Accepting The Workshop Challenge

When was the last time your art brain hurt?

My Quick Value Study

I just finished a 3 Day workshop and it was exhaustively wonderful! My brain hurt from all the learning and concepts, each night I would go home tired (this was a good tired)!

Day One was all about value. I always need a value reminder. And, value is incredibly misunderstood. I found a teacher who not only has a firm understanding of value but who also can talk intelligently to students about value. While this workshop focused on portraits, it was clear that value could be applied to landscape and still life as well. Value I  need thee.

A View of Student work--red green challenge!

Day Two was the most exciting day, all about color! As artists we get set in our ways and set in our color palettes. What I really loved was how effective the instructor was at challenging our color  thinking. When the instructor put colored theater gels over the lights--this changed everything and yet when looking at Planes of the Face you could see how the color of the light impacted the face! Amazing! I was particularly struck by how when placing a hot pink paper under the face, the bright hot pink reflects back up into the face and under the chin, the light and color relationship is fascinating!

My Red Light Challenge

I especially loved the challenge to the workshop students. We were given an hour to paint a model who was under RED theater gel light. Her face glowed orange-red, and her cheek appeared grinch-green--a tough challenge! This really makes you think and look! The first 30 minutes I was unsuccessful! After a break, I went back to the easel and really looked and started to "get it". It is all about seeing light and color (and value)! I started to see the bright orange hair highlights and the purple shadows! WOW!

My "form" Unfinished Day 3...

Day three was putting it all together and focusing on finding form, finding a story and then incorporating fun and play. After watching a demo, a model posed for us under cool light. And the instructor gave us each challenges --determined for each student. My challenge was to "paint the form" (not features, not symbols). How amazing that after two days, the instructor could go student to student to work with each of us on our weaknesses! And it was tough as I like to place in features, just adding form and shape is a new and difficult way to start for me. While all of my works are unfinished, I could have used more time on this one. I would have liked to go back in and add darks to the hair, and to blur the left eye feature (I outlined it) and to blur a bit the bottom lip-the light side...

A great workshop, much needed to reinforce value, form, color and where I need to focus on my art.

A special Thank You to Vianna Szabo, a wonderful artist and instructor.