Jamie Wyeth Paints "Inferno" - See the Artist's Process

Jamie Wyeth invites us into his Maine studio for this short film. Watch this artist paint "Inferno" and the beaches that inspired his painting.
Explore the imaginative, provocative, and original world of Jamie Wyeth at the artist's first major retrospective: bit.ly/jamiewyeth.
On view July 16, 2014 -- December 28, 2014.

[@TheScreamingFrog916]

So grateful to Jamie Wyeth for sharing his thoughts about painting, and for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, for making/sharing this video. I'm an artist who really enjoys seeing how other artists think/work. Thanks again.

[@robertsteiger4917]

Lucky to be able to view such a talented artist at work.

[@Blue_Newt_01]

Is he licking his brushes and fingers while using cadmium paints? 😱. Wonderful film!

[@emanueldavid7174]

It’s very rare for famous artists to allow outsiders see how they work; Great insight. It would be amazing if more artists did this.

[@liamtomasb]

WOW! I never heard of him before now I love him!! Incredible!

[@wendy82551]

The exhibit at the MFA was a real revelation. I found a new artist to love.

[@hbviceroy7274]

Speed painting? This is Jamie Wyeth !!.....This is American royalty with paint!!

[@maggiethecat1538]

Great comment! 🎨

[@Lauragld]

Amazing piece....working watercolor like oils....a wonderful thought...I have used oils like watercolor this sounds much much more appealing, thanks you for sharing your process..... Laura

[@jessicamarsh3320]

My father D'Arcy Marsh made and shot this film.

[@janetcorey5102]

I love that series!

[@finch45lear]

Brilliant artist. I love his work.

[@ICareBecauseYouDo]

Love this video. I like how when Wyeth is in his element he seems almost feline-- the way he intuitively licks his brush and almost sounds as if he's purring throughout :D

[@maggiethecat1538]

ICareBecauseYouDo what a great comment! Love that you think he's purring.. 🦁🐯😻🐅🐈🐾🐾

[@maloneykayaker]

Incredible to watch him work.

[@pattylynn4080]

Thank God it wasn't one of those annoying demo speed paintings. Loved the process here. Interesting.

[@joegiuffrida6779]

Fabulous piece on this master. Amazing intensity in his approach. I wonder if those yellows and oranges are cadmiums....dangerous business with a brush and paint in mouth technique.

[@jnixa1010]

not as much with watercolor.

[@mrdog66]

Yes, cadmium's are just as toxic in watercolor. The issue is the same as oils in that it's cumulative and builds up in your lymph nodes and liver. So over time you can poison yourself or get cancer.

[@jnixa1010]

Well, his Dad lived in to his 90's, Jamie looks great for his age 70+ I believe...

[@TheScreamingFrog916]

I have heard that the cadmium in modern watercolor paints is encapsulated and not toxic.

[@renzo6490]

jnixa1010 ....did his father put paint into his mouth ?

[@patti7068]

Love it! Incredible!

[@jnixa1010]

Oh My God he is really starting to look like his dad! His family are geniuses, btw! I love the illustrative works of NC, like most, and his dad was a revolutionary as well. This "kid" is super talented as well. Love the Wyeths.

[@theresacarmen9847]

Andrew W. Had sisters who painted. How about some info on them?

[@maggiethecat1538]

@@theresacarmen9847 yes. They are ignored for the most part.

[@janetcorey5102]

He’s got his own special gift. I think even better than his father grandfather

[@janetcorey5102]

@@theresacarmen9847 I had one of his sisters paintings of the library and gave it to the Tenants Harbor library. I wasn’t impressed

[@sclogse1]

A youtube on painting, and it's in 240 resolution. Brutal.

[@sharon1775]

Beyond Good.

[@paintingwithray8550]

Outstanding artist just like Andrew. As an artist I love to c masters at work

[@nickfanzo]

fantastic.

[@TheArtofEngineering]

Dear Mr Wyeth....love the work....amazing organic process....but the licking of the tip of the brush is a real worry! We have an artist here in OZ by the name of Hannaford who is of the belief he gave himself cancer by putting brush tips on his lips. The pigments are toxic (even in watercolour) so putting fingers in your mouth after smudging paint is not safe. You are a talented artist.....I would like to see you paint into old age! Use the fingers if you must (although many artists now wear latex gloves) but no more licking brushes....use water and a rag to regulate dampness! Cheers....from another organic artist who gets a bit close to materials and mediums! :)

[@kurtsloop5145]

looks like Im a deadman then because I do the same thing

[@jbow68]

Yes, that licking of the brush is one technique I won't copy!

[@brot5246]

I remember a article about the clock ladies being encouraged to re-wet their brushes in their mouths... The paint was radioactive See Radium Girls wiki page.

[@tylermassage6220]

Wow!

[@jerrykelley4470]

You can almost feel the heat.

[@georgeanderson7499]

Jamie Wyeth: Masterclass Painting

[@georgevytlacil2967]

George Anderson

[@joshporter5205]

"Something out of a Wagnerian opera" Now instead of "Kill the wabbit!" stuck in my head it will be "Steal the garbage!"

[@christianegonbarnthaler1426]

super art 111

[@howlingwind1937]

wonderflly inspirational, do you gesso the cardboard? Cheers!

[@debricci8533]

Magnificent!

[@1deplatt]

He’s fantastic just like the rest of his family

[@maksimkoloskov2573]

Anyone can explain why he looks at the painting through his fingers? His father did the same thing. Is it to focus more on a specific part of the painting?

[@Cmdtheartist]

When I was a kid, we didn't have money, so I took all the extra fliers and coupon sheets leftover from my paper route and I would draw and sketch on the blank backsides of the paper. It would be cheap paper, brightly colored, sometimes the ads on the other side would have bled through, but I loved to draw on it. I had a stack of this one flier, 300 odd pages of bright yellow heavy card, and I used it all up. The problem is now I have trouble "desecrating" clean white expensive paper with anything less than genius. So there's a lot of procrastination in my studio. Eventually I make a sacrifice, on a piece of scrap paper, a drawing that's better than any finished work, to appease my own anxiety, so that I can finally use the clean white paper. Cardboard. Hmmmm........

[@renzo6490]

Of course, when a support, be it canvas, wood or paper, is primed well with, for example, gesso, the paint never touches it directly. Still, for an artist who comments on the longevity of honey, one might expect a more substantial support than corrugated cardboard. I notice that no one connected with this project deigned to reply to any of the comments.

[@renzo6490]

@@ancientexercise8973 - He mostly painted on paper and panel ( some sort of rigid wood based surface)

[@dougg1075]

Love it! All of it. Would like to know what he’s doing with the breathing ... meditation?

[@kevinchristopher1443]

As a painter sometimes I breathe while calculating my next step. It just helps to keep centered when you're in the heat of the moment. It can be intense or mentally taxing.

[@maggiethecat1538]

He's purring.

[@cindyoverall8139]

Alfred Hitchcock made a big impression on Jamie.

[@chriswhitehouse8982]

I've seen a couple artists now on KZbin lick their brush...can't understand that? Also, if you are going to use watercolor paint straight out of the tube, why not just use acrylics? Got to be a lot less expensive, especially for a larger painting like this.

[@AWalkingHat]

4:00 I would be curious to find out how much saliva there is in famous paintings. I know I use some myself, often without thinking about it, but I usually apply it with my finger, I sure don't lick my paint brushes!

[@addeyanandy]

If he is related to Andrew Wyeth then the grand old man must be very proud of his future on this planet.

[@dekubaner]

i just knew about this painter

[@cherrio291]

Is he wearing a wig and is he making strange noises with his lips!? Nonetheless, I like his imaginative use of watercolour! Great painter

[@maggiethecat1538]

No wig.. LOL! And he likes to "purr" when he's deeply involved.. 😻

[@michaelmccauslin3676]

licking the brush?!

[@tylermassage6220]

A good Berwick Academy boy

[@TheCombatartist]

I’m torn. Without the Wyeth name, would we all be fawning over “gulls”? The use of watercolors in the manner he uses them is unique, and yes, very unhealthy. Regarding archival aspects of this and that, cardboard vs acid-free paper, he doesn’t care. He’s in a realm that 99.8% of us artists will never know or enter...his portraits are masterful, I wish he could find sustained interest in continuing them.

[@maksimkoloskov2573]

My exact thought on non-acid free materials, especially using watercolor. This is clearly one serious work he created and the vibrant colors won’t be there in future

[@Gringle_]

cardboard is trash. it isn't resilient, because it decays

[@devinmichaelroberts9954]

hahaha, you do realize a shit ton of famous paintings from the 19th and 18th centuries in museums are on cardboard. Almost all of Toulouse lautrecs work, even some of the albert beirstadts are done on cardboard.

[@AnnLippert1]

Is he related to Andrew ? Ah. Yes. I guess I should have scrolled first.

[@mermaidknows]

His method appears to be a vigorous scrubbing technique with his brushes. I am far too much of a cheapskate to paint in that manner lol Interesting clip though!

[@meredith7236]

Be expensive using water colours than acrylics

[@shrljazz]

poor quality support for your painting

[@linuxgirl.]

+Shirley Armstrong I think he said he likes cardboard as a support because it's trash. Honestly that's pretty much all he had to say for me to know I would find nothing of value to me here. To each their own I suppose.

[@mrdog66]

The cardboard Wyeth uses here is not the same as what is used for boxes and such. It's a archival cardboard. Do you really think the Wyeth would use something that would fall apart in a few years?

[@ulutiu]

@mrdog66 why not? some artists knowing, that their paints are fugitive, continue using them because they don't care. just read some artist's forum. some take care about longevity of their works and others don't give a shit about it - once sold that's no longer their problem. 'archival cardboard' i'm not sure if you honestly believe that.

[@linuxgirl_]

Jamie Wyeth is known to have painted on regular, corrugated cardboard since the 1970s. It is only recently he stated he now uses an "archival" version, but seriously, archival cardboard? I'm a representational oil painter myself and I'll believe it when I see it.

[@mrdog66]

I don't know if there is such a thing. I was stating what I read. Actually it is their problem, as selling artwork for tens of thousands or in Wyeth's case a lot more money, that kind of thing can come back to bight him. Odd Nerdrum had to buy back a lot of his paintings that were having all sorts of issues due to some kind of faulty medium he used. Cost him a lot.

[@jeffwads]

Putting the brush in your mouth like that can't be good for you. Hopefully he doesn't get sick from that.

[@theoriginalrabbithole]

This would be better in higher resolution, without the cheesy background audio of the gulls and fire and what is up with that lip-flapping noise he keeps making, even when he's done painting ? lol

[@TheScreamingFrog916]

It's nice to know that other artists, besides me, also make sounds when they are thinking/working.

[@DavidWoodArtist]

Not as good as the work of his father or grand father.

[@sclogse1]

David Wood Artist Good. Good. Good.

[@Xplorer228]

Pretty poor quality for a visual arts video.

[@JeffersonDinedAlone]

Mediocre.

[@sclogse1]

JeffersonDinedAlone I didn't know it came in that color.

[@maggiethecat1538]

Yes your opinion is very mediocre..