Artful Painter

Mitch Baird is a passionate representational painter. He believes that painting is a celebration of life and the beauty that surrounds us. He is devoted to the traditions of the late 19th century artists who looked to the figure and nature for inspiration regarding light, color, and design. Seeking out this inspiration, Mitch works directly from life to capture the qualities and nuances of natural...

G. Russell Case is a Western painter inspired by the beauty of creation. Based in Utah, he brings to life the epic landscapes that surround him with a confident voice honed with humility and reverence. His carefully contemplated design incorporates unique vantage points that convey a sense of the smallness of man amidst the vastness of the landscape. The geology of deep canyons, ancient mesas, and...

Kyle Buckland's bold paintings are deeply rooted in the philosophy and approach of the impressionists. As a teenager, his interest in art began to edge out the interests of most youth - skateboarding, team sports, or playing in a band. He became an art nerd in high school, using every available moment to devour the small selection of art books found in his school library. He didn't just read books...

Steven Walker captures the essence of the impressions of a long meditative walk along the back alley street of a small town or a quiet, rural road. His paintings often capture the warm light of the golden hour just after sunrise or just before sunset. Long shadows and warm glowing light arrest the eye in a narrative to be completed by the viewer. As the sun sets, and streetlights flicker on, Steve...

Gàbor Svagrik presents Ralph Oberg, Matt Smith, Skip Whitcomb, and Dan Young in Four Directions - Common Paths. The Artful Painter has reached a new milestone: this is episode number 50. The first episode was published a little over two years ago in September of 2018 featuring artist Ralph Oberg. The idea to do this show began to form after I attended a week-long event sponsored by the Booth Museu...

Paul Foropoulos is a Greek artist born on the tiny, beautiful island of Samos, Greece. Today, he and his wife divide their time between their home in Clearwater, Florida, and Samos, Greece. Not only does he paint, but he is also a sculptor, he designs jewelry, and he teaches art classes in his own fine art studio classroom. Paul is an avid scuba diver and loves to paint the extraordinary underwate...

Stephen C. Datz paints the American Western landscape in his own clear voice. Strong, angular design, rich harmonious colors, and a striking interpretation of the landscape are hallmarks of Stephen's style. It took hard work and determination on his part to get here. In this episode, Stephen talks about how his unique voice developed. He was frustrated by how unprepared he was to make a living in...

Lorenzo Chavez paints the American Western landscape with passion. As he applies each stroke of color – whether he is using pastels or oil paint – he intimately captures the textures of the landscape. His emotional response to the colors, textures and light of the western landscape inspire him to paint. However, it is not so much the grandiose vistas that the West is famously known for that draws...

Jeffrey T. Larson's evocative paintings are stunning visual essays of beauty. His contemporary paintings are deeply rooted in academic realism. Because of the extremes in seasons in his home state of Minnesota, Jeffrey spends his time painting outdoors in its all-too-brief warm summers. His outdoor paintings glow and shimmer with the drama of light. Whether the scene is of a woman silhouetted agai...

Dan McCaw believes that art is a "collaboration between the heart and mind." The result of that often contentious, frustrating collaboration are paintings that expose the artist's soul. Dan's paintings are rich with thick texture, vibrant colors, and strong contrasts. As a contemporary impressionist painter, his works are highly sought out by collectors and people who love art. His paintings dance...

Alex Hillkurtz is a renowned storyboard artist for feature films, television, and commercials. His film credits include Argo, Almost Famous, It's Complicated, and many others. In contrast to the fast-paced world of storyboarding, Alex enjoys the slower pace of sketching and painting in watercolors. He lives in Paris, France - a city that provides an endless source of inspiration for Alex's archite...

Bill Anton was the first professional painter I ever met. It was a chance encounter. In the late 1990's my family and I were vacationing in Jackson, Wyoming. One evening I decided to walk into one of the several art galleries that lined the square. It was intimidating, as I had never set foot in an art gallery before. As my eyes adjusted to the interior lighting of Trailside Gallery, I became enth...

Len Chmiel has no interest in merely copying what he sees. He says that he allows his "intuition to speak." His intention is to expand the boundaries of realism rather than merely painting a facsimile. While many artists lament having artist's block or a lack of inspirational ideas, Len is not one of them. He is keenly interested in all that is around him and the possibilities that they present. H...

TJ Cunningham grew up in Vermont in an area that was also a favorite place for Aldro Hibbard and Emile Gruppé to paint. If you have ever visited that part of Vermont as my wife and I did a few years ago, you probably call to mind the beautiful hills, mountains, woods, and streams. And nestled snuggly in that beautiful setting are the small farms graced with red barns and cozy homes that beckon to...

John Pototschnik is a fine art painter who resides in Wylie, Texas. As a young boy, his parents instilled in him a strong work ethic. Doing chores, selling his mother's cookies door-to-door, and having a newspaper route – all these experiences would lay the foundation for how John approaches the work of being a professional artist today. He began his professional career as an illustrator. The disc...

DK Palecek is a painter who embraces her left-brain-centric worldview. Starting with degrees in both Math and Finance, she worked as a mathematician, served as an investment banker, became a venture capitalist, and is a serial entrepreneur. In that career trajectory, painting fine art was the farthest thing from her logical, left-brain mind. And yet, she was smitten by the beauty of fine art. Abou...

Bryan Mark Taylor is no stranger to many outdoor painters. He's the inventor of the outdoor painting system STRADA Easel. He's a remarkably versatile painter adept at painting landscapes, urban and architectural scenes, the still life, and highly imaginative scenes with a science fiction flare. Bryan's deep love of travel moves him to paint evocative images full of mystery, awe, and reverence for...

Amanda Lovett says she "grew up in a family of storytellers; people who could take a moment in time and make it come to life using words." She says, "It didn't take me long to realize that this trait is a part of my genetic code as well. I too tell stories, only I use paint, light and shape to bring them to life. It's about being in the moment, breaking down what I see and giving my brush a chance...

Crista Pisano was born and raised in northern New Jersey and began painting in oils in 1989 under the instruction of John Phillip Osborne at the Ridgewood Art Institute in Ridgewood, NJ. Her career as a painter almost didn't happen because as a young child she had her heart set on being a ballet dancer. At twelve years of age she nixed that idea and decided it wasn't for her. Crista's mother sugge...

Kathleen Hudson's paintings capture fleeting moments of light and atmosphere. She says, "My paintings represent specific places and moments in time: the brief point during a sunrise when the sun fills the air with an ethereal golden glow; a break in a storm where light pierces through heavy clouds; or the sight of glacial runoff sending waterfalls down the side of a mountain wreathed in fog." Kath...

Jill Steenhuis is an American Impressionist painter – originally from Atlanta, Georgia, who now lives in Aix-en-Provence, France. It's been her home for over three decades. Her unexpected journey there is a fascinating story. When she was just eight years old, her mother died. Her mother's death left an enormous void in her life. Being creative helped fill part of that void. When Jill turned sixte...

John P. Lasater IV is a representational painter whose works are a synthesis of nature, perception, and deep roots in art history. And by deep roots, I mean, he's not fixated on the 19th century triumvirate of Sargent, Sorolla, and Zorn. Though he appreciates what each of them have accomplished, John seeks to study other artists who practiced their craft over the centuries. By not limiting himself...

Cynthia Rosen would rather paint outdoors working on location. Her paintings radiate an exuberant celebration of sparkling light, brilliant colors, and a world in motion. Cynthia's marks are made boldly, with confidence, using a palette knife to apply luscious thick blocks of colors. Though she went to school to study art when she was younger, Cynthia put on pause painting while teaching and raisi...

Suzie Baker's paintings are full of light, color, and texture. Her paintings fill the viewer with questions, with the whole story not revealed. She seeks to evoke a response from the viewer by not filling in all the blanks. Her technique is loose, painterly, and impressionistic. Yet, she does not let one technique or style constrain her art - she experiments and pushes boundaries. The result is co...

Kyle Ma is an extraordinary artist and a student of geology. His keen observation skills are honed by his geoscience training at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. Whether he paints the figure, the landscape, or florals, his confident brush work and solid drawing skills expertly express his emotional response to what he sees. Kyle believes inspiration can truly be pulled from anything or an...