Featured Artist John Schaeffer

Artist John Schaeffer creates photorealistic paintings of autos and other machines, detailing light and shadow on each subject.

“Cruisin” Acrylic, 24″ x 18″

In 2011, after spending thirty-five years away from painting, I decided to rekindle my passion for acrylic painting.

“Candy Apple Tuxedo” Acrylic, 48″ x 24″

Returning to the canvas meant a change in my focus from abstract painting to photorealistic painting. It took me a while before I settled on creating paintings of vehicles. Reflections and rust were like a magnet to me because of the abstract qualities of both.

“Totally Wired” Acrylic, 24″ x 30″

I studied the work of many car artists online and used them as an inspiration to create my own style of paintings. Now I am showing my work with those same artists that I studied in a touring national museum exhibition.

“Mirror, Mirror” Acrylic, 30″ x 24″

Automobiles led to painting other types of machines like motorcycles and tractors. I have a drive to show reflections in the vehicles that I paint, but I enjoy creating rusty objects as well.

“Little Black Dress” Acrylic, 40″ x 16″

I prefer to take all of my own photos and combine backgrounds and figures from other photographs to give warmth to my paintings. This allows me to have a stronger relationship with the subjects represented in my works.

“Surfbum” Acrylic, 30″ x 24″

Being familiar with my subjects allows me to define the light and shadows that determine how the reflections and shapes interact.

“Super” Acrylic, 36″ x 12″

Editing and composing are paramount in composition. It is not unusual for me to revisit a photo that I took years before and discover something that I may have overlooked that was buried in a small portion of a photograph.

“Snake Eyes” Acrylic, 24″ x 24″

My paintings start with a very detailed drawing. I then use a limited palette to help bring cohesion to the composition. I do underpainting, and then a series of washes. Using fewer colors in the palette allows me to be more intimate with the paint. It teaches me to learn how to stretch the paint to create the hues that I desire without introducing different paint colors to the composition.

“Generations” Acrylic, 36″ x 12″

Recently I have been posting a daily photo of my work in progress on my Facebook page. My friends seem to enjoy watching a painting progress from the beginning drawing to the finished painting. In my mind, however, no painting is ever totally finished—it’s just at a stopping point.

View more of John’s art by visiting his website.

Link to Carolyn’s original article here.