LOOKING AT SNOW: A STUDY OF COLOR AND MOTION

LOOKING AT SNOW: A STUDY OF COLOR AND MOTION

Workshop | This program is completed

37 Buena Vista Road West Hartford, CT 06107 United States

Upper Schoolhouse (Brick Building)

All levels

2/22/2019-2/24/2019

View Schedule

$127.00

$107.00

It snowed overnight – a pure white canvas has been spread across the ground, waiting for the first warm orange and yellow light of dawn to spread across it. The boughs of pine and hemlock are heavy with the soft snow, and with a touch of wind the snow can again fill the air. Snow in motion, and the colors that light can paint it, will be the focus of this workshop. We will begin on Friday evening at 6:30 at the Clubhouse for a slide show and discussion, looking at paintings by masters like Monet and Homer, as well as contemporary artists including, Eric Aho, and Mark Boedges. We will regroup on Sunday back at the Schoolhouse for work and demos from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. I will have photographs available for inspiration for a snow painting, and I invite you to bring any images you may have. Our goal will be to build a unique composition from multiple sources – with the most important source being your own experiences and observations stored in that personal photo file we all have in our head, and in our heart.

  • Bill Simpson
  • 860.653.3079
  • williamsimpsonartist@gmail.com wmsimpson.com
  • Recommended Painting Supplies (These are color recommendations only – Oil, Acrylic, or Water Based Oil – I don’t care - although with a fast drying acrylic you’re missing a lot (most) of the fun.) I use Utrecht, Gamblin, and Windsor Newton paints. If you sell your paintings you should use the good stuff, otherwise, the Winton paints by W/N will be fine.
  • Large Tube
  • titanium white (I happen to like the Gamblin Zinc Titanium mix.)
  • Small Tubes
  • cadmium yellow
  • cadmium orange
  • lemon yellow
  • terra rosa or burnt sienna
  • viridian
  • ultramarine blue
  • cobalt (expensive), or cerulean or manganese blue
  • burnt umber
  • yellow ochre
  • windsor violet (dioxazine) or similar
  • Colors you don’t need (We can blend richer and far more interesting colors.)
  • raw umber
  • paynes grey
  • Gamsol odorless mineral spirits (brush cleaner/solvent) and a brush cleaner container, or buy a jar of something that has a good screw on lid.
  • Brushes and Canvases:
  • Brushes are a matter of personal preference – you have to try the different shapes. Bristle for oil, synthetic for acrylic. I happen to like the Brights (square tip). I used to use only the Filberts (rounded edges), but I’ve never had any use for the Rounds. That’s just me.
  • 4,6,8,10,12 Even on a smaller canvas you need large brushes to block in the basics. With a little practice a large brush can paint like a smaller one. Not so much, the other way around. A palette knife for mixing is very handy.
  • Have a couple of canvases available for each class. Some ideas call for a big canvas, some not. It’s nice to have a choice. 9x12, 11x14, 18x24. If you like the long landscape size (10x20) buy one. We’ll give it a shot. (Look over the canvases at the store closely – even the good brands are often warped or bowed – and look at the corners.)
  • Drawing Supplies ( Very important for this workshop )
  • You should always have a pad, vine charcoal, compressed charcoal, a couple of charcoal pencils ( 4B Soft recommended ), a soft lead pencil ( 6B ), and a kneaded eraser with you.

With a BFA and MFA in Painting, Bill has been represented by galleries in Maine, Connecticut, and Cape Cod, and has won numerous awards in juried shows across Connecticut. Bill is an Elected Artist at the West Hartford Art League and CT Academy of Fine Arts, and has placed large scale corporate commissions through Connecticut, NY, and Washington DC.