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Tell Your Story

4/11/2019 1:08:56 PM

This is an article that I wrote for and was published in American Watercolor Weekly (February 26, 2019). The topic is how we can use composition to effectively tell our story in our painting. To me, the key is knowing what I want to say and deciding where to put focus. Choosing a good composition can be challenging, and it is something that I take it seriously especially when I paint on location. Compositional possibilities are endless, and it can be daunting to choose the right one. I find it helpful to take some time beforehand to do a few thumbnail sketches [...]

Simplifying a Painting

2/25/2019 10:08:46 PM

This is an article that I wrote for Outdoor Painter, the home of PleinAir magazine, about one of the most important topics for plein-air painters, How to Simplify a Painting. This doesn't just happen. We have to make it happen. How does one simplify a complex scene in a painting? My approach to this question starts with having a vision. I want to have a solid idea about what I want to communicate and what I want to achieve in a painting before I begin. I use this as a guide to make some of the important creative decisions including simplification. Whether [...]

Repetitio Est Mater Studiorum

8/19/2018 4:50:18 PM

Repetitio est mater studiorum" (Repetition is the mother of learning). I work hard when I'm serious about learning something new but I don't know if learning by repetition is the best way for me. I'm a kind of person who doesn't like reading manuals so I just start playing with a newly purchased product and figure out how to make it work (well, sometimes, never). I like to just dive in and learn by doing instead of reading or taking notes or even seeing how things are done beforehand. It may be natural for a person like me to get bored with the [...]

Stop and Think Why

7/17/2016 3:33:00 PM

Of all the choices we could make in our lives, we painters choose to spend a lot of time painting. There's got to be a very strong reason why we make that choice if time is indeed money. Of course before anything, there is or would have to be innate passion about the act of painting. That cannot be taught or forced upon because that being non-existence wouldn't most likely sustain us for a long time. For most of us, it's really that passion, not the aspect of it being a task, that keeps motivating or driving us. So let's make [...]

Pre-Sale Begins: My First DVD "Spanish Landscapes in Watercolour"

5/28/2016 11:02:51 AM

As I wrote on my blog exactly a year ago, my first DVD set is about to be launched from Veopintar, a Spanish video production company. I am very happy and excited that five complete plein-air demonstrations that I did in Spain last year are included in this 2-DVD set. The audio portion will be available in English and Spanish. Watch the trailer on YouTube. Veopintar has just started offering my DVD set as a pre-sale with a 10% discount (this offer is valid until June 15, 2016) from their website. The shipment will be after June 16 2016. Download this DVD I hope you will [...]

How I Use W&N Watercolor Markers

4/22/2016 1:47:24 AM

I am primarily a landscape painter but often what I try to capture is little slices and fleeting moments of life. When it's the case, the landscape sets the stage for "little" figures I put in my painting. I think these figures help create a wonderful story, and I like telling the story through their movements and body language. Needless to say, it depends on how closely or remotely I use the landscape as a backdrop for the figures, but most of the time, the size of these people must be depicted proportionately small in a painting. So they may be [...]

A Little Sketch Goes A Long Way

3/2/2016 1:06:16 AM

Winter is over and it's time to get out in the field for plein-air painting. Sounds great? I know it's Yes for some people but for the others it may be one of those things that are easier said than done. Especially if you made your studio too comfortable during harsh winter months, or if you have never painted outside, it may seem a bit daunting to venture out of the studio. Well, you can relax and take a less intimidating approach: make a small sketch outside instead of a full-scale painting. These small sketches, called fieldwork, are something I enjoy immensely. [...]

Quick studies made even quicker with W&N markers

10/22/2015 6:56:54 PM

It is a huge honor that I was named a brand ambassador by Winsor & Newton earlier this year. One of their products that I have become particularly fond of is their watercolor markers. Colors so vibrant and of fine quality are a pure joy to play with. I have also found its versatility incredible, and its portability hard not to love, especially for a constant traveler like myself. Being an avid plein-air painter, I prefer setting up on site to do even sketches with paints and brushes. There is no problem in most cases as my landscapes subject doesn't move and [...]

Travel with a Sketchbook

9/8/2015 2:43:52 AM

I used to take a lot of photos when I traveled. Mostly for keeping memories but I also thought some day I would use these photos to make paintings from. Well, some got used for that purpose, but the reality is, when there were too many, most didn’t even get looked at… buried somewhere on my computer. Plus back in my studio after a trip I found it difficult to feel just as inspired as I did when I took the photo. Luckily I discovered the joy of plein-air painting early on and have been doing it almost from the beginning as [...]

Have Fun with Your Imagination

8/27/2014 8:20:30 PM

When it comes to choosing a subject of plein-air painting, I think I'm fairly easy. What it means is that I am pretty relaxed about what I can find to paint in most situations, even in a new place in a foreign country. In a plein-air workshop situation, it is usually a person who organizes this that is more worried than me if I like a particular view or if I see anything that is paintable for my group. As a realistic painter, I find it somewhat important to be situated in an ideal spot where there is good light and [...]

NEW BOOK: Painting San Diego, 100 Plein-Air Watercolors of San Diego Landscapes

6/2/2014 12:53:21 AM

I am very pleased to announce that my new art book is now available online. PAINTING SAN DIEGO: 100 Plein-Air Watercolors of San Diego Landscapes is a result of my recent 6-month-long outdoor painting journey through San Diego County, California, my adopted home of 20 years. The book contains 100 images of never-before-seen watercolors of mine, all painted en plein air between November 2013 and May 2014, photos and descriptions of most locations, plenty of practical tips and several step-by-step demonstrations. 120 pages. Foreword was written by Michael Campos of Campos Photography, a fine art photographer and a dear friend whom I have [...]

Plein-Air Painting in Long Island, New York (3) - American Landscape Painting

5/12/2014 3:28:53 AM

After completing two waterscapes, I decided to move a bit inland to avoid the chilly wind from the south shore. I drove past several quaint small towns and some really luxurious houses but other than that, the landscape was mostly rural. This simple country scene that I painted was nothing extraordinary but there was something quite appealing about it. When I decided to set up to paint there, I had a choice of doing it on this side of the road or on the other. You can see what I chose and why in the finished painting. I have had people who told [...]

Central Park, New York City II, American Landscape Painting

5/1/2014 2:14:47 AM

One of the things I repeatedly tell my students is, before painting, have a plan for your creative process and picture your final picture. Easier said than done, but isn't it true that this is so easy to forget? Maybe we are too eager to paint. Maybe we don't think it's that important. Or we think a painting has to be done intuitively - we are artists after all, right? Please read this: Seasoned athletes use vivid, highly detailed internal images and run-throughs of the entire performance, engaging all their senses in their mental rehearsal, and they [...]

Recent Magazine Features

1/29/2014 3:13:21 AM

I am deeply honored to have my work featured in the 2014 March issue of Artists & Illustrators (published by Chelsea Magazine Co., Ltd., United Kingdom). Ms. Jenny White gave me an interview for my article. She asked me a lot of great questions about my thoughts on painting watercolor as well as teaching it. I hope you will enjoy reading it if you have a chance. Thanks to the article, one of my street scene paintings included in it "Bucharest, Romania I (2012)" saw the light of day. This work reminds me of my visit to this delightful city where I [...]

Working Out a Composition

11/14/2013 10:23:04 PM

One of the key factors to make a painting that has an impact is a good composition. Whether I work outdoors in the nature or in my studio using a photo reference, it is very rare to see a perfect arrangement of all shapes in a scene that I'm painting. So a composition needs to be worked out to be a strong one. Of course it is essential to work out a composition before you start painting. I have found it helpful to do several small studies on a big sheet of paper divided with a masking tape to see which composition [...]

Al Ponte di Rialto, Venice II, Italian Landscape Painting

10/31/2013 8:21:42 PM

My travel sketchbooks vary in size but my favorites are 8.5"x5.5" or 12"x9". If my primary purpose of going somewhere is solely to paint, I, of course, carry with me all the plein-air painting gear, a tripod and a watercolor block of much larger size up to 18"x24, " which can be quite a handful. If I want to visit a place first, I like the portability of my small sketchbook just to make quick studies in whenever and wherever I want. And I do this sometimes with just lines, or sometimes with a few colors. My 12"x9" is actually a watercolor [...]

Colors and Values

9/13/2013 3:10:29 AM

"It is wonderful how much depends upon the relations of black and white. A black and white, if properly balanced, suggests colour." -- Winslow HomerIn my workshops, one of the things my students may get tired of hearging from me is how important it is to be able to see the correct values. I do not dwell too much on colors. I show them my palette but I also tell them that they can use whatever colors they like. That is not to say that I take colors lightly. On the contrary. What I mean is simply that colors, or hues [...]

Beverly Hills II, California Landscape Painting

11/23/2012 9:29:40 PM

One of the popular themes taken up in the workshops I teach is how to capture light and atmosphere in watercolor. In those classes, I keep telling my students to always think where the light source is in a painting. Unless you are painting a scene that is pitch-black (then, why you bother to paint it?), there's always the light coming from somewhere - even on a very cloudy day. Natural or artificial, finding the light is the first step and an important one in the process. But sometimes the light is not in an ideal location. Then, I'd say, [...]

Cortona, Italy VI, Italian Landscape Painting

1/14/2011 3:12:44 AM

Artists may have a constant need to create but it is not easy to stay inspired all the time to do so, or it may not even be possible. As they say, life gets in the way... often. And we let go of our senses or ignore our emotions for what's supposed to be the source of inspiration. At a time like this, I would go out or let my mind wander in those special places I visited. If I find something, in real life or in my travel memories, like a sweeping, panoramic view of the Chiana Valley, it usually [...]

Antwerp, Belgium I, Belgian Landscape Painting

11/24/2010 2:56:58 AM

The Town Square of Antwerp is really an impressive place as it's surrounded by handsome tall buildings with beautiful architectural features. These are guild houses. Each has a distinct character but all are richly decorated and covered with windows in front. Then there are the City Hall, the fountain, pubs, shops, and needless to say, people who come here to walk, drink and eat, or just relax. The place has all the charms that would make any painter of city scenes want to try his hand at capturing a moment. My idea for this painting was not to depict all kinds of [...]

Roma, Italia XXXVI, Italian Landscape Painting

9/15/2010 2:23:20 AM

Roma, Italia XXXVI Not being formally trained in art and not being afraid of creative experimentation are like two sides of the coin. I don't mean it in any offensive way, however, because anybody who creates art embraces the freedom to experiment regardless of their background. But for those (including myself) who didn't go to art schools to learn what they teach, ignorance may be bliss in order to gain experience by trying new things without worrying about do's and dont's (or grades?). Of course, without proper guidance, that could easily mean lots of bad paintings and a sense of failure [...]

Yuyuan, Shanghai, China IV, Interior Painting

8/22/2010 2:57:27 AM

Xialongbao that I had was filled with crab meat. It was not just any crab but the much sought-after kind from the Yangtze Delta (read related post and see another painting of this restaurant). In Chinese cuisine, crab meat is considered yin because of its cooling characteristics. Therefore, it is often eaten together with something else that has a warming (yang) effect such as vinegar. Yin and yang - they are two opposites that interconnect and interact, and together make a whole. Whether conscious or not, we painters think in terms of yin and yang when we design [...]

Sorrento, Italy V, Italian Landscape Painting

7/30/2010 2:50:07 AM

Always make sure they are fresh, high-quality and without impurities. It'll be even better if they are carefully manufactured by a reputable artisan. Then, when tried, they will satisfy you with rich, smooth texture and color. A wonderful experience like this is hard to forget, making us want to come back to it again and again. As you can guess, I am talking about a really good gelato, wonderfully tasty Italian ice cream, just like what you can get at a popular gelateria in the sunny Sorrento. But, seriously, the same thing can be said about paints we choose to work with. How [...]

Artist Daily: Proven Steps of Watercolor Mastery

6/5/2010 2:16:23 AM

Courtney Jordan, editor of Artist Daily (on June 5 , 2010), offers a top-five list she compiled to help those striving to improve their skills for the mastery of the medium of watercolor. 1. Load your brush 2. Go abstract 3. Don't forget to sketch 4. Find the light 5. Consider a limited palette These are really excellent pieces of advice, coming from someone who is familiar with ins and outs of many techniques and approaches employed by contemporary watermedia artists. I am happy to see my painting featured in this article (Click to read more). Read [...]

Paris (#11) - Crêperie, French Landscape Painting

3/17/2010 2:01:30 AM

As soon as this sweet smell hit my nose, I knew I was near a crêperie. Around the corner, there it was, a crêpe restaurant with red umbrellas. While a crêpe can be bought from a street vendor and eaten right away, it is nice sometimes to sit down in a restaurant to have it as a meal and/or a dessert. The sheer number of crêperies in Paris alone says a lot about how popular crêpes are here. They are simple, quick and delicious -- it's hard to resist the temptation of this warm, savory, classy fast food. In fact [...]

Paris (#8) - Corner Café, French Landscape Painting

3/6/2010 2:14:10 AM

Paris (#8) - Corner Cafe Although I've been talking about how I paint from time to time, it is not my intention to show you there's a set approach to my painting style. It would be easier for me if I knew steps to follow, but honestly, I'm not even aware of what I am doing while painting - how dare I write "How I Paint" posts! I may stick to one method of painting for some time, especially after it worked for the first time. Finding a comfort zone encourages me but I also know a part of me always wants [...]

Venice Canal VII, Venice, Italy Painting

2/11/2010 3:05:00 AM

Whenever I get an idea for a new painting, I become so excited and anxious I can't wait to put it down on a paper. So my drawing is pretty quick and simple. I draw, with a 4B or 6B pencil, all the main shapes and a few details, especially highlights where I want to preserve the white of a paper. Then, I gaze at the paper in front of me for a moment, trying to visualize the painting I'd like to make happen. This is a small but very important step in my process because it makes me aware [...]

Paris Cafe XXXVIII, French Landscape Painting

1/27/2010 1:34:23 AM

This café, near an entrance to the Luxembourg Gardens, is in such a great location it seems always busy. Late afternoon the light was coming straight into the terrace where people were enjoying a drink before heading home or for other evening activities... This is the story of this painting. But I hope you will see what will happen after this scene. A waiter will come and clear one of the round tables that was just vacated. Soon these three tables (in front) will be taken by more customers as an evening approaches. Here's how I painted this scene: [...]

Pauma Valley, San Diego I, California Landscape Painting

12/15/2009 1:56:35 AM

When I start a studio painting from a field sketch or a reference photo, I go at it with full confidence and much excitement but my semi-conscious mind always knows it may or may not work. For one thing, watercolor is such an elusive medium. Oftentimes, if a painting doesn't work out, it's too difficult to salvage or rework it. A painting may look good at first but it can lose a certain flow at some point and initial enthusiasm may quickly fade. An experienced watercolorist will know then how to get back in the flow quickly, or even to [...]