Alla Prima Still Life Painting Metal + Glass Series Critiques + Demos (Online Course)
Dale Zinkowski
Students attend weekly during their registered 2 hour group critique slot with Dale but will receive access to all of the class recordings.
Critiques: Sundays or Thursdays
Sundays 12 PM – 2 PM ET: May 12, 19, (no class May 26), June 2, 9, 16, 23, 2024
Thursdays 12 PM – 2 PM ET: May 16, 23, (no class May 30), June 5, 12, 19, 26, 2024
*Plus approximately 24 hours of recorded demos. Access provided a week before each live class session. There is an assignment due the first class.
Critiques + Demos : Tuition: $695 – includes the full series of weekly demos, your selected live critique sessions plus all the critiques recordings.
Demos only: Tuition: $75/ demo to register a la carte; $425 for the full series – this includes access to just the selected demo option, no critiques.
Limit: 5-6 students per critique day
Class Format Notes:
- Students will be automatically registered for the demo series to receive the weekly recordings.
- Do not register for the Demo series separately unless you only want to receive the demos.
Take this class:
- if you’d love to explore how GCA methods can be utilized to capture ‘freshness’ in still life painting.
- if you recognize that painting quicker studies and paintings would benefit your overall skill set.
- if you appreciate the benefit of weekly painting iterations for strengthening all the painting muscles.
- if you have some painting experience.
Is this class for me?
- If taking the critiques class, you will compose and paint a different painting every week from life. This takes at least 4-6 hours of preparation and painting.
- Prior experience working with oil paints is recommended.
- Some drawing experience, especially in the Academic method, is always useful for painting classes at the GCA.
- Taking GCA’s Orientation Seminar is helpful if you are new to GCA.
Online tech needs for Critiques:
- The critiques portion of the class will be conducted on the Zoom platform and is a live online experience.
- This demo series will be shared via a private video link on YouTube. YouTube is free but will require an account to view the video. Videos are accessible for 60 days.
- Dale’s demos and critiques are recorded and made available so students can review them.
- This class also uses Google Classroom to distribute materials. Watch this video for more insight.
All of these services are free but require registration. - It will be necessary for students to have access to a computer, tablet or smartphone. The recommended device is a laptop or desktop.
“Dale is an excellent instructor and engages with every student in a meaningful way. I learned so much and his positive attitude is contagious.” – John
Course Description
Each week, artists will complete a four-hour still life painting from start to finish. The series will examine how to combine a practical understanding of color, values, edges, and paint handling (without second guessing) with the goal of completing an aesthetic, naturalistic painting. There will be a strong focus on sound drawing, composition, and shape design.
There will be a theme for each of the six weeks of this series. Artists are encouraged to participate in the theme and embrace the weekly idea as simply or complexly as they desire.
Each week, Dale will record a demo and discuss techniques as he works. After watching the demo, students will work on compositions based on the weekly theme. Students may sign up for the full 6-week series or a la carte. Access to the demo will also include an online document with a list of the materials and a place to submit questions. The document will be updated with any submitted questions along with Dale’s answers.
On Sundays and Thursesdays, Dale will hold critiques with only the students who signed up for the full course that includes the weekly critiques. During these sessions, Dale will discuss each student’s painting in depth and guide them in meeting their individual goals.
ALLA PRIMA Spring 2024 – Glass & Metals Series
This Alla Prima series will spend the 6 weeks centered around painting both glass and metals. Students are encouraged to have not only the particular piece of glassware or metal, but something organic as well, such as fruits or food items.
Week 1: Half Empty or Half Full
In the first session, we will take a simple water glass, and fill it halfway, then see how we can incorporate the refracted effect that objects present when seen through the glass
Week 2: Silver Bowl
Getting the effect of silver is more than just black & white paint. We will discuss the warmth that silver presents and what best to use to represent it.
Week 3: Wine(d) Down
Whether your favorite wine glass has a stem or not, no matter, as the main focus this week will be how to get the deep red color, or beautiful yellow glow that wine gifts us.
Week 4: Solid Gold
Gold gives us colorful highlights, an incredible range of yellows to play with, reflections, and form turns, all bundled up in this precious metal. From gold leaf to golden bracelets, there is lots for us to mine in this one.
Week 5: Colored glass
From the green of wine bottles, to the blue of vintage seltzer water bottles, there is plenty of color to go around. We will discuss chroma levels in colored glass, and how to keep the color fresh, while still thinking about form.
Week 6: Copper
There is nothing more satisfying than placing those brassy highlights onto copper. Look for the shiny stuff here, as we will be discussing the warmth of reflections, and how to compress those values in order to maintain color in the highlights.
