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The Arrival of French Impressionism in America: California’s Golden Years
by Jean Stern
Around the turn of the 20th century, Impressionism had become the style of choice among most American painters. Turning from academic modes and styles, the public slowly embraced these bright, colorful paintings and looked to the California artists to adapt the French-inspired way of painting light in the landscape. 

Paint What You See at a Glance
by M. Stephen Doherty
Lea Colie Wight spent years learning to paint fleeting images that captivated her attention. “I’m now helping students understand what took me years to learn—that painting is about recording what you see and feel at a moment in time,” she says.

Capturing Atmosphere in Oil Landscapes
by M. Stephen Doherty
Maryland artist Gavin Brooks instills landscape paintings with a sense of air, saturated light, time, and distance. She accomplishes that by managing the subtlety of values, establishing hard and soft edges, controlling the intensity of color, and creating a layering of paint qualities. 

Portrait Sketches That Guide Artists and Their Clients
by M. Stephen Doherty
Brian Neher paints two small oil sketches of his portrait subjects to help set a direction for the finished portrait that satisfies him and his clients.

10 Steps to Determine Values in Watercolor (Available Online)
by David R. Daniels
Although I am known for using vibrant colors to create what appear to be playful, spontaneous images in my watercolor paintings, the key to the success of these paintings is the value structure of the compositions. Here’s how I teach others to use studies to plan effective compositions.

Using Layers to Create a Sense of Place
by John A. Parks
John Evans’ evocative and compelling oil paintings emerge from a long process of struggle, overpainting, layering, sanding, and soul-searching.