Marc Trujillo

Marc Trujillo on SavvyPainter.com

Marc Trujillo paints suburban landscapes. He chooses vast, sprawling environments in which figures are dwarfed by their surroundings.

Marc and I talk candidly about process – he goes into detail about materials and how (and why) he chooses things like: canvas size, how he sets up his palette, how to combine photography with life drawing, and what the best brands of paints are based on his extensive testing.

Marc got his masters at Yale, he shares his experiences there and answers my question – was it worth it? Then we talk about his mentor, Andrew Forge and what Marc learned about making personal statements with your art, being ‘arty’ and… by the way, what does being ‘arty’ even mean?

Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe on Stitcher

Show Highlights:

[10:02] Choosing the size of a painting
[14:16] Learning canvas size from the masters
[15:52] How Marc sets up a painting
[16:13] The best of both worlds: How to blend photography and life drawing
[17:44] Influence of 17th century Dutch and Spanish Painting
[19:54] Four Ways to guide attention from Velazquez’s Las Meninas
[21:41] How Marc chooses his subjects
[22:05] Avoiding ‘Narrative Poison’
[24:17] Why mid-grade comfort food is such a pleasure to paint
[29:12] Art School Confidential – Is grad school worth it?
[36:05] Understanding materials – Marc’s pigment tests and what paint brands are worth shelling out the dough.
[48:42] Are you too ‘Arty’? What does that even mean?
[58:41] Back to those paint charts- what are the good mid level paints?
[1:00:55] Developing a good relationship with your work
[1:03:14] Setting your compass and accepting criticism
[1:09:00] A crazy story (or two) about seriously over competitive art students
[1:11:06] Social Skills – How just saying thank you got Marc an important gallery introduction.