Art Classes and Workshops with Mitchell Albala in 2013

This year I will be teaching a variety of classes and workshops at Gage Academy of Art in Seattle and Pacific Northwest Art School and Whidbey Island Fine Art Schoool on Whidbey Island.

›› The Wisdom of Notan
›› Landscape Power Critique
›› Essentials of Plein Air Painting in Skagit Valley
›› Keys to Landscape - A Guided Approach

SPRING 2013

THE WISDOM OF NOTAN AND THE DARK-LIGHT COMPOSITION
2-Day Workshop

Gage Academy of Fine Art
Saturday/Sunday June 8–9 in Seattle, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm daily

Every composition is fundamentally an arrangement of abstract shapes — and nothing defines those shapes more effectively than the balance between darks and lights. "Notan" is a Japanese word that means "dark-light harmony" and is a type of study study that uses only two values. In the Western tradition, this is called the "dark-light composition." This strict dark-light arrangement has a unique way of revealing the underlying structure of a composition, thereby allowing us to take an active role in the manipulation of the compositional energies. Working first from masterworks, then photographs, and finally from life (still lives) in both painting, drawing and collage exercises, you will learn to identify the dark-light composition and, most importantly, to "think in notan" — to make better choices in the formative stages of your work, in order to bring greater order and power to your compositions. Note: This is not a class that teaches Asian-style painting; rather, it explores a universal principle that is applicable to all types of painting and drawing. ›› Expanded description and images about the notan.

SUMMER 2013

LANDSCAPE PAINTING ON ORCAS ISLAND
A 3-day plein air immersion with author and teaching artist Mitchell Albala

July 16, 17, and 18, 2013 (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
Cost: $325.
Complete details and registration information …

This summer, author and teaching artist Mitchell Albala brings the plein air experience to Orcas Island. This workshop will focus on the three key practices of landscape painting: simplification and massing, composition, and color. His demonstrations and practical teaching style will help you develop strategies for dealing with these challenges in a way you will be able to use long after the workshop has ended. Learn the best method for starting a painting (the abbreviated underpainting to establish effective design and value structure); how to do proper compositional studies; how to evaluate potential sites; and strategies for depicting light. Be part of a close knit "art colony" as you benefit from daily demonstrations and close one-on-one support from your instructor.

Hours: The class meets for two sessions daily, a morning session from 8:00 to 11:00 am, and an afternoon session from 3:30 – 6:30 pm (for optimal lighting). The time in between sessions may be used for lunch, relaxation or touring the Island.

Level: This is not a class for first-time painters; however, it is ideally suited for those who have painted and drawn before, and now want to break into landscape painting, or hone their existing landscape painting skills.

Medium: The instructor works in oil, but acrylic painters and pastel artists are welcome! You can work in acrylics as long as you have facility with them — able to blend, control edges, and work wet into wet or wet over dry. The method for starting a painting is a little different for pastel artists and acylic painters (and a small portion of the demos speak directly to oil technique); however, the majority the lessons are applicable to landscape painting all media. (Watercolor is too media-specific to be appropriate for this class.)

LANDSCAPE POWER CRITIQUE

This event is being offered at two venues:

ArtEAST in Issaquah: Wednesday evening, June 15, 6:30–9:00 pm. $50
Whidbey Island Fine Art School: Saturday June 22, 1:00–4:00 pm. $50.

For more information about class content, email Mitch Albala.
For fees and registration information, contact ArtEAST or WIFAS.

Landscape painter, author, and teaching artist Mitchell Albala hosts a lively critique of landscape paintings. This is a great way to prepare for the summer painting season, as we review many of the core practices at the heart of both plein air and studio work. Mitchell's "Power Critiques" go beyond individual feedback: the work brought in by attendees is used as a launching point for an exploration of many topics, including color, composition, simplification and massing, working with photos, and various ways of doing studies. Mitchell's critiques include many examples, live diagramming of compositions, and other visual aids. Bring your work and your questions about all things landscape!

ESSENTIALS OF PLEIN AIR PAINTING IN SKAGIT VALLEY
5-Day Workshop

Gage Academy of Art
August 12–16, 2013. For more information about class content, email Mitch Albala. For fees and registration information, contact Gage Academy.

Located on Fir Island in the heart of Skagit Valley, this summer plein-air retreat provides a vast agricultural panorama dotted with farmhouses and barns. Students paint at a lush residence and garden, which serves as our home base for the week. We'll also visit Skagit City Park in the morning, as the sun rises over the eastern hills; and Little Mountain, just a five minute drive from the valley, offering distant vistas and an opportunity to study atmospheric perspective.

This workshop offers practical solutions to the special challenges of landscape painting, including simplification through massing, composing the landscape space, strategies for depicting light, color mixing, paint handling, and managing your "outdoor studio." Participants learn best strategies for starting a painting —  site selection and beginning with an abbreviated underpainting to establish an effective design and value structure.

The class forms a close knit "art colony" as you benefit from daily demonstrations and lectures, a combination of exercises, free painting, and quick studies (in both early morning and afternoon sessions), several personal critiques per session, lunch time chats, and group critiques. Lunches included. Level: Intermediate to Advanced.

See Skagit Photo Gallery

FALL 2013

KEYS TO LANDSCAPE - A GUIDED APPROACH
3-Day Workshop

Pacific Northwest Art School
Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Oct. 19-21, daily 9 am– 4 pm
For more information about class content, email Mitch Albala. For fees and registration information, contact Pacific Northwest Art School.

This unique class uses a studio-based approach to lay the groundwork for the most essential skills required by the landscape painter — simplification, site selection, and color. By learning these challenging concepts through guided exercises, in the relaxed and more controlled environment of the studio, you will be better prepared to problem solve when working outdoors. Working from your own photos and those provided by the instructor, the class will focus on three main skills:

Simplification and massing. Through various limited value exercises, you will learn how to you translate disorganized and overly-detailed scenes into more coherent, readable compositions. Site selection and composition. What types of scenes translate best and what types should be avoided? What are the visual cues necessary to create a an illusion of depth? And how can a "limited focus" move you toward stronger and more simplified compositions? Plus, learn the correct way to use reference photos. Light and color will be examined as it specifically relates to landscape painting — not as a color matching exercise, but a unique synthesis of nature's color and your own color strategies.

Enjoy in-class critiques and lots of personalized guidance from the instructor. This workshop is not appropriate for first-time drawers or painters, but is ideal for those who have painted before and now want a strong foundation in landscape painting. Suitable for for oil, acrylic or pastel painters. A great primer for summer plein air painting. Level: Intermediate to advanced.