Stephanie Birdsall: Lemons and LeavesOne thing any accomplished artist will tell you is that you can experience a complete transformation in the quality of your work when you paint from life. Though photos are a common reference for painters, until an artist learns to paint from life, his or her paintings will never really look right. Photographs dont show true, vibrant colors or truly realistic light, and they tend to darken shadows. Once youve mastered painting from life, all of your

Recommendations for traveling light but complete

crowned with delicate strokes of the brush and palette knife make the process seem effortless

with all the joys and sorrows that accumulate in a human's life

one of the few master pastelists around

and form will elevate your painting attempts to new levels

England: The Treasured Isle 1997

it is done using bristle brushes instead

brushes and other materials used

There he trained under many important instructors in the fields of Oil painting

which gives the paintings depth

it’s one of the surest ways to dramatically improve the quality of your paintings and create a more captivating experience for your viewers

“I am interested in depicting the truth about life