Welcome to the Blank Canvas Series – An interview with an Artist. These amazing artists have offered to share their insights with the Master Oil Painting Community. Please Note: The views expressed here are those of the Featured Artist and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Master Oil Painting or Bill Inman. TODAY’S FEATURED ARTIST: James Gurney “It’s easy to make a painting look like paint, but it’s much harder to make a painting that pulls in a viewer so completely that he feels the heat of sun on his neck and the sand in his shoes.” Q: There is a polarized debate surrounding the distinction between illustration and fine art. You mention two artists you enjoy, that I also admire and study – Norman Rockwell and Alma Tadema – each has similar approaches in that they both create scenes from their imaginations, and yet one is called an illustrator and one is considered fine art. What are your thoughts, does it ever bother you to be called an illustrator, and how can less confident artists generate the courage to create art that inspires them when critics demean their approach? A: I don’t really draw a distinction in my mind … Continue reading Blank Canvas – An Interview with James Gurney