Stop Being Negative!
Negativity is an incredibly destructive force in all of our lives. We all wrestle with it. It’s a problem in the world and a problem in ourselves, but it can be something that you get the better of instead of it getting the...
The Edge of Light – 15 Minute Painting Demonstration!
Lessons in Color, Scale, and Painting Smart The painting I’m bringing you today is called The Edge of Light. It’s a 4 painting I’m bringing you today is called The Edge of Light. It’s a 4 by 6, and I painted this last...
The Edge of Light 4×6 – Live Painting Session!
Revisiting a reference I painted years ago. Maybe some of you have noticed I’ve moved away from the M. It’s just time. Big changes afoot. Check out the new website at mfrancismcarthy.art, lots of videos there, really easy to scroll through. Why Paint...
A Landscape Painters Guide to Vignetting in Paintings- Easel Talk 37
I often joke on the channel that I’m a card-carrying member of Vignetteers Anonymous. I got a problem. I got a real bad problem. I love to vignette. I think it’s so powerful. And this talk probably won’t be that long because it’s...
Social Media is BAD!
Social media has been on my mind for a long time. I think it’s an incredibly destructive force in modern human culture. Let’s get into the reasons why, and some of the solutions. I’m not an expert on social media. I’m just a...
Riff on Francis Murphy: Full Live Painting Session!
Join me as I create a tonalist riff inspired by Francis Murphy’s “Evening” In the Substack studio pass area, I put up a study from 2021, a painting called “Evening” by Francis Murphy. It got me thinking, I really like that old painting....
Riff on Francis Murphy: 15 Minute Painting Demonstration!
Welcome to another tonal landscape oil painting demonstration. This is your painter in residence, Michael Francis McCarthy. And the painting I’m bringing you today is called “Riff on Francis Murphy, Evening.” I painted this back in September of 2025 and I’ve been sitting...
A Landscape Painter Guide to Painting Big Shapes – Easel Talk #36
Welcome to Easel Talk #36! Big shapes. This is going to be good, and it ties directly to our last talk on modulation. They go hand in hand, though big shapes are way more important. We’re talking composition today, while modulation handles value...
How to Use AI
A Vision-Driven Approach to Creative Practice Hello, welcome to another talk. This is your host, Michael Francis McCarthy. The topic for today is my ideas about the correct place for AI in a creative practice. Mostly we’ll be talking about visual stuff here....
Light on the Path: 15 Minute Painting Demonstration
The painting I’m bringing you today, Light on the Path. It’s a 5×7, was painted last week, and I’m really happy to show it to you today. New Website I want to mention my new website: mfrancismccarthy.art. It’s my hub—where things are consolidating....