Workshop Report

Winter Radiance, pastel, 11x14

Heading into Spring, pastel, 11x14

Shown here are my demos from a two-day workshop I just taught in Leland, Michigan at the Old Art Building. I first have to say that this part of Michigan is completely gorgeous. It helped that the weather was also gorgeous the whole time I was there. This was my first visit to the area, and it sure was a treat! I had a fantastic group of incredible artists in this workshop...super nice, and eager to learn as much as possible about this wonderful medium of pastel.

For "Winter Radiance," the primary focus of the demo was on simplifying all of the small details within the tree masses into large connected shapes of about three values. Composition plays a big part in the planning of a painting that deals with busy subject matter. In a one-day composition workshop I taught a few weeks ago, I used a more closely cropped, vertical version of this same source photo, and painted that one in oil. I used a wider version of this same scene here since it makes a great study for simplifying large, busy masses. Click here to see my blog post on this workshop.

I'm getting ready to teach a two-day version of that same composition workshop (for any medium) at The Art Loft in Dahlonega, GA on Sept. 5 & 6. Click here to find out more details on this workshop.

Coming up after that is a 4-day pastel workshop in Lac Du Flambeau, Wisconsin at Dillmans Art Workshop Retreat, Sept. 23-26.

Please visit my website to see my entire workshop schedule through 2014. There's lots coming up!