for a client. The clients liked a large painting in this series tI did several years ago, but the piece was too large for the space available in their home.

Through the years that I have been teaching workshops, I have noticed that most of my students have very little knowledge of color and how to effectively use it in paintings. They don’t know the names of basic paint colors, or which ones are warm or cool, or how to mix any color they need. These are basic fundamentals that all painters need to know.

Sometimes I like to do an underpainting on a canvas. Essential I apply a layer of color, or mix of colors, then let it dry and paint over it. Underpainting is a centuries old technique that many painters use as a way to color the canvas prior to beginning their painting.

Part 2 of the series. get asked a lot of the same questions all the time by students, friends and other artists or creative types. The answers are typically spread across more than 150 videos on my website and Youtube. In an effort to simply the search for the answers, I thought I would put answers to the most common questions ins a series of videos.

I get asked a lot of the same questions all the time by students, friends and other artists or creative types. The answers are typically spread across more than 150 videos on my website and Youtube. In an effort to simply the search for the answers, I thought I would put answers to the most common questions ins a series of videos.

This is a fast and funny video highlighting the top 10 most common phrases I hear while teaching workshops. I’m not making fun of my students in any way, but I am laughing with them as we often do in workshops when these things are said.