Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy is simple: it's all about you. I'm not interested in teaching you to paint like me. My sole concern is helping you to discover what it means to paint like you, to help you become a more skilled artist as you develop your authentic voice. I teach the craft and the art of painting; the craft based on my 30-plus years as a painter and illustrator and the art from my experience as a creativity coach.
The craft entails the nuts and bolts of the visual language: value, composition, drawing, color, edges, details, variation, pattern, etc., seeing the basic structure of a landscape while learning to thoughtfully and skillfully choose which elements to include in one’s painting and which ones to leave out. I emphasize proper seeing—looking closely at the existing color and tonal relationships—and on understanding and manipulating what is seen. Powerful, unique images are never the result of painting from a formula. They result only from an open, fresh, and inquisitive inquiry into the visual information that lies before us.
The art is all about finding your authentic voice and developing self-awareness as an artist. We learn to paint by painting. If we wish to increase our skill level there is no substitute for putting in long hours in the studio. But fear, perfectionism, the need for approval, the aversion to risk-taking—all of these can inhibit our willingness to paint, can prevent us from living up to our creative potential. The ability to deal skillfully with these issues is as important as the skill of knowing how to mix the right color. We must learn to recognize, understand, and manage these problems if we're to work productively, creatively and joyfully.
2013 Workshops / Classes
July 15–19 The Bascom Center; Highlands, North Carolina. www.thebascom.org
August 1–2 The Berkshire Botanical Garden; Stockbridge, Mass. www.berkshirebotanical.org
August 19–21 Peninsula School of Art; Fish Creek, Wisconsin www.peninsulaartschool.com
October (dates TBA) Menaggio Youth Hostel; Lake Como, Italy www.lakecomohostel.com
2014 Workshops / Classes
February 1–8 Casa de los Artistas; Boca de Tomatlan, Mexico www.ArtWorkshopVacations.com
Sept. 21–27 Hudson River Valley Art Workshops; Greenville, New York www.artworkshops.com
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