Innholdsfortegnelse for August-September 2025/No. 164 i International Artist

This month our Publishers’ Letter is dedicated to our longstanding writers and their departments and features. This includes our celebrity artist Harley Brown, who has been writing for us since issue #1. That’s right—27 years ago! Time flies when you’re having fun. Harley is a witty, wildly talented master painter, and just an all-around great person. If you read one column in this issue, read his. Insider tip from the publishers: Harley also has a very fun story as a guest on episode 21 of our podcast The American Art Collective. You can find our episodes on Spotify, Apple and Amazon, or just scan this QR code and listen now. Harley is a rockstar in the world of art and has been part of the team for almost three decades.…

Dubai, UAE, A Taste of Nature, soft pastel on Pastelmat, 106 x 129” (42 x 51 cm) My Inspiration I was inspired by the natural harmony between wildlife and its environment. The vibrant red of the bird and berries caught my attention and reminded me how color and life are deeply connected in nature’s design. My Design Strategy I composed the scene to emphasize the interaction between the bird and its food, using strong contrasts and repeated reds to guide the viewer’s focus. The soft green background was chosen to enhance the vivid colors without distraction. My Working Process I used soft pastels on sanded paper to capture fine feather details and the juicy texture of the berries. I layered colors patiently, focusing on contrast and light to create a lifelike…

First Place Painting Sponsored by: American Art Collector, Artwork Archive, International Artist Magazine, Portrait Society of America, and Silver Brush Limited. Joseph Daily, New York, UK Mayor Michael A. Nutter, oil, 39 x 52” William F. Draper Grand Prize Winner and People’s Choice Award Sponsored by: American Art Collector, Jack Richeson & Co., Portrait Society of America, Silver Brush Limited, smART Coach, and Workshops in Yorkshire. Frances Bell, Northumberland, UK Yellow Trainers, oil on canvas, 35½ x 37½” First Place Drawing Sponsored by: American Art Collector, Airfloat Systems, Artefex, Artwork Archive, Natural Pigments, Portraits, Inc., Portrait Society of America, and Silver Brush Limited. David Jamieson, Illinois, USA Pathologist–Portrait of Dr. Maurice Jamieson, graphite, carbon black, pastel, ink wash on paper, 26 x 20” First Place Sculpture Sponsored by: American Art Collector,…

Bring your scene to life with backlighting and a powerful glowing light effect by joining me in a painting adventure to one of my favorite painting spots, Point Lobos, California. When I first set foot here I couldn’t quite believe my eyes—Point Lobos is really a natural wonderland, and I felt my heart wasn’t big enough to take it all in. Mother Nature is so generous in her gifts. Let’s try to pay her a little homage in thanks. The French call this effect “contrejour” lighting, or “against the light,” which creates a striking, dramatic effect in landscape painting by positioning the primary light source behind the subject. This backlighting technique results in several distinct visual characteristics: Silhouettes and Strong Contrast The subject appears as a dark shape against a…

In the delicate dance between precision and creative freedom is the heart of my watercolor practice. Through my current series exploring avian subjects, I orchestrate an intricate interplay between fluid, expressive wet-in-wet techniques and carefully rendered details. This approach manifests in pieces that simultaneously capture both the ethereal spirit and physical presence of birds in their natural state. My creative journey begins with preliminary groundwork: a whisper-light pencil sketch establishes the foundational form. This initial framework is largely lifted away, making space for a more nuanced line drawing executed in watercolor pencil. I embrace the traditional light-to-dark progression, employing wet-in-wet techniques that allow colors to merge and transform. As pigments intermingle naturally, they create subtle gradients and unexpected chromatic harmonies that evoke the delicate texture of feathers and capture the…

Sometimes, by moving away from the colors visible in your subject, you can add greatly to the impact of your painting. Simply reproducing the colors in front of you will result in a likeness but imposing your own color arrangement will give you more control over the atmosphere you create. These examples will give you some ideas on how to adjust and manipulate color to enhance your subject. The predominantly cool greens and grays in this painting produce a strong color harmony. The focal area of window and pot plants contains contrasting warm pinks, reds and terracottas and stronger tonal contrast than the rest of the painting. To break up the formal geometric structure of the composition, I added the terracotta pot in the upper right corner and the warm…

Lois Lois came into my studio wearing this bright red dress and white shawl that fell gently from her neck. She went over and sat down on the chesterfield. This sudden appearance of her was breathtaking, and I asked her not to move. The aura of her presence flowed from pastel onto paper. Just a few basic strokes for her face showed a serene but rather determined spirit. As I laid down the white with the red, my strokes continued with inventive overall curves throughout. I put her earrings on, then off, then back on. A quick sweep of forearms and hands, a few more white and red strokes and I stepped away—done! Start, create, finish. The rapture of art.…

Welcome to the August/September issue! I hope everyone has been enjoying their summer so far (and if you’re in the southern hemisphere, I hope it’s been a brisk and refreshing winter). This is the time of year where everyone seems to be spending time outside, traveling and plein air painting. The desire to get out there and create something is infectious. This past May, I headed to Washington, D.C., for the Portrait Society of America’s 27th annual Art of the Portrait Conference, and let me say, it was an incredible event. I had the priviledge of meeting with dozens of amazing individuals, all with a shared passion for art. The friendship and camaraderie is unmatched, not to mention the sheer volume of insightful workshops and demonstrations taking place throughout the…

FULL COLOR DIGITAL PRINT-OUTS Use the Official Entry Form over the page ONLINE Visit our website to upload digital files of the images you want to enter and pay for them using our secure server. www.internationalartist.com To upload your entries you need to prepare your image files to be at least 400 pixels at the shortest edge. Once you are in the Official Online Entry page simply select which challenge you wish to enter then follow the prompts and finally pay the entry fee via our secure server. There you can also see other entries received along with past winners of our competitions. HINTS FOR PHOTOGRAPHING YOUR ARTWORK • Set your camera to the highest quality available. • Shoot your paintings dead square on and fill the frame as much as…

A my Werntz is quick to share that she has always had an unusual preoccupation with time, the passage of it, and a fear of being forgotten and what will happen to the things she holds dear when it runs out. A sensitive artist, Werntz has poured these themes into her paintings, which often depict the elderly, creating a body of work that recently earned her the coveted $50,000 Bennett Prize, after being a finalist once before. Despite her fixation on the arc of life, death and what comes after, Werntz seems surprisingly at ease with the aging process, something she attributes to having close relationships with her grandparents throughout her life. As a result, she sees the accumulation of years and the marks it leaves on our bodies as…

SCOTTSDALE ARTISTS’ SCHOOL: What do you enjoy most about teaching at Scottsdale Artists’ School, both online and in person? ALICIA PONZIO: The staff at Scottsdale Artists’ School are enthusiastic and caring. It shows in the quality of the programs they offer, and the students enjoy learning at their beautiful facility. The online coordinator does a fantastic job supporting the teachers and students throughout the class to make things run smoothly. SAS: Did you always know you wanted to become a sculptor, or was it a path you discovered over time? AP: I always wanted to create, but I didn’t discover sculpture until my early 30s. I started out with simple pencil and paper as my favorite medium. I tried painting for a few years and learned a great deal, but when…

After many years working in watercolor, I was approached by one of my clients to produce a painting for them, only this time the painting was to be displayed in a public place where the painting needed to be both vibrant and durable. Discussing the unique needs of the artwork, we considered our options and decided to take an exciting side step into acrylics. With that commission and shift in medium, a whole new and beautiful world was opened up to me. This article takes a look at my journey and work in acrylics, a new medium I’ve grown to thoroughly enjoy! While a shift in medium brings significant changes to the language of my paintings in itself, my focus remains firmly on natural history subjects. Very deliberately, I wanted…

I find inspiration in the simple, everyday moments that often go unnoticed—the way light catches the edge of a building, the quiet rhythm of people moving through their day, or the intricate details of architecture that tell the story of a place. Traveling has always been an important part of my artistic journey, and I love observing different cultures, their ways of life and the atmosphere of their streets. My approach to watercolor is spontaneous yet intentional. I like to work quickly and loosely, allowing the medium to flow naturally while maintaining control over composition, contrast and color harmony. My style is impressionistic, focused on capturing the feeling of a place rather than strict realism. I use bold colors and deep shadows to bring depth and energy to my work,…

We all know the power of the press and the importance of getting covered by journalists and editors, which can be especially advantageous in the art world to get your work in front of collectors. So how do you go about letting them know about you and your work, and what do you send them? In this month’s Art Industry Insider I’ll be discussing how to pitch your story and your work to magazine writers and editors. Editors are always looking for stories and content for their magazines. There are thousands of print and digital magazines out there. Some have deadlines for new content every three weeks, so we are always looking for good images and stories. An artist usually has both of those. You will need to start by…

Zoltán Boros Pest, Hungary, Böbe, colored pencil, 11½ x 8¼” (29 x 21 cm) Grand Prize is a four-page editorial feature in American Art Collector magazine Drawn to the Wild Zoltán Boros spends as much time as possible outdoors, observing nature and the behavior of animals in their natural environments. Often, he goes to the zoo to study his models up close, paying attention to elements like body structure and anatomy. “The muscular power of a wild boar, the strong grace of a stag, the wise curiosity of a fox, and the conflict between lion and buffalo are things that have always fired my imagination. Many of my works depict different species, both juxtaposed and in harmony,” says Boros. A self-taught artist, he practices realism but places a great deal of…

New South Wales, Australia, Good Luck, acrylic on stretched cotton canvas, 19½ x 19½ (50 x 50 cm) My Inspiration I have always loved seeing the kookaburra visit our garden and wanted to capture its very distinctive, focused beauty in a painting. Having the kookaburra resting on an old decaying gum tree branch being overtaken by an unforgiving vine, its focused appearance provides a point of symbolic strength to the dense environment, embodying essential qualities of color, communication and awakening. In some cultures, the kookaburra is regarded as a messenger of “good luck.” My Design Strategy I always like to have knowledge of the subject I am painting and passion behind what I intend to create. I will have a visual plan in my mind with what I want to achieve…

ENTER OUR NEW ART COMPETITION CHALLENGE No. 150 Florals & Gardens See your work published in International Artist magazine and also receive a 4-page Editorial Feature in American Art Collector, the prestigious magazine read by collectors and galleries looking for new art work in the world’s biggest art market. Winners and Finalists in our competitions don’t just win awards to hang on their walls. The real value of entering and being one of the winners is that your work will not only be seen by hundreds of thousands of readers worldwide but also by leading galleries and collectors in America, the biggest art market of all. Our Grand Prize Winners receive a 2-page spread in International Artist magazine and a 4-page Editorial Feature in American Art Collector. Publicity at this…

Is tracing from a photo cheating? What about using AI as a tool? Back in the 20th century, a painter named Konstantin Kryzhitsky (1858-1911) committed suicide when it was revealed that he copied from a photo. According to art historian Natalya Gorlenko, “It turned out that Kryzhitsky used a still [photograph] in his painting called A Whiff of Spring. Another painter, Yakov Brovar, used the same still in his piece A View in Bialowieza Forest. The resemblance in both images struck the eye, and a debate in the newspapers ensued.” Gorlenko continues: “It became a matter of general consensus that the painter disgraced himself when resorting to photography. And yet photography was a permanent fixture in artistic activities, and painters could no longer ignore it.” Using photography for reference may…

My painting process begins with imagination, drawing inspiration from the landscapes I experience daily. Living in a coastal community, I’m deeply moved by the ever-changing beauty of salt marshes, ocean waves and the subtle interplay of light and color in these spaces. While my work is not tied to specific places, it is rooted in the essence of the natural world, shaped by the feelings these environments evoke. The salt marshes, for example, are a constant source of fascination. They are peaceful yet teeming with life, vital to our ecosystem, and possess an understated beauty that I aim to capture on canvas. Similarly, when painting the ocean, I strive to translate its energy and atmosphere—inviting the viewer to hear the crash of the waves, smell the salt in the air…

The painting Kofa in Purple was a commissioned gift based on a family camping trip to Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona. The reference for the painting was based on research and client photos. As we often see, the client reference photos were trying to capture the magnitude of the sunset over the mountains, but the camera is limited in capturing the true colors and detail that our eyes can see. I took this opportunity to capture that magic, and invent the sunset, sky and clouds. As someone who likes to merge representation, abstraction and expression, I find clouds to be the perfect subject for this. Going into this painting, my intent was to create a colorful sunset with an abstract cloud that could carry some of the warm hues…

I have been pursuing color expression ever since I started painting in earnest. As a result of trial and error, I now paint with a focus on pointillism. I am simply fascinated by the beauty of pointillism. Some painters arrange colors in a theoretically precise way, but I don’t care so much about theory. This is because I place more importance on the feeling and improvisation at the time. I love the miraculous harmony that is born when a certain color resonates with other colors. When I succeed in creating that, I feel great joy. When I paint a picture, I have an image of the finished product in mind, but I don’t typically stick to it. I feel that I’ve created a good painting when my work exceeds the…

Subscribe today to get the most comprehensive magazine filled with demonstrations, workshops and creative inspiration from the best international artists working today. International Artist is the only educational magazine by artists for artists devoted to sharing voices from across the world, along with special features, columns and more. In every issue, you’ll find: » 6 issues a year, each one featuring a diverse range of work from artists around the globe! » 8+ artist demonstrations and workshops, featuring mediums, styles and subject matter that will inspire you. » Special features that dive deeper into the world of art and the artists. » Regular columns from famous artists such as James Gurney and Harley Brown. » Enjoy features from esteemed organizations including the Portrait Society of America every month. Join our…

There is no easy route for getting into a full-time art career, yet, it’s always a satisfying journey. I like to speak of my career beginnings: right after leaving art college, I started doing door-to-door portraits, as well as in saloons and fairgrounds. Some people in the art community frowned at what I was doing, but it didn’t stop me one bit—I was solidly on track. With good opportunities, some quite lucky, I was ready, willing and able. Even through the difficulties, things steadily got better, which made my mind swell with happiness. Put plainly, I was doing what I loved. Eventually major art events and art galleries came along, all slowly but surely creating a healthy income. There I was, loving my life with family and friends and artists…

For artists, inspiration can strike anywhere at any time. In this section, we’ll present a different photo prompt in each issue for artists to use as inspiration for their next piece. Rather than a reference, this photo is meant to be interpretive. It’s a jumping off point—a means to spark creativity and get the imagination going. Capture the image exactly as you see it, or take elements of it to create something entirely new. Submissions can be fully completed artwork or rough sketches. Every approach is the right approach. In the following issue of International Artist, we’ll highlight several Editor’s favorites (including your Instagram username), along with the next photo prompt. Chosen submissions also receive a free six-month digital subscription to International Artist. Happy painting/drawing/sketching! Scan for larger reference image…