John French's Art of Travel

I’m working on building some useful functions into the site. I want you to be able to experience the art, not just look at it.

New website, JohnFrenchOilPaintings.com

I want to continue introducing you to my new website, JohnFrenchOilPaintings.com .

I’m working on building some useful functions into the site. I want you to be able to experience the art, not just look at it.

Homepage:

This is a basic homepage. The photos you see below the menu are my favorite and latest paintings that I wanted to feature. Click on a…

Anatomy of a Painting: Rockin’ the Hillside

Rockin’ the Hillside Slideshow

“PINK PATHWAY” 11X14 Oil Painting

Purchase this painting here!

This is a path on Presque Isle Park in Marquette, MI with a beautiful view of Lake Superior.

The beginning stage of the painting was done alla prima, or wet on wet. The initial layers were applied with brushes and painting knives and crafted into the scene you’re viewing. After the paint dried, I enhanced parts of the artwork with glazes and knife work. This process…

“Rockin’ the Hills” painting.

Buy the original art here!

There is a rocky hill near my home. About two thirds up, great boulders have piled and stacked up, like crooked giant’s steps leading to the hill top.

This area has been extensively mined since the late 1800’s. This particular hill is away from the open pits, but I suspect the hill has crumbled due to the underground activity that halted in the 1970’s.

There are…

Northern Michigan Dead End

There is a tangled network of trails near my home. I’m sure many of them were worn down by folks in the 1800’s, working their way from the mines, to town to home.

This trail comes out of the woods, onto a dead end road on the side of a hill. You can see beyond the last houses across a creek and some wetlands to another nearby hill.

The truck that was actually there was a newer one. I wanted to…

Challenge 5 by John French

Here’s my painting of the Santuario de Chimayo, challenge 5 of the Let’s Paint New Mexico group.

Four attempts, two nice paintings.

I’ve been painting a long time. Sometimes, I think I know everything about it.

Then I try something new. When I do that, I often have to reteach myself.

  This painting is one of my challenge pieces for the “Let’s Paint New Mexico” blog. This is my third attempt to say what I wanted to say.  The first attempt was wiped away in disgust. When I tried again on the same canvas, I still didn’t like…

You may remember the photo I took a couple of weeks ago. Well,  the photo didn’t do justice to the scene, so I just had to paint it!

It was a snowy day, but in the evening, the clouds broke and the blue sky blazed through. The wispy remains of frozen clouds were set alight by the setting sun. It was amazing!

When the Snow Clouds Cleared https://artofjohnfrench.com/workszoom/2624103

11X14

$200.00

This is “Moon Quarry”, a little 5″ high by 7″ wide oil painting.

One autumn evening, I was walking my dog. I like the evenings, because the light and shadows are so fun. I especially enjoy walking past this quarried out hill at sunset. The sun and shade play such jagged games on the rock, but sway together among the trees like lovers.

As a bonus, the crescent moon was veiled in gossamer pink…

Let’s Paint New Mexico, 2018 Challenge 2 $200.00!

My dog Clyde likes to take me for a walk just about every day. There are always nice things to see, and Clyde lets me stop to take pictures.

The photo below was taken this past fall. I caught a glorious beam of sun piercing the clouds and lighting upon the hills.

Now look at the painting below.

This is a decent painting. It looks nice. The colors are nice, the composition is good, it tells the…

This will be a painting soon!

I’m not a photographer, at least not the kind who tries to make a living directly from it. I take pictures to record memories, and for reference for future paintings.

I was walking my dog Clyde yesterday evening, and I caught the most brilliant, beautiful blue sky with blazing orange clouds. Naturally, I snapped a few pictures with my phone.

When I got home and…