August | 2021 | Real Art Is Better!

In 2016 I was inspired by a news story to paint one of my most popular beer paintings, called Rainier Bear. In addition to selling the original oil painting, I had also released 52 limited-edition prints of the image. I sold the original, and all 52 prints. This is only the second time I’ve sold out of a limited-edition run! Now that all 52 are sold, I won’t sell that image as a signed print again (stickers are available though). So, I decided to paint a new version of this bear, because I just really like him, and Rainier beer is so iconic to me, since I was born in Washington. So, here you have it, Rainier Bear 2.0!

Cheers to these cute trouble-makers!

This original oil painting, and signed fine-art prints are available at my Etsy shop RealArtIsBetter.

*Rainier Bear 2.0*, 14″x11″, oil on panel by Scott Clendaniel

Lighting can change the appearance of paintings more than you might expect. Not just paintings, but any surface color can be shifted by changing light. I am reminded of a time I was picking colors for a sticker design and I chose a red-orange instead of the cherry-red the client wanted. The evening light through my old apartment drapes affected my choice. Little to say, I had to make a quick reorder of stickers for that client. When I moved into this new house, the room designated for the studio was painted garishly orange. I decided to take a week to repaint the whole room, about 420 square feet of space, because I wanted to have a neutral color experience.

I have two lamps that I have been using for photography that I started using to supplement light in the middle of the studio. I have about as many windows as the rental studio on 4th Ave had, but the room is bigger, and the windows are spread around both sides of the room, so it is nice to have a supplemental lamp in the center. The lamp has a toggle control that switches it from warm to cool light, and you can see how the painting shifts in color. I have added a video to this blog for you to see this effect. It makes you realize how important correct lighting is for displaying paintings, and is something that should be considered when creating and installing art.