Description: This workshop is open to oil and pastel painters who are already comfortable with their media, and have experience working outdoors. We will start with field work: gathering possible candidates to be used for larger paintings, followed by a few days of studio work enlarging the studies selected. There will be a demonstration to students the process from start to finish. Students should expect to get a good start on the final painting but may not finish it entirely. My goal is to get the student to see the value in creating accurate field work that can be used as a reference in the studio, to work up a concept from the field into a strong studio painting that has similarities to, but is not a copy of, the field work. We will use photography where necessary and discuss the benefits and disadvantages of using them together. Field and studio work. Critique, materials discussion and group conversation. Portable easel and transportation required.

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Description: This workshop is open to oil and pastel painters who are already comfortable with their media, and have experience working outdoors. We will start with field work: gathering possible candidates to be used for larger paintings, followed by a few days of studio work enlarging the studies selected. There will be a demonstration to students the process from start to finish. Students should expect to get a good start on the final painting but may not finish it entirely. My goal is to get the student to see the value in creating accurate field work that can be used as a reference in the studio, to work up a concept from the field into a strong studio painting that has similarities to, but is not a copy of, the field work. We will use photography where necessary and discuss the benefits and disadvantages of using them together. Field and studio work. Critique, materials discussion and group conversation. Portable easel and transportation required.

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Description: There are many aspects to plein aire painting, but two of the most important are creating a strong, expressive design and understanding how to interpret color outside. The workshop will focus on developing a sense of design and rhythm, learning to take what the landscape gives you and improving upon it. Focus will also be on how to understand the thought process of mixing color outside, using colors that will give your painting the effect of light not just copying what you see. We will also work on understanding the painting process in the studio and the importance of setting and achieving goals in your work. The workshop will take place in Tubac, Arizona’s oldest settlement. Tubac is backed up against the Santa Rita Mountains and is surrounded by cotton woods, streams and canyons. Old adobe street scenes, as well as the Tumacacori Mission, are excellent examples of the old Spanish architecture we will explore. Portable easel and transportation required.

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Description: If you control your pastels, you control your color and your painting! Stephanie’s use of color is based on the Schmid color charts. Using a limited palette, we will really discover how to get the most out of our materials which will equal the most out of our color. This palette makes plein air pastel almost as easy as simply walking outside. It works equally well in the studio and is a great way to cut down on the work space often needed for pastels. This workshop will focus on seeing correct values, descriptive edges, and atmosphere. We will incorporate under paintings, and explore various ways of starting a painting. We will also discuss what to look for in a good reference photo. We will work from still life and landscape subjects. Stephanie will push you beyond your comfort zone, but by stretching beyond your current boundaries, you will be rewarded with a new personal gain. This promises to be a jam packed three days!

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Description: This drawing and composition workshop will be a lively exploration of the power of composition and the usefulness of drawing in making a painting successful. We’ll take a look at some great paintings of the masters, we’ll go over simple yet invaluable tools for accurate rendering, and talk about how sketching for 20 minutes a day transforms 97-pound-weaklings into veritable Charles Atlases of art... We’ll sketch, draw and paint, and, for those who wish, Charlie will expound and instruct about the limited palette he uses. We’ll learn and laugh a lot while staying true to the credo of have big fun; make big mess.

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Description: This landscape class will emphasize working from life. Most of the class time will be spent painting on location. After meeting the first day at Scottsdale Artists’ School, the class will be based out of Gold Canyon, Arizona, which will allow for closer proximity to painting locations. We will cover the process of gathering essential information and editing in the field. The importance of how you start the painting will be stressed, since a correct start makes the entire process less difficult. We’ll also cover the importance of a solid foundation in design, drawing, values and color. Please come prepared with the supplies to do at least two paintings a day. Individual attention, demos, and some laughter are included in the cost! Portable easel and transportation required. Students are encouraged to consider accommodations in Gold Canyon, Arizona - which is about 40 minutes from the Sky Harbor International Airport, and over one hour from the School. Hotel recommendations provided upon registration.

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Description: This workshop is designed to create a relaxed, informative, yet intense working environment. Romel will demonstrate his approach to painting the portrait and figure from life daily, using his direct fluid painting style with heavy emphasis on the use of improving color, drawing skills, value relationships, understanding edges and capturing the “feeling” of light. Students will learn to use the elements that make a painting/drawing work: creative use of color and edges, visual movement, paint or charcoal application, distribution of abstract shapes and strong design. Students will also learn how to combine working from life and photographs to create a finished piece. Romel provides easy-going individual instruction, as well as critique and group discussion. Techniques of past great artists like Sargent, Zorn and Sorolla will also be discussed. Be prepared to work hard, make new friends and best of all - have fun. Romel will be doing a figure painting demonstration on Friday, March 8 from 9am-3pm. Students registered in Romel’s workshop may attend the demo at the discounted rate of $25 (regularly $45). Space is limited, advanced regsitration is required.

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Description: A good painting tells as much about the artist as the painting itself. Mueller will talk about the whole process of putting a painting together; from the first concept to small idea and value composition studies, the use of a color study and on to the finished painting. Students will also do direct painting without preliminary studies. The emphasis will not be on the finished piece but on the process of making a more successful painting. Remember, most paintings are ruined at the start, not at the end, as not enough preliminary thought is given to them. Students will work on counterchange, color harmony and the balance of masses and shapes in size, value and color. Students should be prepared to work from their own photos and/or field studies. Starts, mistakes and failures could be the order of the day, but Mueller says, “We will make mistakes, work hard, and have a good time doing it!”

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Description: Margaret teaches a traditional pastel painting technique: drawing, composition, anatomy, proportion, value, color, and pastel application will be explored. Emphasis is on developing form using light and shadow. Students will work from a live model. For those wanting to speed up and become less tight in their work, this is an excellent class to take. All skill levels are welcome. Students do not need prior pastel experience, some drawing experience is helpful

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Description: Students routinely complain, “My work looks hard. I wish I could loosen up!” Nikolai Fechin and Anders Zorn were Masters of suggestion. William will discuss their techniques as he paints a portrait from the live model. On one of the days students will copy (with instruction) a portrait by one of these masters. The rest of class time students will incorporate masters techniques into their own work as they paint from the model. In the words of C.W.Mundy, “Don’t insult the viewer by spelling out every detail.” This five-day oil and pastel workshop is for students of all levels. You will learn: -Power through suggestion -One simple technique to sparkling color -Masterful edge control -How to simplify color harmony -The key to turning the form with temperature William will demonstrate in both oil and pastel (a head study as well as several “mini-demos” – painting eyes, mouth etc.) All the great painters learned by copying masterworks; this workshop will turbo-charge your understanding of drawing, value, color temperature, and edge control.

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Description: Design and composition can make or break a picture. We often think of composition as begin the placement of shapes and things. Just as important, however, is the organization of lights and darks or values. Through carefully planned exercises, this workshop will deepen your understanding of how to use an economy of values to create strong compositions.

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Description: What does the act of ‘seeing’ mean for an artist? Find the answer in this workshop as we explore the specifics of learning to ‘see’ the subject, interpreting the visual elements, and executing it all onto canvas. We will discuss the way the optics of the eye work as well as seeing light, form, atmosphere and space. The fundamental principles of painting - composition, drawing, value, color, and edges will also be stressed. Students will sharpen their focus by pushing for simplification of form, shape, and the larger masses. Each day we will begin with a demo and lecture covering the principles mentioned above followed by a fun day of painting and personal instruction. Students may choose to work from their favorite photos and field sketches or still life subjects set up in class. Individual attention will be a high priority as well as laughs and a lot of enthusiasm!

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Description: If you control your pastels, you control your color and your painting! Stephanie’s use of color is based on the Schmid color charts. Using a limited palette, we will really discover how to get the most out of our materials which will equal the most out of our color. This palette makes plein air pastel almost as easy as simply walking outside. It works equally well in the studio and is a great way to cut down on the work space often needed for pastels. This workshop will focus on seeing correct values, descriptive edges, and atmosphere. We will incorporate under paintings, and explore various ways of starting a painting. We will also discuss what to look for in a good reference photo. We will work from still life and landscape subjects. Stephanie will push you beyond your comfort zone, but by stretching beyond your current boundaries, you will be rewarded with a new personal gain. This promises to be a jam packed three days!

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