Thursday, September 18, 2014

New Landscape Workshops

Let's take advantage of this amazing fall weather!  Emilie Lee and Anthony Baus are teaching three different workshops that will get you outside and painting.
starting in October

Sunset from Red Hook, oil on board, by Emilie Lee
A successful landscape painting relies on the mastery of nature's vocabulary and this fluency is best achieved through direct observation from life. However, working only from life can be limiting due to the interference of weather, fleeting light effects, and the constraints of time. This class will introduce a technique that will strengthen your ability to work from memory, liberate your imagination, and instill effective observation habits. No photography! 

We will spend the first half of each class session making plein air studies and taking notes on location in the outdoors. With our memories fresh, we will go immediately back to the studio and learn how to use our outdoor studies and our creative vision to create finished paintings that are inspired by nature. We will also study examples of how this method has been employed by artists from the past and present. We will be working on the waterfront of the East River in Long Island City, just three blocks away from the new GCA studios.
Oct. 10-12 Green-Wood Cemetery (Fri-Sun) , Oct 17-19 Woodlawn Cemetery (Fri-Sun)

Maine Monument by Anthony Baus, ink wash on paper
 Relieve yourself from the darkness of the classroom! In the spirit of Halloween, Emilie Lee and Anthony Baus will be using the backdrop of Green-Wood and Woodlawn cemeteries for the setting of two 3-day landscape workshops. Explore the decorative gravestones, richly ornate mausoleums, and guardian angels that haunt these New York City landmarks. Perhaps we will even commune with the spirits of the deceased!
In plien air fashion artists will be encouraged to complete 2-3 oil paintings and/or ink drawings at each location. Anthony's
Pelion Summer, by Emilie Lee, oil on panel
instruction will focus on the shortcuts of perspective to accurately depict built structures and properly scale objects from foreground to background. Emilie will introduce an efficient approach to plein air painting, addressing concerns of time management, shifting light conditions, atmospheric perspective, and color in nature.
Good drawing is the foundation of every great painting, and in this workshop, we will spend the first day focused only on drawing, establishing accurate perspective and strong composition. On the second and third days, we will show you how to use your initial drawing as a foundation for your final painting.
Individual critiques will be tailored to suit your personal goals for each weekend. The benefit of two instructors is a rare and special opportunity not to be missed!
Ongoing, Sundays 10am-4pm
$40, priced per session
Drop-ins welcome. 
Grant's Tomb, by Anthony Baus, ink wash on paper
This workshop has been meeting every Sunday all summer and become a popular weekend ritual, we are looking forward to sketching in the crisp fall weather and enjoying the fall foliage! Drawing New York City's turn of the century architecture and sculpture has been an enriching experience reminding us of our city's history and forgotten treasures. We will take advantage of the weather and continue this class through the end of October. Shortcuts of perspective will be discussed as well as ink wash techniques inspired by Guardi, Paranesi and Canaletto. 
9/21 - Riverside Park: Soldier's and Sailor's Monument
9/28 - Central Park
10/5 - Bryant Park: NYPL
10/12 - no session
10/19 - no session
10/26 - Roosevelt Island: Ruins