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“My Art Journey: Painting and Perspectives"
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The Perfect Baby Gift – Why a Landscape Painting is Just Right
A landscape painting makes a unique and timeless baby gift, offering a personal and sentimental touch that a child can grow into. Imagine giving a baby their very first oil painting. It is a piece that evolves from nursery décor to a lifelong keepsake. Landscapes are calming, universal, and abstract enough to spark creativity. As a daily painter, I love creating textured, impressionistic pieces with palette knives that feel both meaningful and fun. Art is more than decoration, it is a connection, a gift that stands the test of time and grows with the child, sharing something meaningful beyond mere aesthetics.
Landscape Painting Process: Chaos, Lines, and Instinct
My landscape art process is driven by rhythm, instinct, and letting the canvas guide me, without following any rules. I paint anywhere—beaches, foothills, fields—because the location doesn't matter. It's all about the lines, colors, and the rhythm of the process. Painting is trial and error; I put paint down, move it around, and stop when I'm too tired to keep going, then grab another canvas.
Finding Reality in Abstract Painting
I’m not painting exact scenes or locations – it's more like closing my eyes and feeling the ocean, imagining that wild surf crashing, the water swirling, the waves pulling back and then charging forward again. To me, it’s about capturing that raw, alive feeling of being in that moment – like standing chest-deep in the ocean, completely lost in it
Capturing the Spirit of Agriculture in Paint
"Facing West" captures the essence of farmland life, honoring the connection between land and people with textured layers and bold colors that pulse with the same energy that drives the fields. More than a landscape, "Facing West" is a tribute to the farmers and the resilient relationship they hold with the land—every stroke is a thank-you to their labor and love. This painting is about more than what the fields look like; it’s about how they feel—alive, enduring, and tied to the heartbeat of the land, honoring both the beauty and hard work behind it.
Painting Autumn: the Season’s Changing Beauty
Painting fall outdoors feels like capturing a fleeting moment in motion. Each brushstroke brings the unpredictability of the season to life, reflecting that hesitant quality—the unsure, unfolding beauty that makes autumn feel alive. With thick, impasto strokes, I let the deep, warm colors of fall spill across the canvas. It’s more than copying nature; it’s celebrating the bold arrival of amber and gold against the memory of summer’s green, each stroke a burst of change. Embracing fall’s tentative nature, my paintings capture its quiet start and the energy in every fading leaf. It’s raw, a bit messy, and all about bringing autumn’s hesitant hand to life.
Turning Maps into Art: A Commission to Remember
Maps are like art—they show more than just geography; they capture how a place feels. In this commission, the colors and shapes of counties felt like pieces of a bigger story. Seeing my client hang California’s map in his Florida home (and vice versa!) made me realize that maps can create new ways of seeing home. Each place carries its own poetry, and that’s what I wanted to capture
How Two Artists See the Same Scene Differently
It's amusing how my wife and I, despite being in the same place, viewing the same landscape, always seem to have different focal points. I find myself gazing at the horizon, while she's pointing out a bird nestled in a tree. This difference is reflected in our art—her paintings are meticulously detailed, while mine focus on the broader picture. When I paint, I'm not aiming for a precise representation of what I saw. Instead, I'm capturing the emotions evoked by the scene—the colors, shapes, and lines. My wife paints what she observes, every tiny detail, while I paint my interpretation of the vast, open landscape. It's intriguing how we can both look at the same thing and arrive at entirely different perspectives. That's what I appreciate about art—there's no definitive right or wrong approach. It's about capturing what you see and how it affects you.
“The Story of Creating “Air Going South’”
Standing in front of my easel while working on ‘Air Going South,’ I feel a deep connection to the creative process. Each stroke of the palette knife tells a story of choices made in the moment, blending intention with freedom. This abstract landscape painting by John Robertson captures the beauty of exploration and the courage to embrace the unexpected, revealing a scene that feels both familiar and new.
"Exploring Abstract Landscape Art: A Journey of Truth and Emotion"
Abstract art is not about reproducing reality; it’s about capturing emotions and feelings, bringing them to life on canvas. Aesthetics are key—before the mind tries to make sense of it, the artwork must first catch the eye with its shapes and colors. Often, the patterns in abstract art stem from nature, reflecting the artist’s subconscious connection to the world around them.
"Calm and Commanding" – A Journey in Art
This painting is more than just a depiction of a rolling hill; it’s an exploration of something deeper, resulting in a piece that felt more like me—genuine and connected to what I wanted to express. It speaks to anyone who’s ever stood at a crossroads, contemplating the path ahead.
"Exploring the Cathartic, Expressive Nature of Art
Art has a unique power to cleanse and renew the spirit. "On the Horizon" reflects this process through rough textures and sweeping lines. This painting is a journey of letting go and embracing the courage to express originality, evoking emotions that connect us to something deeper.