Loosening Up - A Path to Painterly Painting
with Diane Pike
October 11-13, 2023 | 10AM-4:30PM
204 S Austin St Rockport, TX
$495 for Members, $595 for Nonmembers.
Workshop Description
How many times have you said, “My paintings are too tight. I need to loosen up.”?Instead of creating loose, fresh paintings we get fixated on the small tight details of what we are looking at and the result is a tight, photographic painting, with little or no sense of expression at all. Let’s loosen things up!
Among the topics I will be discussing are: Strong thumbnail sketches, brushes and brushwork, edges, some color mixing tips and quick painting studies.
I believe that paintings benefit from the use of a strong sketch or thumbnail, prior to putting any paint on the canvas. I will discuss the Notan approach and how I use that along with one or two more values, to arrive at a strong value pattern. We will do lots of thumbnail sketching. From there, I will discuss brushwork and brushes, and we will do some quick brushwork exercises. I will touch on some color mixing and offer some different combinations to experiment with.
We will spend a good deal of time in the studio learning and experimenting with brushwork and color mixing and doing numerous quick study paintings. There will be at least one day of plein air painting where we will take what we’ve discussed in class and apply it to an outdoor scene. The emphasis in this workshop will be on lessons and experimenting and doing several quick studies—not on completing a “ready to hang” painting.
Oils-Acrylics-Pastel
Supplies
Panel Sizes for Oil and Acrylic:
If you prefer painting on canvas panels (do not bring gallery wrapped canvas) bring at least four 12x16 or 16x20 panels for the exercises. We will be dividing them into fourths so we end up with 4 areas for quick exercises. Bring extra panels for painting plein air. Size is up to you, no need to go any bigger than 16x20.
Paper Sizes for Oil and Acrylic:
I have found that Arches Oil Paper (140 lb. Cold Pressed) is a less costly surface to paint on for these exercises. It is available in a pad of 12 sheets, 12x16, from Dick Blick or Cheap Joe’s or Jerrysartarama for $32. The paper is great with oils and acrylics, does not warp, and is easy to tape mount on a hard surface. A pad of 12 sheets is plenty for exercises and for painting plein air.
Pastel Paper:
If you will be painting with soft pastels, I recommend using a sanded paper like UArt, and bringing several sheets at least 12x16 or larger. Bring a surface to mount the paper too as well.
Brushes:
I recommend Robert Simon’s “Simply Simmons Long Handle” for workshop brushes. They are reasonably priced and can be found at most art supply stores. Try to bring brushes in a variety of sizes, Flats or Brights—#6,7,or 8’s. Try to bring at least one filbert, Extra Long size, No. 4 or 6. These are great for painting loose, because they are hard to control. I also use Silver Brush Grand Prix Bristle Brushes and Robert Simmon’s Long Handle Sapphire Brushes.
Other supplies: Please bring some photos to paint from for our indoor exercises. They can be photos you have taken, in color and at least 5x7 up to 8x10. Bring as many as you want.
Any questions? Reach out to me: fishartz@msn.com
Gamsol or Odor Free Turpenoid and a can to hold it, paper towels—Viva are the best, sunscreen, water, umbrella, and an easel meant for painting outside that you can transport easily.
Cancellation Policy
In order to receive a refund, cancellation notice must be given at least 4 weeks prior to the start of the workshop. If given the required 4 weeks notice you will receive a refund of your tuition minus a cancellation fee of $50.00. Cancellations made within 4 weeks of the start of the workshop will result in a full forfeiture.
Please contact laura@rockportartcenter.com if a payment plan is needed.
About the Instructor
Diane Pike was born in Iowa, and moved to Boulder, Colorado at an early age. Boulder was home for 50 years until the Lake Norman area of North Carolina became her residence in late 2008. In 2020, change came once again, and Diane moved back to Colorado. Diane graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in 1975 with a focus on graphic design and printmaking. She took her first painting class in 2002, learning the Henry Hensche tradition --The Art of Color Seeing--studying the effect that light has on color. It is this approach that fuels Diane's paintings and infuses them with saturated color and abstract shapes.
Diane paints full-time at her studio in Longmont, Colorado and also teaches several workshops a year—Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Alaska, North and South Carolina and Ireland have been recent workshop locations.
ARTIST STATEMENT:
Dialogues In Paint.
Events and experiences. Dialogues and dreams.
Be it witnessing the aftermath of Nature’s response to the reality of climate change or the end result of simply pulling memories and dreams out of conversations shared—light and its effect on color are the tools used to translate what is seen and what is imagined.
What comes off the end of the paintbrush can be challenging and unsettling, but dialogues can be like that. The struggle is in the notoriously difficult task of simply getting out of the way.