Congratulations to Robert Bucknell, whose hyperrealism work has been newly recognized in the monthly PleinAir® Salon.
On the Hyperrealism Painting of the Week: “Afternoon Tea”
My inspiration for “Afternoon Tea” came one afternoon when my wife baked lemon cream cupcakes and I wanted to capture the cozy ambiance in our kitchen. I have always loved the challenge of painting reflections and the vintage Hall teapot with aluminum cover on our kitchen countertop provided that opportunity.
I love painting hyperrealism because we “see” very little of what we look at and when you set out to paint every little detail you discover a whole new unseen world. For instance, the reflection of the red stripe on the towel on the underside of the saucer was a thrill for me, though probably few people would even notice.
My method of painting this way involves taking high-resolution close-up photographs of each section and enlarging and printing them for reference. I always paint what I see, rather than what I “think” I see.
I like to tell my students to pretend they’re from Mars and have no idea what they are looking at. I say this because of the temptation to paint a preconceived notion of what it should look like instead of what is actually there.
Best Use of Light and Color, NOAPS Spring Salon 2023
About the Artist:
Robert Bucknell is an award-winning artist with a long career in commercial art. Born in Colorado and raised in Sacramento, he began painting signs and murals while studying art in college in the early 70’s. He was mostly self-taught and was greatly influenced by the realism of Chuck Close, Salvador Dali, and Alphonse Mucha.
Robert moved his family to Carson City, Nevada in 1989 and started Bucknell Arts with his wife Diane. Later he transitioned into full-time mural painting and spent more than 20 years traveling throughout the US and also South Africa to paint large-scale landscape and wildlife murals for natural history museums. His murals have been displayed in public, residential, and commercial places, including more than 30 Cabela’s Sporting Goods Stores. Since retiring from mural painting Robert has focused on his studio oil painting with a preference for still life hyperrealism. He is a juried member of the International Guild of Realism.
Connect with the artist at www.robertbucknell.com.
About the PleinAir Salon:
In the spirit of the French Salon created by the Academie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, this annual online art competition, with 11 monthly cycles, leading to the annual Salon Grand Prize winners, is designed to stimulate artistic growth through competition. The competition rewards artists with $50,000 in cash prizes and exposure of their work, with the winning painting featured on the cover of PleinAir® Magazine.
Winners in each monthly competition may receive recognition and exposure through PleinAir Magazine’s print magazine, e-newsletters, websites, and social media. Winners of each competition will also be entered into the annual competition. The Annual Awards will be presented live at the next Plein Air Convention & Expo.
The next round of the PleinAir Salon has begun so hurry, as this competition ends on the last day of the month. Enter your best art in the PleinAir Salon here.
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