In today's episode, plein air instructor Chris Kolupski joins us over Skype from the top of the Colorado National Monument.  Tim and Jess find out what led Chris to this beautiful (and seemingly treacherous) painting location and his philosophy on how best to develop your artistic skills.

Chris Kolupski began painting outdoors as a teenager in the forests of Upstate New York and Canada. After working as a freelance illustrator for five years in Rochester, Chris moved to New York City where he studied portraiture and figure painting at the Art Students League of New York. Instructors such as Nelson Shanks, Everett Raymond Kinstler and Dean Keller shaped Chris’s modern approach to painting from life. Chris continued his studies at Shanks’s Philadelphia painting school, Studio Incaminatti.

In 2004 Chris founded Boxart Street Atelier in Rochester, New York, where he taught drawing and painting for almost a decade. He continued teaching at Gallery 7 Studio, and currently teaches at Pittsford Fine Art. His Realist Painting Course is an intensive 24-month curriculum that teaches modern techniques for controlling hues, values and chroma, the three dimensions of color. 

When painting indoor portraits, Chris prefers a subdued palette to help him capture subtle skin tones. When painting outdoors, the brilliant light pushes his palette to the widest range of color. He loves hiking and painting rugged landforms like the deep gorges of Upstate New York and the red rock of Colorado and Utah. “There is nothing like painting roaring waterfalls or sun baked badlands. Nothing like the swoosh of a hawk slicing through a canyon updraft as I try to capture fleeting effects of light.”

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To inquire about being a guest or sponsoring the Plein Air Easton Podcast, send us an email at info@pleinaireaston.com.

This episode is sponsored by Paint Out West, a virtual painting workshop with Chris Kolupski.  Chris will conduct a combination of live and recorded classes from the Colorado National Monument, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Zion National Park, and Monument Valley. Spots are limited so don’t miss out!

Music in this episode was generously provided by Blue Dot Sessions.