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Author Archives: Reluctant Rat
Let it rain (painting atmospherics 2)
My father’s legacy includes a few wise sayings that are often repeated at family gatherings. One was: don’t worry about the rain that might be coming over the mountain, deal with what’s happening on the farm right now. It made … Continue reading
Posted in rainy weather
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Let it snow (painting atmospherics 1)
P.D. James famously described perfect autumnal days as occurring more frequently in memory than in life. That is how I think of snowy days when folks around me start rhapsodizing about their love of winter and that fluffy white stuff. … Continue reading
Posted in snow effect
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Outfoxed when aiming to paint wolf
Inspired by the acrylic wolf paintings of artist Andrea Moore, and determined to paint wolves in moku style (because it can be more expressive than linear style Chinese brush painting for some subjects) I scoured my library and online sources … Continue reading
Posted in Chinese Brush Painting, painting wolf
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Not just another dog, painting wolf
We grew up in fear of the “wolf at the door”. It took me a while to determine my parents and grandmother were speaking figuratively (life altering abject poverty) and not literally (the wild beasts occasionally spotted in our wilderness … Continue reading
Posted in Chinese Brush Painting, painting wolf, wolves
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Mountains on my mind: Tree lines
The master horse painter Lok Tok often presented his animals in a mountainous setting. The distinctive rugged cliffs of China offer a fittingly magnificent background for singles, pairs, and of course the conventional eight lucky horses. He also depicted mountains … Continue reading
The Big Strokes (Hokusai on Painting with Contour Lines)
Depicting animals and figures using a ‘continuous line’ in the manner of acclaimed Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) led to mixed results for me. I easily painted cats, bunnies, turtles, and human figures, but struggled with cranes. His drawing lessons … Continue reading
One stroke challenge from The Old Man Crazy To Paint
Towards the end of his life, acclaimed Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) went by the name Gakyo Rojin Manji, meaning Old Man Crazy to Paint. With challenging health issues (not the least of which was partial paralysis from being … Continue reading
What is old is new; lessons (circa 1812) of Katsushika Hokusai
I like to keep a watchful eye on numerous online booksellers, paying special attention to their oriental art instruction and collective works. Every so often I am rewarded with books on my favorite topics or containing work of acclaimed artists. … Continue reading
Posted in Chinese Brush Painting, Lessons, painting horses
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Building bridges right: consider both ends
For my first year at university I lived on the fifth floor of an all women’s residence overlooking a bend in the Red River. Every morning I awoke to sunrises over the muddy waters, occasional glimpses of wildlife, and often … Continue reading
The ripple effect—painting net water
I’ve spent hundreds of hours in the bow of a canoe staring at water. I’ve seen the wind whipping small wavelets flat as it gusts, the afternoon sun glint off gently rippling diamond-shapes, and many ugly greys and greens of … Continue reading
Posted in Chinese Brush Painting, water compositions
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