Plein Air Podcast 258: Scott Christensen on His Color Palette, Gouache, and More

In this episode, Eric Rhoads interviews Scott Christensen, who has a two-man exhibition with Quang Ho at the Museum of Western Art, from July 20 through September 21, 2024. Listen as they discuss the act of creating art outdoors, their transformative experience of painting in Russia, different approaches to solving common painting problems, color palette preferences, and much more.
Bonus! At what point in an art career should you begin advertising your work? How do you create a "big name" for yourself and get invited to the best galleries and pursued by collectors? Eric Rhoads answers in this episode of the Art Marketing Minute Podcast.
Watch the previous episodes here: / @pleinairmag

[@pierrebouret5017]

Great interview and enlightening, Thank you Eric and Scott. Come to Kauai's north shore and we can paint.

[@elisabethseeger5837]

I agree- there are “trends” in painting. Speed, simplicity and impressionist styles - great but I prefer my own way and style emerges the longer and harder i work.

[@seventhsun1]

Thank you for the interview!

[@pennynicholls]

Such a pleasure to see and hear Scott Christensen, one of the most precious creative creatures on the planet !

[@Shuvah2Him]

Good interview!

[@elisabethseeger5837]

I lived across from that museum for 6 months and loved the Levitan especially. The enormity of some of the paintings was even hard to take in- honestly the hugeness was unpleasant to me. I think in those days huge was an aspect of public competition- to me that enormity doesn’t add anything.

[@ronschlorff7089]

Very good podcast, lots of great information and only a few "silly" questions from Eric at the end for poor Scott to try to answer!! Art is a tough business today, and it is getting tougher, glad I did not try it full time, went into a science career instead, my other passion when entering college, decades go. But you can still learn an interesting craft, then and now, while doing other things in order to eat daily, and have some fun and meet nice people, like Scott and Eric, while doing it.
One thing, among so many others, that Scott said was very important and that is that painting is mostly thinking about solving problems, big ones and little ones. That needs/requires intense focus, so I think these group events like the conventions and plein air events/competitions are actually counterproductive for someone who is "serious" about learning to paint. There are far too many distractions, best to just keep painting and trying new things/media to get better. Constant study and practice are the answers to getting competent, just like playing a musical instrument, you must do it almost daily, and with few interruptions. Being a "loner" helps, as Scott says. If you do find that your own self is your "best company", then you may have a chance at this art thing. However, the Conventions are a good place to maybe "hook up" with someone who shares your interests anyway. Probably that's the best value for your money to go to these things. :D
And Lake Tahoe should be fun, for 2025. I'm in AZ now, but lived near the Lake, for many years, and painted all around the area, and other nearby Sierran locations, during the 90's to early 2000's, and I know all the "good spots". I have painted at scores of them, mostly alone, and will sell you a long list, complete with maps, Eric, if you want some "secret" plein air venues that no one else will know about at the Convention!! LOL ;D. Now, here is one "freebie" for you: Hope Valley, particularly in the west fork of the Kit Carson River area. Perhaps you already know of it, many folks in northern CA go there to photograph "fall colors", along Hwy 88. And for Scott, the east fork of that same river would be the best place to fly fish, just out of the tiny village of Markleeville!! Been there, done that, too! Once had a 53 catch and release day there!! LOL ;D

[@potatosex]

30:07 I’m confused by what Scott says here about using cad yellow lemon which is a very acidic yellow but staying away from cad yellow medium. Because he talks about adding red to make the green more natural but cad yellow medium leans more red. Doesn’t compute for me. Does it boil down to level of chroma?
What I would give to pick Scott’s brain….