Landscape

I find painting landscapes relaxing and meditative. It is impossible to render the incredible beauty of nature, we can only try to recreate it, being very humble in our ambitions.

What really helps me is the direct observation of nature and learning from nature.
We, artists, don't have to copy a scene, because our mission is to create an emotional response to the scene and try to express our own unique vision.
Another important skill we have to learn is the art of simplification! And always remember: less is more!

Before you start painting a landscape, there is so much to consider, even if it is from a reference photo: the effect of light, the interplay of light and shadow, the atmospheric conditions, the dance of the colours in the light, reflected light, soft, hard and lost and found edge are all so impactful on the result you want to achieve.
There are so many theories on how to paint a beautiful landscape..., but there is no magic formula! My way is using the blueprint of the process of painting that I have learnt from my amazing teachers combined with a direct observation of nature herself. Lots of squinting technique to see the big value shapes is involved here!