Art, Photography, Music and More!

Artist Statement

Today we are bombarded with so much ugliness in the world; through my art I try to portray the calming beauty I feel from nature. My passion is painting Realistic Animal Portraits, especially Dogs, Cattle and our vibrant Northern Territory Landscapes, Flora and Fauna.

My favourite medium is Matisse Acrylic Paint and also work in Inks, Wax, Rice Paper and Graphite Pencil.
I attained my Visual Arts Diploma many years ago and have continued my art education with the school of life, through trial and error. After years of exhibiting, travel teaching nationally and internationally I now enjoy the layback life style of the Territory. I paint under the Nom de Plume “Siani Walsh”.

The photo submitted is of my young Rottweiler Sharny and is called “Who Me”. To her the world is her play ground she is either going into mischief or coming out of it and has the most expressive face of any dog I have been guardian to. She is an absolute joy to share my life with.

Please follow this link to view the rest of this artist interview

I have a wonderful oil painting tutorial to share with you today by artist Karin Wells. I conducted an interview with her not long ago. If you would like to read that interview, I recommend you take some time to read it by clicking here and become better acquainted with Karin. She is a very talented artist and I am delighted to be featuring her work.

The following oil painting lesson will demonstrate Karin’s oil painting technique for creating water drips on a vertical surface. This is part 1 of a 2 part series.

Click here to view Karin's oil painting technique for creating water drops

Dan Schultz was born in New Mexico in 1975 and soon began to take an interest in art. He enjoyed art classes through his primary and high school years, and studied commercial art at Pensacola Christian College in Florida. He received his degree with a focus on illustration and graphic design, but he never felt driven to pursue either as a career. After college, he continued to sharpen his drawing and painting skills by attending Cottonwood Artists’ School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and it was there that he realized for the first time his desire for a career in fine art.

He chooses to work in a classical style because he deeply connects with traditional works which aptly express reality. “Art should bring about a respect for life and God’s creation around us,” he says. “I want to do my best to faithfully render what is beautiful to me and hopefully others will find that beauty reflected in my work.”

Please do take a moment to visit Dan’s Website by following the link below. Much of the artwork on his website (beside what is in his current galleries) is available for purchase directly from his studio. I know Dan worked real hard on this oil painting tutorial. I am sure he would appreciate your visit. If you have time, why not drop him a line as well.

West Wind - An Oil Painting Demonstration by Dan Schultz

For this studio painting I used Claessens double oil primed linen canvas, #15 (my usual painting surface). This painting, as with most of my larger paintings, was completed using a photograph as my reference. (My wife, Sarah, is the lovely lady in the photo. Somehow I doubt she would have been very excited to pose in the middle of a field long enough for me to do the painting from life.)

Click here to view the rest of this step by step painting demo

Digital cameras are one of the greatest inventions of modern times. We are so fortunate to have this modern convenience called Digital Photography. To be able to capture precious moments or beautiful scenes at the click of a button, is something we should not take for granted.

Many beginners find digital photography rather challenging and rightly so. Today, more and more digital cameras are being created and it seems like the more digital cameras they make, the more difficult they become to use.

I own a Canon Powershot S3 IS. I purchased this digital camera about a year ago and I still haven't utilized all of the awesome little features this camera has to offer. Now you may not want or even need a camera with tons of features. It really depends on the type of pictures you plan on taking.

Regardless of the camera you own or are planning to own, you should have a well rounded knowledge of digital photography. I hope the following 20 tips for taking digital photography will prove to be useful in your quest for taking better photographs.

Everybody looks for a label. I would like to be known as a painter one who painted what he saw while wandering around on his journey.

Don Sahli made the decision to become a professional artist at a very early age. By the time he was 17 years old, galleries in Texas and New Mexico were selling his paintings. Sahli has earned his living as a professional artist all his adult life. Presently, his work is represented by galleries in Colorado, North Carolina, New Mexico, Wyoming and Texas.

When I look at a painting, I want it to bring me back to when I was on the scene. I want it to convey the drama and emotion that first captured my attention, the atmosphere, and the soul of the place.

Sahli’s work contains stylistic echoes of the Russian masters, particularly evident in his uninhibited use of color, his stern originality and unique vitality. As the last apprentice to the Russian colorist, Sergei Bongart, Sahli sustains an important artistic legacy, one passed from Ilya Repin, the fountainhead of all modern Russian painting, to Nicolai Fechin, to Peter Kotov, to Sergei Bongart to Don Sahli.

My teacher taught, his teacher taught, and I wanted to keep this tradition alive and give something back.

In 1995, carrying on the legacy of his teacher, Sahli opened Sahli School of Art in Evergreen, Colorado. He lives with his wife, Cindy and their two sons, in their mountain home near the school.

Q - What medium or mediums do you work with?

A - I am an oil painter - on canvas or board - depending on the size of the painting and where I am painting - studio or plein air.

Q - How long have you been an artist? How did you get started?

A - I have been an artist all my life. I sold my first painting at age 14 or 15. When I was 17, I took my work to a gallery in Taos, NM, the gallery director accepted it and sold my work for several years. I have continued to show in galleries around the country since that time....


Please click here to view the entire interview