WHY??

One of the questions that continuously burns within me is, why do people do what they do?’ From going to war to having children, my mind readily goes directly to why. Obviously, the reasons as to why are many and varied and I don’t pretend to have any of the answers that would make the world a better place so I will stick to the subject that I know best, art, or more specifically painting in oils and why I do it in the way I do.

Out For Repair Williamstown

In the past few weeks I have been in contact with another painter via social media. She uses photographic references to work from and paints landscapes mostly in the studio.

Of course there is nothing wrong in this, it is just different from what I do.

My training was from a school that eschewed the use of two-dimensional data and in fact Archibald Colquhoun is quoted as saying that the only mark that should be made on a landscape painting in the studio is the painter’s signature. Alan Martin, one of my teachers used to often scratch his signature into the paint while it was still wet. I suppose that these are some reasons that I still paint landscapes on site.

Another factor is that I enjoy being out in the landscape or having contact with the sitter and I take my inspiration to paint from nature. Whilst I am not as agile as I once was, the excitement of choosing a site or posing a sitter then setting up and painting is still a thrill. To paint in Tuscany as I did in 2017 was a thrill I never thought I would experience. Sure, I took a lot of photos, but they are memories and if they are good enough, I will share them online or maybe put one or two in a frame.

Painting from life has been my life for nearly 60 years and I will continue to do so because I enjoy the process of converting the three-dimensional data that I am seeing into two dimensional shapes and using oil paint, put those shapes on a canvas and have them look three-dimensional.

Aspiring painters often ask if a photo is worth painting, and I usually respond: if a photo is good enough to paint, it should be frame-worthy as art. Instead, find a subject that inspires you to paint from life.

Sure, one has to battle the elements or even a fidgety sitter but that is part of the challenge and the fun.

Don James

September 2025