Why is it important to lift up certain elements while playing down others? In this episode Matt Smith dives into the difference between active and passive areas of a scene and why it is important to consolidate and highlight rather than to directly render what is in font of you.

About the Artist: Matt Smith earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting from Arizona State University. Somewhat frustrated with the abstract focus of the program at ASU he began looking to outside sources for inspiration and guidance. These sources included fellow artists, fine galleries and museums. This is where his "real" education began. These days, Matt can often be found painting en Plein air from southern Arizona to the Canadian Rockies, from the California coast to the Rocky Mountains. "I appreciate traditional landscape painting and I am inspired by the pristine landscapes of the American West.  I enjoy working in areas where one can travel for miles without seeing the influence of man.  When I paint, I feel I've hit the mark when I've captured a balance between mood, look and feel.

If you are interested in more free content make sure to visit our blog at https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/blog

For more from Matt Smith see https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/matt-smith-online-workshop

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In this episode sculptor Simon Kogan reminiscences on how he got into carving wood sculptures and offers some tips for anyone who is curious about doing the same. 

About the Artist: Since immigrating to the U.S. in 1991, [Simon Kogan] has steadily risen to national prominence as a sculptor whose widely acclaimed work - monumental to miniature - reflects a bold, yet poetic pursuit of the archetypal and renders an ethereal quality highly resonant with the viewer. A Fellow of the National Sculpture Society, Simon Kogan has long shared his artistic passion through the teaching of sculpture, painting, anatomy and drawing in the U.S. and abroad.

If you are interested in Simon's mentioning course, or other offers through TAAO visit: https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/simon-kogan-online-figure-sculpting-workshop-course

and https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/simon-kogan-portraits

If you are interested in more free content from TAAO make sure to visit our blog at: https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/blog

https://www.instagram.com/taaonline/

https://business.facebook.com/TucsonArtAcademyOnline

We all use photographs in the studio as references for our paintings, but photos can often distort the scene. In this episode, Skip Whitcomb and Gabor go over the key principles of amending camera distortion so that you can get the most out of your reference photos. 

About the Artist: An accomplished outdoor painter, Whitcomb has received numerous awards for his landscape paintings in oil and pastel, his work resides in major public and private collections.  He has had several one-man shows and participated in numerous gallery invitational and museum exhibitions throughout the country. Graduated Art Center College of Design. “Mood and feeling are more important with Whitcomb than visual reference, though all of his landscapes he paints are compelling places,” says one museum curator.  “The detail of the physical world is subdued in response to the spiritual one.”  Whitcomb says, “Once you internalize the language of painting you see the world differently.  It never leaves you.  The veil of rational order is lifted and what hangs in the air are sensations of painted possibilities.  On good days, some would call it poetry.”

If you are interested in Skip's mentioning course, visit: https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/skip-whitcomb-color-painting-online-art-workshop

If you are interested in more free content from TAAO make sure to visit our blog at: https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/blog

https://www.instagram.com/taaonline/

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As Spring enrollment for our 365 Day Online Mentorship Courses kicks off, we are here in the studio with Matt Smith, who wanted to discuss a common pitfall he sees many of his students falling into: Letting your reference dominate how you paint. He suggests that instead of documenting what is in front of you, try celebrating it. 

About the Artist: Matt Smith earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting from Arizona State University. Somewhat frustrated with the abstract focus of the program at ASU he began looking to outside sources for inspiration and guidance. These sources included fellow artists, fine galleries and museums. This is where his "real" education began.

If you are interested in more free content make sure to visit our blog at https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/blog

For more from Matt Smith see https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/matt-smith-online-workshop

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/taaonline/

Facebook https://business.facebook.com/TucsonArtAcademyOnline

In this in depth discussion between renowned sculptor Simon Kogan and Gabor, the two explore the importance of being able to draw as a sculptor as well as the artistic relationship between sculpting and drawing. 

About the Artist: Since immigrating to the U.S. in 1991, [Simon Kogan] has steadily risen to national prominence as a sculptor whose widely acclaimed work - monumental to miniature - reflects a bold, yet poetic pursuit of the archetypal and renders an ethereal quality highly resonant with the viewer. A Fellow of the National Sculpture Society, Simon Kogan has long shared his artistic passion through the teaching of sculpture, painting, anatomy and drawing in the U.S. and abroad.

If you are interested in Simon's mentioning course, or other offers through TAAO visit: https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/simon-kogan-online-figure-sculpting-workshop-course

and https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/simon-kogan-portraits

If you are interested in more free content from TAAO make sure to visit our blog at: https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/blog

https://www.instagram.com/taaonline/

https://business.facebook.com/TucsonArtAcademyOnline

Incorporating too much detail into a painting can be an issue that trips many artists up, so Gabor and Skip Whitcomb discuss his philosophy of simplicity.

About the Artist: An accomplished outdoor painter, Whitcomb has received numerous awards for his landscape paintings in oil and pastel, his work resides in major public and private collections.  He has had several one-man shows and participated in numerous gallery invitational and museum exhibitions throughout the country. Graduated Art Center College of Design. “Mood and feeling are more important with Whitcomb than visual reference, though all of his landscapes he paints are compelling places,” says one museum curator.  “The detail of the physical world is subdued in response to the spiritual one.”  Whitcomb says, “Once you internalize the language of painting you see the world differently.  It never leaves you.  The veil of rational order is lifted and what hangs in the air are sensations of painted possibilities.  On good days, some would call it poetry.”

If you are interested in Skip's mentioning course, visit: https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/skip-whitcomb-color-painting-online-art-workshop

If you are interested in more free content from TAAO make sure to visit our blog at: https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/blog

https://www.instagram.com/taaonline/

https://business.facebook.com/TucsonArtAcademyOnline

Founder of TAAO, Gábor Svagrik, offers some clever pointers on drawing animals from life.

About the Artist: Gábor Svagrik was born in Szeged, Hungary. His family immigrated to the United States and settled in Illinois. Svagrik studied at the American Academy of Art in Chicago where he was fortunate to study with nationally recognized watercolorist Irving Shapiro who stressed the importance of composition, design, and drawing. Svagrik devoted his studies to life drawing and illustration and went on to join the Palette & Chisel in Chicago. He always found the pure and simple beauty in masters of the past such as Daniel Garber, Frits Thaulow, Ernest L. Blumenschein, and Edgar Payne.Svagrik eventually found his way west to Arizona where he spends his time as a dedicated painter. He also occasionally teaches workshops around the world, but mostly teaches Online art courses through the Tucson Art Academy Online which he founded in 2008 and owns with his wife, Christine.  

Find out more about our Mentorship Courses here: https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/courses

If you are interested in more free content from TAAO make sure to visit our blog at: https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/blog

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Everyone wants their paintings to look light and bright, but often times overuse or improper use of the color white can lead to everything looking chalky. In this more technical episode, Gabor and Bill Anton dive into the best practices for painting with white.

About the Artist: When Bill committed to painting full-time, he studied under Michael Lynch and Ned Jacob, who encouraged him to paint from life. Anton's work has been published in Southwest Art, Architectural Digest, Art of the West, Equine Images, Western Horseman and Art-Talk. He was featured on the cover of the April 2006 American Artist magazine. Corporate collections that include his work are Sears, Dupont, State Farm Insurance, Bank of America, Hewlett Packard, and Trust Company of the West. His award winning work has been displayed at the Prix de West at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Master of the American West at The Autry Museum, The National Center for American Western Art, The Old West Museum and The National Museum of Wildlife Art. In addition, his work is in the permanent collection of the prestigious Gilcrease Museum.

You learn more about Bill Anton here on his website: https://www.billantonstudio.com/

To learn more about his Retrospective on view at the Desert Caballeros Museum: https://westernmuseum.org/exhibition/bill-anton-paints-the-west/

If you are interested in more free content from TAAO make sure to visit our blog at: https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/blog

https://www.instagram.com/taaonline/

https://business.facebook.com/TucsonArtAcademyOnline

Founder of TAAO Gabor Svagrik discusses the positive impacts of incorporating North light into your studio.

Find out more about our Mentorship Courses here: https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/courses

If you are interested in more free content from TAAO make sure to visit our blog at: https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/blog

https://www.instagram.com/taaonline/

https://business.facebook.com/TucsonArtAcademyOnline

Have you ever felt too uninspired to paint or lack the motivation to get back in the studio? In this episode Gabor and Bill talk through the ways he overcomes "painter's block" to get creativity flowing. 

About the Artist: When Bill committed to painting full-time, he studied under Michael Lynch and Ned Jacob, who encouraged him to paint from life. Anton's work has been published in Southwest Art, Architectural Digest, Art of the West, Equine Images, Western Horseman and Art-Talk. He was featured on the cover of the April 2006 American Artist magazine. Corporate collections that include his work are Sears, Dupont, State Farm Insurance, Bank of America, Hewlett Packard, and Trust Company of the West. His award winning work has been displayed at the Prix de West at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Master of the American West at The Autry Museum, The National Center for American Western Art, The Old West Museum and The National Museum of Wildlife Art. In addition, his work is in the permanent collection of the prestigious Gilcrease Museum.

You learn more about Bill Anton here on his website: https://www.billantonstudio.com/

To learn more about his Retrospective on view at the Desert Caballeros Museum: https://westernmuseum.org/exhibition/bill-anton-paints-the-west/

If you are interested in more free content from TAAO make sure to visit our blog at: https://tucsonartacademyonline.com/blog

https://www.instagram.com/taaonline/

https://business.facebook.com/TucsonArtAcademyOnline