New Painting: Seaton's Roses and the Damned Tutorial

Hello friends,I’d like to introduce you to my newest painting:

Seaton’s Roses
11 × 14 inches, oil on panel

This little still life came directly out of a very long, very humbling relationship I’ve had with one particular tutorial. Paul Raymond Seaton is one of my favorite contemporary painters. His arrangements of English garden roses have a softness and confidence that I’ve always admired. Years ago I found a tutorial on his website — basically a step-by-step for "a recent painting," he said. I’ve been studying that thing for no lie, at least 15 years.

Here’s the thing that drives me crazy about it: The first page makes perfect sense. Nice clear stages, good logic, solid advice. THEN A MIRACLE OCCURS. The next thing you know, there’s a finished, glowing Seaton smiling back at you. The leap from “follow these steps” to “poof, you’re done” feels almost mystical.

I kept coming back to it over the years, convinced that if I just studied it hard enough, I could crack the code. Recently I decided to stop merely studying and actually try to paint as he describes, but on my own terms. I basically attempted to “skinwalk” Paul Seaton… if Seaton were me.

(Yes, I know this is not what I tell people to do. If you study with me, I beg/cajole/require adherence to the steps as described. Do as I say, guys. Sorry not sorry.)

What I discovered (again) is that our styles aren’t really compatible, even though our aesthetics overlap quite a bit. His approach is his own beautiful language and studying hi-rez photos of his work shows me that our "handwriting" is so different there's nothing there I can do (or want to do) to replicate it. But there is some benefit in inching through the exercise.

I knew the effort would be worth it. He does an interesting thing where he dots in highlights in the first stages - I always "saved them for dessert." Strangely, that little detail unlocked something and let me develop the piece holistically, instead of linearly, if that makes any kind of sense to anyone.

Trying to channel a bit of Seaton forced me to loosen up a bit. It reminded me to leave more breathing room, to trust a brushier passage, and to let the paint do more of the talking. thank you, Paul, wherever you are. Your vexing, miraculous tutorial has quietly been one of my longest-running teachers. It helped me loosen up a bit, and I’m grateful for it.

I hope you enjoy Seaton’s Roses.

Warmly,
Lisa