TODAY'S FEATURED POST

Conversations with Artists: Christopher Remmers

Lisa Cyr

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1630"] Annicha by Christopher Remmers[/caption] Conversations with Artists is an ongoing series that I am doing for Muddy Colors. This month, I was able to have an insightful conversation with classically trained oil painter, educator and entrepreneur Christopher Remmers. We talked about his unique approach to ideation and development, creating preparatory studies, painting on an epic scale and storytelling through personal myth and immersive experiences. Check out our conversation and studio visit…

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EVERYDAY ORIGINAL

The Highwayman

YESTERDAY’S POST

Image

Short Take: Foreground Darks

Gregory Manchess

August 6, 2025 - Recently in one of my online classes for SmArt School, a few students were having trouble creating visual interest in their compositions. The pieces lacked depth. The culprit wasn’t the design of the main elements, but the distribution of values. Generally, the students think of the background as dark, but they also wanted to put their main subject in dark clothing, and all the darks in the subject were the same darks as in the background. They initially thought the farther away from the foreground subject, the darker the background becomes. But unless they were depicting someone in a subway, or darkened room, the background can be lighter. What was necessary for them to gain depth and enhance the silhouette of the foreground subject was to slightly lighten the background color value and allow most…

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  • Inge Bishop on Conceptual Evolutionsꜱᴜᴘᴇʀ-ꜰᴀꜱᴛ ᴍᴏɴᴇʏ-ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴏɴʟɪɴᴇ ᴊᴏʙ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜰʟᴏᴏᴅꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴀɴᴋ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴄᴀꜱʜ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ. ʙʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ 2 ʜᴏᴜʀꜱ ᴀ ᴅᴀʏ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴄᴏʟʟᴇɢᴇ, ɪ ᴍ…
  • Inge Bishop on Composition Junction, What’s your Function?ꜱᴜᴘᴇʀ-ꜰᴀꜱᴛ ᴍᴏɴᴇʏ-ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴏɴʟɪɴᴇ ᴊᴏʙ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜰʟᴏᴏᴅꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴀɴᴋ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴄᴀꜱʜ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ. ʙʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ 2 ʜᴏᴜʀꜱ ᴀ ᴅᴀʏ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴄᴏʟʟᴇɢᴇ, ɪ ᴍ…
  • Inge Bishop on 10 + Ways to Help Refocus The Art Spiritꜱᴜᴘᴇʀ-ꜰᴀꜱᴛ ᴍᴏɴᴇʏ-ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴏɴʟɪɴᴇ ᴊᴏʙ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜰʟᴏᴏᴅꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴀɴᴋ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴄᴀꜱʜ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ. ʙʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ 2 ʜᴏᴜʀꜱ ᴀ ᴅᴀʏ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴄᴏʟʟᴇɢᴇ, ɪ ᴍ…
  • Inge Bishop on Short Take: The Picture In Your Headꜱᴜᴘᴇʀ-ꜰᴀꜱᴛ ᴍᴏɴᴇʏ-ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴏɴʟɪɴᴇ ᴊᴏʙ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜰʟᴏᴏᴅꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴀɴᴋ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴄᴀꜱʜ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ. ʙʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ 2 ʜᴏᴜʀꜱ ᴀ ᴅᴀʏ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴄᴏʟʟᴇɢᴇ, ɪ ᴍ…
  • Inge Bishop on Hilma af Klint at MOMAꜱᴜᴘᴇʀ-ꜰᴀꜱᴛ ᴍᴏɴᴇʏ-ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴏɴʟɪɴᴇ ᴊᴏʙ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜰʟᴏᴏᴅꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴀɴᴋ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴄᴀꜱʜ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ. ʙʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ 2 ʜᴏᴜʀꜱ ᴀ ᴅᴀʏ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴄᴏʟʟᴇɢᴇ, ɪ ᴍ…
  • Inge Bishop on GHOSTSꜱᴜᴘᴇʀ-ꜰᴀꜱᴛ ᴍᴏɴᴇʏ-ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴏɴʟɪɴᴇ ᴊᴏʙ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜰʟᴏᴏᴅꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴀɴᴋ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴄᴀꜱʜ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ. ʙʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ 2 ʜᴏᴜʀꜱ ᴀ ᴅᴀʏ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴄᴏʟʟᴇɢᴇ, ɪ ᴍ…
  • Inge Bishop on Gha-Gha-Gha-Ghosts!ꜱᴜᴘᴇʀ-ꜰᴀꜱᴛ ᴍᴏɴᴇʏ-ᴍᴀᴋɪɴɢ ᴏɴʟɪɴᴇ ᴊᴏʙ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ꜰʟᴏᴏᴅꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʙᴀɴᴋ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴄᴀꜱʜ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ. ʙʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋɪɴɢ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ 2 ʜᴏᴜʀꜱ ᴀ ᴅᴀʏ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴄᴏʟʟᴇɢᴇ, ɪ ᴍ…

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