Describing the World Through an Artist’s Eyes

Information surrounds and bombards us every day. Advertising on television and radio, endless online content, social media posts, and constant news updates delivered straight to our mobile devices. Advances in media technology mean information is always accessible — at the click of a button or even by voice command. News, fake news, AI-generated media — it's all out there, all the time.

In stark contrast to this constant noise, the information I am most drawn to is real-time information from the world around me. As countless artists throughout history have done, I find deep inspiration in observing what is in front of me and translating that experience onto my painting surface.

Artists such as J.M.W. Turner recorded major events of their time — moments that we now view as history, but which were current and immediate for them. His work did more than document appearances; it conveyed emotion — excitement, fear, exhilaration, calm. The often painstaking effort to record what he saw was a direct response to the journey life was taking him on, and it is this honesty that we continue to connect with today.

 

J.M.W. Turner, Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway, 1844

 

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Capturing Moments Beyond the Photograph

As humans, we have a natural desire to capture moments in time and store them as memories. Since the introduction of photography, we have been able to record images we find beautiful, dramatic, or meaningful. As technology has developed, this process has become faster and easier. Most of us carry a device capable of capturing an image almost instantly, often without much thought.

While this is remarkable, how often does a photograph remain unseen — buried among hundreds of others as the moment itself fades? Life moves quickly, and those captured images can become transient, slipping quietly into the background.

From an artist’s perspective, recording a scene can be a very different process. Of course, many artists — myself included — use photographs as references. But to paint directly on location, as the scene unfolds, is a unique experience. It demands presence, attention, and response.

“If the imagination is shackled, and nothing is described but what we see, seldom will anything truly great be produced, either in Painting or Poetry.”
— Thomas Cole

 

Michael Hemming, Meteor, 2025

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Painting the Atmosphere, Not Just the View

This quote perfectly encapsulates how many plein air artists feel about painting from life. It becomes far more than a simple visual record. A painting can embody the entire atmosphere of a place — the smell of the air, the warmth of the sun, or the sting of icy wind on the face. The taste of salt carried on sea spray. Feelings of calm, tension, excitement, or solitude.

All of these sensations are present in the moment and are absorbed into the work as it is being made. These paintings are not merely observed; they are experienced. The artist selects what to include, what to exaggerate, and what to leave out, shaping the final image through personal interpretation and emotional response.

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Seeing Paintings Through the Artist’s Experience

The next time you visit a gallery or explore an artist’s website and pause in front of a landscape painting, take a moment to consider what the artist may have been thinking or feeling while creating it. What conditions were they working in? What emotions were present? What compelled them to stop and paint that particular scene?

These works become lasting records — not only of a place, but of a lived moment. They represent the world as seen, felt, and interpreted through the artist’s eyes.

"The skies, the seas, and the changing light are constant sources of inspiration for me. You can view how these moments come to life on canvas in my gallery of original paintings. Each painting is a record of a place, a feeling, or a fleeting instant that moved me to paint it."

Michael Hemming, Untitled, 2021

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Studio Work and Painting from Life

Over the years, my work has evolved as a balance between en plein air painting and studio practice, and I value both equally. Painting outdoors can be challenging — raw, bracing, cold, and wet at times — but it offers the chance to record the world as it truly is. These conditions become part of the painting itself.

Not every experience is harsh, of course. Sunsets are often painted with warmth on your face and an orange glow filling the air. These fleeting moments are what inspire plein air artists to endure discomfort for the reward of capturing nature honestly.

Studio work, on the other hand, is an essential and often deeply enjoyable part of my practice. Refining paintings, experimenting with materials, testing colour combinations, varnishing, and framing all require a controlled environment. The studio allows space for reflection, refinement, and exploration — complementing the immediacy of painting on location.

Together, these two approaches allow me to describe the world as I experience it — thoughtfully, emotionally, and honestly.