Color Intensive Workshop, Days 3 Through 5

Tonight I have that pleasant, contented kind of fatigue. I'm glad my Color Intensive Workshop is over because I am soooo tired - but I'm sorry it's over because it was such a wonderful experience.  Susan Sarback did a stellar job of teaching, my co-students were a great group, & I feel I made some forward strides in my painting goals.


Day 3 -  I "hit the wall".  For 2 days I was riding on such a high & I dreamed of working out painting problems both nights.  Come the 3rd day & I was exhausted.  By mid-afternoon I couldn't think straight.  When I got home (around 5:30) I just wanted to crawl into bed!  I forced myself to stay up until 10:00 just so I wouldn't be up at 2:00 AM.


Day 3 Susan did a 2 1/2 hour demo.  She explained everything she was doing through each step & why she was doing it.  It's one of the best demos I've seen & I feel I learned so much from it.

Spotting for value & Temperature

Still Life

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Finished Painting

I got a really good night's sleep at the end of day 3 & on day 4 I felt so much better!  I needed that rest, too, because day 4 we painted ALL DAY.  Then today (day 5) we painted from 9:00-11:30, broke everything down & went to lunch.  From 1:00-3:00 Susan did a critique.  I finished my 2nd study by about 10:45, so I just kicked back & "vegged" until 11:30.  This is Study #2:

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Finished Study

I really pushed myself on this 2nd study because I'm drawn to the warm color range of yellow, orange, & red.  In this study I forced myself to attempt rose, magenta, & blue. 

The critique was very good.  Susan asked all of us to participate. The point was to evaluate value range, temperature range, & chroma range.  Whether or not we liked the color or the painting wasn't relevant.  Then she wanted us to give our opinion of the overall feeling conveyed by the individual's paintings.  This indicates an artist's true style & Susan said we shouldn't fight our style because it's with us forever.  The group felt my paintings were "strong" & "interesting".  One person said they had an "other worldly" feel.  So I guess I've got a "style" & didn't even know it, although I'm not quite sure I know what "interesting" means!  Now it's back to a "normal" life & I'm soooo glad I don't have to get up early tomorrow!!

New Blog Introduction

I decided to start a new blog to share my art ventures.  My other blog - "The Comet's Path" - will continue, but my art sharing will be very limited on that blog & will mostly show up on my new blog "Inner Galaxies".


I currently just completed day 2 of a 5-day Color Intensive Workshop that I'm taking at The School of Light & Color in Fair Oaks.  Instead of a 2 1/2 hour, once-a-week class, this is 5 1/2 hours daily for 5 days of lecture, demo, & painting, painting, painting.  I've expected to come home completely exhausted but instead I'm finding I come home really exhilarated. Of course, around 8:30 PM I collapse.  The photos below are my first color study in the workshop.  I forgot to take a photo of step 1, so you're seeing step 2, step 3, & step 4. There are only very subtle differences between step 3 & 4.  And as usual, the photographs are deceptive.  The orange in the background shows up much brighter & more orange than it actually is in the painting.  I really wish I had remembered to photograph step 1 for you because it's always a shocker!

Step 2

Step 3

Finished Study

This has turned out to be a very interesting workshop, in as much as the participants are concerned, too.  There are 12 of us & we come from all over.  One woman has come all the way from Pennsylvania, one man has come from Hawaii, & one woman from Taos, New Mexico.  Another woman has come from Los Angeles, one from Chico, & one from East Bay.  Two of us come from Sacramento & one man from Granite Bay.  I should mention that the other woman from Sacramento convinced her husband to buy a condo here (they have a home in Oregon) so that she could study full-time at The School of Light & Color.  I don't remember where the remaining 3 women are from & will need to find that out.

The other Sacramento woman, the woman from Taos, & myself have been studying with Susan previous to this workshop, so we're working on actual still life settings for our color studies. Everyone else is learning Susan Sarback's color philosophy for the first time, so they are starting their studies with the blocks just as we did in the beginning.  It's very interesting to listen to their comments, questions, & confusion.  I can so relate, because I've been there & am still there - just a little further along in my knowledge!!