Overly Colorful Landscapes
with Michael Fritschi

The El Dorado Hills Arts Association is proud to have one of our own members, Michael Fritschi, present a demonstration on "Overly Colorful Landscapes." His beautiful, eye-catching works have received many awards and can be found in several galleries (noted below). The freshness and vibrancy of his works is something that all artists can be inspired by. The Association looks forward to hosting this dynamic demonstration on Tuesday, August 18 at the El Dorado Hills Library from 6-8 p.m. We hope to see you there!

To see more of his beautiful creations, be certain to visit his website at paintthick.com.

The Demo

I am going to attempt to complete a 9 x 12 landscape oil painting in a one-hour sitting. I will demonstrate my orange underpainting, thin cool colors and thick warm color use along with scratching back to the orange as part of the composition. Why one hour? Well that’s all the time I have for this demo, AND let’s limit the time to keep it loose! I have recently successfully created a one hour finished demos for Placerville Arts Association (sold) and the Amador Arts Association (gifted).    

Background

I was born and raised in Placerville, California and started out my life in a small house behind Main Street. Both of my parents painted, and I was always encouraged to draw and did so throughout my childhood. If you grew up in the Sierra foothills, you may have known my old '69 VW Bus. 

In my quest to keep my paintings loose and “open” and true to my heart, I will often finish a painting in one sitting and let it “be” what it “is”. Sometimes I will finish a painting at an additional sitting, but I try to avoid this unless real value is being added to the piece. My mood and creative energies typically change from day to day, therefore I am very careful about any additions I make after the first sitting, so that the piece stays loose and true to the moment it was painted. 

I am inspired by the contrast between light and dark and the colors that exist in these contrasts that one might not normally notice. I paint with a very limited warm and cool primary palette. I paint thin to thick and apply paint generously in clean color notes with a brush and knife. I enjoy applying thick warm colors to present light and shadows to create an opportunity for cool blues and purples. 

I have been blessed to be successful in selling over 80+ original works in the last 3 years and have won best of show for my work “San Francisco Morning” at the Rancho Cordova Fall City Art Show (Fall of 2024), 2nd place in the 59th Annual Mother Lode Art Exhibition (Fall 2025), and honorable mention in the International Bold Expressions Exhibit (Fall 2025). You can see more of my work at the Placerville Art Gallery on 352 Main Street Placerville and at Gallery 10 in Sutter Creek, CA. 

I recently had the opportunity to live in beautiful Ojai, California where I experienced the delightfulness and landscape expressions provided by this very special area. I look forward to what creation and experience may come next with love, patience, and joy!