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No easy answer
Jeff, the answer to your question cannot be arrived at in one sentence, one paragraph or nothing less than a lifetime of study. The ability to bring something to life is the essence of figurative art.
In the late 1980's while attending a show of Van Dyke's paintings in Washington, I realized that the paintings on the wall were more real than the people admiring them. This was a defining moment for me. I understood for the first time that merely copying something, be it from a photo or from life, was merely the starting point. It marked the beginning of my evolution as an artist.
It has nothing to do with either detail or brushstrokes. The awareness you bring to the canvas is what determines the end result.
I tell my students "what you see is what you get." In other words, you will find whatever it is you look for, but first you have to learned to truly see what lies before you.
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