This is part of a series featuring Daniel Gerhartz, a leader in the art community who is on the faculty of the online art conference, Plein Air Live, September 16-18, 2026. Save your spot now at PleinAirLive.com!
By John A. Parks
A Daniel Gerhartz Landscape Painting Demo: Capturing Light and Atmosphere
Step 1
Painting not far from his home in early spring, Gerhartz tones his canvas — alkyd-primed linen — with a wash of warm pink before sketching in the major elements using a warm red-brown.
Step 2
As he develops the drawing, the artist modulates the dark brown, making it gradually lighter and cooler as the image recedes. He is already establishing the overall value range at this stage.
Step 3
Using Rembrandt oils and a variety of hog-hair bristle brushes, he begins to define the sky, including areas of pure white. His brushwork is swift and direct.
Step 4
A combination of blues and violet-grays fills much of the sky, while the grassy areas are painted with a wide range of warm and cool greens. The tone and color gradient of the creek are also established so that nearly the entire painting is up and running at this point and the light envelope is locked in across the canvas.
Step 5
The artist then begins to work back into his initial statements, augmenting the color and suggesting greater texture and detail, all while keeping the brushwork energetic and fresh.
Step 6
Back in the studio, Gerhartz continues to refine the painting, adding a building in the background and layering into every element to enrich color and reinforce the variety of detail. He applies cooler values to the distant greens, indicating the reflection of the cool blues and grays of the sky, while in the foreground, the grasses become more lush and vibrant.
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Join us for the next Plein Air Live online art conference! Plein Air Live gives you invaluable insights and live demonstrations from some of the world’s best plein air artists. Over the course of 3-4 exciting days, they’ll reveal techniques to improve your use of color, light and shadow, giving you the confidence and skills to paint outdoors and create more amazing artwork than you ever have before. Learn more at PleinAirLive.com.
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Blog post prepared for the web by Cherie Dawn Haas, Editor of Plein Air Today
