Virtual Art Academy

Category - Barry’s Blog

The blog of the artist Barry John Raybould,  creator of the Virtual Art Academy® Apprentice Program, and his travels throughout the world seeking artistic inspiration.

still life painting of wild flowers

Still Life Painting – Tuscany Wildflowers

Cat. No. 1256 Wild Flowers, Tuscany, Italy – 14in x 11in – Oil on Board I don’t often do still life paintings, but I thought I’d do one using some techniques I’ve been experimenting with...

Isola del Tino, Cinque Terre, Italy by Barry John Raybould

Isola del Tino, Cinque Terre, Italy

Cat. No. 1253 Isola del Tino, Cinque Terre, Italy – 17.3cm x 16.8cm – Oil on Linen I painted this immediately after a boat trip in the Gulf of Poets in Liguria, Italy. This is a little island just south of...

oil painting landscape of The Pilgrims Picnic, Sichuan by Barry John Raybould, Cat. No. 1247

The Pilgrims Picnic, Sichuan

Cat. No. 1247 The Pilgrims Picnic, Sichuan – 40cm x 50cm – Oil on Linen Barry’s painting was selected as part of the FAV15% (jury’s favorite 15% of the entries) in the July 2019 BoldBrush...

oil painting of Venice

Sun Rises over St Marks in Venice

I got up before dawn to carry my pochade box setup to St Mark’s Square in Venice and then waited for the first light of the day. When the sun rose it hit the spires of St Marks turning it into a beautiful display...

street scene painting of Venice

Painting of Venice – Via Garibaldi, Castello

Cat. No. 923 Via Garibaldi Venice – 9in x 12in – Oil on Linen Several years ago I lived in Venice. I will always have fond memories of the street where I painted this sketch. It is one of the few remaining...

painting of Pontremoli in Tuscany

Washing Day, Pontremoli, Tuscany

It was nearly 40 degrees C so I found a nice shady place to paint. These washing lines in a local village caught my eye. I used a fair amount of impasto paint on this small piece. Here are a couple of detailed images. I...