I am moving in another direction with my work as well as my teaching and this course is the beginning of this process. In the first of a series of classes this one will be focused mostly on values and atmosphere .I will be demonstrating with charcoal and casein paint as well as other powdered pigments. The next class in this series will focus more on color. I have approached the work in a different way by introducing more abstract shapes and marks to create interesting and dense backgrounds as well as abstract pieces that stand on their own. Composition will be discussed and applied in several pieces. This is going to be a topic I will be delving into throughout the series of classes I am creating.

I have taught many classes on portraits but what I am looking at now is what is around the portrait….what is around the figure? It is that negative space that I now want to attend to. Creating creatures and objects in their own dwellings. I pay attention to all of it and how each responds to the other. Some new materials I work with is wire and I demonstrate a wire wrapping technique that I incorporate into the painting like a vertabrae. This element lends itself to so much exploration.

I complete 5, yes 5 pieces of art in this course. There are plenty of exercises to begin with to loosen up as well as making collage pieces to incorporate in finished pieces. I want to stress that this class is not about duplicating my class demos but rather to teach you techniques and concepts for you to put into your tool box and experiment with.