Robert A. Johnson: Azaleas and Oranges

Note: Unlike other videos in the "In the Studio With...." series, this program was not filmed in Robert Johnson personal studio, due to logistical limitations by so much video equipment. Instead, it was filmed entirely in Liliedahl Fine Art Studio, which enabled us to give the artist and the production crew sufficient area to work and provide the viewer with the best view possible.

Filmed over five days, it has been edited to include all the verbal content and exceptional painting process of this modern master. Edited by Johnnie Liliedahl, a professional working artist, you are assured that everything you want to see from an artist's viewpoint is included in this program. 

Review by Johnnie Liliedahl

As students of painting, it is virtually impossible to see a master painter at work, unless you have the enviable position of being that artist's protege. Few of us have that privilege and must be satisfied with (relatively) short demos and measured peeks into a working artist's actual processes, usually seen in a workshop setting. This video program affords the deeply inquisitive painter a unique viewpoint right over the artist's shoulder throughout the process.

With four cameras showing the whole painting, two close-up views, and one over the palette, not a stroke is missed. Obviously, a video of 6 hours does not show every single stroke made over a period of five days of filming, but the editing is sensitive to the art student's need to know precisely what to see at any given moment in the painting process.

As a master of brush-mixing colors, Robert imparts as much information on his palette as on the canvas with the brushstroke. For this reason, the palette is considered as important as the canvas surface, so you don't have to wonder how he mixes a color or where he puts it. You will see all of it as if you were standing at his elbow.

I can't recommend this video highly enough to any who are seriously interested in the pursuit of still life and floral painting. If you have his other videos, you know what a skilled craftsman Robert is with the brush. Now, learn the intellectual aesthetic that takes advantage of those skills.