J. Grant Merrill
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jgrantfineart.bsky.social
J. Grant Merrill
@jgrantfineart.bsky.social
250 followers 45 following 100 posts
I'm an artist always learning and exploring. Currently focused on portraiture and landscapes. I am currently working on a winter themed project. My newsletter is the best way to follow my work.

📍Kansas City
www.jgrantfineart.com
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jgrantfineart.bsky.social
It is always a great time at my local portrait group. Models volunteer and are paid in portraits. This is a 1 hour pastel portrait on paper.

#portrait #art #artist #lifedrawing #pastel #painting
Woman sitting for a portrait drawing.
September 30, 2025 at 1:35 AM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
I took a trip to Arches this summer and was blown away by the landscape there. The primary pigment in this painting is actually a rock from Moab that I ground and mulled into oil paint. It is 24" x 36 on Linen.

#landscape #painting #Arches #art #oilpainting #landscapeart #artist
Oil painting of Arches National Park featuring some of the rock formations.
September 18, 2025 at 7:04 PM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
It was great to be able to join the local portrait group tonight after missing the past few weeks. 1 hour portrait.

#lifedrawing #portrait #traditionalart #figurativeart #artist
Woman sitting for a portrait next to the completed portrait drawing. Profile portrait drawing of woman on brown paper.
September 16, 2025 at 2:33 AM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
After focusing on oils for the past year it has been nice to revisit my pastels. They are well suited for figurative work. I find I can work a little faster with them which is very beneficial during life drawing sessions.

#lifedrawing #nude #figure #figurativeart #nudeart #pastel #softpastel
Nude painting of figure model seated and facing away from viewer.
August 29, 2025 at 10:13 PM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
I went on a trip to Arches in Utah this summer and have really enjoyed trying to capture some of the landscape there. This was painted in soft pastel on a new surface I made.

#landscape #painting #softpastel #art #artist #utah #nationalparks #arches
August 13, 2025 at 10:23 PM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
I was very fortunate to have been able to visit Italy this summer. It was incredibly inspiring from an artistic standpoint with beautiful scenery and incredible museums. Here is one of the first of what will be many Italy themed paintings.

#pastelpainting #softpastel #italy #landscape #art #pastel
Painting of a door in Rome with plants growing on the building.
July 30, 2025 at 3:24 AM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
Nice to get back to drawing from life after a couple weeks off. This was a one hour portrait using sanguine and white chalk. I historically have always gone for heavyweight cotton paper, but really like this thin Japanese paper with a coat of shellac.

#portrait #drawing #lifedrawing #portraiture
Portrait drawing on paper.
July 22, 2025 at 2:06 AM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
Getting close on my second linocut! I was going to make this a single color, but decided to just do two colors. I then didn't let it dry between layers and lost some detail over inking. I am happy with where it is heading and look forward to trying it with washi.

#linocut #printmaking #landscape
June 26, 2025 at 2:06 AM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
A couple weeks ago I went out to the beautiful Flint Hills in Kansas to gather some reference material. I think I am about done with this first painting I based on a couple sketches I made. It is larger(24" x 36") than I usually work which has been fun.

#oilpainting #landscape #kansas #flinthills
Oil painting of rolling hills with cows grazing and sun shining through the clouds.
June 24, 2025 at 1:19 AM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
I made my first ever linocut print today! It is a very fun process and I am planning out some more and it is definitely pushing me to think differently about composition, line, and shapes.

#printmaking #linocut #print #reliefprint
Picture of a linocut print of a heron walking through the water.
June 21, 2025 at 1:09 AM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
1 hour portrait from life. I haven't made it out for a couple weeks so I felt pretty rusty, but it is always great to get some practice in!

#drawing #portrait #lifedrawing #portraiture #art
June 10, 2025 at 1:58 AM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
I really enjoyed working on this new painting. It was the first time I painted something this large completely on location. I painted it over two sessions of 1-2 hours each. It is oil on wood panel 16" x 20"

#pleinair #landscape #painting #art #kansascity #oilpainting
June 5, 2025 at 10:50 PM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
This was one of the quicker plein air pieces I completed in May. It is the Kansas City skyline. 6" x 8" on Arches Oil Paper.

#pleinair #allaprima #oilpainting #oilsketch #art #kansascity
June 3, 2025 at 9:49 PM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
Morning plein air in the rain. Turns out my trunk makes a decent umbrella unless the rain is really coming down. I would have liked another 10 mins, but am happy with how it turned out regardless.

#pleinair #painting #landscape #artist #oilpainting
Oil painting of cloudy and rainy day. Easel is setup outdoors on location.
May 25, 2025 at 1:10 PM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
Beautiful day to get out and paint! This is next to Shawnee Mission Lake in Kansas. 9 x 12 oil on linen panel.

#landscape #painting #art #blueskyartshow #artist #kansas #pleinair
Picture of an easel setup outside near a lake. Oil painting of a landscape with a lake. The foreground includes rocks and grasses.
May 18, 2025 at 6:19 PM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
This is a winter landscape I painted recently. I like adding in figures to landscapes like this and enjoyed the challenge of trying to make a scene with so much snow a little more interesting.

#oilpainting #landscape #art #painting #snow #utah #parkcity
Painting of the winter landscape with a small figure walking into the distance.
May 16, 2025 at 5:51 PM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
One of the things I have been focused on lately is trying to vary my mark making and textures when painting. I finished this sunrise painting a couple weeks ago and ended up using a squeegee and palette knife for around half of the painting which was fun.

#landscape #painting #impressionism #art
Painting of a sunrise over a lake with someone in a boat.
May 13, 2025 at 9:11 PM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
Another 1 hour portrait drawing done this time with a blue colored pencil.

#portrait #portraiture #drawing #lifedrawing #coloredpencil
Blue colored pencil portrait of a man in profile.
May 13, 2025 at 1:49 AM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
It was a beautiful night for some plein air painting! 2 hours didn't feel like quite enough time for 12x16, but it was a lot of fun.

#pleinair #landscapepainting #landscape #allaprima #kansas #kansascity #oilpainting #artist
Easel setup in front of small stream. Oil painting of a small stream and a sunset.
May 10, 2025 at 2:24 AM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
My wife isn't on bluesky, so I figure I will take the risk and share this secret Mother's Day painting I have been working on. It has been fun trying out some new textures and approaches with this one. She is a good mom.

#oilpainting #mother #parenting #art #painting #portraiture #portrait #artist
Oil painting of a mother holding a child while seated in a chair.
May 8, 2025 at 11:41 PM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
Soft pastels were my entry point into using color but I don't use them nearly as often as oil paints now. When I do pull them out I wonder why I don't use them more often! This is my most recent pastel painting of a pond in Park City, UT I visited in March.

#landscape #softpastel #art #pastel
Pastel painting of a snowy scene near a pond.
May 7, 2025 at 7:18 PM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
1 hour portrait in charcoal. These are always a little stressful but a lot of fun!

#lifedrawing #portraiture #portrait #charcoal #drawing #art
May 6, 2025 at 1:20 AM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
After the last goose I painted I wanted to try something a little looser. I also stuck with a limited palette which I enjoyed.

This one is titled Deux Êtres dans le Froid and is 12" x 16" oil on panel.

#oilpainting #art #artist #painting #birds #nature
Oil painting 2 geese walking in the snow together
May 1, 2025 at 6:25 PM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
Here is another native bird painting I did this spring. Sparrows are a little dull looking but I like them. They seem to have a lot of energy and a pretty resourceful vibe. I once saw one in a parking lot make quick work of some bread crumbs.

#bird #oilpainting #kansas #art #painting
Painting of a sparrow on a flowering tree branch.
May 1, 2025 at 12:47 AM
jgrantfineart.bsky.social
Here is another mini landscape I completed lately. I don't usually use such high chroma colors, but I feel like the small size benefits from a little more saturation of color.

#sunset #landscape #oilpainting #landscapeart #mini
Mini landscape painting of a sunset.
April 28, 2025 at 11:53 PM