l'Atelier aux Couleurs: the Art Academy

Camille Przewodek

Still-life/Landscape Workshop
Sept 29-Oct 3, 2008 ($650)

NEW! Optional Head/Figure study to be
included on the last day of each
workshop.

By popular demand, we will have models available to pose en plein air on the last day (Friday) of the workshop for those students who wish to gain experience in applying this color approach to the figure and portrait- this format will be initiated n the May and June workshops.

Good color, or color that expresses the light of nature, can make even the most mundane subject matter strikingly beautiful. "Anything under the sun is beautiful if you have the vision- it is the seeing of the thing that makes it so." (From Hawthorne on Painting). I see a remarkable change in my student's work after only one day of painting. They begin to see color in the shadows. Many students say they have discovered a world of color that has changed them forever- their vision has been altered.

Hours: 9am - 4pm

Oil primarily; pastel acceptable
Beginner to professional
Instructor demonstrations in oil
Individual critiques daily
Portable easel needed

In these workshops:

The Still-life & landscape will be the subject matter with the focus on seeing values and color correctly and understanding their relationships to each other. There will be daily demonstrations emphasizing the big shapes and establishing their relationships correctly. Students will receive plenty of one-on-one instruction and individual demonstrations as needed.

"We will start out the first two days doing still-life study out of doors in preparation of tackling the landscape. Wednesday and Thursday we will be on location painting landscape studies. On Friday, we will do either still-lofe or landscape. During inclement weather, we'll be doing still-life's indoors. We will concentrate on the development of strong starts. I will be teaching the structure of the landscape- what is important to leave in as well as what to leave out. We will focus on the big abstract shapes, color key and aerial perspective. I will be doing demonstrations throughout the workshop. After my demonstration on location, you will do a small value study (6" x 8" or 8" x 10") in black and white, followed by a small color study. On Friday afternoon, to wrap up the workshop, we will have a final critique. You are encouraged to either bring original artwork or photos and talk about your vision as an artist. I will give you some questions to ponder during the week. I will look forward working with each of you!"
-Camille Przewodek

Camille Przewodek's Statement

Lineage of Impressionism:

In 1980, Henry Hensche [1901-1992] “opened my eyes” by introducing me to Monet’s impressionist tradition of seeing and painting color with the influence of light. Hensche, who had assisted famed American Impressionist Charles Hawthorne [1872-1930] at the Cape School of Art since 1930, changed the way I perceived shadows, which were no longer dark shapes but were filled with color. I also learned that conveying the shape of objects was accomplished through the interaction of colors. And as the colors changed, so did the form. Hensche changed forever the way in which I see color, helping me understand the fundamental principles of impressionism.

The Effect of Light on Color:

Impressionsim, which has come to mean “the effect of light on color,” demands that the artist pay conscious , careful attention to what she sees and how she sees it. Like playing scales on the piano, practice is critical to understanding and expressing both how light creates color and how color notes convey light. I struggle against formulas and try to keep a fresh eye when exploring the color of each scene. That’s why I continually do outdoor studies, and why I stop work on a painting when the light changes, returning to it only when the weather and light conditions are the same.

Approach:

I begin by quickly putting down color notes in an abstract series of shapes. Using a palette knife or a brush, I mix the colors directly on the painting surface and study their relationships to one another. If I change one color, I must change them all. I move from big masses of color to smaller spots, refining forms and shapes through values (light and dark) as I go along.

Celebrations of Mood:

Color that expresses the effects of atmosphere can make even the most mundane subject strikingly beautiful. My paintings could be called “celebrations of mood,” and I often go back to the same location at different times of the day in order to capture its mood in literally a whole new light. Windows and doorways both hold back and let in light. They intrigue me, as do shadows, which take on an “objectness” even though they are insubstantial. Shifting light is my passion—whether it entices you along a dappled California roadway, transforms a modest cottage in southern France into a castle or turns an indoor garden into a riot of sensuality.

For further information and to register via check or money order, contact Camille directly at (707) 762-4125.

Alfredo Tofanelli

Head Painting & Painting the Figure
Oct 27-30, 2008 ($400) + model fee

Drawing, proportions, color, value, composition, and form, among other things, are tools one can use to get a solid painting from the model. Al will demonstrate what to look for and how to paint the head and figure in simple shapes to create form. He’ll teach the basic tools to help the student reach that next level.

Alfredo Tofanelli - (b. 1957) Italian-American, is a native of northern California who received his Fine Arts degree from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. While at Art Center he studied under Craig Nelson, Peter Liashkov, Dan McCaw and John Asaro. More recently he has studied with PAPA members Joseph Mendez, Ken Backhaus, Skip Whitcomb and others. For the past two years he has been studying color with Camille Przewodek and Carole Gray-Weihman in Petaluma where he now has his studio. Camille was a student of Henry Hensche who was a student of Charles Webster Hawthorne.

Alfredo established himself as an illustrator and graphic designer in the Los Angeles area before returning north to San Francisco. Alfredo held a faculty position for ten years at Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design in Los Angeles, teaching courses in life drawing, painting and computer graphics. In the Bay Area he worked as an Art Director at The 3DO Company and Electronic Arts and also as a web developer.

To Register, call Alfredo at 415.307.6988

Carole Gray-Weihman

Seeing Light Through Color
Still-life/Landscape Workshop
Oct 31-Nov 2, 2008 ($300)

Learn how the effective use of colors in a beautiful combination can transmit the moods of a still-life or landscape. Carole will guide you in an honest approach of seeing and understanding color relationships and the many light keys of nature. Color, values, drawing and composition with an emphasis on seeing the big shapes and their relationships will be taught through a series of exercises, one-on-one instruction and demonstrations.

Carole Gray-Weihman's Statement:

I am a devoted painter of what some might consider "the Color Visualist Movement" and others the "New American Impressionist Movement"- more specifically, I paint in the "Hawthorne-Hensche Principle". I've been apprenticing under Camille Przewodek, also a former student of Henry Hensche, since July 1996. I've also been her teaching assistant since 2002.

Oil - Beginner to Professional
Individual critiques daily

Tentative Schedule
Fri-Sun: 9am - noon, 1pm - 4pm
Fri: Landscape at the Pumpkin Farm
Saturday: Still-Life In/Outside Studio
Sunday: Landscape on Location
During Inclement Weather: Indoor Still-Life

Call Carole directly at 707.291.7756 to reserve a spot.