Study after Arthur Mathews ‘Oaks’ Full Video Demonstration
For our Past masters study this week, I’ve created a painting based on ‘The Oaks” by Arthur Mathews. I remember this painting from my youth and saw it at the Oakland museum when I was a kid. It’s deep Tonal nature left a permanent mark on my young artistic soul.
If you dig this free tutorial, please donate and help me to continue making this type of lesson. I can maybe then get a new chair that doesn’t creak!
I’ve taken quite a few liberties with my study. After years of making studies, I arrived at a place where what I want to capture is the ‘soul’ of the Masters piece. That thing about their work that carries me away and sparks my imagination. It’s too easy to get hung up ‘in the weeds’. All those details best left out.
Best left out because the spirit with which the artist created the painting was not one of painstaking accuracy, rather it was to express thier creative intent in the moment. As you make your version keep these words of mine, in your mind. Let them guide you as you struggle. Make that struggle a positive reaching for greatness!
Below I’ve attached my modified versions of Mathews’ original. I used photoshop to modify the original proportions. There is a video in the Members area on my YouTube channel as well as literally thousands of free painting demonstrations in the public area.
Study after Arthur Mathews ‘Oaks’ - $750
Arthur Mathews was a prominent American Tonalist painter associated with the Arts and Crafts Movement. Born in 1860, he was a key figure in the California Art Club and the California Decorative Style. His work often featured landscape scenes and decorative motifs, reflecting the influence of the Arts and Crafts aesthetic.
'The Oaks,' one of Mathews' most famous works, is a landscape painting that captures the beauty of the oak trees native to California. Completed in 1910, the painting showcases Mathews' skill in capturing the intricate details of the oak trees, as well as his ability to render light and atmosphere effectively. 'The Oaks' is considered a masterpiece of the California Decorative Style and is currently housed at the Oakland Museum of California in Oakland, California.
Materials Information
Support: 6x8 Hard Board prepped with two coats of ochre house paint
Medium: Archival Oils Brand Odorless Lean
Colors used:
Titanium Buff (Daler-Rowney Georgian)
Cadmium Yellow Light (Gamblin)
Yellow Ochre Lt (Rembrant)
Mars Yellow (Daler-Rowney)
Brown Ochre (Old Holland)
Raw Umber (Daler-Rowney Georgian)
Mike’s Green (Acrylide Yellow with Black)
Cadmium Orange (Gamblin)
Cadmium Red (Gamblin)
Cadmium Red Hue (Windsor Newton)
Mars Orange (Daler-Rowney)
Mars Violet (Gamblin)
Burnt Umber (Massa Marine Classico)
Alizarin Crimson Permanent (Gamblin)
Perylene Black/Green (Windsor & Newton)
Permanent Green Light (Gamblin)
Prussian Blue (Gamblin)
Ivory Black (Daler-Rowney Georgian)
Mars Black (Gamblin)
Mikes Grey (Titanium/Zinc White with Black)
Make it stand out
Check out my book. It took years to write and really fills a void in modern painting approaches. The Masters used black for example. They used colored grounds and wood boards.
I searched out my own approach to the work of Tonalist masters like George Inness and Francis Murphy. I share it with you here in a format that’s suited to having open on your bench.
I’ve been lax about keeping my store up here at the M Francis website. I think this painting came out super beautiful. though and I can ship it to you where you live.
I love it in this simple wood frame. Note the frame is second, third or fourth hand so is lightly dinged here and there. I’m happy to ship the painting without a frame.
Reference Images
Arthur Matthews ‘The Oaks’
Note my image has been modified to suit the format and proportions. I desaturated it as well. As you can see above my version is way less red and saturated than Mathews. A glaze with Indian yellow and red iron oxide would bring it right in. I prefer these days to lay off the glazing. It’s fun and addictive though. You should deffo try it on some failed paintings you have laying around. Pretty sure that’s in my book