April 2012 Blog Posts (11)

I've often heard people say they can't draw. They talk as though the ability is a 'gift' you either have or you don't. I don't believe it's true.

Recently I've read and enjoyed 'Your Artist's Brain' by artist and author Carl Purcell. 

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to improve their drawing skills or develop better…

Hi guys, I'm in transit at the moment - stuck in Melbourne Australia because my plane to New Zealand got cancelled due to fog. Such is life. Thought I'd use the spare time to make this highlights video for you of my adventures in the US. I apologise for the shaky camera - it's all shot on the iphone because I didn't want to take my proper video camera with me. Still, there are some great memories in there.

Really looking forward to getting…

The adventure continues…

I survived the 5 hour drive from Vegas to the Grand Canyon. Not much to say about that big old barren landscape except that I really wouldn't want to be doing it on a horse. Stopped off at Hoover Dam which was a pretty awesome testament to human engineering.…

This 6 color pallet consists of like family colors. EX; green yellow and green blue, red yellow and yellow red along with red blue and  blue red. When like family colors mixed with each other give a purer secondary colors as the arrows indicate.   However when mixed with a non-family color the color is grayed. EX: ultramarine blue mixed with either yellow is a grayed green.  This method of mixing continues to react this way all around the pallet.

Not shown is mix the two blues, the…

"Painting at Bonnie Springs" 10x8" Oil on Canvas by Richard Robinson

Today was the last day of the Plein Air Painting Conference in Las Vegas. We all painted at…

I take lots of pictures when I am away on a trip.  Many of them make it onto the canvas in altered states. I use the photos to refresh my memory not to slavishly copy them; as it is unlikely that I will go back to that very place I photographed, it is an excellent record of what I saw and felt at the time of taking the shot. As I did with the painting "desert Message" I took two individual pictures and created a composite work to tell the story of…

"Red Rock Canyon" 10x8" Oil on Canvasboard by Richard Robinson

The scene. Again, being close to tall mountains their shadows move very quickly so it was important to get the blockin done as quickly as possible...…

"Mt Wilson, Las Vegas" 10x8" Oil on Canvasboard.

FINALLY got my baggage from the airline with all my paints and easel safe and sound. God bless the GPS. I will write a ballad and a sonnet for the GPS when I get some spare…

I'm on my way to Las Vegas to speak at the Plein Air Painting Convention...

New Zealand slips back over the horizon on my way to Australia -> LA-> Las Vegas.…

The Biggest Mistake of all.

As an artist, what do you think the biggest mistake you can make is?

My vote for the biggest mistake is being afraid of making mistakes.  

Nothing will slow down learning, or progress, more than the fear of getting something wrong, of making a mistake. It is a fear that immobilises some people altogether.

It doesn’t happen often, but I’ve had people walk out of workshops before…

Hi - I have paid for past workshops...need to go back and review the first

stiff life (Workshop %5??) and begin from there.  Anyone know how best to do that?  I need to start formthe beginning demo.