The 2023 Lake Superior Art Association Members Show reception and awards ceremony was held on March 9th. This event was well attended by artists and art lovers alike.

My painting “Bend in the Gorge” took the first place prize!

Art is subjective. There are some absolutely amazing pieces in this show. I was a juror once, and I know how difficult it can be to choose the “best”. I want to congratulate everyone who participated, and of course the other prize winners.

I’ve been neglecting my blog

The last time I posted an entry here was in the summer of 2022, just before Art on the Rocks.

I have been busy.

I guess it’s time I catch up!

Remember, I accept commissions!

I can often accept custom commissions throughout the year. Here are a few that I did in 2022: a memory of a sister, a badass burger, and two very different hounds.

2023 is off to a good start already. I’ve sold a few pieces, and I’ve got a future large commission lined up for the summer! More on that as it develops.
I’ll try to keep up with this blog, and update it more often. If you want, you can follow me on Instagram. I post most frequently there. Find me at https://www.instagram.com/artofjohnfrench/

My process of creating a landscape painting

Imagine taking a walk in the wooded hills in Northern Michigan, or the high desert gorges in New Mexico, or even among the concrete and glass mountains of Chicago. You round a corner, or crest a hill, and you gasp at the view before you. What do you do? You pause, and take in the scene. You snap a picture. You inhale the view and exhale some stress.

And, if you’re like me, you create a painting!

“How long did it take?” “How do you get your inspiration?” Where is this?” “Is this a real place?”

People ask me questions like this quite often about my landscape paintings.These are great questions! These folks are truly interested in the work, and in many cases, about the process. People want to know what it takes to get my art from my busy brain to the finished painting on display before them.

There is a lot that goes into a single painting, often before the brushwork and color mixing even starts.

My landscape paintings usually start with movement, and getting outside. That movement could be a walk, a ride in the car, or sometimes even an airplane ride. Wherever I go, I’m always looking around. 

If something catches my eye, I take a picture. I take tons of pictures. This part is so much easier than it used to be! With such a nice camera on my cell phone, I can take as many pictures as I want, and see them immediately. If I don’t like the photo, I delete it.

I also observe, and take mental notes, My photos are for reference only; they serve to jog my memory. Nothing beats observation, memory, and creative imagination. Often, when I look at a scene, I imagine what brush I’d use, and what colors I would mix. I guess in my head, I’m always painting.

I thought it would be fun to follow my process on a single painting.

The painting is called “Faltering Giant” This is a scene from the coast near Lake Superior. There is a sandy path called the Songbird Trail that winds along a creek, through tall red pines, to Lake Superior and back. The trees reach to the sky like columns from some ancient temple. They flank the trail like giants, quietly watching as they have for decades. 

This scene caught my eye as a nearly fallen pine made a diagonal line, interrupting the vertical stripes made by the surrounding trees.

I took a photo, made some metal notes, and finished the walk.

Back to the art studio

Sometimes a scene is in my heart and mind, constantly nagging me to put it on canvas. It occupies my thoughts. I’m obsessed with it. I plan my color scheme,and I already know what brushes I’ll use. These are the easy ones to create. These paintings flow from the tubes and onto the canvas with little effort. 

Other times, I’ll want and need to paint, but I won’t have a particular scene in mind. I’ll go through my pictures, trying to decide which to do next. I don’t have a shortage of material! The hardest part is not finding something to paint, but deciding which of my snapshots to paint next.

This scene was the former; it kept popping into my mind. I couldn’t wait to start on it.

I thought this should be a larger piece, regal and grand, like the tall red pines are in real life. So I chose an 18×24 inch canvas, which is bigger than what I usually paint on.

Let the Painting Begin!

I started out by toning the canvas.

Some artists tone their canvases with thinned paint before they start the creative part of the piece. Lately, artists are starting to understand the dangers of long term exposure to paint thinners, and they will scrub in the tone with a stiff brush. Others chose to do this step in acrylics. 

Some neutralize the white canvas with a gray wash or scrub. Others “warm up” the canvas with an umber wash. I’ve seen some artists tone the canvas with red, allowing some of these bits of warm and bright show through the final piece.

I generally choose to tone my canvas with masses of color that  more or less match the hues of the final painting. This provides a good color foundation and compositional framework as I develop the scene.

 

My next step is to start adding the darks.

At this point, I start working in some darks. I sketch in some major elements and define shapes. This further strengthens the composition.  

I usually mix up a real dark purple, or a dark green.  I rarely use black out of the tube, though lately I’ve started experimenting with ivory black on some paintings. 

The choice of dark color depends on how I think the final painting should look. Sometimes, the dark will vary from one area of the same piece to another. 

A Dance of Light and Shadow

From here on out, the painting will be a push-pull dance between lights and darks, with each layer offsetting and enhancing the one before. 

So at this point, I start bringing out some light. Using my photo reference, memory, and imagination, I decide where the sunlight may be touching, and where it isn’t.

Then I follow with more darks as needed, then more lights, on and on until the scene feels right. 

This painting could be done now. The scene is well laid out, the tone is set, the compositional framework is built and finished. 

Details Define

The finishing touches are important to me. The details define the scene. This is what makes me feel like I’m there again. I render the bark on the trees, add in some thin branches and twigs, and illuminate the whole thing with some final highlights. 

When the painting says what I want it to say, I stop and sign my name.

For me, there’s more to this than a straightforward work of art. I see a mighty being that has faltered, almost fallen. Yet it’s being held up by the giants around him. 

Hence the title “Faltered Giants”

This means a lot to me. People falter, and sometimes it’s up to the rest of us in society to help keep someone from falling. Sometimes, we need to prop each other up. 

This painting is available at Wintergreen Hill Gallery, 810 North Third Street, Marquette, Michigan.

Call 906-273-1374

The capture of a moment…

I’ve given you a brief history of the art of landscape painting.

I’ve told you why I paint landscape art.

Now, let’s see why people may wish to buy landscape paintings. 

I recently asked my collectors why they bought landscape paintings, mine or any other artist. Here are some of their answers, some slightly edited for clarity, but straight from their hearts!

A moment, a place, a time…

“It’s not just a representative image. It’s the feeling the painting portrays. All the senses awakened and memories relived.” -Laura 

 

 “An everlasting memory of a special place” -Sheila

 

I’ll daresay that most of the time, people buy art with their hearts. It makes them feel good. 

When someone has experienced a place that positively connects to them emotionally, and then they see a skillfully composed, artistic rendition of that place, they will often simply fall in love with that art.

They’re not just buying the image they’re bringing home the emotion.

 “A moment, a place, a time that I love or miss.” -Jenna

“Pleasant reminders of enjoying, walking, and viewing the Big Lake” -Amy

Sometimes, it’s just a pretty painting!

Very often, people buy a painting from me simply because it’s beautiful. I ask them “Do you know where this scene is?”

If they say no, I ask if they WANT to know. Sometimes they do, other times they don’t. Sometimes they just like how it looks.

Sometimes people will buy a scene because it reminds them of a completely separate place. I don’t correct them. It’s not that I’m being dishonest. I just don’t sever the emotional connection to the landscape paintings.

“Depth and richness of color” -CJ

“The details of the painting, how beautifully done by you” -Sharon

“It gives me a feeling of tranquility!” -Joan

Some of my best clients even told me specifically why they bought my paintings.

“I like your landscapes because they appear to be my memories or vision of what I see.” -Brian

 

 

“They are beautiful and bring peace and tranquility as I am absorbed into the scenery” -Kathie

When I paint a landscape, I do so with passion and spirit, and I think that energy often comes out of the canvas and connects with the viewer

In closing, there are a lot of reasons someone may buy art. Mainly, it connects to them on an emotional level. 

Landscape art has the power to connect with the viewer emotionally, but on a much more personal level. Those of us who enjoy the outdoors, and love a nice view, feel an attachment to the world around us and the scenery before our eyes.  A well done, well executed, well represented piece of fine art offers a charming option to preserve those memories, and keep them alive in a unique and spiritual way.

Thank you, to everyone who took the time tell me why they bought landscape paintings!

Why do I, as an artist, paint landscapes?

In short, because I love doing it, I’m good at it, and I have fans that love them.

How about figures, or portraits, or still lifes?

Since I was a little kid, I’ve drawn and painted figures. I enjoy painting figures. It was my favorite thing to do in college. I loved to place these figures in sword and sorcery scenes, so many times, they had fantastical landscapes as backgrounds. These fantasy-scapes were created from my observations of the real world. I didn’t pursue this course to the point of professional adequacy.

Later in my professional career, I painted a few portraits. I still do on occasion, but it’s not my favorite thing. I refuse to let a client take a portrait if they aren’t happy with it. That means I’ll spend hours and hours working a face until it’s right. It’s very time consuming.

I painted still lifes in school, and hated them. I find them boring and tight; they’re too claustrophobic to me. Which cleverly leads me to the main point…

I love big scenery!

I’m always in pursuit of a view. Since I was a young, I’ve been outside exploring my surroundings. I’ve waded through freezing streams, climbed mountains, chased a desert horizon, and jumped in icy-cold Lake Superior. It’s never been enough for me to look at a boulder without climbing the boulder. A new trail in the woods will entice me to just keep going, just to the next bend, just past the next curve. 

Given my love of the scenery around me, it’s little wonder that I love to create landscape paintings. I get to express my awe of the world around me. I see beauty all over, and by putting it on canvas, perhaps I can get someone else to see the beauty.

I like to say that when I paint a landscape, it’s like exploring the place I’m recreating, and using my brushes and colors to tell you what I see.

I can’t take you on a climb up that mountain, but I can take your eye, your imagination, and your heart on a climb up that mountain.

Funny, related, side story:

Years ago I was visiting relatives in southern Illinois. This area is pretty flat, with miles of corn and soybean fields. One spot near my aunt and uncle’s house, called Junction, offers a view of these fields gently rising into tree covered hills. I went plein air painting on the side of the road near Junction. I showed the finished painting to my uncle. In his southern accent he said “Oh, that’s purty! Where is that?” I told him it was over by Junction. “Aw hell! I never knew Junction looked like that!”  

I can show you the dazzling colors I saw splashed in a stand of trees at sunset.

I can lead your eye into the depths of Lake Superior, and over it’s choppy swells.

I can make you wonder what’s around that bend, or down that slope, or over that ridge.

I can invite you to sit quietly and enjoy the view.

Hopefully, I can move your spirit with a landscape painting, just as I was moved when I saw the landscape in life.

Many of my landscape paintings have paths or roads in them. This is very much  on purpose. This is my way of inviting you into the scene so you can explore with me. 

So please, come walk this path with me.

Please note: I am NOT an Art Historian. This is a summary of some quick research and observations of my own. Just to be clear, my research included reading actual books.

I love painting a landscape!

As you can probably tell by looking over this website, I specialize in creating works of art which depict a variety of scenery. 

What makes a painting a Landscape painting?

A landscape in art is simply defined as an artistic representation of countryside or other scenery. Buildings can be included. Animals and figures can be present, but they’re not the primary focus of the painting.

When did Landscape Painting start as an art form?

Early in art history, paintings were usually created for educational or religious purposes; they told a story. The backgrounds of these paintings often had simple landscapes, just to set the scene. The landscapes were part of the story, but never the star of the show.

Over time the background scenery got more and more detailed and realistic. In the Renaissance period, in the 1400 and 1500’s, artists began experimenting with creating more depth in their work with the use of linear perspective and atmospheric perspective.

Linear perspective creates the illusion of depth by using receding lines. Think of a straight run of railroad tracks, with the tracks converging in the distance.

Atmospheric Perspective is a technique used to suggest depth in a flat work by making far away objects bluer and less defined than the objects  which are closer.

Landscape comes into its own

In the 15th century, artists in The Netherlands began painting secular, non-religious landscapes. But the practice didn’t catch on elsewhere until the 17th century. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the practice of landscape painting became an acceptable and popular form of art.

The landscape painting, in the talented hands of varied artists, takes on many forms. Albert Bierstadt painted monumental, romanticized, and highly detailed pieces from the American west.

Impressionists like Claude Monet preferred to paint everyday life, therefore his landscapes were beautiful, serene, and straightforward depictions of the world he lived in. 

Vincent  Van Gogh painted subject matter similar to his contemporaries, but in a much more stylized presentation.

Landscape painting in the world today.

While I don’t have precise numbers, looking through any online art directory, it seems that landscape artists make up a majority of painters, with thousands of individual styles and techniques.  Landscape art has made its way into popular culture via Bob Ross and Thomas Kinkaid.

And who can forget the Ron Swanson quote from the TV show Parks and Rec :  “It’s pointless for a human to paint scenes of nature when they can go outside and stand in it.”

Which begs the question: Why do I do it, and why do people like it?

What did I do to pursue excellence in my art?

In the past couple of years, I’ve decided to pursue excellence in my art.

I told you in part 1 how I decided that I needed to quit being good enough, and pursue excellece.

Once I recognized the need to improve myself and strive for excellence in my art, I needed to figure out what I was going to do to be the best I could be. 

So what did I do to pursue my goals of creating better paintings?

I Explored

I looked at other artists. I checked out my local peers, some departed legends, and some internet sensations.  I rediscovered Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran. I tried to paint the dramatic light and atmosphere like they did. 

I discovered Renato Muccillo, who is self taught like I am, but way better. I went on YouTube and discovered Michael James Smith, a realistic painter who has some excellent videos! At the other end of the spectrum I found Scott Naismith and his semi-abstract landscapes.

I went to Instagram and discovered more great artists like John Pototschnik and Mark Maggiori. 

One of my favorites is a Spanish artist named Fermin Garcia Sevilla. I love the way he blends realism with a dash of smoky abstraction.

I Experimented

I wanted to paint realistically,  but with a little abstract flare. So I painted a couple of more realistic pieces. I painted a couple of wild pieces. Then I painted some things in between. I figured out where I wanted to be on the realism scale.

I slowed down and took my time

I paid attention to detail. I painted the granite specks on boulders, and little pebbles on a trail, and individual blades of grass. I painted better waves and ripples in the waters. I painted the roughness of tree bark, and individual needles on a red pine. I focused on the little things that would make a better painting.

I tightened up my brush and knife work.

Painting in a loose fashion is fun and conveys energy, but I wanted to limit those wild strokes and create deliberate and purposeful elements in my compositions. I focused on painting with intentional brush strokes to convey proper form and shape. Every now and then, I’ll let a few crazies show up to keep the painting lively!

The Painting to the near right, ” Above Bandelier” is one of my favorites. There is depth, detail, and even some loose brush work in the sky.

I paid closer attention to lights and darks

No more dull, flat paintings. I wanted light! I wanted shadow! I wanted drama!

I wanted contrasting patterns and rhythm that would capture your eye and lead you into the painting.  I created these elements by juxtaposing light areas and dark areas.

I got my colors right, then pushed them

I started working to match colors better. I started with a limited palette, mixing my paints so they closely represented what I was seeing. I especially practiced my greens, so they weren’t too intense.

Later, I played with new colors,  like quinacridone magenta, thalo violet, and cyan. 

The painting at the lower far right is more or less accurate color, but with some hot reds in the foreground, conveying heat!

The Results are In!

My oil on canvas piece, “The View” marks the culmination of my process and progress. This small work perfectly represents my goals. It’s realistic, the depth is perfectly conveyed, the foreground tree is detailed, the lighting is dramatic, and when you look at the foreground, you see the bits of colorful abstraction, playfulness in an otherwise straightforward painting. 

“The View” was awarded Best in Show at the 2019 Superior Art Association Members Show!

I’ll share more wonderful results of my pursuit of excellence in Part 3.