The Painter's Block
Welcome to 'The Painter's Block,' the art and outdoor blog that covers everything from art collecting to our relationship with nature. Here you'll find helpful information for artists and oil painting along with topics I love related to wildlife and the great outdoors. I share with you all the things I learn and experience through my journey as a traditional artist as well as what inspires my art.
When spring is here in the valleys, but lagging behind in the high-country. This time of year is always a favorite of mine as the landscape changes almost daily at times. The snow begins to recede and the green starts to...
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Loose or tight with detail? That's a question that is asked a lot by painters and I find myself wondering that as well all the time. Lately I've been really pushing the boundaries of how I paint and asking myself why I...
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A little over two years ago I had the fortune of exploring the high deserts of Utah. I was familiar with the landscape, but never had the time to fully immerse myself in this wild environment. We spent several weeks...
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The coldest night I've ever spent in a sleeping bag was about -35 to -37 degrees Fahrenheit and I was not prepared. I had a 30 degree bag and I brought lots of blankets. I remember covering myself up with...
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One of the things that I'm most grateful for is the life in which I've been able to live and how it’s led me to my journey of art and what inspired me to portray some of God's most beautiful...
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This is the story of how the high desert inspired me to create this painting. It began over a year ago during our trip down to the Southwest. We ended up discovering the area that inspired this piece by accident...
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Our world's wetlands are one of the most fragile and precious ecosystems to exist. Wetlands are the backbone of our wildlife, and the loss of this critical habitat often slips under the radar. In the United States alone, about 85%...
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The wilderness is unkind, unforgiving, sometimes demoralizing, but yet can find a way to reach so far into your heart and soul that you become addicted to the relationship you build with it. Many warn to not venture into these...
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I feel very blessed to having been able to live the outdoor lifestyle and experience the things in nature that I have throughout my life. It seems as though that no matter how much one sees, there's always new surprises...
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How to varnish artwork and what type of varnish to use for oil paintings, acrylic paintings, or even other media is important for all artists to know. Varnishing a painting is a critical step in preserving the life of your...
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Glazing can be a great technique to bring more depth and vibrancy to certain areas of your painting. There are several different use cases for glazes, but in this post I'm going to focus on how to increase luminosity in areas like...
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The highlights in a painting are one of the most important aspects. Without lively light, a landscape won't have as much life. Here's one simple trick that you can apply to your highlights to make them glow bight and really...
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