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Contact us for available dates at 505-285-3785 or email us for questions by  clicking here

Check us out on  Santa Fe Creative Tourism 

• Lodging Included
  
• You pick the date
  
• You pick the focus of study
  
• 5 day or 3 day workshops
• 5 Day Workshop: $600 ($900 for two students)
• 3 Day Workshop: $400 ($600 for two students)
  
  Lodging includes efficiency apartment with kitchenette, king size bed, private bathroom, private entrance.  You are responsible for all meals and travel.  Click on our Giftshop Button to purchase.
  
  Customize your workshop by choosing the date and focus of study.  In addition to painting outdoors and in the studio, classes include demonstrations, slide shows, computer work, still and video camera instruction, and equipment discussion.  

If you and an artist friend would like to come together there is an additional fee of $300 for the added person but no increase in lodging.  Your spouse is welcome, however our guestroom will only accommodate two people.

We will study the four important elements that make a good painting; drawing, values, edges, and color. We will paint with a limited palette and an expanded palette. Depending on your preference, we can paint still life, street scenes, landscape, figures or portraits. 

We will discuss digital cameras, video cameras, Photoshop, Facebook and Youtube.  You will become a much faster and more spontaneous painter. You will learn how to be more productive, how to promote your career and grow your creativity. 

My major influences are John Sargent, Joaquin Sorolla, Diego Velázquez, Monet, Courbet, and Frans Hals.

Details

Class Description:

We can paint outdoors or in the studio depending on your preference. 

We begin with 3 quick draws (10 minutes each). These quick draws will become part of our daily routine. They are a way to help you make decisions quickly and produce more work. The quick draws are normally painted with one color (burnt sienna) and we wipe them off after each quick draw so we can use the canvases again and again. We will paint fairly easy subjects on the first day.  

• Architectural subjects can teach us a lot about “straight, plumb, and level”. Some of our local communities are more than 400 years old. Street scenes offer fairly easy drawing, a wide range of values, hard and soft edges, warm and cool colors, and strong cast shadows.

• We will paint at a local vineyard and visit their tasting room.  There is a wide variety of subject at this location. 

• Figures in a painting are a great challenge and usually help tell a story.  We will try at least a couple figure paintings.

• Some of you may not have much experience in multiple subjects or you may have little interest in one or more of the subjects we paint. I would encourage you to keep an open mind and see our wide variety of subjects as a challenge and opportunity to grow as an artist. Painting and visual art in general is not just about one subject. You will benefit tremendously by painting still life, portraiture, landscape, and cityscape.

Tools and Materials:

The short videos below explain some of the tools and materials I normally use.

This list contains the items I am using now. Bring the tools and materials you are using now but here are some of the products I use.

FRENCH EASEL or POCHADE BOX W/TRIPOD
I use the OpenBoxM pochade box. I have the 8x10 box and I mount it on a Bogan camera tripod. You can learn about pochade boxes here: www.openboxm.com I have 2 extra French easels that I can loan so let me know if you need one so I can hold it for you.


PALETTE
I use a glass palette in my pochade box and in my studio. Glass can be cleaned easily with a razor blade. French easels, pochade boxes, and Guerilla boxes usually have a wooden palette incorporated into the design. I would encourage you to replace them with glass. Measure what you need, go to your local glass shop, have them cut a piece of 5/16” glass, and ask them to sand the edges and corners (they do this all the time for shelfs), then put it in your box. The wood ones are ok but the glass is better.

BRUSHES
I use Silver Grand Prix #4,6,8,14. bristle flat. I also have a big fat 2” wide bristle craft brush. They are made by K & H. I also use Langnickle #8,10,14, and one that is 1” wide. You also need a rigger (a small fine liner brush for details). If you are bringing only one type of brush, bring the bristle flats or brites. You can do almost anything with these.

KNIVES
I use knives quite a bit for many different effects. I have a 1” knife and a 3” knife. If you want a “high end” knife, use Holbein SX Knives. They are made in Sekicity Japan and are expensive but they take a lot of abuse and last many years. I get them here: www.canvaspanels.com Bring whatever knife you normally use. A fairly good line of inexpensive knifes which I use a lot are made by Liquitex.

PANELS
I use Premium Line Claessens #13 Oil-Primed Portrait Linen panels mounted on 1/8” birch or 3/16” Gatorfoam. I get them here: www.canvaspanels.com You can also make your own panels by purchasing a 4’ x 8’ piece of “standard” hardboard (masonite) and gluing a 52” wide roll of canvas to the board. You can use a good quality wood glue (professional carpenters glue) or you can use the more expensive Miracle Muck www.canvaspanels.com . After the glue dries overnight, you can cut the 4 x 8 sheet into many different sizes.

Here are the panels you need for the class: Sizes should be 8x10 or 12x16. You will learn much faster and more by painting small. You will need at least 10 panels but I recommend you bring 15-20. Bring whatever panels you normally use but make sure they are small.

PIGMENTS
I will be teaching with two different palettes. We will use a limited palette and a more expanded palette.

For the limited palette we will use Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Red, and Cadmium Lemon (and Titanium White).  We will begin with the limited palette so we can practice mixing colors.

The expanded palette will include these colors:
Ultramarine Blue
Cobalt Blue
Viridian
Transparent Oxide Red (Rembrandt). This is similar to Burnt Sienna but much richer.
Alizarin Crimson
Yellow Ochre
Cadmium Red (I use Permanent Red Medium (Rembrandt) in place of Cad Red)
Cadmium Orange
Cadmium Lemon
Titanium Zinc White (any good titanium white will do).

 

As you can see above, this palette proceeds from cool to warm. This is also the order in which I lay out my palette.

I use good brands like Rembrandt, and Winsor Newton. Most manufacturers use the same basic dry pigments but quality will vary widely depending on how much extenders and fillers they use. Don't buy the cheapest brand but don't buy the most expensive either.

 

Other Important Items
Mineral Spirits or Brush Cleaner. Please bring No Odor or Low Odor mineral spirits. Some artists use more expensive brush cleaners but regular mineral spirits work just as well. Bring whatever you normally use.


Brush washing container. Holbein makes a very good quality container. You can see it here: www.canvaspanels.com but you can buy it cheaper elsewhere (like Ebay). A simple 1lb. Coffee can with a birdscreen in the bottom and a lid is an alternative. It will hold enough thinner and can be sealed to prevent evaporation.

NOTE TO ALL: Airlines are getting very fussy about bringing paint supplies on board. You will not be able to bring mineral spirits on board! I will have a couple gallons here that I will share with you.

Paper towels. I use “Brawny Pick a Size” 

Plastic grocery bags for paper towel disposal. 

This is only an option: A clamp-on white or black umbrella to shade both the work surface and the palette is recommended. You can buy these from a supplier like Dick Blick, Jerry’s Artarama and others. If you don't have an umbrella, bring a good hat.

A good hat with a bill. I wear a gaucho.

Sunscreen, insect repellent, matches, water, rain coat, and clothing for variable weather.

Note: Be prepared to take your lunch into the field. We will probably eat lunch in the field 4 days.


To register, Contact us at 505-285-3785 or email us by clicking here