by Alana Knuff | January 17, 2026
It takes time to feel comfortable with our creations. And it feels so good to have others tells us they like our work and have them purchase our paintings. One key step along an artist’s journey is to put your best work out for public viewing. The feedback is invaluable. I would encourage the artist in you to have more confidence and enter as many relevant juried art competitions as practical. Here are two websites, I review, that offer lists of juried competitions. There are others. Take the plunge!
Call for Entry & Art Submission Management for Exhibitions | ShowSubmit
Juried Art Services
by Alana Knuff | Apr 3, 2017
When you wonder if your style has gone out of style, doubt stirs and you question why and for whom you paint. To paint is not an option; it is an obsession – passion. Artists desire to express feelings about the world and what we see. Painting, therefore, is never a chore until we allow marketing to interfere with what we paint. Galleries may agree to represent work if only one paints ‘this’ and not ‘that.’ Though this improves their sales, it robs from our creative bottom line. And so we see, in far too many galleries, production paintings of the same subject/composition tweaked in multiple manors to satisfy marketing.
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]]>by Alana Knuff | Mar 10, 2017
This past year several of my paintings have been shipped to various locations. Lessons learned in this regard are many. Carefully packaging the painting for shipping is very important. A strong commercial box intended for shipping art such as “Air Float” is expensive but well worth the cost, especially if the painting has many stops. Museums expect this type of protection. For a single run, prepare a box using heavy duty cardboard with two-inch-thick building Styrofoam insulation around all sides of the painting and frame. The Styrofoam is light reducing costs and is resistant to punctures that may go through the cardboard. The painting should be wrapped in brown paper and never in bubble wrap or plastic. These melt under high heat and may stick to the painting damaging the surface.
by Alana Knuff | January 17, 2026
At some point in our journey as artists, we decide to sell our paintings. The question is how and where. Gallery representation is one option and should not be the only option. Finding a gallery is time consuming. A good fit is a must. Questions to ask. Does the gallery carry a similar style of art as yours? How long have they been in business? Is the location a target rich environment? Working with a gallery is a contractual relationship. Make sure you have a signed agreement and know what is expected. Sharing a sale usually requires the 50/50 split. Be sure the fit works and you trust the relationship.
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]]>by Alana Knuff | Jan 25, 2016
As artists we strive to create a new perspective with our paintings, not merely a technical copy of what is before us. All our tools – medium, composition, values, hues, shapes, lines, brushwork etcetera – are called into play. We instinctively sense whether the finished piece is noteworthy, not by the technical aspect, but rather with our emotions. For me, a great painting emotionally connects the subject of the painting with the viewer of the painting.
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]]>by Alana Knuff | January 17, 2026
Brushes and palette knives are painting tools. Brushes apply light to heavy paint and palette knives render thick impasto application. To emphasize objects in the foreground, thick intense hues are appropriate. To emphasize objects far away, thin muted colors work best. The variety adds depth and interest to paintings.
A painting that has all hard edges appears is like a photograph. Value painters use all soft/lost edges. My preference is a combination of soft and hard edges with the hard edges near the point of interest. An exception to this occurs with portraits. In portraits the eyes are the focal point, and soft edges are a must in rendering eyes.
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]]>by Alana Knuff | Apr 22, 2017
My least favorite color is green. It seems to take over paintings if too saturated. Reality, especially landscapes, displays many variations of green. And it is important to note that green makes water wet in a painting. Combining various blues (cobalt, ultramarine, cerulean, phthalo, Prussian) with various yellows (cadmium, cadmium lemon, Indian, Hansa, ochre, Naples) produces a wide spectrum of green favoring either warm or cool depending on the ratio mix. Seldom do I use a green from a tube, except for chromium oxide green.
by Alana Knuff | Feb 22, 2016
Often it is fun to explore new colors and their combinations. This broadens one’s knowledge and keeps paintings fresh. The earth colors – raw umber, burnt umber, raw sienna and burnt sienna –produce some interesting combinations and results. Before starting a painting with new colors, take time to create a matrix showing various combinations and values. This provides an invaluable color guide for painting and can be kept for future reference.
by Alana Knuff | Dec 2, 2015
Whenever a new painting is started, there is an opportunity to play with new colors. Usually a cool red, blue and yellow and a warm red, blue and yellow form the base with white and black. One color will dominate. Mixed with its compliment, it should give the needed neutral. Making a matrix shows some of the variations that can be created. Limiting the palette to a few hues produces color harmony. As a result, you will have a new palette to use again.
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]]>by Alana Knuff | May 29, 2017
Light is that energy that shapes the forms and its absence creates the shadows. It is what draws us into a painting. The contrast of the adjacent darkest and lightest values, known as chiaroscuro, is easy to paint for most artists. More difficult is the middle range – those values that transition the light into the shadows crossing a wide range of cool and warm hues. There appear to be infinite possibilities, yet as artists we choose to minimize the visual transition for the viewer. Mastering the art of this transition may take a lifetime. It is the most important aspect of painting. It is the ‘holy grail’ of artistic endeavors.
by Alana Knuff | Jun 15, 2016
Here are some useful bits of information about cool and warm hues. Cool colors recede and warm colors advance. In landscapes as the atmosphere plays with distant views, soft edges and coolness prevail. Putting cool next to cool or warm next to warm flattens the appearance, while contrasting cool next to warm adds depth and dimension. For harmony, pick one temperature as dominate. And remember, that a color is warm or cool only in reference to an adjacent color.
by Alana Knuff | Dec 13, 2015
Often stated, if the values are right, the hue is unimportant. This is so true. Squint, squint, squint to see the values. A grey scale of ten values is my trusty companion. Ten oil colors from dark to light values might be ivory black, dioxazine violet, burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, viridian, cadmium red, yellow ochre, cadmium orange, cadmium yellow, titanium white. Of note, colors will vary by manufacturer. To test your ability to see values log onto this website http://www.xrite.com/online-color-test-challenge.
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]]>by Alana Knuff | May 11, 2016
To paint a realistic or impressionistic style, drawing is the foundation. There is no substitution for good drawing skills. A fellow artist recently shared an interesting book, The Zen of Seeing by Frederick Franck. In it are quick sketches/drawings from everyday life of the author. Like Andres Zorn, who produced a plethora of etchings as he traveled the world, drawing was daily exercise. When drawing, one becomes intimate with the subject, seeing and recording the nuances that comprise the forms, gestures and energy of the moment.
by Alana Knuff | Jan 5, 2016
Always have a digital camera available to catch those images that stir creative energies. The opportunities are endless. By converting my digital photos to black and white, I have the ability to create a strong composition and focus on the emotional message for the painting.
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]]>by Alana Knuff | June 12, 2026
We cannot always create a painting that sparks interest and conveys what we held in our mind’s eye. In fact, more often than not, we fall short of the perfection. The decision then needs to be made as to whether we continue and improve the work or toss it out and start again. I have found that the answers to these questions, help make that decision.
Question 1 – Is there a focal point that draws the viewer into the painting? Is it the point of entry you had intended?
Question 2 – Is the painting conveying your intention and will the viewer sense your intention?
Question 3 – Are the values correct and foundation/drawing accurate?
Question 4 – Are the hues in harmony?
by Alana Knuff | Jan 29, 2017
There will be highs and lows in which one feels and does not feel inspired to paint. During the ‘dry spells’ the creative energy is not dormant, but rather changing perspective. That which was learned previously is being enriched. Keep painting in your mind seeing new works unfold. Keep painting.
by Alana Knuff | Jul 22, 2016
Not every work of art we do meets our expectations. The image in our head sometimes does not materialize. So, a ‘what went wrong’ analysis is needed. Here are some questions to ask.
by Alana Knuff | May 30, 2016
As artists our time is spent primarily with ourselves. The hours fly by unencumbered. Creativity knows not the limits of time and as we become engaged in our work, time, for us, seems to stand still. Others may look upon our solitary seclusion as selfish and to some extent that applies. However, that solitude is the well spring for creative endeavors. There is one caveat, however. Gathering with other artists grows us as we exchange experiences. Take time out at least once a month to be with other artists.
by Alana Knuff | Apr 29, 2016
Why do you create what you create? Artists are often confronted with painting that which seems to sell and that which inspires them to pick up the brush and paint. When asked, why I paint, my response is that painting is my passion that has become addictive. My being becomes intimately entangled with the object of observation. A desire rises during the encounter to draw, paint or sculpt exploring all that I see. It is this energy that gives life to the creation.
by Alana Knuff | Apr 10, 2016
Style for me is a state of continual development – not static. When art becomes static, the beauty is lost. New experiences bring new interpretations. The mark of the artist is not lost; it remains part of the painting fabric through subtle shifts in style and technique. The results however break new ground.
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]]>by Alana Knuff | Aug 9, 2017
There seems to me no greater challenge to a painter that bringing together a clear balance of color dispersion and harmony. What do I mean? After one plans the color palette and executes the composition, what remains is the ‘icing on the cake. How do you disperse color throughout the painting to give it visual unity? I find this to be the greatest challenge and am still working on it. Needless to say, as you paint dabbing a bit of what is left on your brush in correct and multiple value blocks livens the visual experience. It is like pixels of every color you used dispersed throughout the painting. Easier said than done.
by Alana Knuff | Oct 25, 2016
The term, en plein air, originated with the French Impressionists. It refers to painting outdoors and capturing the colors of the daylight. Though most of my work is done in the studio, the subject and composition are captured from life, painting a small plein air piece, painting a model study and/or photographing my experience. There really is no substitute for painting from life. A visual memory of the first-hand experience is one of the tools we rely on while painting.
by Alana Knuff | Sep 18, 2016
Often artists will ask what oils I use. And the answer is different manufacturers. The manufacturer that has the hue I like and puts little else besides pigment and oil in the paint, usually is the one selected. For example, Yellow Ochre varies among oil paint makers. The same is true of Naples Yellow. A good way to consistently get the hue you desire is to know the pigment code. Here is a good reference. http://www.artiscreation.com/ColorCharts.html
by Alana Knuff | Aug 4, 2016
We agree that not all our paintings turn out as planned. And some artwork just does not seem to sell; perhaps it lacks that emotional connection needed by the viewer. If the canvas is of good quality, it makes sense to reuse it. The first step is to lightly sand the surface with a fine grain sandpaper taking out oil ridges where paint is thick and leaving a fairly smooth surface. Dust with a micro cloth. It you are comfortable with the results, apply two coats of oil gesso. Allow each application to dry and then lightly sand the surface before adding the next application.
by Alana Knuff | Mar 26, 2016
Sometimes taking time off from painting brings a fresh return. Painting in my head, creating compositions and envisioning a completed work are pre-requisite for applying paint to a canvas. This is daydreaming for artists. If a clear vision is imagined before starting a painting, the results are usually pleasing. The key word is “clear.” Foggy ideas, for me, result in poor execution.
by Alana Knuff | Mar 13, 2016
An outstanding artist, a contemporary of John Singer Sargent, was Swedish born Anders Zorn. A friend of Isabell Stewart Gardner, Zorn often received commissions through her and came to America for extended periods of time. He painted three American Presidents – Grover Cleveland, William H. Taft and Theodore Roosevelt. Impressive was his skill creating such wonderful portraits using a limited palette comprised of ivory black, titanium white (possibly lead white), red (probably cadmium red) and yellow ochre. Some speculate he sometimes added ultra-marine blue.
by Alana Knuff | Feb 7, 2016
Portrait painting is often looked upon as too difficult to undertake. It requires the same observation of form and value that is in all realistic art. However, to achieve a likeness, one must measure and compare to locate the eyes, nose, chin, tilt of the head, rotation creating foreshortening, etc. “Measure, measure, measure!” From initial sketch through finish details, the artist is required to measure, compare and adjust.
by Alana Knuff | Jan 10, 2016
I have been working on a large portrait which is several months from being finished. What I have come to realize is that one must be very patient. After an initial layout, work begins on small areas keeping true to the overall values and shapes of the original layout. I step back every few brush strokes and consider the whole of the piece (grand picture of values and shapes), then return adjusting and focusing on the likeness of the individuals (details and fine measurements). If as artists we do not exercise patience, our efforts will fail us.
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