I’m creating a tonalist painting based on a California landscape reference I took almost 20 years ago. The original photo captured early morning light filtering through an oak forest, and I’ve simplified the complex scene to focus on what matters, light, shadow, and...
Welcome back to another installment of my 15-Minute Painting Sessions! In this edition, I’m excited to share with you the process behind “River’s Edge,” a 7×12-tonal landscape oil painting that I completed last week. The Inspiration and Challenges This piece is a revisit...
I’ve been in this studio since 2011, roughly 15 years now. We’re over 10 years into the channel, and this 52nd Easel Talk marks a full year of weekly conversations about painting. The Foundation: Process Over Mastery Painting isn’t hard, and it isn’t...
Transcript and Key Insights Good morning, evening, or afternoon. It’s your painter in residence, Michael Francis McCarthy. And I’m going to be painting an all-in-a-row scene with some strategies for alleviating that. It’s a pond scene with trees, blue sky, give or take....
Hello and welcome to another Tonal Landscape Oil Painting Demonstration. Today, I’m your painter in residence, Michael Francis McCarthy, bringing you a piece called The Wading River. This four-by-six-inch painting was completed last week and exemplifies the Tonalist style. In this demonstration, I’ll...
Transcript and Key Insights The reference image came from a multi-step process using modern tools. I used AI image generation to help compose what would otherwise just be an empty field that doesn’t work visually on its own. I cut out a section...
Many aspiring painters fall into the same trap: they believe masterpieces simply emerge from natural talent. This misconception paralyzes them. They sketch grand visions, a 4×6 painting of hedgehogs at an amusement park, meticulously planned, worked on for years, but never finish because...
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The painting I’m bringing you today is called The Winding Way, 6×8. I really liked this painting and couldn’t wait to share it with you. The Ground Color Maybe you’ve noticed the tone of the board is not quite the same as the...
Transcript and Key Insights This photo is from about 12 to 13 years ago, just a basic image of a field with a couple of trees in the background. On its own, it’s laughable. But I set it aside a few weeks back...
