The Studio Journal

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.

El Bandito: Why the Brand's Best-Selling Shirt Started With Paint, Not a Marketing Plan

El Bandito: Why the Brand's Best-Selling Shirt ...

Every brand has a piece that takes on a life of its own. For J. Wellington Art Co., that's the El Bandito tee — and it started the same way...

El Bandito: Why the Brand's Best-Selling Shirt ...

Every brand has a piece that takes on a life of its own. For J. Wellington Art Co., that's the El Bandito tee — and it started the same way...

Tethered Souls — oil on canvas by John Wellington

The Hand on the Horse: What Tethered Souls Is R...

Most western paintings are about motion. Tethered Souls isn't. Here's what I was actually chasing when I painted a cowboy and his horse at rest.

The Hand on the Horse: What Tethered Souls Is R...

Most western paintings are about motion. Tethered Souls isn't. Here's what I was actually chasing when I painted a cowboy and his horse at rest.

Afternoon Palms — oil on canvas by John Wellington

Warm Light, Cool Shadows: How Color Temperature...

Pure white doesn't capture sunlight — it flattens it. Here's what color temperature actually means in oil painting, and what I reach for instead when I'm working with California light.

Warm Light, Cool Shadows: How Color Temperature...

Pure white doesn't capture sunlight — it flattens it. Here's what color temperature actually means in oil painting, and what I reach for instead when I'm working with California light.

Tethered Souls — oil painting by John Wellington

Designers Are Done With Gallery Walls. Here's W...

Everyone had a gallery wall for a while. Now they want one painting that actually means something.

Designers Are Done With Gallery Walls. Here's W...

Everyone had a gallery wall for a while. Now they want one painting that actually means something.