Innholdsfortegnelse for January/February 2026 i Artists Magazine

I remember nervously walking into my first life drawing class. I had never done a nude drawing before, and my instructor had a fierce reputation—which was confirmed when he barked insults at my initial efforts as I fumbled with my stick of charcoal. I slipped out at the break to hyperventilate in my car. Yet, by the end of that first class, I was excited. The energy in that room was unlike anything else I had ever experienced. To this day, drawing from life remains one of my favorite artistic processes. Our bodies are unique; no two are alike, yet we’re all part of an ordered cosmos that follows hidden patterns. Through the study of anatomy, we learn that all skeletons follow a rough canon of proportion, irrespective of gender,…

When Maggie Walker Nelson was young, her family took summer road trips from their home in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Amarillo, Texas, to visit her mother’s family. Their route took them across Indiana and Illinois to St. Louis, then through Missouri into Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. “I remember my dad pointing out landmarks along the way,” says Nelson. “He’d say things like, ‘Take a good look, kids, it’s the St. Louis Gateway Arch.’ And I remember we always stopped at the famous McDonald’s that crosses over the highway,” she adds, referring to a large service plaza in northeastern Oklahoma. It wasn’t until years later, though, that Nelson realized that those road trips had provided her earliest exposure to Route 66—the famous roadway that inspires much of her current artwork. Since…

San Francisco MANET & MORISOT LEGION OF HONOR THROUGH MARCH 1, 2026 FAMSF.ORG The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco presents “Manet & Morisot,” the first major museum exhibition dedicated to the artistic exchange between pioneer of modern painting Édouard Manet (French, 1832–83) and sole female founding member of the Impressionist group Berthe Morisot (French, 1841–95). Theirs was the closest relationship between any two artists in the Impressionist circle, and it played a key role in the course of modern art. Featuring masterpieces lent from public and private collections on both sides of the Atlantic, the exhibition casts the evolution of this friendship—and, by extension, the story of Impressionism—in a fresh light. Living and working in Paris in the late 1800s, Manet and Morisot were friends, colleagues…

We’re moving through the year-end holiday gauntlet, a time when expectations and responsibilities burn bright. Now is not the time to heap additional creative pressure on yourself. In fact, it actually might be the time to turn down the heat a bit. No grand expectations. No to-do lists. It’s enough simply to show up as time and space allow. Let this season be a quiet invitation to notice—and savor—what feels creatively satisfying in the moments you can find. 1 Go Through the Motions Routine tasks can be soothing and serve as a touchstone to your artistic side. Carve out 10 minutes here and there and do one of the following: • Tidy up your paints and brushes. • Declutter and organize your workstation and easel area. • Sort your canvases…

What happens if you’re commissioned to paint a portrait of someone long dead—someone who’s notable in political and social history, and an icon for many? What are the distinct challenges involved in bringing such a subject back to life? When Arizona-based artist Gustavo Ramos was commissioned by the Harvard Club of New York to paint a portrait of Pedro Albizu Campos (1893–1965) to hang on its august, paneled walls, alongside portraits of other luminaries of the university, he had to consider how to approach his historical subject. The central question: How to endow the subject with just the right image, gravitas and presence to honor his memory and celebrate his contribution? Campos, who graduated at the top of his class at Harvard Law School, in 1921, was a gifted lawyer…

WAXING POETIC Atmospheric Landscapes: Using Oils and Cold Wax (The Crowood Press) is a practical guide for artists eager to explore the rich textures, luminous layers and expressive mark-making that define the cold wax medium. Through the processes of layering, scraping and combining transparent and opaque colors, England-based artist Paula Dunn—renowned for her expertise in oil and cold wax—shares how to create landscapes that evoke mystery and atmosphere via guided exercises and illustrated examples. For Dunn, one of the cold wax medium’s greatest strengths is its accessibility. “It frees artists from some of the rigid conventions of oil painting, encouraging a spontaneity that leads to innovation and discovery,” she says. The Kindle version is currently available in the U.S.; the paperback version debuts April 6. ARTISTS CLASSROOM @ HOME Ready…

“I walk and read. I like to have dinners with friends and long conversations touching on things we care about. Investing in my inner life makes the rest of my life richer.” JULIETTE ARISTIDES ARTIST “FOR FAST-ACTING RELIEF, TRY SLOWING DOWN.” —LILY TOMLIN “This has to be negotiated every day. As soon as we declare we’re going to work so many hours each week and devote the rest to family, exercise, community, etc., something unexpected happens. The plumbing blows up. The dog rolls in car oil. Bats move into the studio. (I’ve experienced all three.) What I’ve learned is that every derailment can offer a new opportunity. When the plumbers took over the house, I spent a week plein air painting. When the dog rolled in car oil, it gave me an idea…

MEET THE JURORS Landscape/Cityscape Category KATHLEEN B. HUDSON Kathleen B. Hudson is a plein air painter who emphasizes dynamic light and atmosphere in her works. A move from Lexington, Ky., to Colorado Springs, Colo., with her family has resulted in new landscape subjects and painting challenges. When she’s not outside painting on location, she’s in the studio creating large-scale landscapes. Hudson, a graduate of Harvard University, is a Signature Member of Plein Air Painters of America and the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association, and the second-youngest artist ever to be elected a Fellow in the American Society of Marine Artists. She’s also a Member of the American Impressionist Society, Oil Painters of America and California Art Club. Her work has won numerous plein air awards and is represented…

The idea for this painting had been simmering in my mind for years. It was inspired by black-and-white illustrations such as All is Vanity (1892) by Charles Allan Gilbert and L’ Amour de Pierrot (1920) by Salvador Dalí. In them, you see, at first glance, a simple scene—a woman looking into a mirror, for example, or two clowns. In a second glance, however, the scene resolves into a skull. For my piece, You Bring the Smile, I’ll Bring the Teeth, I wanted to bring this optical illusion to a still life format. Finding objects that could work on two levels—clearly identifiable up close, but able to become something entirely different when seen as a whole—was a real challenge. It took me nearly four months to find the various objects that…