Wednesday, September 10, 2014

3-Day Workshop at Scottsdale Artists' School: Painting the Portrait Figure


Portrait of Theodore Roosevelt, John Singer Sargent, 1903. Image from here.

Even if you had no idea who the man in this painting was (and for all I know, you might not) you'd have some opinions about him based on how the artist has composed this painting.  The hand on the hip, the other hand gripping the finial, the bold stance - all this indicates determination and a powerful  personality. Sargent is remembered not only for his virtuoso technique, but also for his ability to indicate personality in his portrait and figurative work through gesture and setting.

Knowing how to use body language to artistic advantage in a painting is important to any figurative artist, whether or not one intends to paint portraits.

I'm teaching a 3-day workshop in October which will explore aspects of constructing a figurative painting or portrait to reflect the subject's characteristics through the use of body language and composition. We'll work on a fairly large canvas so that we can include the subject's posture and at least the hands, which can incredibly expressive of character. We'll be working with the same model throughout the workshop, so we'll have plenty of time to discuss subjects such as lighting, pose and clothing.  I taught this class a few years ago and it was great fun.

"Character Reveals Itself: Painting the Portrait Figure"
October 17th - October 19th, 2014
Friday, Saturday, Sunday
9:00 - 4:00

There are still some openings for the workshop - please contact Scottsdale Artists' School for more information.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Two Shows Opening at Principle Galleries this Weekend: WPW in Charleston and Pay It Forward in Alexandria

I've got paintings in two shows out East that open this Friday, September 7th. The shows are held at Principle Gallery's two locations - thank you to the good people at Principle Gallery for setting this up!

I've shown with many members of the Women Painting Women group before and you'll find references to that group in a quick search of this blog. It is always so interesting and it's terrific to meet so many wonderfully gifted artists. Both show openings should be great fun. Clicking on the Galleries' sites will give you more information about the basis for the shows, the times of the openings and the artists who are included.

The first show is "Women Painting Women" at Principle Gallery Charleston. My painting "Whispering" (oil, 16" x 12") is shown below:



Here's a video (which includes this painting) featuring gallery director Carri Schwab talking about the show, recently aired by the ABC TV affiliate in Charleston:

http://www.abcnews4.com/clip/10543518/principle-gallery-charleston



The second show is "Pay It Forward" at Principle Gallery Alexandria. My painting "Mixed Bouquet" (oil, 12" x 12") is pictured below:


If you're like me and you can't make it to the shows (which is depressing me tonight, since I'd love to be there) please think about buying the catalogs for the shows, available at Matter Deep Publishing.

Here's the link to the Women Painting Women catalog ... and here's the link to the Pay It Forward catalog.