Len Chmiel’s evocative paintings push the boundaries of realism, while preserving the beauty of the landscape and infusing it with palpable emotion.

Chmiel makes his home in Hotchkiss, Colorado, where he not only paints, but also gardens, tends his vineyard and makes wine. Gardening profoundly affects his art. He has a strong yearning to get his fingers into the dirt. Nurturing a living thing from a tiny seed and watch it grow into a beautiful plant stirs such a deep emotional response within him. To Chmiel, gardening encourages optimism. If a plant fails this season, then perhaps in the next season he can do better. He finds the same is true with painting. At first a concept for a painting may not work. However, seeing it through may reward the painter with a painting that captures the essence of his subject and move him to tears.

In this episode of the Artful Painter, Chmiel explains that successful paintings start with a clear concept and good design. He talks about the importance of painting on the spot and how doing so forms a connection with the place and subject - connections and memories that still inform larger works completed in the studio years later.

Len Chmiel does not like to call himself an artist - he prefers to call himself a painter. Many artists who I have spoken with agree that Len Chmiel is one of the finest painters – yes, one of the finest artists – in America today. I’m glad to be able to share with you this conversation.

Links:

Len Chmiel Website: https://lenchmiel.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lenchmiel/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lenchmiel/

Book: An Authentic Nature (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/2IIXef8

About the Artful Painter:

Artful Painter website: https://theartfulpainter.com

Send me an email: https://carlolson.tv/contact

Artful Painter Sketchbooks: https://carlolson.tv/artful-painter-sketchbooks

Carl Olson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artful.creative/

Brian Rutenberg’s paintings radiate the atmospheric haze, the shimmering heat, and the rich colors of the Deep South. He describes himself as a “Southern landscape painter living in New York.” Layers and details of the southern landscape have been peeled back in his paintings, leaving us with the dancing lines and shimmering pools of colors of the Carolina coastal wetlands.

As I’ve gotten to know Brian through his Studio Visit videos on YouTube, and his book, Clear Seeing Place, I’ve come to expect the unexpected. What you won't hear from Brian are glib, often repeated “feel-good” sound bites we’ve come to expect from motivational books and videos for artists. What you do hear from Brian is his thought provoking unconventional wisdom–a wisdom that has been formulated and brewed in the depths of his mind from experience because day after day, year after year he has simply shown up to do the work of a painter.

In this episode, Brian explains what abstraction is. Essentially “all art is abstraction,” according to Brian. However, most of us view it as a style. Brian argues abstraction is not a noun, but instead is a verb. Abstraction is not a style, but, rather, is a process. Using the tools of abstraction Brian seeks out the essence of the Southern landscape. The result are beautiful paintings full movement, color, and atmosphere.

Brian Rutenberg is an internationally exhibited painter based in New York City. He was born and raised in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Brian received his bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the College of Charleston in 1987 and his master’s degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 1989. He received an Honorary Doctorate from the College of Charleston in 2018 and delivered the commencement address.

Brian is a Fulbright Scholar, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow, a Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation studio grant recipient, a Basil Alkazzi USA Award recipient, and an Irish Museum of Modern Art Residency Programme participant. He has had over 250 exhibitions throughout North America and in Europe. His popular Telly Award winning YouTube series, “Brian Rutenberg Studio Visits,” is viewed daily by people all over the world.

Brian’s paintings are included in numerous museum collections including Yale University Gallery of Art, Bronx Museum of Art, The Butler Institute of American Art, Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Greenville County Museum of Art, The Johnson Museum at Cornell, Mattatuck Art Museum, Peabody Essex Museum of Art, and many others. Brian’s 2017 book Clear Seeing Place is an Amazon #1 bestseller and was named one of the Best Books of 2017 by Kirkus Reviews. His new monograph A Little Long Time is due out in spring 2020.

Brian is represented by Forum Gallery, New York; Jerald Melberg Gallery, Charlotte; LewAllen Gallery, Santa Fe; Nancy Toomey Fine Art, San Francisco; and Tew Galleries, Atlanta.

Links:

Brian Rutenberg's website: www.brianrutenbergart.com

Brian Rutenberg on social media: https://www.instagram.com/brianrutenberg/ https://www.facebook.com/brian.rutenberg https://twitter.com/brianrutenberg

Brian Rutenberg's Studio Visits YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnjLpl20hRnPxkQf5UvBMcw

Clear Seeing Place by Brian Rutenberg (affiliate link):https://amzn.to/31rhtq4

About the Artful Painter:

Send me an email: https://carlolson.tv/contact

My Artful Painter Sketchbooks: https://carlolson.tv/artful-painter-sketchbooks

Artful Painter website: https://theartfulpainter.com

Carl Olson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artful.creative/

Lillian Ansley is the co-founder of the Olmsted Plein Air Invitational based here in Atlanta, Georgia.

In its 5th year of operation (as of 2019), the Olmsted Plein Air Invitational is one of the most prestigious plein air painting competitions in the United States. It is held in Atlanta, Georgia each spring. Plein air painters from all over the United States and beyond are invited to this competition! This year (2019), 26 of the most esteemed contemporary artists will be painting throughout Georgia and greater metropolitan Atlanta the week of April 28 - May 5.

In this episode, Lillian pulls back the curtain and gives us an insider view of what it’s like to run a plein air event, the lessons she has learned, and the inspiration she has experienced from working with so many fine artists.

Links:

Olmsted Plein Air Invitational Website: http://www.olmstedpleinair.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olmstedpleinair/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/olmstedpleinair Twitter: https://twitter.com/OlmstedPleinAir

Episode cover art:

Atlanta Rush – 12x16" Oil Courtesy of Christine Lashley. Olmsted Plein Air Invitational 2018 "Best Light (Cezanne) Award - Jurors: Kenn Backhaus, Tim Newton, Seth Hopkins, 2018

About the Artful Painter:

Artful Painter website: https://theartfulpainter.com

Carl Olson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artful.creative/

Christine Lashley is a contemporary impressionist painter whose works have been exhibited nationally and internationally, winning many First Place awards for both landscape and figurative work. One such award she received is the 2018 Best Light in the Landscape Award at Olmsted Plein Air Invitational based here in Atlanta. The co-founder of Olmsted Plein Air - Lillian Ansley - recently introduced me to Christine and invited me to attend one of her demonstrations. That experience led to Christine graciously taking the time to talk with me in this episode.

Christine’s love of all things in nature is poetically expressed in her paintings. Plein air painting is an important part of her work. Collecting memories outdoors among nature including light, atmosphere, and geology, influence her work in the studio. The ideas she captures outdoors inspires the creating of stunning paintings that capture the beauty of a moment held in memory.

Links:

Christine Lashley’s fine art website: https://christinelashley.com

Christine’s workshop website: http://www.lashleyart.com

Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life, by Amy Herman (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/2HTs72b

Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting, by John F. Carlson (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/2FSHvtt

About the Artful Painter:

Artful Painter website: https://theartfulpainter.com

Gregory Packard is an American impressionist painter. His paintings celebrate both the medium - colorful, richly textured oil paint - and the subject. He likens impressionistic painting to capturing a fleeting moment in time. The emotion of that moment and the scene are lyrically and poetically frozen in time with Gregory's expressive brushwork. His work invokes an involuntary, visceral response from viewers. Gregory is drawn to impressionistic painting in part because of the extraordinary range of colors that can be used to represent the subject of the painting. He believes people are drawn to impressionistic paintings because they allow the viewer to inject their own meaning.

The quality of oil paint draws Gregory into a painting. He loves thick paint and the textures that can be created. Gregory loves the duality of a beautiful impressionistic painting - the intriguing abstract quality of paint viewed up close and the and the joy of seeing the subject of the painting resolve itself when you pull back.

Gregory’s journey into art began with drawing. He says his tightly rendered, realistic drawing skills that he developed early now contributes to his ability to paint very loosely. To paint a subject matter well, Gregory first tries to feel it. His approach to painting is intuitive. He paints from life, but also uses photographic references – with thoughtful awareness of their limitations and pitfalls. Greg is not to a slave to the photograph nor to the subject itself. These merely suggest what could be in a painting. His intuition and emotional response to the subject is key to the development of a painting.

Though he had dabbled with oil painting in the past - including taking a few painting classes in college - it wasn’t until later that Gregory would pursue art as a career. As improbably as it may seem, the turning point was a chance encounter of entering a gallery in Boise, Idaho, to kill time while waiting for a work meeting. Gregory saw the stunning artwork of artist Robert Moore and fell in love with his work. He immediately signed up to attend a workshop conducted by Robert Moore. On the heals of that workshop, he attended yet another workshop - this time conducted by Delbert Gish. There was no turning back. At that moment Gregory decided he was going to be a professional fine art painter. It took about five years or so of hard work and dedication to accomplish his dream of finally making a living as an artist.

I was introduced to Greg by artist Ralph Oberg who I had met up when my wife and I visited our daughter and son-in-law in Montrose, Colorado. Ralph told me about Greg and suggested that I invite him to be a guest on the Artful Painter podcast because “he’s really good.” Ralph invited me and my family to visit an annual show at a small gallery in Montrose called the Cimarron Song Gallery. The gallery is owned and operated by Gregory. Gregory and his wife bought a 100 year old building that was lying derelict, gutted it, and transformed it into a warm, inviting place to showcase his art. Cimarron Song Gallery also displays the works of other artists currently including Ralph Oberg, Shirley Novak, and Julee Hutchison. We loved the gallery and it was there that I met Gregory and his wife. We were blown away by his beautiful paintings. Ralph was right when he declared, “he is really good.”

This episode of the Artful Painter is Gregory Packard’s inspiring story.

Mentioned in the show:

Gregory Packard Fine Art: http://www.gregorypackard.com

Cimarron Song Gallery: http://www.cimarronsonggallery.com

About the Artful Painter:

Artful Painter website: https://theartfulpainter.com

Carl Olson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artful.creative/

Gàbor Svagrik is a landscape painter and instructor based in Tucson, Arizona. While adhering to the time-honored traditions and fundamentals of a long list of artists who have come before him, Gàbor readily embraces the use of technology to help design his paintings and he readily uses technology to share his knowledge of painting with other artists.

Gàbor has a passion for working with students both in person and online. He is the founder of Tucson Art Academy Online – a resource of online artist mentoring programs, community, and instructional videos. Also, along with fellow artist Phil Stark, he is a co-founder of Easel Insight. Gàbor produces podcasts and YouTube videos to help artists master the fundamentals. Not only does Gàbor teach the fundamentals of painting, he helps his students learn to use Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom to design good paintings.

As you listen to Gàbor Svagrik in this episode, you quickly sense that he has an intense desire to teach, educate, and inspire.

Mentioned in the show:

Svagrik Fine Art: http://svagrikfineart.com

Tucson Art Academy Online: http://www.tucsonartacademyonline.com

Easel Insight: https://www.easelinsight.com

Easel Insight Podcast: https://www.easelinsight.com/blog

Concept to Canvas Podcast: https://anchor.fm/gaborsvagrik

Gàbor Svagrik’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/svagrikart

How to Make a Painting, by Irving Shapiro (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/2TaKYZa

Artful Painter website: https://theartfulpainter.com

Carl Olson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artful.creative/

Jill Carver - a fine art painter based in Southwest Colorado - paints the landscape with the keen eye of an observer of nature. She paints in order to know the land.

Many painters focus on epic, sweeping vistas, stopping short of moving in closer to the subject as if they were held back by an invisible force field. Jill, on the other hand, breaks through that force field and moves the viewer in for a closer, intimate look at what others may pass by without ever noticing. By zooming into the scene, she captures the essence of the place.

Up close her paintings take on an abstract quality with rich colors, beautiful brush strokes and textures. As you pull back, her paintings resolve into a scene of contemplative beauty and thoughtfulness. Jill's paintings are a poetic expression of her deep reverence for nature and the landscape.

Jill Carver's website: http://jillcarver.com

Artful Painter website: https://theartfulpainter.com

Carl Olson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artful.creative/

Dan Young is a fine art landscape painter residing in western Colorado - a land of beautiful diverse landscapes.

Before Dan became a fine art artist, like a lot painters, he got his start in commercial illustration. His career in illustration taught him two things: 1) he drew everyday and as a result he learned to draw really well, and 2) he developed good business sense while working as a freelance illustrator. Those lessons have served him well as a fine art painter.

When selecting what to paint, Dan is keen on painting something more than just a pretty picture. He wants to evoke feelings and emotions in the viewers of his paintings. He wants the viewer to not just see the hay stacks in a Colorado field, but smell them. Not just see a snow ladened tree, but feel how cold the air is around it. Not just see a river at sunset, but feel the motion of the water. To that end, he looks for concepts and shapes and endeavors to look beyond the obvious. It’s a never ending quest, one where Dan says he is always a student.

Dan Young's website: http://www.danyoungstudio.com

Dan Young on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danyoungstudio/

Artful Painter website: https://theartfulpainter.com

Carl Olson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artful.creative/

Andrew Tischler pursues artistic truth in his painting. Currently residing in New Zealand, Andrew was born in Texas. Later, his family immigrated to Australia when he was a young child. The son of sculpturer, Andrew loved to look at his father’s art books. He became enthralled with American wildlife painter Carl Rungius. Moved by the paintings he saw, Andrew began painting at a young age, and quickly progressed to become a professional, full-time artist by the time he was 21 years of age.

Early in his career, Andrew strove to create quality paintings. In order to do that, he felt the need to work out a methodology to produce consistent quality. He became obsessed with the process of painting. Andrew likens his obsession to surfers who go around the world searching to catch the perfect wave. He is addicted to the search and the chase of an idea for a painting, and he is addicted to the feeling of making the best painting possible.

This episode clocks in at over two hours long. Andrew does not hold back! He explains where his ideas for a painting comes from and how he develops that idea. Andrews shares three questions all artists should ask when developing an idea. He says these questions have transformed his career as an artist.

Though Andrew achieve early financial success as a professional artist - like a lot of artists he was affected by the global downturn in the economy. That downturn taught him the importance of diversifying his sources of income and in this episode he explains how he has accomplished that.

Mentioned in the show:

Andrew Tischler’s website https://www.andrewtischler.com

Andrew Tischler’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg4eQuX8UoZkpZNno-eyYoQ

Andrew Tischler on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/andrew_tischler_artist/

The Creative Endeavor Podcast https://andrewtischler.podbean.com

Tom Tischler (Sculpturer, Andrew’s father) http://www.tomtischler.com

Ben Haggett’s Alla Prima Pochade Box https://allaprimapochade.com

Carl Rungius - American Wildlife Painter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Rungius

Heidelberg School (including artists Tom Roberts, Frederick McCubbin, Arthur Streeton, and Hans Heysen) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidelberg_School

Droving into the Light, by Hans Heysen (Art Gallery of Western Australia) https://nga.gov.au/exhibition/HEYSEN/Default.cfm?IRN=196937&BioArtistIRN=16602&MnuID=3&GalID=4&ViewID=2

Dr. John Demartini https://drdemartini.com

Jordan B. Peterson https://jordanbpeterson.com

Tony Robbins https://www.tonyrobbins.com

Grant Cardone https://grantcardone.com

James Schramko https://www.superfastbusiness.com

Gary Vaynerchuk https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com

Andrew Tischler’s video of portrait of Russell Petherbridge  https://youtu.be/TuGWvmvK-3w

Gothic Folly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folly

Ted Kautsky's Pencil Book https://amzn.to/2NMdoEO (affiliate link)

Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, USA https://boothmuseum.org

Edgar Payne https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Alwin_Payne

Virgil Elliott https://virgilelliott.com

Langridge Artist Colors http://langridgecolours.com

Michael Harding Handmade Artists Oil Colors https://www.michaelharding.co.uk

Gamblin Artists Colors https://www.gamblincolors.com

Old Holland Classic Colours https://www.oldholland.com

Williamsburg Handmade Oil Colors http://www.williamsburgoils.com

Vasari Classic Artists’ Oil Colors https://www.vasaricolors.com

Blockx https://www.blockx.be/en/produits/huiles.asp

Rublev https://www.naturalpigments.com/rublev-colours-oil-paints/

Art Spectrum https://artspectrum.com.au 'The Tisch' Bristle Dagger Brush Set from Rosemary & Co. https://www.rosemaryandco.com/gift-sets/the-tisch-brush-set

About The Artful Painter

Artful Painter website: https://theartfulpainter.com

Carl Olson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artful.creative/

Scott Gellatly - a landscape artist who currently resides in Portland, Oregon - provides your art lesson today in this episode of the Artful Painter. His landscapes are done both outdoors and in his studio.

Luminous, atmospheric, and dimensional - Scott calls his paintings “low-relief sculptures in pigment and color.” In each of his paintings, Scott actively works to push the parameters of the colors on his palette. He pushes colors in unexpected and surprising ways that make his artwork distinctive.

When he’s not painting, Scott has perhaps one of the coolest day jobs an artist can have: he is a Product Manager for Gamblin Artists Colors. With Gamblin, Scott has the privilege of traveling around the country teaching artists about colors and painting materials. As a product manager, Scott is actively involved in developing new products for artists at Gamblin.

Scott's intimate knowledge of pigments, colors, mediums and substrates coalesce into a celebration of paint – a celebration he generously invites us all to share in.

Mentioned in the show:

Scott Gellatly's website: http://www.scottgellatly.com

Scott Gellatly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scottgellatly/

Gamblin Artists Colors: https://www.gamblincolors.com

Gamblin Experience Color: https://www.gamblincolors.com/experiencecolor/

Olmsted Plein Air Invitational: http://www.olmstedpleinair.com

Artist Brian Rutenberg: http://www.brianrutenbergart.com

Artful Painter website: https://theartfulpainter.com

Carl Olson on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artful.creative/