Dan Scott

I just put the finishing touches on New Zealand, Stroll In the Park. New Zealand is such a colorful place. A landscape painter’s dream. There’s an important lesson in this painting. I was about 90% complete and for some reason, I didn’t like what I saw. Something wasn’t right but I had no idea what or … Read more

The other day, I published an “On the Easel” post about Caloundra, Dramatic Sunrise (you can read it here if you missed it). I enjoyed that painting so much I decided to paint the subject again, from a photo taken earlier in the morning. The composition is roughly the same, but the colors and overall mood are completely different. … Read more

The top Impressionists have inspired me since my late teens. Not just for their beautiful paintings, but also their outlook on life, art, and their constant search for light, color, and life’s fleeting moments. Below are some of my favorite Impressionist quotes. There are some wise words here. “Everything that is painted directly and on … Read more

A few days ago I wrote about my most recent painting, American Mountains. What I didn’t write about was the failed painting that came just prior. You would usually never hear about an artist’s failed paintings, but there’s an important lesson to be learned from this one. I was grasping for something to paint and settled … Read more

I watched Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr. the other day. This was an exhibition boxing match between two former champs. I was too young to see either of them fight back in their primes, but I have racked up hundreds of hours on Youtube watching their highlight reels. Both are athletic freaks of nature. … Read more

We moved house a few weeks ago. I’ve been busy setting up the new studio (and training Kobe, our golden retriever, on how to conquer the stairs). It’s a nice upgrade from the garage I worked in at the last place, and my apartment bedroom before that, and my parents’ living room table before that. … Read more

Question from a reader: How do I deal with feeling overwhelmed? I want to paint but I don’t know where to start. This is something we all deal with. My most unproductive days are when I feel overwhelmed (unless you count all the unfinished to-do lists). The answer isn’t to eliminate it. We just need to … Read more

Over the past two years I’ve dedicated much of my practice to improving in drawing. It was a weakness but it’s slowly turning into a strength. I try to fit in at least a few minutes of drawing every day. I date the top corner of each page to track my progress. I was doing … Read more

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” Pablo Picasso Artists have much to learn from children. My partner Chontele become an auntie a bit under two months ago. Her brother and his partner had a little boy. We helped babysit him the other weekend. He … Read more