Our theme "Nature's Splendour" is our self-reminder that art, like spring, is a force of renewal.
As spring awakens, the world shifts—soft light stretching across longer days, colour bursting back into view. It’s a season of renewal—time to breathe deep, step outside, and create.
Nature’s Splendour is our invitation to explore that dialogue—to capture the pulse of the season in every sketch, wash, and mark.
Whether you’re framing your latest work, preparing for an art market, or balancing light and dark in your colour palette, Nature’s Splendour is a reminder that art, like spring, is a force of renewal.
How to Create Impactful Art with Fewer Colours: Laura Bifano
Step into the imaginative world of Laura Bifano, an artist known for creating detailed, atmospheric landscapes using only a flat brush and a limited palette. In this video, Laura shares how she builds entire worlds with minimal tools—showcasing the power of restraint, creative problem-solving, and strong visual storytelling.
Whether you're an aspiring painter or a seasoned artist, you’ll discover inspiration in her minimalist approach and thoughtful technique.
Watch the video, and read on to find our Q&A with Laura Bifano.
Artist Q&A with Laura Bifano
Your work is deeply inspired by nature. Can you describe how your surroundings influence your artistic process?
Since moving to a town with such easy access to nature, I’ve been more inclined to go out plein air painting as often as possible.
The nature of painting on location has forced me to make quicker decisions and loosen up my brushwork. This in turn has influenced my whole approach to creating more finished pieces: still requiring a not-insignificant amount of planning, but leaving room for some spontaneity and happy accidents.
How do you translate the emotions and atmosphere of nature into your artwork?
I’m never shy about moving elements around to suit my composition, always trying to capture the scale and magnitude of each location. I (try to!) pay a lot of attention to value and subtle color and temperature shifts as things recede into the distance.
Are there particular natural elements—landscapes, plants, wildlife, seasons—that you feel most drawn to, and why?
Lately I’ve really been drawn to painting river scenes. Water is such a challenge in that you’re painting more of a distortion of light and color than the water itself.
Do you have a signature colour palette? What are the must-have pigments or materials you always use to bring nature to life in your work?
I most often use a fairly simple palette consisting of:
Alizarin Crimson
Cadmium Red
Cadmium Yellow
Bismuth / Lemon Yellow (very similar)
Yellow Ochre
Phthalo Green
Burnt Umber
Ultramarine Blue
Cobalt Turquoise
What are your go-to paints, brushes, and surfaces when creating?
- Winsor Newton Gouache
- a ½ inch and a 1 inch square brush
- Arches 300lb Watercolor Paper
- Painters Tape
- A viewfinder and value chart
- stoke!!
I love toothy watercolor paper. At least 140 or 300lb if I’m feeling super decadent. I don’t think I could live in a world without Arches 300 lb cold press watercolor paper.
I use a ½” and a 1” square sable for 95% of my painting, and a small filbert for detail work.
I always keep a viewfinder and a value chart handy!
Can you walk us through your layering process? How do you build depth and vibrancy in your work?
I most often will do a bright, saturated underpainting consisting of either yellows or reds- building up opacity gradually.
My approach to paint application is starting thin and ending chunky. I find this gives the work a luminosity due to the light bouncing off the paper and coming through the paint.
How do you use colour mixing to achieve realistic or stylized natural hues? Are there any unexpected pigment combinations you love?
You can get some really nice grays when mixing Alizarin Crimson and Phthalo Green.
Burnt Umber and Ultramarine is another really nice combo to get a range of subtle grays.
If you had to recommend three essential colours or materials to another artist exploring nature-inspired work, what would they be and why?
Just three?? Oof. Okay!
I’d go with Cadmium Yellow Light, Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Umber.
For beginner artists, this palette will force you to avoid the trap of using green straight out of the tube, and you’ll get REALLY good at mixing grays.
Do you see your palette or approach evolving in any way?
Definitely! The work I’m making now is already so different from what I was doing 5 or 6 years ago. I’m excited for what I’ll be doing when I’m 65! Maybe I’ll get really crazy and try pastels.
Are there any materials or tools you’re excited to experiment with in the future?
Water soluble oils! I recently got a nice set of Holbein Duo Aqua Oils from Opus and I can’t wait to try them out.
What’s a common mistake artists make when trying to capture nature, and how can they improve?
Trying to capture too much and getting overwhelmed. I’d recommend narrowing your scope and focusing on just a couple things to feature in your composition - then working backward and thinking about how surrounding elements can help to reinforce and support your focal point.
Something I often see are students putting little clusters of detail juuuuuuuust on the very edge of the picture plane - so your eye goes right to those instead of where they intended.
Any advice for artists looking to explore new techniques or expand their materials?
Don’t be afraid to experiment and have fun! Remember that your art can be just for you. You don’t need to post up everything on social media. That can add a crazy amount of pressure when you’re just starting out. Pretty soon you’re internalizing an audience in your head- watching, judging- and that’s no fun.
Laura Bifano
Since graduating from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 2008, I’ve enjoyed a diverse career working in illustration, fine art- and for the past ten years, animation.
My most recent project was art directing on an upcoming series with Dreamworks and AppleTV.
Visit Laura Bifano's website at LauraBifano.com
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