Bill knew that not everyone understood the importance of using the right paint. That’s why he warned them to find a thick, thick paint.

The Old Masters knew a secret which made their paintings enduring masterpieces.

You were too big a boy or girl to have mommy leave a light on. There were no “nightlights” plugged into wall outlets back in those days.

In 1841 a portrait painter and tinkerer, John Golf Rand, invented the collapsible artist’s paint tube.

My mother was a math teacher. She was kind of famous in the county where she taught. Some folks told me she probably taught over half the kids in the county over her lifetime. It seems they either loved her or hated her. There was no in-between with mom.

He lost his mother at fourteen.

When you write every day of the week, it’s a blessing and a curse.

Painting is about expressing yourself. All art is about self-expression in one way or another. Whether you play a musical instrument, dance, or create an oil painting, you communicate your feelings with another human being.

Duane began his martial arts career as a teenager. He progressed through the ranks until he became a black belt in Isshinryu Karate. The more he studied, though, the more he felt something was missing. He wanted to learn more than his instructors could teach him.

“There is no purpose to purpose.” — Michael Gerber

Today’s video shows how much fun Bill had in front of the camera. He also gives us two valuable lessons. One has to do with painting. The other has to do with life.

We get this question a lot. “Which canvas is best for Bill’s method of oil painting?” It can be quite confusing when you walk into the art supply store. We are always surprised at the high prices these stores charge for canvas. You could stretch your own canvas, but watching the videos is enough to exhaust us. It’s worth it to pay a higher price and let someone else stretch your canvas.

“Value” is a term used by artists to describe the amount of light or dark in a color. When a color is lighter, we say it is higher in value. When a color is darker, we say it is lower in value.

I used to think that perspective was the biggest problem in most paintings we see posted to social media. And, yes, it is a problem. Objects with the wrong perspective distort a painting. Viewers can’t make sense out of what they see. It’s almost like scratching fingernails on a chalkboard.

How does an artist guide the viewer through a painting? Too many distractions and you'll lose the viewer. The picture will confuse them, and they will move on. Oops... missed that sale!

Bill started painting when he was 14. That was his job as an apprentice to the carriage-maker in the village in which he grew up. He painted the carriages with decorative doodles and scenes of country life. Bill’s interest in art began much earlier, though, when he met an itinerant painter. He introduced Bill to the wonders of painting. Bill was fortunate, as an apprentice, to be able to build on that introduction. It would serve him well for the rest of his life.