Jared Shear is a painter with several blogs. One is called Terra Peer, meaning “World View”, and is devoted to his view of the world as expressed in small, immediate landscape paintings and studies.
He would probably prefer that I had chosen a more fully realized small painting to represent his work, rather than the “quick study” shown here; but it’s these small gouache studies that caught my eye in particular and prompted me to write the post. I was just taken with the fresh, lively and un-fussed-with nature of these studies, and the wonderful economy of notation. I love the way clouds in this one are indicated with a few fast strokes of lighter blue, and the atmospheric perspective is reduced to a simple color choice.
Most of the images on the blog are a more fully realized, many in gouache, some in oil or acrylic, but most are painted en plein air and keep the immediate feeling of rapidly painted studies. He often focuses his images on streaks of sunlight across the ground, contrasted with less brightly lit passages, a compositional device I like very much.
Shear is based in Montana and his images reflect that area’s mountainous landscape. One of the other painting blogs he keeps is Cougar Peak-a-Boo, a project in which he has set out to paint the same peak with one painting a day for a year, capturing in the process its many moods, colors and atmospheric changes.
Shear also contributes to Paper Skin, a collaborative blog devoted to “the human landscape”, that he shares with jake parks and “Pooboy”.
Shear also has a regular web site, ZupZup Studio that includes his larger studio work, as well as sketches, drawings, studies and his small plein air paintings.
The Terra Peer blog also features some of Shear’s experiments digital painting, including reproducing classic paperback science fiction illustrations in Painter or Photoshop to increase his facility with those applications. There are also some Illustration Friday exercises. All work together as a great program for extending and improving painting skills.
It’s his small gouache studies, though, that I find most appealing.
About time someone wrote something about this guy .And I’m glad it was you Charley .I check in regularly here for some inspiration and education and have often been treated to some splendid work .I know that after checking his blog(s) I found myself very inspired . Beautiful work indeed .
WoW! I’m speechless. I don’t remember ever having received such a nice write up about my work….the fact that it is on Lines and Colors, and among the company of such giants, makes it all the more sweeter.
Thank you Charley for the wonderful write up, and to all those who have commented, I truly appreciate it!
Yes, about time ;) Not only is he soooo talented, he is also the nicest person you could ever meet ;) He reflects his beautiful surroundings in the most extraordinary way. And I love the daily views … it is all good
Jared is not only a fine artist (pun intended), but an excellent human being with a great sense of humor. Not only does his work inspire me, but he does too. Keep it up.
A real joy and inspiration to visit the sites.
I agree about your observations on the painting you picked to illustrate your post Charlie. It immediately got me fascinated.
Jared this is a fabulous write up and feature of your work. You should be very proud~ I look forward to seeming more of your work!
I’m so glad Tony sent me this link!
Mindy
Thompson Falls, MT