Monthly Lesson for December - Color Notans

I just wrote a lesson on color notans for the December Virtual Art Academy newsletter. You can get a free copy by signing up for the guest Virtual Art Academy newsletter here.

For members of the Virtual Art Academy, I updated my course notes on hue changes with atmospheric perspective.

and added a new page to take account of effects at sunset.

 If you want to get the members' newsletter (with the course updates), and also access to the private Virtual Art Academy students Online Campus, you can sign up for membership here. There's a special offer running this month on a free 45-page sample course unit which will give you a good idea of what the course materials are like.

2012 Workshop Schedule in Tuscany, Italy

My workshop schedule for Tuscany, Italy in 2012 is now set. For details see my Tuscany Workshop Blog

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Master Critique: William Ritschel - Storm Lashed Coast

Here's another critique I wrote for the second issue of Plein Air Magazine on one of my favorite painters, William Ritschel. One of the keys to capturing the iridescent light shimmering through the fog that is so characteristic of a coastline scene is representing the correct color relationships between the light and shade planes of the foam in the water. William Ritschel (1864-1949) was a master of painting that light with a high degree of both poetry and music, as I discovered when I painted part of the same California coastline where he worked for more than 30 years. In this critique I discussed one of his masterpieces, Storm Lashed Coast.

Read the full version of the critique

Workshop in the Palm Springs/Palm Desert Area California

Where: Palm Springs/Palm Desert area of California  
When:   Four days, from Tuesday January 10 until Friday.

Several of my Virtual Art Academy students have been asking me to do a workshop in the US.  I shall be in the United States at the beginning of January in the Palm Springs/Palm Desert area of California and so am going to do a 4-day workshop for those of you who like some live tuition.  I will customize the workshop to the specific needs of the students who are attending. If anyone lives in this area and would like to suggest places to paint, please contact me from my website.

A key feature of the workshop will be a thorough review of your current work. Based on what I see, I will work out a detailed plan of study for you for the next 12 months to take your work to a higher level. If you'd like to get an idea of the way I analyze paintings you can take a look at some of the master critiques I have been writing recently for Plein Air Magazine.

Levels
All levels from absolute beginners to more experienced painters will be welcome. All Virtual Art Academy students will be able to get their Virtual Art Academy assignments critiqued in addition to a critique of their paintings during the workshop.

Cost
The cost of the workshop will be $750.

How To Register
If you are interested, please confirm your interest by paying a deposit to reserve your place on the workshop. The deposit is non-refundable, but may be applied to any other workshop in the following 12 months. The balance of the workshop fee is due 60 before start of the workshop (Nov 10th)

After you register your deposit, please send me an email so I can send you an invitation to join a private Google Group I have set up specifically for this workshop. I will use this Google Group to communicate with students attending the workshop to give more details, and for students to be able to communicate with each other, so it is important you get on the list. 

Pay $100 deposit for workshop
Note: 2CheckOut.com Inc. (Ohio, USA) is an authorized retailer for services provided by Virtual Art Academy, so you will see that name on your credit card bill. 2CheckOut also charges a small fee for credit card processing.

Pay $650 balance of workshop fee
Note: 2CheckOut.com Inc. (Ohio, USA) is an authorized retailer for services provided by Virtual Art Academy, so you will see that name on your credit card bill. 2CheckOut also charges a $42 for credit card processing, so the total on your credit card will be $692.

Critiques of competition winners

I was invited to judge a competition for RayMar Art this past month, and gave an objective critique based on my Visual Music and Poetry model. For anyone interested in seeing the critiques, you can view them on the Raymar website.

Here is the painting I selected and a few others I chose as finalists:

Master Critique: Joaquin Sorolla - Bajo el Toldo

I recently reviewed this painting by Joaquin Sorolla for Plein Air Magazine. I started the article off with a discussion of how I critique master paintings. Here is an extract from the article:

"What are the qualities that make a painting a masterpiece and ultimately determine its long-term value? Why are some paintings so much more rewarding to look at than others? These are the important questions I asked on my artistic journey. As I learned from the teachings and writings of many great artists past and present, a picture emerged that now forms the basis of my own teaching and writing.

Master paintings share two key characteristics. First, they accurately represent a subject and are focused on communicating an idea or emotion. I refer to this aspect of a great painting as the “poetry” of a painting, or the content the artist is trying to convey to viewers. When you look at a master painting, you are moved in some way, and the memory of it stays with you. Master paintings of course demonstrate great drawing and color skills, but those expertly handled skills are focused on presenting an idea.

The second key characteristic of a master painting is a strong abstract design that is independent of the subject matter. I refer to this as the “music” of the painting, or the sensuous, non-intellectual part. It is created with rhythms and harmonies in shapes, lines, edges, and colors and is analogous to the rhythms in music and the harmonies between individual notes.

A master painting also has multiple repeating threads running through it. These hold the painting together and unify it in much the same way a great symphony is tied together by a repeated main theme. Variety in these repeated elements, as in music, adds interest to the painting. Repetition, variety, unity, harmony are characteristics of all great symphonies and of all great paintings."

... Continue reading the full critique as a pdf file here.

The new Plein Air Magazine is a great magazine by the way. I particularly like the articles on the historic painters who painted plein air. You can read a a sample of the magazine here. There is also an interview on the story of how the Virtual Art Academy painting lesson program came about in the same issue. 

Workshops in Tuscany for 2011

I've just finalized my workshop schedule for my European workshops this year. I will be running them in the northern part of Tuscany in a region called Lunigiana. This is a beautiful but relatively unknown part of Tuscany. The workshops will be in May, June and September. For full information see my Tuscany painting workshop blog.