Dan Schultz Fine Art

Click here to read my latest email newsletter! This newsletter has the show results from the Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters National Show, including details about an award I received, as well as details about my upcoming painting workshops in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Casper, Wyoming; and Cochrane, Alberta, Canada. There is also information about the upcoming Windows to the Divine plein air show in Evergreen, Colorado. This month’s featured painting is Desert Clouds (pictured). Enjoy the newsletter!

This month’s featured painting is Desert Clouds (pictured). This painting was inspired by a trip to the Moab, Utah area including Arches National Park. The dynamic design is what I was after in this piece, as well as the challenge to achieve depth without much color change from foreground to background. I especially enjoyed accenting the foreground rocky hillside with brushwork and thick paint, which you can get a better look at by clicking here.

Desert Clouds is available now, including its handmade frame, for $1,400 from my studio; reply to this post or click here to contact me about it. See more new paintings at my recent artwork page.

If you’re not on my email list, but would like to receive my newsletters in your inbox, just visit my contact page to send me your information and I’ll add your email address to the list.

Last weekend I was fortunate to be able to attend a paint-out organized by Passport and Palette®, a television series featuring plein air painter Kevin Macpherson, landscape and still life artist, Joe Anna Arnett, watercolor specialist, James Asher and outdoor painter, Kenn Backhaus. The event was held in Denver’s Civic Center Park where I was able to snap a few photos of Kevin Macpherson as he painted the Capitol building. I also got a photo of Dena Kirk working on her painting (she recently won First Place out of over 200 paintings at the Women Artists of the West 40th National Juried Exhibition). I enjoyed panting as well, along with many other painters who were able to attend.

Unlike other painting programs, Passport & Palette® presents viewers with timeless principles of art using beautiful subjects and destinations to illustrate these ideas. Even those who do not paint will appreciate this classic and artistic way of seeing the world. Cameras follow the artists as they travel to picturesque locations in France, Switzerland, Guatemala, Italy, Canada and the United States, in the series’ first season and select their painting subjects and create new works of art – landscapes, still lifes and portraits. Episodes include tips and insights about the choice of materials, composition, and methods of capturing light, motion and mood. Along the way, the artists discuss their unique approaches to their work, as well as their mental process, influences and style.

Check the TV listings on their website to see when you can catch the show in your area.

Figuring out the best way to paint from photos in the studio has been a long-time challenge for many artists. Some artists feel that painting from photos is too much of a departure from the influence of experiencing scenes and painting them in person, so they never refer to photos while painting. I’ve found in my work that photos are a great help, especially when painting large canvases that incorporate figures. The key for me to maintain spontaneity and looseness in my studio paintings is to practice working from life as often as possible. I’ll either venture outdoors for some plein air painting, visit a local life drawing session or hire a model for this vital experience (at least weekly if possible). Photos do tend to fall short in many areas, which is where my experiences painting from life really become beneficial.

Lately I’ve learned that many artists are using their computer screens or LCD TVs as a way to display photos from which to paint. I’ve been painting from the screen of my 23″ iMac for the past several months, but I recently moved into a new studio and left my iMac at home. I decided to buy some sort of LCD screen to use in my new studio, and ended up with a 22″ LCD HDTV from Samsung. I then use a component cable attached to my iPod Touch to display the photos on the TV screen. The picture quality of the TV is great and the screen produces nice, vibrant colors. The TV allows me to maintain the colors that I saw on my iMac at home–a great improvement over the times when I used to print out a photo on my printer. I was always having to make major color corrections while painting from a printed photo in order to try to match the colors that I liked in the photo as displayed on my iMac. So the LCD TV seems to be working well in my studio painting process.

How are you using technology in your studio to give you the best painting experience? Do you find that technology is helping you as you create your artwork?

Click here to read my latest email newsletter! This newsletter has information about the upcoming Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters National Show, as well as details about my upcoming painting workshops in Colorado Springs, Colorado; Casper, Wyoming; and Cochrane, Alberta, Canada. I’ve also included information this month about the new posts I’ve begun on my blog that give information about some of the materials and equipment I use.

This month’s featured painting is Late Afternoon (pictured). I painted this piece during a visit to Garden of the Gods here in Colorado Springs with a small group of artist friends. Garden of the Gods has so many beautiful areas that make great painting spots. That particular day we chose this meadow full of Juniper trees which required great control during the painting process in order to keep them simple. Trees can easily become overworked, but they are some of my favorite things to paint outdoors. Click here to see close-ups of Late Afternoon.

Late Afternoon is available now, including its handmade frame, for $700 from my studio; reply to this post or click here to contact me about it. See more new paintings at my recent artwork page.

If you’re not on my email list, but would like to receive my newsletters in your inbox, just visit my contact page to send me your information and I’ll add your email address to the list.

Here’s a photo of a new painting that I’m working on in the studio. It’s a 16″ x 12″ that I’m hoping to use as one of my entries for the 2010 American Impressionist Society National Show.