"20 Representational Painters to be Inspired by in 2012" My personal list of paint that inspires me.

To welcome in the New Year I've put together my personal list of 20 painters to watch in 2012.

I am not an art critic and don't pretend to be up on everything that's going on out there in the art world. These are painters that inspire me personally. Painters that I will be following in 2012 in my quest to become a better painter. They inspire me to push myself artistically and experiment with new things. I chose them from a huge list of favorites as painters who have developed a personal style.

I'm inspired by so many painters that my list was very hard to narrow down to just 20. I had to leave out many others or maybe I just forgot to include some. This is just my personal list. I in no way mean to slight anyone else or give the illusion that these painters deserve more than the rest. I'd like to add students in the Academies in Russia. to the list of inspiration. Holy Guacamole!


"To Watch" lists are often about the up an coming "new" thing. However, I believe that representational painters evolve into their own style over time, as they become more fluent with the language of paint. So my list is made up of painters from all levels of their artistic careers, not really "newbies". I chose them for a variety of reasons. I can't go into everything I like about each of these, but I'll try and add a sentence or two about each one. Please visit their personal web sites to check out more of their work.

The images below are © of the artist and the rights are theirs. I just borrowed for this post. I hope none of them mind.

I hope you enjoy MY list of 20 Representational Painters to be Inspired by in 2012.
Listed in no particular order.



1- Susan Lyon.
Sue is amazing. Her drawing is impeccable. I was totally blown away be her little figure sketches on velum that she did this year. She has some downloadable instructional videos on her web site and you can check out a link to promo for video here.
Inspiration: draw well, keep experimenting.



Susan Lyon, Figure in charcoal.



Susan Lyon, figure sketch on velum.






2- Ignat Ignatov.
I love Ignat's work. He is also one of the happiest upbeat guys I know. I love his portraits, but watching him paint one is the best treat. He starts with a loose sketch of light and shadow and pulls the likeness out bit by bit. His paint handling and color inspire me. Inspiration: Paint better portraits.



Ignat Ignatov 2 hr demo



Ignat Ignatov, portrait of Alexey Steele






3- Paul Oxborough.
Paul is just a kick ass painter. I love his seemingly effortless brushwork. Reminds me of Sargent, but with a twist that I really enjoy. There are a bunch of great images on the Eleanor Ettinger Gallery web site. Check out the night scenes. Inspiration: Paint better.



Paul Oxborough, "First One Up" 34x44"



Paul Oxborough, "Dinner by Lamplight" 5x7"



Paul Oxborough, "Sailors" 36x48"





4-Eric Merrell.
Eric has a great eye for color, it really blows me away. He has developed a totally unique style. You really need to see his stuff in person to get the full impact of his brushwork. Not sure how he does it. He has kind of a light handed, very textural, short stroke that enhances his style. Inspiration: Get a better eye for color.



Eric Merrell



Eric Merrell
"Weight of the World" (Temple Crag and Third Lake, Sierra Nevadas) 30" x 40"



Eric Merrell






5-Vadim Zanginian.
I love the controlled chaos of Vadim's work. I'm into the way the images just seem to appear and fade back into nothing. It's something that I have been trying to incorporate into my work, so when I came across his paintings I was instantly drawn to that aspect of his stuff. Inspiration: Loosen up.



Vadim Zanginian, "Duet with Teacher" 24x24"



Vadim Zanginian, "Last Rose" 14x11"





6-Rose Frantzen.
Such a great painter. I'm really drawn to her designs and subject. I've seen some step by steps on line and I think that is the reason she made my list. She starts with what seems like a chaotic mess and pulls the image from that. You may see a pattern in my choices for that approach. Inspiration: Push myself to be a better painter.


Rose Frantzen, "Mrs. Krogman"



Rose Frantzen






7- David Gluck.
I've just recently come across David's work. The painting below, "The Trapper" won an award in the ACOPAL open competition this year. The I saw this still life on his web site. Dang! love the mad skills as well as the color harmony and the choice of objects. He and his wife Kate Stone, ( who is also amazing, so there is an extra fav thrown in there ), have a cool blog: Painting Stuff to Look Like Stuff. Check it out. Their combined sense of humor guaranteed David's spot on my list. Inspiration: Master my skills in order to become a better painter.



David Gluck



David Gluck, "The Trapper"





8- Scott Burdick.
OK, Scott is on my list of usual suspects. He has inspired me for years. For this list it is his brushwork and unusual color combos that get me inspired. I've chosen two details of larger paintings below to show what I mean. Scott and Sue are two of the nicest most generous people I know. Inspiration: Don't be afraid to make bold color choices. Want brushwork? Then make some.



Scott Burdick, "Tent with a View" 11x14"



Scott Burdick, detail



Scott Burdick, "Colors of Africa" detail





9- Colin Page.
Colin has a unique style, but the way he can pick any subject and make it sing is one of the things I admire about his work. I'll be watching his progress in 2012 because I know some of the things he is working on. Our work and thoughts on painting and things we are trying to experiment with are very similar right now. I enjoy getting together to paint with Colin or discussing our work in emails. Inspiration: Anything is paintable.


Colin Page



Colin Page



Colin Page





10- Randall Sexton.
I'm really attracted to Randy's brushwork in his plain air landscapes. When I saw his still lives on his web site it showed me a totally different side of his work. Again, I've selected a painter for his combination of realism with loose paint for paint's sake brushwork.
Check out the size of the still life too... 60x48" !
Inspiration: Mix of abstract/ loose paint and realism, just become a better painter.


Randall Sexton, "Delta Chevy" 12x16"



Randall Sexton, "Hootenanny" 60x48"





11- Tibor Nagy.
Brushwork. Love it. Check out the two demos I linked to below his work.
Inspiration: Brushwork!


Tibor Nagy, "The Last Winter Day"



Tibor Nagy, "An Ancient Luck"


video demo

another video demo





12- William Wray.
His color and paint handling is killer. He can pick any old subject and make it rock. I don't know how he gets these color combinations. Inspires me to try and bring some of that into my own work somehow. Inspiration: Paint anything, don't be afraid of color.



William Wray, "Banister" 20x20"



William Wray, "Backdoor" 24x24"



William Wray, "Square D" 24x24"





13-Marc Hanson.
Marc is another favorite of mine. Great skills, but also they way he can take a simple subject like one tree and make it worthy of a piece of art. Reminds me to simplify. Inspiration: Paint more on the spot and simplify.



Marc Hanson, "Hex River Valley" 30x40"



Marc Hanson, Sunset on the Hills" 9x12"



Marc Hanson, "Corner Light" 8x10





14- Logan Hagege.
If there is one guy I know who has his own style it's Logan. He has really been doing some nice stuff lately, so I know he has some good surprises for 2012. Just take a look at the huge canvas he is stretching up. Inspires me to keep it real and to go big. Inspiration: Keep it real, be true to yourself. Go big.



Logan Hagege, "Unveiling the Clouds" 80x52"



Logan Hagege, "The Sun and the Clouds" oil/linen 40x40



Logan Hagege, big ass canvas, sweet studio space.





15- Aaron Westerburg.
More mad skills. I think the reason I chose him for this list is his color palette and subject choices. Love the self portrait. Unique design, great color, brushwork. He has it all. And who can't love the painting of his dog Stella? Inspiration: Color, Design, Brushwork.



Aaron Westerburg



Aaron Westerburg, "Stella" 10x6"



Aaron Westerburg, Large Version "Transition in Rose" 36x18





16- Ken DeWaard.
Love his plein air work. He has great designs. He really tackles some big stuff on the spot and does not mess around. My inspiration: Go big, keep clean simple designs.



Ken DeWaard, "Port Clyde" 6x8"



Ken DeWaard



Ken DeWaard




17- Tom Balderas.
Crazy brushwork and color. Tom just puts down the important stuff and leaves it. Inspiration: Put it down and leave it alone.



Tom Balderas, "Figure in Red on a Dock"



Tom Balderas




18- Stank Kordic.
I really like the direction of her work. She has a style all her own. Realism mixed with a bit of abstraction. She really seems to be going all out lately, so keep an eye on her in 2012. Look for the video of her talking about her work. Sorry I can't put all the links myself. I have faith in you to be able to find info on your own. Inspiration: Explore my feelings and the "why" behind my work more.



Stank Kordic


Stanka Kordic




19- Quang Ho.
Quang is just a great painter. Love his work and the poetry of the paint handling. Hard to pick just a few examples of his work. Inspiration: find the "poetry" of what I'm painting and don't get caught up in detail.



Quang Ho, "In the Kitchen" 20x20"



Quang Ho, "Dark Slumber" 12x12




20- Dan Beck. Just love Dan's paint handling. Lost and found edges. Inspiration: I need to soften some of my edges even more this year.



Dan Beck, "Lemon and Grapes" 8x10"



Dan Beck, "Zeke" 14x11"