A chance encounter with a New Zealand artist sparked this California oil painter to pursue plein air painting. Sometimes, it really is just that simple.
The following article features a leading artist who is teaching others how to paint through PaintTube.tv. Get your copy of Scott Hamill’s workshop, “Crashing Waves and Bold Strokes: Master Dynamic Seascapes in Oil” here.
Of the hundreds of small decisions we make each day, how many have the potential to change our lives? We can’t ever know, but sometimes a simple choice can cause an unexpected chain reaction. Just ask Scott Hamill.
In 2010, the Californian went to New Zealand to explore the country and fish for trout. While there, he stopped in a small gallery in Glenorchy and discovered the work of a local painter named John Crump. “His large plein air paintings featured fluid brushstrokes, clean color, and incredible design,” Hamill recalls. “I had painted in high school and drawn from an early age, but that’s it. Still, when I looked at his work, I felt like I could do what he was doing. He made it look easy. It changed my life, walking into that studio.”
That day, he met the artist himself and bought one of his paintings (the gallery even threw in one of Crump’s instructional DVDs as a bonus). Back home in California, Hamill pulled out a Costco easel, never opened, that had been a Christmas gift for his daughter and began to paint. After a while, he sent some images of his work to Crump and asked for advice. The elder artist was encouraging.
A few years later, Hamill’s wife gave him a three-day study trip with Crump in New Zealand. “I was overwhelmed down there, but just being with him was incredible,” Hamill recounts. “We became friends, and over the years he became my mentor. I hosted him here in California so he could paint our landscape. John and his friend Richard Robinson, also a great New Zealand painter, came over and we painted Big Sur, Yosemite, and the Golden Gate Bridge. We formed a lifelong bond during that time, and we teach together now.”
Sharing a Connection to the Landscape
Hamill speaks for himself and his wife when he says New Zealand “has really touched our souls,” but he also offers workshops in other beautiful locales such as France and Italy. “Inspiration is everywhere,” he says. “I could set up my easel anywhere and enjoy the process, but I was raised in the ocean. I used to cut school to go surfing. I have a strong relationship with the ocean and, because of fishing, a strong relationship with rivers and streams. And now, because of New Zealand, I find I have strong feelings about mountains, too.
“My highest priority is to make the viewer feel what I’m feeling when I look at a scene — the light on rocks glowing, the energy of breaking waves, the soft edges of sea foam passing through the rocks.” The artist says, “How do I move the viewer like I was moved when I saw these things? If I do that, then I’m successful.”
Keeping it Interesting
Hamill’s materials are relatively simple and economical. He makes his own panels by gluing Claessens linen on either gatorboard or birch plywood. If a painting doesn’t please him, he’ll sand it down and use the surface again. “I’ve really gotten into painting over other paintings,” he says. “That abstraction shows through and allows me to let go a little more and see how the work develops. Some of the color may show through, but there is a harmony because my palette stays the same. It’s amazing how that works, and it’s really nice when I’m painting quickly. I put the canvas on my easel upside down and interesting things happen. I paint every day, so this is an easy way to make it more interesting and kick myself in the butt a little bit.”
The artist favors fairly large, flat brushes, and his color palette is essentially a split primary with a warm and cool of red, blue, and yellow. Added to this are titanium white, gold ochre, and cadmium orange.
His painting process starts with toning the surface on location, usually with a warm wash of gold ochre thinned with mineral spirits. He works from large shapes to smaller ones, simplifying along the way to help support the focal point. Hamill is not averse to thick applications of paint in strategic areas, with luscious brushstrokes offering appealing texture to key areas. “I’m attracted to a painter’s bravado,” he says. “When I see an oil painting constructed with brushstrokes where I can see the hairs of the brush, I think it’s exciting. It’s the hand of the artist. When you look at the work of the Impressionists, you see work that was put down stroke by stroke more than 100 years ago. It proves that it was done by a human. Isn’t it incredible that Sargent could create light with linseed oil and pigment? It just makes your jaw drop.”
Embarking on a Whole New Life of Plein Air Painting
The Impressionists were keen on painting en plein air, and Hamill appreciates that, too. “I love working big outside,” he says. “It’s super fun — and scary. I’ve been exposed to art in Paris, seen the Impressionists’ work with my own eyes, seen the masterpieces and sat in front of them. It changed my perception of art.” Things have ramped up considerably for him since he retired from his career in physical therapy more than 18 months ago.
“I said out loud, ‘This is now my job, and I get to focus on getting better without distraction. I’m going to be a really good painter.’ And I put my head down and painted really hard, and good things started happening. My work was getting better, and it was easier to get to a point where I could paint intuitively. Every painter gets to the point where he or she understands what they are doing a little better. It may correlate with mixing colors the way you want, or mixing values quicker, or getting to where you want to go faster and better. It’s mostly brush mileage.”
Hamill says he appreciates the welcoming and encouraging nature of painters in this genre. “Artists are so giving for the most part,” he says. “It’s not a competition, but rather, a shared endeavor. I picked up plein air painting at age 43 and now have a whole different life. I’m grateful to have found this because this is who I really am.”
Connect with the artist at www.scotthamillart.com.
Editor’s Note: Join us for the 6th Annual Plein Air Live online art conference, featuring Kathleen Hudson, Kevin Macpherson, Kami Mendlik, and many more! The event takes place November 6-8, 2025, with an Essential Techniques Day on November 5. Learn more at PleinAirLive.com.
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