Course Description

Over the course of this five-day workshop, participants will have the opportunity to carefully draw and paint their own peony flower paintings. Influenced by the aesthetic sensibilities of floral masters of the past, this workshop aims to implement academic methods to guide each artist through every part of the process. By examining the relationship of light and volume, students will learn to think conceptually regarding their visual experience.

The first day will focus on creating a block-in and rendering with graphite and white chalk on toned paper. This approach will allow for an in depth dissection of the structure of the flower, as well as gaining an understanding of the light fall and tonal design. The second day will consist of using a limited palette to create a small monochromatic study as a means to become familiar with the value relationships before we delve into full color. The last three days will be spent painting a fully rendered flower in color while considering color mixing and theory, paint handling, light fall and value hierarchy.

Students will receive daily demonstrations and individual critiques throughout the workshop as they create their own small flower piece.

Toned paper will be provided by the instructor.

A fresh peony will be provided to each student on the first day, after which students will work from artificial peonies.