Plein Air in Sicily

 

From October 27 to November 3, I was in Sicily, Italy. A group of artists from many countries got together at the remarkable Salinara. We have had a superb time on this beautiful island. I have done 6 demo paintings. The most important part of this retreat was the friendship we established. The people are so lovely, the world is so beautiful. We need more arts, not wars.

 

Our Sicily painting retreat was a fabulous success. A group of friends have had a fantastic time on the beautiful island. I am back to the States now and soon the holiday season will come. It is an excellent  time to promote my 2025 events. I want to talk about Derek Penix workshop again. Every time I see Derek, I learn something. His way of painting is so magical to me. Underneath the spontaneous and energetic appearance of his beautiful paintings, I can see his solid foundation and deep understanding of all the important relationships to make a painting work effectively. I have benefited significantly by seeing his demos, applying his techniques, and improving my own work. He has taught multiple workshops in my place, and all of them were very popular. I am very excited that Derek will come back again in February 2025. We recently have talked and decided to set a new price for the workshop giving advantages to participating artists. Now Derek's workshop are still have openings. If you want to know how the real master creates spectacular paintings and learn the effective painting techniques, please check https://www.qhart.com/dereks-workshop-2025 to get detailed information and sign up. 

A Doorway in Beijing 3

 

I used this small study to test my limited color palette for travel. I have talked before that you can get 90% colors "correct" for a landscape painting with only two colors: orange and blue. That one was done mainly with ultramarine and burnt sienna, plus white of course. It conveys the color temperature distribution of the light and shadow. I like this one because it gives me a genuine Beijing feeling. 

A Doorway in Beijing

 

This is the second painting I did in Beijing, China. It was so nostalgic when I strolled down the Hutong (alley ways) districts in old Beijing. Those old courtyards and the decorated doorways remind me the happy childhood time. They are so special to me. I hope some day I have enough time to paint whole bunch of those beautiful doorways. 

A Doorway

 

I am painting in Beijing. 

Derek Penix Workshop 2025

 

I’ve been delving into color research for a while, and now I’m exploring textures and mark-making. Many contemporary and abstract artists are masters in this area. If you’re a representational artist and want to go more abstract, we share a common interest. I’m following several artists and teachers who excel at creating intriguing marks and textures on their canvases. Derek Penix stands out among them; his abstract and painterly style produces remarkable effects. It’s no surprise he’s received numerous awards and well known. I’m thrilled to let you know that Derek will be coming to my studio next year to teach his painting techniques—a rare opportunity. We still have spots available, so if you admire Derek’s style and want to learn from him, please visit: https://www.qhart.com/dereks-workshop-2025 for more details and to sign up.

A Peaceful World

 

The Fall Show at the InSight Gallery (Fredericksburg Texas) is coming up. I have sent this one in. Painting waterlilies is enjoyable. I hardly used any ref photos. My attention is purely on composing, using all possible design elements: geometry, value, warm and cool, mark making, and  balance. Although the approach is purely abstract, the effect is ironically realistic. That is a good feeling. I will continue paint more waterlilies, bigger and bigger.  When you actually doing this, you feel Claude Monet in you.

Waterlilies in San Angelo

 

"Waterlilies in San Angelo", 30" x 20". This is another commissioned work. You know I enjoy painting waterlilies, because it is so flexible. It is possible to compose the painting without any references. I have designed the geometry, value, color, and texture of the painting purely in my mind. It is possible to achieve likeness without the subject. It is so oxymoronic, isn't it? I did borrow from a few reference photos to get details, but in general, waterlily paintings are pure abstract. No wonder Claude Monet fell in love of painting them. I do too.

The "Big" Challenge

 

Painting large is a big challenge to me. This one is 28" x 60". The composition was based on a 12" x 24" plein air painting. I used the apps to guarantee the drawing and color (value, and temperature) accuracy. The major challenge was mark making. I tried my best to paint thickly, but the brush and knife work were still not shown the effect I hope to achieve. It will be another research field I will get into. The painting tended to get too detail to quickly. I had to remind myself constantly go far away to see. Nevertheless, painting the large one was fun. I felt I was at the site and created the real world.

Demo at Vermont 1

 

Painting a still life is relatively easy, but making a still life painting interesting is not. The setup for this still life is so simple, but I was so sensitive about how the light travels across all the objects and finally makes the lemon sing. The visual orchestration of all the optical effects makes a still life painting exciting, otherwise still life would be the most boring painting to do.

Derek Penix Workshop 2025

 

I am so happy to announce that master artist Derek Penix will come back to Austin and teach a 3-day workshop on February 21 - 23, 2025. Derek's painting style is so expressive and loose. If you consider your paintings are too tight, Derek will show you how to loosen up. Derek is not only a wonderful painter, he is also a great art teacher. So many people keep coming back to his workshops. His class often fill up very quickly. If you are interested in learning from Derek Penix, please visit: https://www.qhart.com/dereks-workshop-2025 for detailed information and sign up.

Demo 3 at Landgrove Vermont

 I taught a still life painting workshop in Vermont recently. This was one of my demos. I am glad that my understanding the behaviors of color is getting deeper. Scientific analysis has made my painting procedure more systematic and controllable. At the mean time, the spontaneous intuition helps me to witness more the egoless process of the art creation. 

"Warm-n-Cool" Filter

 

Many artists (beginner and advanced) can not see color temperature. I want to introduce a filter you may apply it on your reference photos. It can remove the local colors and show the color temperature distribution only. So you will know where the warm goes and where is the cool. Please follow: www.qhart.com > Apps > Painter's Guide 3.1 > Load a photo > Filters > Warmncool. This tool is free for you. You go and figure out by yourself  how important this thing can improve your art. Happy painting !!!

Abandoned Lemon

 

I have tried the second time beginning a painting with a "Bloody Mary" wash. This time the process throwed me off completely.  I start to realize this painting approach just like playing piano with both hands. I am not a piano player, but occasionally I play for fun. Without taking any lessons, I just play with one hand. I could play a melody easily, but I got bored with it pretty quickly, so I wanted to play with both hands. Oh, boy! it was hard. I could not believe how a human can do two separate things simultaneously. But we definitely are able to do it. Painting with a red wash first is rather similar. We play chords instead of single notes. The effects are significantly superior, but needs practice to get there. I am not there yet. I have made many mistakes. The image shows a portion of the painting. The lemon looks good here, but it does not go with other part of the painting. I decide to remove it. Before I do it, I want to document it so I can reference my thought today in the future.

Morning at Lake Martin

 

I am glad I have a few days between teaching, so I shifted to my study mode and tried something new. I have noticed so many artists start their drawing with a highly saturated red. My stubborn engineering mind could not figure out why people do this. For many years, I have been strongly promoting that we start a painting black/white to get the drawing and value correct first, then put color on top of the tonal underpainting. I thought the intense red color would strongly affect the accuracy of the color we put on top of the red. This approach is rather irrational. However this time, it is the problem of the left-brain scientist. Rationality is not always the consideration of an artist. This start-with-red method is illogical for sure, but it does make sense. The bleed-through red underpainting makes the top color vibrating creating a dynamic color effects. It also make the average temperature of painting warmer. This way is a pre-compensation to my intrinsic tendency of painting too cool. So I used this new (for me) approach for this painting and loved it.

Albert Handell workshop 2025

 

I am very excited to announce that Master artist Albert Handell will teach a 5-day workshop in Austin on January 21 to 25, 2025. Albert will demonstrate his painting techniques in both oil and pastels. Albert Handell is a very well known artist and teacher internationally. If you are interested in improving your oil and/or pastel painting skills. Please check https://www.qhart.com/albert-handell-2025 for detailed information and sign up. 

Fountain of Life

 

I have just arrived home after a 47 days trip driving through 17 states in the south and east of US. I have had both good and bad days on this journey. I must admit that I am pretty bad in posting on my social media to share what I have learned on the road. Used to being so active on FB and Instagram during my "Daily Painting" days, now I feel so indifferent about what I have done. Sometime I do good paintings, and sometime not too good. I kind of like this one I did at Chanticleer in Wayne PA. I enjoyed seeing the opaque pigments on top of a transparent wash. I do believe there is a Fountain of Life. I may never find it, or I am in it without knowing it.

Atlanta Backyard

 

This is the first painting I did during the Olmsted Invitational in Atlanta. Plein air painting means artists must face unexpected surprises. I have run into one this time. Before the event, I have done my homework. I have planned where and what to paint. However, this happened.  In the morning of the first day, my wife suddenly felt severe back pain. She could not move and was not able function for her daily basics. Now the priority has changed immediately. I was at her bedside to help what she needs. To make a long story short, on the third day she felt slightly better. I had some time thinking about painting. My only option was painting plein air in the backyard of our housing. So this was what I have done.

Another Demo in Jackson MS

 

This is another demo I did in Jackson Mississippi. 

Demo 1 in Jackson

 

I taught a workshop in Jackson MS recently. I want to thank Mary Alice Lee and Bob Tompkins for organizing this workshop. Thanks to all Mississippi artists who attended my class. I have had so much fun, and this is my first demo.

Hsin-Yao Tseng painting workshop 2024

 

I am so happy to announce that Master artist Hsin-Yao Tseng will come to Austin again and teach a painting workshop in early December 2024. This workshop is quite unique. Hsin-Yao will introduce various kinds of mark making techniques. He will use reference photos of landscape scenes, but concentrate on creating expressive and energetic designs. Hsin-Yao is a very successful artist and wonderful teacher. I hope you can take advantage of this opportunity to bring your art to the next level. Please check: https://www.qhart.com/hsin-yao-tsengs-workshop-2024 for information and sign up.

Albert's trees

 

I am hosting an oil painting workshop for a Master artist Albert Handell in Austin, TX. Albert has done a wonderful demo today. I was amazed by his palette knife technique and his impressive palette of exotic colors. Besides helping Albert and all workshop attending artists with their logistical needs, I got chance to paint a little as well. This is what I did today. I always thought painting trees is not my a cup of tea, but I liked what I have learned. 

Aspen

 

I took Robert Moor's class at Scottsdale Artists' School. I have learned a lot. Mark making is so important to make a painting impressive and expressive. I have not spent enough time to develop my mark making skills. Currently, I am still concentrating on color studies, but soon I will have more fun like painting this one.

Color Relationship from Light to Shadow

 

I took a photo of an orange lit by a single light source, then measured 10 color samples from light to shadow using the "Color Analyzer App" we developed. The three numbers on each color sample are its hue, chroma, and value. On the color wheel, we can see: (1) in the light area 1 to 5, the hue shifted from yellow to red orange. This hue shift is often referred as the "prismatic color shift". (2) in the shadow are 6 to 10, the hue does not change. On the "value vs. chroma" diagram, we can see the variation of chroma and value is strongly corelated by following two straight lines. These two linear relations of chroma and value governs the color integrity of a 3D solid object. We may refer it as the "saturation constancy" rule. If you violated this rule when you paint, you will have muddy, chalky, or garish color problems. Most advanced artists know the effects intuitively, but I want to express the rule with an unambiguous scientific statement. You may have heard the saying: "rules are made to be broken", but this one won't. 

Albert Handell's oil painting workshop

 

The Master Artist Albert Handell will teach a 4-day oil painting workshop on March 19 - 22, 2024 near Austin, Texas. We still have a few openings. If you are interested learning from Master Handell, please check: https://www.qhart.com/albert-handell-workshop2-2024 and sign in  by clicking the blue registration button at the bottom of the webpage. 

White Chrysanthemum

 

Continuing on non-colored paintings. This time I worked on a floral project, cool light warm shadows. All those greys need to be harmoniously related to create solid forms. The color temperature needs to be consistent to avoid muddiness to occur. I do like vibrant colors, but this kind of near black-white exercises helps me to lay a solid foundation, and the painting will have much more potential for further development. 

Bull Creek in Winter

 

Painting a landscape in a cloudy day, the sky light is pretty neutral (gray), but is the light warm or cool? To be honest with you, I was not sure. So I run my "Warm-n-Cool" filter (see my previous post) on the reference photo. Lo and behold, it is warm for sure. I guess the physics does make sense. Behind the clouds, we have the sun and the blue sky. The warm sun light dominates the cool blue sky. The cloud works as a diffuser, and average out the light. So the stronger sun light makes the skylight warmer.

Warm and Cool in a Still Life

 

The warm and cool relationship is so important. I have done a few this kind of color less still life paintings. They really helped me to understand the color temperature and build the objects solidly in a painting. The major light for this painting is warm and the shadow has a cool reflection. I wish I did this kind of exercise when I just started painting. I was more interested in the showy stuff like the loose "painterly" effect. I have to tell you a truth: If you do not know how to paint "tightly", you can hardly paint "loosely". The key is to know how to paint "solidly". I will share my understanding more in the coming workshop at the Scottsdale Artists' School on February 12. To get detailed information, please go to: www.qhart.com > Workshops > Workshops 2024.

"Warm-n-Cool" Filter

Two engineers and I have developed an image filter called "Warm-n-Cool". It can remove the influence of local colors and show the color temperature relationships of the light and shadow. Basically, it changes a full color image to a two colors (hues) only image. The two hues are orange (warm) and blue (cool). I have used "Warm-n-Cool" to filter my reference photos, and gain much better understanding the specific color temperature distribution across the image. In many cases, I can use orange and blue only to paint an entire painting realistically. The "Warm-n-Cool" filter is free for everybody to use. Please follow this simple instruction: Go to www.qhart.com > Apps > Painter's Guide 3.1 > Load your image > Filter > Warmncool. 

Still Life Painting Workshop

 

I am getting busy again. I will teach a 4-day still life painting workshop at the Scottsdale Artists' School on February 12 - 15, 2024. Although I have taught painting workshop so many times, but I have kept gaining new understanding, and developing new skills. I want to use this opportunity to share my techniques with you. If you are interested in my painting approaches, please visit: https://www.scottsdaleartschool.org/events/130/ ( or go to my website) to sign up.

Digital Squinting

 

Life is short. How can we become good in painting QUICKLY? We all know we need to practice, but to accelerate the progress, my secret is: USING SMART TOOLS. The posted image shows that you can "squint" your ref photo digitally. Here is how to do it: Go to qhart.com(my website) > click "Apps" > click "Painter's Guide 3.0" > load your ref photo > click "Filter" > click "Oilify". Now you have no worry you develop wrinkles because you squint a lot during painting time. I have quite a few apps on my website, which are free for you to use. I want to thank the engineers behind the screen for making these tools available. As a matter of fact, I have a workshop next month at the Scottsdale Artist School (https://www.scottsdaleartschool.org/events/130/). I will show you my techniques. Life is short. If you want to paint goodly (I mean well), I will teach you how to "cheat" correctly.

Cityscape Study

 

Master artist Hsin-Yao Tseng did a cityscape workshop here in Austin last November. I did this painting by using one of his reference photos. Combined what I have learned from Hsin-Yao and the color research I have been doing, I witness this painting gradually revealed itself in front of me. The color scheme is dominated by the warm and cool lights, while the local colors are rather subtle.