Teaching Figure Painting with Zorn

 

 "Kendra"

14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

Workshop Demonstration

Price on Request

I taught "Beginning Figure Painting" on my home turf this past weekend, at Whiteaker Printmakers in Eugene. It was an enthusiastic, talented group, and I thoroughly enjoyed painting with them!  

Can you spot me in this picture?

 

We started out with gesture drawings, mixed flesh tones using the Zorn palette, and they painted these lovely pieces - all in two days!

 Here's my color chart, and two little demos - same pose, different lighting, four values.

If you're interested in trying this limited palette technique, I've got two portrait workshops coming up - one this weekend, November 11-12 at Sequioa Gallery + Studios in the Portland, OR area (spaces are still available), and the other in Eugene, at Oregon Art Supply, January 6-7. 

Live models, and lots of painting! Click the links for details.

Teaching the Figure in OKC

 "Adrian in April"

14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

$400

Email me to purchase

I just returned from a fantastic workshop at The Conservatory for Classical Art in Oklahoma City. We were doing alla prima figure painting - three days of live models, plenty of paint mixing, and value studies. It all resulted in some gorgeous work by my students!

I'm always so impressed with the drawing skills and dedication shown by the students at the CCA, across a wide range of ages and backgrounds.  

What a great group! I'm already looking forward to my next visit, "Painting the Dynamic Still Life," in October. 

 

And if you're interested in painting the figure with me in Oregon, I have a workshop coming up in June. Email me for details on that!

Figure Sketching in Oils

 

 "Study of A, Seated"

12 x 24 inches, oil on canvas

$200, free shipping in the USA

Available here

Technically, I suppose this painting is unfinished, though I consider it fully realized as an oil sketch or figure study. It's like a drawing in paint! My underpainting and process are revealed in the lower portion of the canvas and in the background, though the figure is nearly complete. Everything except the fussing and overworking! 

Here it is in the beginning stages:

This painting is being offered as part of my year-end Etsy clearance sale. Many pieces are available, some as low as $50. Check it out! 

Watching the Sun

 "Watching the Sun"

14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

I had a beautiful Fourth of July, painting a model en plein air at Eugene's big summer arts festival. Longtime readers may remember me doing this before - it's become a yearly tradition that I really look forward to! Here is my post from 2013 - and here is last year's.

My painting with the model, basking in the sun:

My friend Heather joined me this year - it's always fun to have company - and someone to help you wrestle around with your umbrella in the wind!

Here's my work-in-progress. I had to get that face in first! You can see me starting to test out my color mixes by smearing them on with a palette knife, over her left shoulder:

Her Thoughts Elsewhere

 "Her Thoughts Elsewhere"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

I've been painting this model, Miranda, for many years now. In fact, she was the first model I ever painted in Eugene - my first nude model since the MICA years. I never posted that painting online. When I made it, I wasn't even sure that figure painting was going to be a real part of my "work." 

Well, it was.

And in the name of see-how-far-I've-come, I'm finally going to post it:

"Seated Nude, Red"

16 x 20 inches, oil on canvas

January, 2011

Funnily, these are the only two unsold paintings of Miranda that I have: the first one and the most recent. 

 Here's a work-in-progress on the new one:

(Another) Nude With Silver Rings

 "Nude With Silver Rings no. 2"

14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

Number one can be seen here. Kind of a similar painting - if not a similar model!  

I'm happy with this one - and I'm not making any apologies about the mouth. This guy has a mustache. It's large. It's anachronistic. So I indicated it loosely, and I leave you with this quote from my favorite painter of all time: 

Teaching The Figure

 "Nude with a Pear"

11 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

workshop demo price: $200

Available here

My Limited Palette Figure Painting workshop happened last weekend, here in Eugene. This was kind of a trial run for me - I've taught portrait several times, but never the nude figure - and I can humbly report that it went very well!  

On Friday evening I did a demo, which was open to the public. A few students of mine from other classes and private lessons joined the workshop attendees to watch.

The next morning, we started off with 4-value paintings. Two light flesh tones, and two dark ones to model the whole form. See? It can be done! And it's a great way to start a painting by working from the general (large shapes of value) to the specific (small anatomical details).

My demo of the 4-value exercise. 9x12" oil on Arches oil paper

Here is the progression of my demo from the second day. I can hear you thinking, 'All these demos, when did the students have time to paint?' They didn't watch the whole time - I just used this piece to demonstrate certain phases of the process. 

Believe me, much painting was done by my students.... 

Incredible painting!

 

I have two more workshops just like this one still to come in 2016 - one in September in Malibu, CA, and one in December in Eugene. Join me!

Figuring It Out

 "Humble Prayer"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

I've been doing a lot of figures lately. I actually spent most of May working on a portrait commission, which I hope to share with you soon. Two figures in that one! I'm also teaching a figure painting workshop this weekend (a couple of spots still available - info here!), and have been drawing, painting, and thinking up a storm in preparation. 

But first, this piece. Painted over two sessions with a live model. And believe it or not....this is Zorn palette! Ok, not entirely. I added Alizarin Crimson to the mix - so the full palette is Titanium white, Yellow Ocher, Ivory Black, Cadmium Red, and Alizarin Crimson. As my painting buddy Farley said, Yeah, Zorn is turning over in his grave.

Sorry, Anders.

 

Left to right: first session, second session.

Want to watch me paint a live model? You can! This Friday night from 6-8 pm, at Whiteaker Printmakers, in fact. Belle will be my model.  

Here is all the info. Hope to see you there!

Saying Goodbye to a Model

 

 "Yellow Becca"

14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

Becca is a great model, who I've painted many times. In fact, I counted - and I've painted her 21 times over the past five years!

 

Here are my some of my favorites:

 It's an incredible experience to paint someone multiple times - as they age, as you age....as your style changes, as they get more and more tattoos.... :)

Becca is moving away from Eugene, so this may be the last time I get to paint her - at least for a while. 

Thank you, Becca! 

Looking Left

"Looking Left"

14 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

$500

Available here

A new figure painting, from life, using a fairly limited palette - mostly burnt sienna, yellow ocher, alizarin crimson, cobalt blue, and white. The last time I painted this model, Hannah, was about a year ago.

Here is a work-in-progress photo. The color looks really different from picture to picture - that's caused by taking them in different lighting situations. The final photo is closest to the actual colors of the painting. 

Saying More With Less...And What I'm Up To This Weekend

"Hannah"

9 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

Sold

Here is a nude from several weeks ago, painted with....you guessed it - the Zorn palette! I tried really hard not to overwork any part of this painting - often it's more difficult to say more with less than to take an area and work in every little detail. I'm extremely pleased with the variety of flesh tones happening in this one.

Here's an in-progress shot, on Facebook. You can see how small tweaks to the face make a huge difference in expression.

I'm in Oklahoma City this weekend, teaching a still life workshop at The Conservatory for Classical Art. You can follow my adventures on Facebook and Instagram.

My First Pregnant Model

"Radiance"

18 x 14 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

 

 I've wanted to paint a pregnant model ever since I fell in love with Alice Neel's work, back in college. I don't really paint like Neel, but I'm inspired by the frankness with which she sees her subjects - and the fearlessness of her paint handling. She obviously had zero fear of a blank canvas!

I've painted this woman many times, but this is the first time during her pregnancy. It's true what they say - and I witnessed this in myself when I was pregnant - there's a radiance that comes with the territory. I hope I captured just a little of it.

Limited Palette Love

 

 "Triangle Pose"

14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas

Click to buy

For this piece, I used a palette of Cadmium Red, Viridian, Hansa Yellow, and Yellow Ocher. I think of that either as a straight up complementary Red-Green setup, with yellow thrown in because you can't do flesh tones without it - or as a three-primaries palette, with red, yellow, and Viridian green as a stand-in for blue.

Cadmium Red and Viridian mix some beautiful pinks and lavenders, which I might never have fully explored if I hadn't tried this palette combo.

There are so many reasons to try painting with a limited palette...but my number one favorite? It saves me from having to track down all 11 or 12 of my normal colors when I'm rushing out the door on Tuesday nights!

Figure Painting, Figure Drawing

 "Maya, Nude"

14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas

Available here

Here is my figure painting from Tuesday night - my first time painting this lovely model. She'll also be modelling for my Zorn Palette Portrait workshop, which begins tomorrow. I know the students will love her calm, serious face as much as I did.

This will be my second time teaching Zorn Palette at Oregon Art Supply. (Here's my post about September's session.) I'm hoping to do it again in January, and the workshop is limited to five students - so if you think you'd like to join me, call today to reserve a spot! 541-683-2787.

 In other news: my sketchbook got some action this week! (Must be a full moon or something). Here's a 20 minute drawing:

 

A Figurative Sketch, a One Dollar Auction, and a Calendar!

 

 "The Red Wrap"

16 x 12 inches, oil on paper

Sold

Well, folks, there are still some places where one can work from the nude here in Eugene (Go here to read all about our recent local arts-scandal), and I am proud to be a part of one! This was painted last night at Maude Kerns Art Center's weekly open studio session. All media are welcome, though Tuesday nights' attendees are mostly oil painters.

This was completed in three 45 minute sittings, using (what else?) a Zorn palette.

In other news, my 2015 Calendar is out! All still life, no nudes - so totally suitable for offices, cubicles, kitchens, your mother-in-law's Christmas stocking, etc......Check it out!

Lying Awake

 "Lying Awake"

12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas

$350

Click to buy

Here's another painting of this lovely model. It's intimidating to paint a face sideways, so I just treated it like I'd treat any scary subject: as shapes, colors, and values, rather than as a face (or a glass bottle, folds of cloth, water....)

Perky and Positive, Moi?

 "Oracle"

16 x 12 inches, oil on canvas

Sold

Here, finally photographed and bloggable, is my figure painting from last Tuesday. I absolutely love the busy-ness of Summer - I feel like I could go out plein air painting every day and never get tired of it. I did spend some quality studio-still life time last night (with coffee), though, and that felt damn good too. 

Let's see if I'm still this perky when the temperature's hovering around 100° later today!

What Took You So Long?

"Muse of Spring"

24 x 18 inches, oil on canvas

Sold

I started this painting back in February, and finished it yesterday. I hadn't worked on it at all in the interim; I guess I was just waiting until the time was right!

 This was painted with a palette of Cad Red, Cad Yellow, Yellow Ocher, Burnt Umber, White, and Black.

I'll be painting at Oregon Art Supply during the Artwalk Friday night from 6-7:30. Come down and see my show, including my newest landscapes from the coast! While you're out and about, check out the artists and live music in Kesey Square. So much going on!