Simplifying the Maine Landscape

Description - As painters it is important to know what to leave out as much as it is to know what to leave in. Students will learn to look beyond the clutter of the scene in order to simply their paintings by capturing light, color and the emotional moment. Emphasis will be placed on concept, composition, value, color and edges. Students will focus on a step by step approach to building their paintings by starting with a focal point and large mass simplification as a way to design a painting. The second step will be seeing the color and temperature of light as it affects the scene and then mixing the right color and value to convey that. The third step is the importance of edges to move the viewer visually through your painting. Fourth step will be paint application and brushwork. Lastly, we will cover pulling all these elements together as it pertains to making an emotional statement about your subject. This workshop will involve exercises, lectures, demos and many discussions around what each student hopes to achieve and how to get there. Historical and modern references will be explored. The serious beginner and more advanced painter will benefit from the understanding of how light, color, edges and brushwork are used in creating the paintings that speak to you and your viewers.