CW Mundy on Painting from Life and More

In this episode of the Plein Air Podcast (#270), Eric Rhoads interviews CW Mundy, whose journey from sports illustration to American Impressionism offers practical lessons for anyone who paints outdoors or in the studio. Mundy emphasizes painting from life, disciplined practice, value relationships, and smart career habits.

Bonus! Eric Rhoads answers relevant questions in this week’s Art Marketing Minute Podcast.

Listen to the Plein Air Podcast with Eric Rhoads and CW Mundy here:

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Key takeaways

• Paint from life. Mundy says there is no substitute for studying a subject directly — it trains the eye, forces simplification, and builds confidence for quick work.
• Practice speed exercises. Short timed paintings (15 to 45 minutes) break overthinking and encourage intuitive mark-making.
• Understand value first. Learn to see a nine-step value scale with the half tone as the anchor. Contrast is what gives paintings punch.
• Limit your palette. Try a triad (red, yellow, blue plus white) or Zorn-style palettes to improve harmony and color relationships.
• Be relentless about work. “Work your rear end off,” Mundy advises — mileage and repetition matter more than shortcuts.

Practical painting principles

Start every painting by solving compositional and value problems before touching brush to canvas. Mundy recommends simplifying forms, seeing folds and planes rather than surface patterns, and deciding where to push or subdue values to direct the viewer.

Speed drills

Timed studies force choices: block in major shapes, establish a value structure, then refine only the essentials. These studies often outshine overworked larger pieces because of their energy and clarity.

Palette discipline

Fewer tubes mean less temptation to overcomplicate color. Mundy praises triad palettes and often experiments with a small, tightly controlled selection to keep harmony consistent.

Career advice

Building a sustainable art career requires both artistic rigor and marketing consistency. Mundy stresses visibility: advertise, cultivate a mailing list of collectors (separate from artist contacts), and sustain a campaign rather than expecting instant results. Persistence over months and years produces recognition and sales.

Mentorship, spirit, and studio practice

Mentors accelerate growth; studying the masters and learning from experienced teachers saves years of trial and error. Mundy also speaks about a spiritual dimension to making art — a humility that credits creativity to something larger and frees the artist to take risks.

“There is no substitute for painting from life.” — C.W. Mundy

Mundy’s blend of craft, discipline, and humility offers a clear roadmap: work hard, simplify boldly, and keep showing up to the landscape and to the marketplace.

Don’t forget to check out CW’s BRAND NEW video “Still life simplified – Master values to create believable paintings,” available here.

Article compiled by Cherie Dawn Haas, Editor of Plein Air Today

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