This blog is about what to expect at the workshops.

First of all, please bring your own painting gear, including a pad of canvas paper, Or 6-10 extra canvas boards or used canvases. The point will be to practice so we’ll be doing a lot of painting. I suggest 11″ x 14″, up to 16″ x 20″, especially if you’re using the canvas paper or boards, but of course bring a size you’re comfortable with.

I will supply coffee and light snacks (not to be confused with lunch).

The Saturday will begin with a talk/lecture about the subjects of the workshop, explaining the things to practice to become proficient at each, and giving demonstrations.

Then we’ll practice. I will have a still-life set up, chosen to illustrate the lesson, and for those who can’t stand the idea of another still-life, I’ll have alternate sources available.

At some point in here we’ll have lunch. There are places nearby to pick up something or bring your own.

The rest of the day will be spent going over the lessons, so that by the end of the day you’ll understand more of the how-to of painting. Repetition, repetition, repetition is the path to muscle memory, which allows the artist to paint without having to think about every stroke.

The Sunday of the workshops will be spent either continuing what you painted the previous day or work on a project using the lessons of the workshop.

To register for a workshop please use the comment section below. Be sure to include the dates you’re interested in.

Here are the workshops outlined in more depth:

Workshop 1: April 27-28

Shapes into Forms: Learning to see shapes (2D) and develop them into forms (3D) and

Blending and Shading: how the light hits a form and describes it.

The essentials of painting are recognizing and describing simple shapes, as they not only describe objects but also move the viewer’s eye through the painting- that is composition. Solid forms are made from simple shapes by adding a light source and shading. Complex forms are made by combining simple forms, and overlapping forms creates palpable space. The essentials of painting are recognizing and describing simple shapes, as they not only describe objects but also move the viewer’s eye through the painting- that is composition. Solid forms are made from simple shapes by adding a light source and shading.

Complex forms are made by combining simple forms, and overlapping forms creates palpable space. Learning how to simplify what you’re looking at is crucial. From there you can organize the elements that make up the image.

Workshop 2. Composition: May 4-5

How to get people to stop, look, and stay longer.

You could it “the art of manipulation.” Large directional lines and variety in the intersections of shapes direct the viewer’s eye through your painting. Using examples from art history, posters and cartoons, we’ll look into how.

Workshop 3. Fabrics and Drapery: May 11-12

Using lessons from Shapes into Forms, we’ll learn about a specific case on how to use cylinders, mostly, to create a soft flowing form and how it bends and changes direction. In order to further describe different fabrics, we’ll touch upon painting textures, which is all about which brushes to use, how to handle the brush, and the viscosity of the paint.

Workshop 4. Reflections:May 18-19

Glass, water and chrome are the most obvious examples of reflections, which are defined by, in a word: fluidity. Most of the lines we draw signify edges in the physical world, with the exception of reflections (and shadows), which remain 2D. The shapes in reflections exist side by side rather than overlapping. Lessons learned: wet into wet brush technique, seeing shapes,

Workshop 5. The Art of Copying: June 1-2

Evert artist in every discipline learns by copying, so we may as well do it right. When we copy a painting we’re also copying the painter, in that we try to paint not just what the painting looks like, and not just how they painted. Of course the intention is to learn to paint by emulating their brushstrokes and style, but a secondary intention is to unlock secrets about how the artist made the choices they did: What did they emphasize, how, and why?

For reference on stealing from artists you admire, Google John Cleese and read “Steal Like An Artist” by Austin Kleon.