Course Description

GCA Painting Method – A One Day Introduction in the Studio

Are you curious about the GCA approach to painting? Are you enrolled in an upcoming class or workshop at the GCA and want to get a head start? This class serves as an overview of the Grand Central Atelier’s sculptural approach to painting from life and as a minimal basis for any future instruction at the GCA.

This one day seminar will provide a broad overview of our methodology by presenting some of the most fundamental aspects of painting from life through an emphasis on lecture, demonstration, and practice, illustrating the concepts universally applied to any curriculum offered at the Grand Central Atelier. 

Strict practitioners of academic art would tell you that you need to hear the same concept multiple times in order to incorporate it into your thinking. One of the most compelling reasons to study at the GCA is the continuity of instruction across the entire curriculum. This class aims to familiarize you with our core concepts, as you will hear the same concepts again and again in any class you take, in person or online, thus building a solid understanding of the ideas and applicable vocabulary to help you get more out of future instruction. 

The breakdown of the seminar (10AM-5PM) is as follows: 

10 AM: Tour of the studios, including an overview of how the full time program runs and what we learn when studying at the GCA. 

AM continued: An overview of academic painting materials that will be found on any supply list for part time classes at the GCA including demonstration of how we use saturation to describe form conceptually. The class will be given the opportunity to mix paint in preparation for the afternoon session. 

LUNCH 12:30-1:15 (bring your own or visit our local bodega)

AFT Lecture/Working: “Form thinking” vs. the optical approach. How we organize our thinking to capture a three dimensional representation of an object. We will discuss shapes, gradients, structure, contours, and the tricks our eyes play on us which require a conceptual understanding. We will use paint mixed from before lunch to paint conceptual spheres as practice for future classes.

AFT Demo: A simple object still life demonstration will lay out the basic painting process as employed at the GCA. The instructor will thoroughly describe materials, process and how our paintings evolve in a form-by-form approach.