Dancing in the Garden

WORKSHOPS 2018

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R0SWELL, GA – WORKSHOP – PART 1 – JUNE 2, 2018 “CAPTIVATE THE VIEWER” – HOW TO MAKE YOUR PAINTINGS INTERACTIVE FOR THE VIEWER. CREATE SEQUENCE OF SPACE, MOVEMENT, AND UNIFICATION IN YOUR WORK BY LEARNING TO USE ALL OF THE DIFFERENT TEXTURES SHAPES AND FORMS AS PAINTING ELEMENTS. Held at the Artist’s Studio. Hours: 9:00-3:30pm, Cost $95.00. This workshop is limited to 8 participants.

 

 

R0SWELL, GA – WORKSHOP – PART 2 – JULY 21, 2018  “CAPTIVATE THE VIEWER”                                         

HOW TO MAKE YOUR PAINTINGS INTERACTIVE FOR THE VIEWER, CREATE  SEQUENCE OF SPACE, MOVEMENT, AND UNIFICATION IN YOUR WORK BY LEARNING TO USE ALL OF THE DIFFERENT TEXTURES SHAPES AND FORMS AS PAINTING ELEMENTS.  Held at the Artist’s Studio. Hours: 9:00-3:30pm. Cost $95.00. This workshop is limited to 8 participants.

 

 

ROSWELL, GA – WORKSHOP – “BACKGROUNDS” –
AUGUST 25, 2018                                         

SO MANY PEOPLE ASK ME, HOW DO I DO MY BACKGROUNDS? THIS WORKSHOP WILL HELP YOU LEARN HOW TO MAKE YOUR BACKGROUNDS NOT ONLY INTERESTING AND SUPPORTIVE BUT AN INTEGRAL PART OF YOUR PAINTING.  Held at the Artist’s Studio. Hours: 9:00-3:30pm. Cost $95.00.  Space is limited to 8 participants. Bring your painting materials and lunch. Weather permitting we can have lunch on the dock.

Looking vs. Seeing

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Looking at something versus truly seeing what is front of you is a very important concept to artists.

The more you look, the more you see!

We as artists see much more that the average person.  This is a tool that we have that we use on a constant basis to do our portrayals of the imagery we see.

This is such an important tool that it has been categorized.  Let me explain. Artists use 9 values or increments of light to separate out the patterns or shapes of light that show up on the surface of an object. These values range from value 1 (white) going through the list to value 9 (black). The subconscious mind knows what the object is by the value of the shapes of light patterns that are visible on a surface.  For an object to look three-dimensional it must show the subconscious mind all nine values of light.  These patterns of light do take many different shapes depending on exactly what the object is…so you are never bored.

Drawing is the true basis of any artwork or portrayal of an object.  The right values on the right shapes give you the image with its volume and its form.  Color is simply the “beautiful dress” that the object wears.

I have included a portion of an unfinished  watercolor where shapes of light have been drawn in pencil and some values of light (but in color) have been added.  An Iris is a delicate flower and painting a petal requires many shapes of light and dark with the appropriate color to be able to see the light as translucent or create ripples and movement. When you know how to make use of the range of values it makes painting with any medium so much easier because you can think only of the decisions around painting instead of both the value and the color.  Using color means you are thinking about warm vs. cool colors, opposing colors, and how to use them to give the right feeling and excitement to your work.

When you focus on the details there is a world of beauty to see.  And after you have done this for a while your consciousness is expanded and you actually see so much more around you in your everyday life. You are entertained by your world by all you now see.

 

The Basics of Color Mixing Magic

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Peonys Fuchsia 20″x 20″ Translucent Watercolor

When learning color mixing, there are three (3) sets of opposite colors to remember:

Color Set #1-CHRISTMAS colors: Red & Green

Color Set #2-EASTER colors: Yellow & Purple

Color Set #3-SUNSET colors: Orange & Blue

In discussing the definition of a color, let’s work with the Color set #1, the Christmas Colors, red and green.  “Red” is defined as any color that has ANY KIND of red in the paint mixture…rust, rose, pink, coral, burgundy, orange-red, red-orange, wine, grape, purple, etc. The definition of a color such as “Green”, Red’s opposite on the color wheel, is the same.  So, this set of opposite colors gives us MANY forms of reds and greens to work with. Think of color set #2 and #3 in this same way and you will have hundreds of colors to paint with.  However, it is very difficult to ever mix the exact same color again because if you combine white, black, and yellow you will be able to mix 739 readable colors. The lesson here is to mix enough color in the FIRST mixture that you will need to use for your painting.  I always like to mix extra, more than I think I will need.

Many times in painting we need subdued colors and these are made by toning down a color with its opposite on the color wheel, i.e., tone down “any” red with “any” green using the above definition. Technically it is called neutralizing a color or being able to tone down a color to soften it or take the intensity out of it…when taken to the extreme half and half of the red mix and the green mix we create a taupe or gray which equals a “neutral”. A taupe color of the half and half mix will have more of the warm color creating it and the gray color of the half and half mix will have a bit more of the cool color in it.

It you wish to breathe live into your painting, try putting opposite colors next to each other on your paper or canvas. Always try to paint with full spectrum color and your painting will become magical!

What Does ‘a Study’ in Artwork Mean

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Each time an artist makes a painting they are actually doing something that do not know how to do. At the very least, a portion of the painting needs much thought, and then there other times when more challenge is there than they recognized going into working on it.

Periodically you will see a footnote from an artist on a painting  reading…”A study of Bluebirds basking in the sun” or “A personal study of rainbows…from a photo taken by…”. So what does this mean?

My interest is in the use of the word “study” on the footnote.  Only on artwork have I ever seen this word used in a title…its meaning is to portray that this painting took much study, thinking, deliberating, time, and trying out techniques to see if or how something can be portrayed so the viewer can experience a specific image or feeling that the mind will translate properly, the way the artist would like it to be portrayed or presented.  Painting a picture does indeed involve Much deliberation and study to get the Right portrayal.  It is not just slapping paint on canvas or paper in 3-6 hours and calling it finished as it would actually be a color sketch or trial.  This would be a picture done in paint but it would not be called a painting.  In a painting many decisions must be made. Every stroke of the brush directs you down a specific pathway toward completion or screw-up. Every paint brush stroke is a decision for a good or a bad result.  Once in a while a poor decision can be corrected for benefit.  Learning techniques to correct ones’ mistakes is a must and many mistakes can be repaired in most any medium. In essence, a painting may be 5000-8000 decisions before it is completed depending upon its size. As a painter one must be a Student throughout the entire painting. We as artists actually learn much from each painting.

It takes much time, desire, heart, and energy to “study” and figure out how to get a painting to be the best it can be before an artist is willing to share it with the world.  The above painting is one for you to see that involved much study and much time before completion.

Adding Watercolor

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Dale Sherman is one of my students in the Wednesday afternoon class. She paints with a great group of ladies that really enjoy working with each other. She has worked diligently through all the drawing projects and is now painting beautifully. This painting is of some water lilies she photographed in a pond. We are all watching and learning from her as she brings it to completion. This painting is a really pretty one. One of the things we adjusted was adding much additional image information that is not on the photograph. This makes it her original artwork.

 

A student, Dale, working on her painting in my afternoon class
Dale Sherman is one of my students in the Wednesday afternoon class. …
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