Paco Yuste.
Paco de Monreal Yuste was born in Valencia in 1958. At 17 he started working in the family business but his artistic interests convinced him to enter the Academy of Fine Arts of Brussels where he began studying at night. In 1988 he returned to Spain and two years later he began to work on his own illustrations and graphic designs.
From 1998 he started painting with a mixed technique which involves painting the base with quick-drying acrylic and the finished construction is in oil-based glazes. This technique has certain advantages especially the fact that one does not have to wait too long for the paint to dry, plus it gives an excellent good base for oil painting.
His works cover subjects as varied as flowers, crystals, still life and figure. Many of his works are in private collections in Spain, England, Belgium, France, Russia, China and the U.S.
Kelly Hood
Kelly Hood, a Realist Artist who believes in painting what they see, catching a beautiful scene for people to cherish for life. Kelly Hood is an artist building a reputation as one who pushes super-realism to the extreme, with great attention to detail while catching the light and beauty in each piece of work.
Once she has chosen a subject, she proceeds to meticulously recreate in pigment the details of a photograph. This is done through careful observation, as well as in-depth knowledge of the characteristics of the paint. the combinations and amounts of colors and mediums to mix, which brushes will best achieve the desired effect, and how saturated the brush will need to be. All of these elements must be in perfect balance throughout the creation of the painting - a process which takes time and immense practice.
Photo-realist paintings, as with most paintings, are built in many layers. It is an additive process, beginning with the under-painting and continuing through the development of the forms. Most of the layers in photo-realist paintings consist of thin glazes, i.e. paint that is thinned with water or a medium…Kelly uses a water based oil paint and a Zinc flake medium… This allows for the subtle blending effects that are necessary in order to make the flat surface of the canvas appear to contain 3-dimensional objects and scenes.
Photo-realistic paintings are renowned for their tight, technical precision, which is achieved through an intensive familiarity with the materials and process. The resulting painting has a clean, smooth finish, in which the brushstrokes are not visible. The final layer of varnish seals the painting and adds another layer of smoothness.
Photo-realist art is most appreciated for its huge WOW! factor and because of this people often mistake photo-realist paintings for actual photographs. It sometimes takes a second look to realize that the artwork is actually a painting! That's part of the fun - realizing that the image before you is not a photo, but the painstaking work of an Artist… Photo-realist paintings take many hours to complete, requiring intense concentration and an in-depth knowledge of the materials.
The end result can be breath-taking and wondrously fun.
