Experience our full-time program in a week-long workshop.

Students begin by drawing a plaster cast or still life in charcoal, developing their ability to render accurate proportions and value relationships. As students progress, they are introduced to the fundamentals of oil and/or pastel techniques, composition and color.

Experience our full-time program in a week-long workshop.

Life drawing is at the core of any serious program of fine arts. In the class, students draw from the figure in pencil. Each drawing is created over a period of several sessions, developing the student's eye for accurate proportions, gesture and anatomy.

When we hear people talk about plein air painting we often think of landscapes. However, painting the outdoor still life is an excellent way to study light and color. Students can learn a lot from this type of study, as it is easier to see how light and color shifts occur on simple objects than in the more complicated forms in the landscape. Each day exercises will be presented to help students achieve strong starts. Class focus will be on color, but light effect, value, and drawing will also be discussed. Students will begin the first sessions by painting very simple still life set ups that will become more elaborate as the workshop progresses. Class will be taught in oils and tailored to all skill levels.

Andrew Sjodin is a professional painter working in the representational tradition. Along with working as a studio artist, Andrew has also developed a dedicated practice as an instructor, teaching at his alma mater, The Atelier Studio Program of Fine Arts in Minneapolis, MN, as a core program instructor as well as traveling to teach workshops throughout the United States. Andrew brings over 15 years of painting experience and over a decade of instructional experience to his teaching.

Creating still life paintings has been a major focus of Andrew's career as an artist. His approach to painting attempts to synthesize both a visual/ intuitive as well as an academic/intellectual approach to seeing color, developing form, and telling story. In this five day still life workshop Andrew will be walking students through the entire process of creating a still life—from composing the set-up, to blocking-in, to developing form and color, to finishing.

Each day of the workshop will be split into two three-hour blocks: from 9am to noon Andrew will demonstrate; from 1pm to 4pm Andrew will critique student work. On day one, the morning demo will also include a lecture covering materials, composition, color theory, paint handling, and how to think about the three stages of creating a painting: block-in, development, and finish. Throughout the remainder of the week students will be free to work on their own paintings in the morning session and/ or observe Andrew as he works alongside them. In the afternoon sessions Andrew will work around the room, critiquing individual students, helping them problem solve, and pushing them with new ideas and critical approaches to developing their work.

Come paint the figure outside! Bridget is excited to offer this workshop again. Students will spend the weekend painting the figure outdoors in natural light. The goal will be to learn how to achieve a believable light effect (sunny day vs. overcast light) using the figure as our subject. We will be doing exercises to capture gesture, and large value/color proportions. The class will start with short poses and progressively lengthen the poses throughout the weekend. We will study how the color we see in a person's skin tone is directly related to the surrounding environment and type of light. We will talk about considering the perspective you are viewing the figure from, and why this is important when creating a scene. Studying the figure outside is a great way to increase your understanding of how light falls on all form outdoors. This class will be taught in oils. Students of all skill levels are welcome. Some previous drawing experience may be helpful as drawing will be discussed but will not be the focus of this workshop.

Drawing the figure is a practice rooted in refining observation, deepening aesthetic judgement, and cultivating a profound understanding of form, light, and movement. Among the most evocative mediums in this pursuit is sanguine—a material employed for centuries by the Old Masters to capture the warmth, vitality, and structure of the human form.

This five-day workshop will explore the principles underpinning the use of sanguine in figure drawing, focusing on its role in both refined figure drawings and serving as a preferred medium for preparatory sketches in painting. We will examine key elements necessary for a successful figure drawing, including the balance between line and mass, the sculptural quality of light and shadow, and the poetic sensibility required to render the figure with elegance and conviction. Additionally, we will study the historical applications of sanguine, its popularity as a medium for preparatory drawings, as well as its continued prominence as a medium for detailed figure drawings. Practical exercises will complement these studies, helping students develop a disciplined and methodical approach to drawing.

Students will work from a live model, progressing from gesture studies to fully realized drawing. Emphasis will be placed on anatomical accuracy, proportion, and a sensitivity to the unique qualities of sanguine as a medium. By the end of the workshop, students will have achieved technical proficiency and developed a deeper understanding of the emotional depth and expressive power that sanguine brings to figure drawing.

The workshop begins with a lecture on the history and development of the academic style, with a focus on the role of sanguine. We will take a look at sanguine drawings by the artists who popularised the material—Tiepolo, Poussin, Watteau, and Rubens. This will be followed by demonstrations on fundamental figure drawing principles and the sight-size method in pencil. Finally, students will be introduced to the unique medium of sanguine, which will be provided for their use.

For ages 15+

This one-week intensive workshop introduces students to basic concepts of drawing from direct observation rather than from a photograph. Students will draw a plaster cast in charcoal, developing their ability to render accurate proportions and value relationships. As students progress, more complex concepts and techniques will be introduced. Instruction will consist of individualized, one-on-one instruction tailored to each student's level and needs. By the end of the course, students will have an increased understanding and confidence in drawing from life.

With a live model

During the first morning an accurate portrait drawing will be done. The remaining sessions will be applying watercolor to the portrait drawing. There will be instructor demonstrations on the progression of the painting. We will discuss warm/cool colors and light/dark values. The model will keep the same pose throughout the class. Supply list will be sent upon registration.