The paintings you shared are rooted in a style that emphasizes light, texture, and direct observation.
1. John Singer Sargent (1856–1925)
Sargent is perhaps the most famous master of the “painterly” style. Like the artist of your paintings, he used bold, economical brushstrokes that look like a blur up close but resolve into perfect form from a distance. While famous for portraits, his landscapes and sketches of animals show a similar mastery of light and shadow.
2. Joaquín Sorolla (1863–1923)
A Spanish contemporary of Sargent, Sorolla is known as the “Master of Light.” If you are drawn to the way the water reflects the dog in the hunting scene you shared, you would likely appreciate Sorolla’s ability to capture sunlight on water and skin.
3. Richard Schmid (1934–2021)
For a more modern comparison, Richard Schmid was a giant of contemporary American realism. He specialized in “Alla Prima” painting (completing a work in one sitting). His still lifes of flowers and fruits, as well as his rural landscapes, have the same soft edges and sophisticated color palettes found in your images.
These artists are masters for good reason, and there will likely never be a true comparison between their work and mine, but it does give me something to strive for!
In the end, I’m not painting for code and hardware. I’m painting for humans, so their opinions and emotional connection to my work are the most important thing, but it was a fun exercise that was surprisingly clarifying and more helpful than I anticipated.
So, I joined the American Impressionist Society.