STAY IN THE PLAY

Please Read Thoroughly!

There is important information provided here for you to get the most out of this workshop.

Below is a MATERIALS LIST and SOME THOUGHTS on preparing for this workshop. My intention is to work with you individually and help you focus on personal expression and your painting voice. In order to do that you will need to do a bit of thinking beforehand. I’ve given you some instructions in the information below.

I intend to make this a very personal workshop so please bring any questions regarding your own work. I am happy to help with any subject matter. I embrace both abstract and representational work.

I can’t wait to see your work!

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I recommend that you bring your substrates (canvases, etc.) with at least a coat of color on them so that you are not working on a white surface. Old paintings without too much texture work too. It is easier to start a painting on a surface that already has a bit of history on it, but too much texture can be difficult.
This does not apply to the Arches Oil paper. You do not need to prep that.
I would love for you to think about and write down a few of your conceptual intentions (see below).
- If this is difficult, simply start by noting why you like to paint.
- What do you like to paint?
- What might you want to express with your paintings?
- What do you see in your own work?
- What do you like about your favorite artist's work?
(We will be discussing Painting Intentions throughout this workshop. You will fully understand this concept and have some new inspiring ideas by the end of the week.)
▪ Use a neutral palette
▪ Use a wide range of values
▪ Use line in the work.
▪ Make a red painting
▪ Use hard edges
▪ I want to express emotion through the female form.
▪ I want to express strength in the female form.
▪ I want to reveal some history of the process of creating the painting.
▪ I want ambiguity in my work.
▪ I want a sense of mystery.
▪ I want complexity and contrast in the surface of the painting.
▪ I want to express hope.
These conceptual intentions are some of my own. They could certainly get more specific, but hopefully these can give you some ideas. All artists work with a combination of Painting and Conceptual intentions and sometimes it is hard to tell them apart. But the Conceptual ones should really speak to who you are and what you want to express.

Look back at your body of work and see what consistent threads run through. Don’t worry, we’ve all painted lots of different subject matter but usually there is some commonality that runs through our work.

Please bring a list of your common PAINTING INTENTIONS* and, even more importantly start looking at your CONCEPTUAL INTENTIONS and bring them also.

*Don’t worry, you won’t need to stick to these in the workshop. I just want you to start looking at your work in a more mindful way.

Subject Matter

PHOTOGRAPHS

If you are working with the figure, YOUR PHOTOS ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!
Please bring several photos that inspire you of human figures. (Bring as many as you can!) These can come from magazines, mail order catalogues, the internet, and best of all your own personal photo stash. The key to good photos is a good sense of light. You want light and shadow on your figure. Flat overall lighting makes the image difficult to interpret. With more experience it gets easier, however when learning to paint the figure it is best to have good shadows (darks) and good lights (light) on the figure in your photograph. Black and white photos are actually preferable, as they open up your interpretation of color.

If you are printing photos be sure to use photo paper. Photos printed on regular computer paper tend to be washed out and lack the values that we want. Decent photo paper makes a huge difference.

Here is a good example of a photo with a strong light source. This is a particularly exaggerated light source, however that makes it easy to really see the shapes.

I have found that the more you connect to the photo and the more personal it is, the more successful the painting typically.

Supplies

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I am not particular about colors. Bring as many as you feel comfortable with. What is important to me is that you have lots of paint to work with. We don’t want to skimp on paint. Most of you have been painting for a while, so bring the colors you are comfortable with!
For those of you who have trouble with skin tones, be sure to bring Cadmium Red Light, Black, and Yellow Ochre or Gold Ochre.
OIl Painters:
I personally love working with Gamblin's series of Greys. I use them all so it's hard to pick favorites. You might pick up these two if you are interested:
Portland Cool Grey
Portland Warm Grey
ACRYLIC PAINTERS
Whatever mediums you prefer.
To keep working on Acrylics longer (more like oils) bring Golden’s Acrylic Glazing Liquid, gloss or matte.
OIL PAINTERS
I like Gamblin’s Gel Medium personally, but bring whatever you typically use.
Odorless Mineral Spirits ONLY
Cold Wax if you are interested. Not required. (I am not specifically teaching cold wax methods in this class)
CANVAS AND PANELS
Stretched Canvas, Canvas Boards and Birch Panels are all acceptable. No Canvas paper please.
Canvases can be square or rectangular. I am just giving square sizes for easy reference. If you are flying, just bring as large as you can manage.
We will be focusing on individual expression. I always recommend working on more than one painting at a time. Ideally, bring 3-4 supports.
I would suggest approximately 24” x 24” maximum
Supports should not be smaller than 16" x 16".
The point is to work larger if at all possible, but obviously there may be restrictions with travel, so just bring what is easy for you.
PAPER
We will be doing some warmup exercises in the mornings using paper.
Oil Painters please bring a 9" x 12" pad of Arches Oil paper
Acrylic Painters please bring Watercolor paper or similar
▪ Graphite - I prefer 9B (soft)
▪ China Marker - Black
▪ Oil Bars (for Oil painters). These are fun to have. They are not required but you might like to pick up 2- 3 fun colors to try.
▪ Stencils (not required)
▪ Any other tools you like to use
Bring what you are used to using. Be sure to bring some larger ones. 1” to 2” size. These can be inexpensive “Chip” brushes from a house paint or hardware store. (about $1.00 each) My favorite brushes are 1” chip brushes!
Just make sure to bring some larger sizes. This class is not about painting eyelashes! ;-)
Spade shape is my favorite. Bring several sizes (or what you are used to)
Bring one! Freezer paper, wood, paper, glass, plexi, all are acceptable
One Full Roll paper towels (Viva brand are the best, mark my words, after you try them you’ll never get anything else). 
Gloves  
1” Blue Painters Tape
Sketchbook/Notebook and pen or pencil 
Squeegees if you use them
OIL PAINTERS
Clean jar with lid to pour out your used OMS. 
Start saving pizza boxes to carry your wet paintings in. Saves your car! Or other protective material or travel carriers.
ACRYLIC PAINTERS
Container for your water. 
Spritzer to keep paintings wet when necessary