The Studio Journal

Laguna Bluff — oil on canvas by John Wellington

Laguna Bluff: Why I Keep Coming Back to Paint T...

There's a stretch of bluff in Laguna Beach where you can stand above the Pacific and watch the light work. I've painted it more than once, and it still surprises...

Laguna Bluff: Why I Keep Coming Back to Paint T...

There's a stretch of bluff in Laguna Beach where you can stand above the Pacific and watch the light work. I've painted it more than once, and it still surprises...

What I'm Actually Thinking When I Paint a Commission

What I'm Actually Thinking When I Paint a Commi...

Most people think a commission starts the moment I pick up a brush. It doesn't. Here's what actually goes through my head from the first email to the final session.

What I'm Actually Thinking When I Paint a Commi...

Most people think a commission starts the moment I pick up a brush. It doesn't. Here's what actually goes through my head from the first email to the final session.

Tethered Souls — oil on canvas by John Wellington

What AI Can't Make: On Original Oil Painting an...

AI can generate an image in seconds. It still can't make the object — the built-up paint, the texture, the record of every decision. Here's what that means for original...

What AI Can't Make: On Original Oil Painting an...

AI can generate an image in seconds. It still can't make the object — the built-up paint, the texture, the record of every decision. Here's what that means for original...

Cowboy Study — oil on canvas by John Wellington

Everything I Paint Comes From the Same Place

People ask what kind of painter I am. The answer is complicated — and I think that's actually the point.

Everything I Paint Comes From the Same Place

People ask what kind of painter I am. The answer is complicated — and I think that's actually the point.

Tethered Souls — oil on canvas by John Wellington

The First Layer: Why Underpainting Changes Ever...

Most people think the underpainting is just a sketch. It's not. It's the whole painting, just without the color yet.

The First Layer: Why Underpainting Changes Ever...

Most people think the underpainting is just a sketch. It's not. It's the whole painting, just without the color yet.

Angus — oil on canvas by John Wellington

What My Paintings Are Actually About

People ask me what I paint and I give them the short answer: western figures, California light, animals. Here's what actually connects the work.

What My Paintings Are Actually About

People ask me what I paint and I give them the short answer: western figures, California light, animals. Here's what actually connects the work.