I am pleased to share with you my latest artwork called "Breeze". It's an oil painting that measures 20" x 20" (unframed) and beautifully captures the uplifting feeling of the summer wind as it blows across the midwestern landscape. The trees sway in harmony with the wind and the clouds move slowly across the sky, creating a serene atmosphere. You can find this artwork at Bell St. Gallery in Bayfield, WI. Please visit the gallery page for more information ..read more

Today I want to get into composition and focal areas. I want to show you how the abstract value plan ties into the composition of the painting and the ways Sargent uses this plan to lead the eye to the focal areas and around the painting.  The main focal area is at the top of the painting (A). The staircase and triangular shadow lead directly to it. It has high contrast of value, a hard edge, and lots of detail (small shapes) in the shadows, the stonework, and the leaves and branches, which keeps your eye coming back to that area. Compare that to a secondary focal area (B). While it has ..read more

  Over the next few blog posts, I am going to be discussing the artistic principles behind John Singer Sargent's "Staircase in Capri", seen above. It's probably a lesser known piece of his, but like most of Sargent's work, that doesn't mean it's of lesser quality.    Today I want to talk about VALUE!  To me, value is the foundation of a painting. It's linked tightly to composition and holds all the other elements together. So let's jump into it and I think you'll see what I mean. It's important to clarify what we mean by "value" when discussing art. In this context, we ..read more

One of the things I want to do with this blog is to help artists and art lovers understand how I define good art. I believe the more we become informed about art the better artists, admirers and collectors we become. To do this, I'll take a look at master paintings and dive deep into them to understand why they work. Following in YouTuber Rick Beato's footsteps, I'm calling this series "What Makes this Painting Great!" (WMTPG!)    Before I get into this series of blog posts, I want to mention a few core beliefs I have about art, just so everyone understands where I'm coming from. 1 ..read more

Well, the new year has come, the winter solstice is behind us, and the days are finally getting longer—slowly. It's the time of year to pause and reflect, and then get busy again.  Now, I don't create New Year's resolutions, but I review what I did and didn’t accomplish and what I want to work on in the coming year. This review is not to create resolutions or goals in the traditional sense, but to keep me aligned with what I want in my life and in my art. While doing the review, I have come to realize that I need to improve my communication by being more consistent in sharing my story ..read more

Can you believe it? We're halfway through the month of May already. Spring is going quickly, so I wanted to give everyone a quick reminder that my May Days 20% Off sale on Etsy is still going on until May 31st. Now's the time to pick up that little something special for yourself or for someone you know that loves art. etsy.com/shop/vandervinneart     ..read more

Awards are always nice. While I never expect them, I am always grateful (and often astonished) when I receive them. Lately I've had a string of awards. I'm honored and feel lucky to be appreciated. Instead of writing multiple blog posts, I thought it'd be best to simply list the ones that I've received over the past few weeks. Best of Show April Song (6"x6", oils), & Spring at the End of the Lane (20" x 20", oils) Field to Finish Exhibit, Hoosier Salon   3rd Place Closer Together (12" x 12", oils) Pairs Online Juried Exhibition, Indiana Artist Network Merit Award Not Leav ..read more

I'm pleased to announce that two of my paintings, Luminous Lucidity and Unclear, have been accepted into the 44th Annual Elkhart Regional Juried Exhibit. This is put on by the Midwest Museum of American Art and can be seen from October 8th - December 23rd. Opening night is Friday, October 7th.   Luminous Lucidity, oils, 20x20 in.   A square format painting creates some interesting compositional challenges, and has quickly become a favorite shape of mine to paint. This scene from the Indiana Dunes National Park near Porter Beach seems a simple composition which helps keep the focus ..read more

I am excited to announce that my painting Soul at Night took home a 2nd place award in the Landscape category at the Hoosier Salon exhibit. A big thank you to the judges Dawn Whitelaw and David Mueller for this unforgettable honor. The painting will be on exhibit at the Indiana State Museum until October 23, 2022.  ..read more

Let's face it, this Coronavirus pandemic is a difficult time for everyone. We've all been cooped up and just want to go out and get together with friends, loved ones and even work associates again. And it's only been a couple weeks!   So, while the art museums, gallery shows, fairs and events have all been closed, postponed or cancelled all together, art can still be found online through sites, podcasts, books and documentary shows. Here's a list of some of my favorites, from places to look at art online, inspiring books to transport you to other times or places, entertaining podcasts to ..read more