Syllabus

Day One: Saturday

1. Visualizing: Seeing Is Believing:  Starting with a Concept
   We will discuss why most paintings fail within the first ten minutes of starting a painting.  Artists seldom take the time to develop a concept before they begin.  Next, strategies that artists need to follow to create a good painting on location will be presented.  We will discuss how painting is a creation of what you see, not what you see.
   
2. Sketching and Composition
   Throughout history, great art was produced using proven systems that were based on theories developed as early as the Greeks and Romans. Later, artists in the Renaissance rediscovered these principles, and this changed the way art has been created for fourteen hundred years. Students will be introduced to the principles of composition.  Participants will be asked to make sketches of their compositions on location as an opportunity to practice these principles with their own work.
   
3. The Mechanics of What Our Eyes See
   Participants will explore how the eyes see objects in real life.  Since we see differently than a camera, students will learn what helps to recreate realistic impressions of life.
   
4. Color: The Art of “Less”:  Limited Palette
   Most students have issues when mixing color; others do well but feel that it is a trial and error process, and they hope for many happy accidents.  In this discussion about mixing colors, participants will be introduced to the concept of a limited palette that allows artists to work with three colors plus white.  Students will learn what they need to know about mixing color for their paintings.  We also will talk about the value and temperature of color, and how they can work together dynamically in a painting.
   
5. Chunking and Values: Structure and Abstract:
   In this segment, students will learn how to lay out a foundation in a simple abstract manner.  Students will start implementing the concepts of good composition, color, and value, and are encouraged to chunk-in their preliminary painting using visualization as a means to an end.
   
6. Application: The Art of Painting
   We will begin to discuss the application of paint.  Students will see how to create luminous effects with dark values right from the start of a painting, and how to create the effect of light with the application of paint.  Students will learn this process by “Painting Thin to Thick,” and focusing on the “Meeting of Edges,” and the “Central Focal Point.”
   

Day Two:  Sunday

1. Problem Solving: Working it out
   Students will experience that drawing is very important to capture the essence of a landmark.  We will also look at “Light and Dark Relationships” to create shapes, and proportions to capture scale.
   
   
2. Alla Prima: The Act of Painting
   What is Alla Prima painting and how is it done?  We will explore how this style of painting can work for you.  Qualities of “Paint Application” are also included in this discussion.
   
3. Sense of place: The Feeling of the Location
   Most paintings are the visual effect of an object that is in front of us.  A good painting allows the viewer to understand the artist’s interpretation and response to what he sees as he paints.  Students will become aware of the effect of light, and how light influences the viewer.
   
4. Sense of Self: What and How You See
   What we see is only part of what we want to paint.  Creating art is different from just rendering an image on a canvas.  One of the most reoccurring questions that artists ask is, “What is my style?”  Your observations, insights, and thinking determine your artistic style, and this is what the world is waiting to see.  We will identify the artistic “you,” and your artistic style in this important conversation.
   
5. What is Art?
   Participants will discuss what art is, and why it is important that we do this thing called "art.”  Understanding this concept is important so that students comprehend the wonderful power they have being an artist.  Whatever the creative activity - music, cooking, or painting, this theory applies to everything that we do in our life.
   
6. Putting it All Together
   In this last three-hour session, participants will share the new possibilities they have experienced for themselves with each other. Key discussions and critical insights will be revisited, deepening our understanding of the concepts presented over the weekend, and how they can apply to our art.
   
7. Dealing Powerfully with Breakdowns
   As we conclude the workshop, we will explore handling breakdowns effectively.  Breakdowns are thoughts and feelings that stop us from painting successfully.  We view what we create as something important, but the reality is far different.  What we do is not who we are.  In this session, we will focus on insights that can help repair breakdowns, and strategies that can help artists paint through their times of discouragement and frustration, to achieve success in their work, when painting on location or back in their studio.