Here it is: If you aren't going to really push it when you
make a landscape painting, it is going to be completely forgettable. Having
looked at thousands of landscape paintings, and made a few myself, I'll be
honest and tell you that only the best of the best landscape art really sticks
out in my mind.
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| Eis by Gerhard Richter, 1981, 70 x 100 cm, oil on canvas. |
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But this doesn't mean we should all give up on our landscape
paintings. Instead, I'm going to refocus on creating impact with each work and
seek out landscape artwork to "mimic" or learn from that is compositionally
strong, employs unusual coloring, and isn't merely about recording the hills,
valleys, and trees I see. There's got to be something more.
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| Stille by Isaac Levitan, 1898, 96 × 110 cm, oil on canvas. |
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And I know it can be done. Look at Gerhard Richter's snow
paintings, which are amazing portrayals of light and have a murky, atmospheric
quality that utterly mesmerizes me. Isaac Levitan's compositions and vantage
points are always unusual, and the way he can so subtly vary the texture of the
paint on the canvas to reinforce what he is painting is incredible. Emily Carr
was fearless about color and about telling a story--not merely recording what
she saw--with her landscape art.
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| Shoreline by Emily Carr, 1936. |
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Another landscape artist whose work is incredibly impactful
is Don Demers. Every painting of his that I've seen has a "wow" factor, and
Demers works tirelessly to evoke that lively sensation I'm talking about. In
his newest DVD, Marine Painting: Art of
the Wave, Demers shares just how he does this, from the decisions he makes
to get a greater authenticity in his work to painting light sensitively.
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| Morning Shadows by Don Demers, 10 x 12, oil painting. |
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It's all there for us to learn--and right now you can get Art of the Wave and so many other great
resources from the North Light Shop. I'm thrilled that all our Artist Daily
offerings are available at the North Light Shop because it means bigger and
better opportunities to find the art instruction and technical guides that are
right for you. And here's $10 off to get you started--just enter NEWDIGS at checkout. Enjoy!
