Painting Perceptions: The Essential Blog for Serious Realist Painters

Painting Perceptions is one of the most respected and consistently valuable blogs dedicated to realist painting, operated by Larry Groff since 2007. The blog focuses primarily on plein air and studio painting in the realist tradition, featuring in-depth interviews with leading contemporary painters, discussions of technique and materials, and a curated presentation of exceptional contemporary realist work that has made it an essential resource for serious painters working in representational traditions.

Over nearly two decades of continuous publication, Painting Perceptions has built an archive that functions as both a discovery resource and a record of the development of contemporary realist painting. The blog has interviewed hundreds of painters whose work represents the best of contemporary realism, from established masters with decades of exhibition history to emerging artists whose work is just beginning to attract wider attention. These interviews are the heart of the blog and its most distinctive contribution to the art education community.

The Interview Archive

The interview archive is the most valuable component of Painting Perceptions and the primary reason that serious realist painters return to the blog regularly. Groff conducts thorough, substantive interviews with painters that go well beyond the surface-level questions that most art journalism asks. His interviews engage with the specific technical decisions, philosophical commitments, and practical realities of each painter's practice, producing conversations that are genuinely illuminating for other painters who are grappling with similar questions.

The interviews cover painters working across the full range of realist traditions, from classical academic realism to more contemporary approaches that engage with realist representation while incorporating elements of abstraction, expressionism, or conceptual thinking. This breadth reflects Groff's genuine interest in the diversity of approaches to realist painting rather than a commitment to any single school or style.

Painters interviewed on Painting Perceptions have included some of the most respected names in contemporary realism, including plein air painters, portrait painters, still life painters, and landscape painters whose work is shown in leading galleries and collected by major institutions. The interviews provide access to the thinking and practice of these painters in a depth that is not available through gallery statements, catalogue essays, or social media posts.

Plein Air Painting Coverage

Plein air painting is the area of strongest focus on Painting Perceptions, reflecting Groff's own practice as a plein air painter and his conviction that painting from direct observation is the foundation of serious realist work. The blog covers plein air painting from multiple angles: the technical challenges of working outdoors, the philosophical questions about observation and representation that plein air practice raises, and the specific approaches of individual painters to the problems of capturing light, atmosphere, and place in paint.

The plein air coverage includes both theoretical discussions and practical technique content, making it valuable for painters at different stages of development. Beginners who are just starting to paint outdoors will find guidance on the practical aspects of plein air work, while experienced painters will find the theoretical and philosophical discussions engaging and stimulating.

The blog also covers plein air events and competitions, providing information about major plein air festivals, invitational events, and competitions that are important in the contemporary plein air community. This coverage helps painters stay informed about opportunities to participate in and engage with the broader plein air community.

Technique and Materials Discussions

Beyond the interviews, Painting Perceptions includes substantial content on painting technique and materials, covering topics including colour mixing, value control, edge quality, composition, and the specific challenges of different painting subjects. These discussions are grounded in the actual practice of working painters rather than theoretical frameworks, and they reflect the kind of practical knowledge that comes from years of sustained painting practice.

The materials coverage addresses the specific properties of different paints, mediums, and supports, and how these properties affect the painting process and the final result. For painters who want to understand their materials at a technical level, the materials discussions on Painting Perceptions provide a level of depth that is rare in art blogs.

The Contemporary Realism Community

Painting Perceptions functions as a community hub for the contemporary realism movement, connecting painters, galleries, collectors, and institutions that share an interest in representational painting. The blog's coverage of exhibitions, gallery shows, and museum presentations of contemporary realist work keeps its readers informed about what is happening in the field and provides a sense of the broader community of painters working in realist traditions.

This community function is particularly valuable for painters who work in relative isolation, without access to a local community of like-minded painters. The blog provides a connection to the broader world of contemporary realism that can be sustaining and motivating for painters who might otherwise feel disconnected from the professional art world.

The Archive as Resource

The archive of Painting Perceptions, spanning nearly two decades and hundreds of interviews and articles, is one of the most comprehensive free resources available for painters interested in contemporary realism. The archive is searchable and covers an extraordinary range of painters, techniques, and topics, making it possible to find content on specific subjects efficiently.

Artists who spend time exploring the archive consistently discover painters and ideas that are new to them and genuinely valuable, regardless of their level of experience. The depth and breadth of the archive reflects nearly two decades of sustained engagement with the contemporary realism community, and the quality of the content is consistently high throughout.

Why Painting Perceptions Matters

Painting Perceptions matters because it takes realist painting seriously as an intellectual and artistic practice, not just as a technical skill. The interviews and discussions on the blog engage with the philosophical questions that serious realist painters grapple with: what does it mean to paint from observation? How does representation relate to reality? What is the relationship between tradition and innovation in contemporary realist painting? These questions are not merely academic. They are the questions that define the practice of serious realist painters, and engaging with them thoughtfully is part of what distinguishes serious practice from mere technical competence.

The blog's commitment to covering the full range of contemporary realism, from the most traditional academic approaches to the most contemporary interpretations of realist practice, reflects a genuine openness to the diversity of ways in which painters engage with representation. This openness makes Painting Perceptions valuable to a broader range of painters than a blog committed to a single school or style would be.

The Bottom Line

Painting Perceptions is one of the most valuable resources available for serious realist painters, offering nearly two decades of in-depth interviews with leading contemporary painters, substantive discussions of technique and materials, and comprehensive coverage of the contemporary realism community. For painters who want to engage with the intellectual and practical dimensions of realist painting at a serious level, Painting Perceptions is an essential bookmark and a resource that rewards sustained exploration of its archive.