Landscape Workshop with Russell Case - Day 1 of 2
I'd never attended an art workshop before, but I figured it'd probably be a lot like class at Chastain, right?? WRONG.
Not sure how other workshops roll, but this one was intense. Let me explain.
Russell Case was our instructor. He is a very successful landscape artist who paints beautiful scenes from Utah's Vermillion Cliffs. I'd never heard of the Vermillion Cliffs until this workshop, but they are indeed gorgeous. Case is a fan of Maynard Dixon, which makes total sense when you see their works side by side.
This is one of Russell's paintings.
I don't think I fully understood Russell's standing in the art world. This was not a Tuesday night class at Binder's. Case's work was on display next door at the Booth Western Art Museum. Dude is full on legit. Russell's is the big one on the right.
And the ladies in my workshop were SWOONING. I've never seen gushing like that before. And Russell is probably the nicest guy you'd ever meet. Down to earth is an understatement. He is so incredibly nice and patient, and he brought his family from Utah with him. Seriously - the sweetest thing.
But the ladies around me are INTENSE. They were circling each other and asking zillions of questions about him and his art and each other. I was completely freaking out because these broads were waaaay ahead of me in experience and talent. I was swimming with the sharks.
I took pages and pages of notes, furiously writing down every word Russell said. Smart guy. And I learned SO much in just the first day. But by the end of the day the sharks around me were getting antsy. They were hungry and wanted to paint. "I can't believe we haven't painted. I came to paint!"
We did not paint on Day 1. So what did we do? We talked, he answered questions, and he gave a demo.
We talked a lot about light and shadow, warm colors versus cool colors. One of the simplest takeaways for me was this: if the sun is not hitting something, that means there is a lack of light and warmth, so the shade color has to be cool. Now, I know that sounds super obvious, but when you are sitting at your easel, mixing paint and making color choices, you have to think about your choices carefully. Do you want a warm purple shadow in your mountains? Um, no. Makes no sense. Choose another color. Choose a cool purple, not a warm one.
He believes in simplifying the process. Paint big blocks of color, then go back in with details. He also paints on scene or en plein air. He and his artist buddies drive out to the Vermillion Cliffs, find a spot, set up and go. They give themselves about 90 minutes to capture what they see, then they go back to the studio and finish up. If you're giving yourself only 90 minutes, you better know how to simplify.
Russell flipped through a PowerPoint that provided examples of process and other artists he admires. He explained that Edward Hopper, who is known for his painting, Nighthawks, was also a landscape painter. Who knew??
Note the layers of color. The shadows are cool. Areas lit by the sun are warm. Russell also taught us that in landscapes, warmer colors are at the forefront of a painting, cooler tones are in the background. We also talked about atmospheric perspective, which you can see at work here. The horizon line is soft.
Russell said that usually the most interesting area of a painting is where the lightest light meets the darkest dark. Well, that's easy to spot here. Lots of boxes to check for Hopper.
I see more than that - I see that this is Hopper's perspective, his interpretation of what he sees. It's not perfection. There are some things don't technically make sense (what are those two white blobs at the very front edge of the painting?) but who cares! I love it!
After a quick lunch at the Booth Museum we headed back to the classroom for a demo.
You can't see it from this angle, but he's tucked a huge roll of paper towels under his left arm. And just rips through them.
Russell mixes what he calls "3 puddles of paint," which is essentially his main color with one shade lighter on the left and one shade darker on the right. He dips in and out of the 3 puddles in order to get layers, depth.
And within 1 hour and 15 minutes, he was already here:
75 minutes. That's all it took. He calls this a field study. But come on, this is amazing. And he's been doing it for years and he pretty much has the formula/system down pat. Impressive. Truly.
And yes, he adds a little hint of yellow to the blue in his skies.
Not sure how other workshops roll, but this one was intense. Let me explain.
Russell Case was our instructor. He is a very successful landscape artist who paints beautiful scenes from Utah's Vermillion Cliffs. I'd never heard of the Vermillion Cliffs until this workshop, but they are indeed gorgeous. Case is a fan of Maynard Dixon, which makes total sense when you see their works side by side.
This is one of Russell's paintings.
I don't think I fully understood Russell's standing in the art world. This was not a Tuesday night class at Binder's. Case's work was on display next door at the Booth Western Art Museum. Dude is full on legit. Russell's is the big one on the right.
And the ladies in my workshop were SWOONING. I've never seen gushing like that before. And Russell is probably the nicest guy you'd ever meet. Down to earth is an understatement. He is so incredibly nice and patient, and he brought his family from Utah with him. Seriously - the sweetest thing.
But the ladies around me are INTENSE. They were circling each other and asking zillions of questions about him and his art and each other. I was completely freaking out because these broads were waaaay ahead of me in experience and talent. I was swimming with the sharks.
I took pages and pages of notes, furiously writing down every word Russell said. Smart guy. And I learned SO much in just the first day. But by the end of the day the sharks around me were getting antsy. They were hungry and wanted to paint. "I can't believe we haven't painted. I came to paint!"
We did not paint on Day 1. So what did we do? We talked, he answered questions, and he gave a demo.
We talked a lot about light and shadow, warm colors versus cool colors. One of the simplest takeaways for me was this: if the sun is not hitting something, that means there is a lack of light and warmth, so the shade color has to be cool. Now, I know that sounds super obvious, but when you are sitting at your easel, mixing paint and making color choices, you have to think about your choices carefully. Do you want a warm purple shadow in your mountains? Um, no. Makes no sense. Choose another color. Choose a cool purple, not a warm one.
He believes in simplifying the process. Paint big blocks of color, then go back in with details. He also paints on scene or en plein air. He and his artist buddies drive out to the Vermillion Cliffs, find a spot, set up and go. They give themselves about 90 minutes to capture what they see, then they go back to the studio and finish up. If you're giving yourself only 90 minutes, you better know how to simplify.
Russell flipped through a PowerPoint that provided examples of process and other artists he admires. He explained that Edward Hopper, who is known for his painting, Nighthawks, was also a landscape painter. Who knew??
Note the layers of color. The shadows are cool. Areas lit by the sun are warm. Russell also taught us that in landscapes, warmer colors are at the forefront of a painting, cooler tones are in the background. We also talked about atmospheric perspective, which you can see at work here. The horizon line is soft.
Russell said that usually the most interesting area of a painting is where the lightest light meets the darkest dark. Well, that's easy to spot here. Lots of boxes to check for Hopper.
I see more than that - I see that this is Hopper's perspective, his interpretation of what he sees. It's not perfection. There are some things don't technically make sense (what are those two white blobs at the very front edge of the painting?) but who cares! I love it!
After a quick lunch at the Booth Museum we headed back to the classroom for a demo.
You can't see it from this angle, but he's tucked a huge roll of paper towels under his left arm. And just rips through them.
Russell mixes what he calls "3 puddles of paint," which is essentially his main color with one shade lighter on the left and one shade darker on the right. He dips in and out of the 3 puddles in order to get layers, depth.
And within 1 hour and 15 minutes, he was already here:
75 minutes. That's all it took. He calls this a field study. But come on, this is amazing. And he's been doing it for years and he pretty much has the formula/system down pat. Impressive. Truly.
And yes, he adds a little hint of yellow to the blue in his skies.
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