International Artist December - January 2019/ No.124

One of the wonderful things about the artist community is the length artists will go to help one another. By helping I mean share techniques, offer advice, give honest critiques or pass on knowledge about a certain brush or kind of paint. And I see this happening at the art events I attend around the country. In fact, I would say that most art events I attend end in the same fashion—with all the artists sitting around a fireplace, a table, an easel, a bar stool or any combination of these and sharing this knowledge and information. However, not every artist can attend such events or all of these events and that is why we have International Artist magazine. We want other artists to be able to hear directly from…

I’m serious with my art, not serious with myself. — Harley Brown Grand Prize Troels Kirk Grand Prize is a four-page editorial feature in American Art Collector magazine Painting with Precision Troels Kirk, born in Denmark in 1956 and settled in Sweden 10 years ago, is a self-taught artist who started by studying his grandfather’s paintings as a child. “He died when I was a baby, but his landscapes were great teachers when studied closely,” says the artist, who sold his first painting at age 13. He describes his style as realistic and rich in details, but not photorealistic or impressionistic. Rather, the artwork is a representation of how he perceives the surrounding world. “I began painting at 6, so there has been a very long development,” he shares. “Still…

My Inspiration Painting this landscape was based on the feeling of serenity. I wanted to capture a feeling of atmosphere and a safe haven. Having paddled to this location before, it was far enough away from civilization that we knew it would be a quiet experience where our creativity and solitude would not be interrupted. My Design Strategy I chose this composition after my wife and I arrived at this perfect campsite. Upon awaking early in the morning, I waited for the fog to lift. Creating some pencil sketches knowing exactly what I wanted, using the rule of thirds, I quickly pulled out a small canvas to get the colours exact. I wasn’t too worried about the perfect drawing or the placement of anything. Getting the colours in place was…

Beauty bewilders my senses wonderfully. — Harley Brown My Inspiration I am constantly inspired by the effects of light and atmosphere on the natural landscape. I love to watch how clouds evolve and dissolve like shapeshifters as their shadows race across mountainsides, vast plains of grass or ocean horizons. Old trees amaze me, the textures of bark and leaves, the beautiful lines formed by trunk and branches reaching for the sky, the mysteries they seem to hold close. I paint and draw outside as much as I can, soaking up wind and fog and bird songs, the silence in the woods. I would not be a painter if I could not be outside in nature and exhilarated by its stories, the daily dramas I witness there at every level. My…

My Inspiration A hauntingly beautiful, grey day. As I was drawn in to walk deeper, I was just as reluctant to go any further. A light mist and compromised footing challenged me to continue. There was a tension between moving forward and staying safe where I was. Going as far as I felt permitted, there was a silent respect between myself and the thick brush and the fog that masked what was beyond the trees. As I settled into this place I became a welcome guest. The tension that almost prevented me from moving forward was transformed into a peace and rest that then engulfed me. My Design Strategy The challenge of this piece was to avoid painting every single tree and the thousands of accompanying branches and having it…

My Inspiration I use multitudes of lines, dots and strokes to portray anything I recognise as beautiful. I hail from an area of Liverpool called Sefton, which is both rural and coastal and has inspired me to draw and paint land and waterscapes from an early age. Liverpool is also rich in brilliant architecture; notably Georgian and classical, which has also influenced my work. My passions include locating beautiful scenes to portray and journeys involved; especially by foot over rugged terrain. I love the act of viewing and I am awe-stricken by encounters with expanse, detail and light. Art will keep me venturing outdoors where many of my preliminary and compositional drawings are created. Mixing many colours from very few also brings me immense joy. My Design Strategy In preparation…