Phil Starke Studio Newsletter - December 2023
Phil Starke is a professional fine artist with prestigious gallery representation, participates in national museum exhibitions, and teaches workshops and online fine art courses.
PHIL STARKE STUDIO NEWSLETTER
December 2023
With 2023 coming to an end I thought I would write a quick newsletter about the year in review.
I made a few big painting trips this year, one to Scotland. Shari and I traveled there with some friends and I got some painting and drawing done. Scotland is great for painting greens and clouds.
I also painted in Taos this past October with Plein Air Painters of America We painted for a week and had a show at the Couse- Sharp Historic Studios.
Earlier this summer I was accepted in the "Oh Be Joyful Gallery" in Crested Butte Colorado, Check out their website here: https://www.ohbejoyfulgallery.com/. I was able to make a visit there this fall and drop off some more work.
Shari and I are looking forward to 2024, hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a great New Year.
In This Issue
Quick Links
Workshop Schedule
Recommended Video Downloads For December
Controlling Color With Grays - Downloadable Tutorial
Controlling your color is important. Learn how to desaturate your color using a series of gray values.
Painting With Secondary Colors - Downloadable Tutorial
This lesson teaches how to use secondary colors. Using these colors helps you get away from copying the photo so much. It's a good way to simplify your color thinking process. A photo reference is included.
ARTIST AT A GLANCE
The Tremendous Talent of Wilson Hurley 1924 - 2008
I was able to visit Wilson's studio twice. He was kind enough to critique my work and spend time talking about painting and things that influenced him. Wilson had a varied and full life. He attended West Point, became a pilot and served in Vietman. He attended law school and practiced in New Mexico. During all this time he painted when he could. He eventually started painting full time and used all his experiences in life to teach himself to paint and was encouraged by Robert Lougheed, who was also an artist in New Mexico.
Wilson's work can be found in many museums including the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and the Albuquerque Museum of Art. The pieces that have had the most effect on me are the four very large murals located in the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. They are monumental representations of light and color in landscape painting. If you haven't had a chance to see a good body of work by Wilson Hurley, you might want to check out this book "Wilson Hurley: A Retrospective Exhibition", then you, too will see what a tremendous talent he was.
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Available Paintings
Available Plein Air Paintings & Studies
Boats in Oriental, NC
La Salle & Broadway
Morningside Drive, Manhattan
New York Vendor
I've posted a few of the available paintings on my website. So, if you're interested, you can check it all out by looking at the top of this page and clicking on the menu link, or you can just click this link: PLEIN AIR & STUDIES
In the not-too-distant future, I plan on adding a section of AVAILABLE PAINTINGS, which will display the work that's available through galleries.
You can always email me if you have questions about anything on the website.
WHAT'S PLAYING
My YouTube Channel
There are currently 152 tutorial videos on my YouTube Channel and I try to add a new video every 3 days. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, I'm inviting you to stop by and see if I can help you with some of your stumbling blocks or to increase your knowledge base. Here are two of the latest video tutorials.
There's a lot going on over there, so please stop by, SUBSCRIBE, and leave a comment! Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/@philstarke.artist
ARTIST TIP
BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS
I have always used outdoor sketches and drawings for studio work. I also use photography for detail and composition, but rely on the outdoor paintings for color.
Since going digital and discovering Adobe's Photoshop where I can "diddle" all day adjusting color, contrast and values, it became easier to ignore the outdoor sketch. As I was preparing for a 30 x 40 piece in the studio to develop from an 8 x 10 sketch of some large cottonwoods on the Aravaipa River, I fussed around with the photo on Photoshop for a half hour only to discover my color ink cartridge was too low. Frustrated, I went ahead and printed out a black and white photo and rediscovered using the 9 x 10 sketch and my own color sense. The black and white photo was a good source for more accurate values and plan separation.
The color on photographs is never very accurate so it's good practice to rely on the outdoor painting to developyour own color sense and the black and white photo for planes and values.
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EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
PAINT WITH CONFIDENCE FAMILY OF ONLINE COURSES
DOWNLOADS - WORKSHOPS - RESOURCE LIBRARY
Thanks for the nice newsletter. I especially enjoyed the introduction to Wilson Hurley’s work. Really quite lovely. I thank you for all I have learned through your youtube and the workshop I took from you.
Thanks Susan, I’m glad you enjoyed the newsletter. Wilson Hurley was a great artist and a great guy too. Thanks for watching my youtube channel.