Artists Magazine

When 18th-century British explorer Captain James Cook set out in 1768 to chart parts of the Pacific Ocean, the crew of the HMS Endeavor included not only sailors but scientists and artists who made records of the plants and animals they encountered.

having dealt with the closing of indoor restaurants and theaters this year, many of us are all the more appreciative of outdoor recreation. We’ve seen everything from dining to spinning classes move into the open. Even drive-in movie theaters have ex

t his year, we’ve all been dealing with unforeseen circumstances due to a particularly problematic virus. For some artists, life with social distancing has been a gift, allowing more time for exploration and creation. For others, however, anxiety and

“There’s always a space between my hand and the surface of the painting where creativity hovers expectantly before taking shape. Mystery lives in that split second between a thought and a mark, between imagination and reality.” ■

“The actual physical space between the layers of mixed media and the ground upon which artists paint is so tiny, yet the feeling of space one can create visually can appear to be immense! This happens by manipulating the elements of art—color, edges,

During the summer of 2021, Lyn Asselta (lynasselta.com), Dawn Emerson (dawnemerson.com) and Aline Ordman (alineordman.com)—all Master Pastelists of the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS)—will be instructors for the IAPS Pastel Immer

“Looking at Henri Matisse’s 1919 painting, Tea, in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, I imagine a late summer afternoon in my grandmother’s backyard. My grandmother, the figure with the masklike face, turns to greet me with the s

I’m always telling the students in my art classes, “Your images with personal meaning are your symbols.” Discovering that personal meaning, and ultimately your own symbols, is a journey to the heart. The work requires some soul-searching, but it’s a

My wife and I have been traveling across the United States since last May, living on the road in a 2003 Dodge Roadtrek. This new “studio-on-wheels” setup has completely changed my art practice. I went from working in the comfort of a home studio with

After looking at the landscape for a few minutes, I realized what I loved about it and made four thumbnail sketches with charcoal in my sketchbook. First, I asked myself a couple of questions: What are the different masses or tonal areas that I’m enj

The assessment of an artwork’s quality is often a matter of opinion, but one quick way often used to gauge the worth of a painting is to ask whether the artist is famous. This method infers that the more famous the painter, the better the painting. T

THE ARTWORK OF MARGARET MINARDI presents images that explore and reveal the psychological states of her sitters. Using dynamic posing and lighting, the artist draws and paints with a compelling realism to create memorable and affecting presences. Oft

It was still dark in New York City when artist Jane Rosenberg (janerosenbergart.com) arose on a chilly, overcast morning in early November 2018. Her destination was the Brooklyn federal courthouse, where she got in the line forming on the sidewalk al

Surface: 140-lb. cold-pressed rag paper (usually Arches bright white) or Saunders Waterford 200-lb. cold-pressed paper Paint: watercolors (as seen in photo arranged left to right): ultramarine blue, Winsor violet, quinacridone violet, permanent rose

Many landscape artists are well acquainted with the mix of joy and challenge that can characterize an outdoor painting session, but painting on-site in Antarctica and the Arctic regions is taking plein air to a whole new level. Canadian watercolorist

After nearly circumnavigating Antarctica, so many places have become special, but my favorite painting spot is Petermann Island, just south of the Lemaire Channel on the Antarctic Peninsula. The views of the continent rising out of the ocean provide

Although Erika Stearly’s depictions of interior spaces feel alive in a way that stirs a sense of story, the artist’s creative focus is directed less on the narrative element in these images and more on the means and media she uses to depict them. Ste

“Take a Painting” is an interactive painting installation that Stearly launched in 2013 as part of her MFA thesis work. Every day after class, Stearly would sit in a coffee shop down the street from her studio and make intricate doodles with Sharpie

Every year, Artists Magazine invites developing artists—age 16 and up—to enter the Student Division of the Annual Art Competition. This year’s winners not only demonstrate proficiency in such fundamentals as design and draftsmanship, but they also sh

with the shortening days of autumn and the year drawing to a close, many people find themselves in a contemplative mood. This is an excellent time to review the events of the last 12 months and share your impressions with your artistic allies and adv

Artists never stop learning. Each new painting or drawing can bring another revelation, but when you want to learn more about a specific technique, medium or style, you can’t do better than to take a workshop. Start planning now. On the following pag

“Soaring high above a frozen marsh, a hawk searches for prey along the shores of Edo Bay in this famous design by Hiroshige [Japanese, 1797–1858]. The surprising, unconventional perspectives and dramatic cropping in his print series made the familiar