Santa Fe - Adding Figures to Your Work in a Natural Way with Michele Byrne
April 24 - 27, 2024
9 am - 4 pm
$710 + 6.88% NM Sales Tax
A note to our students: To ensure that the workshop will not be canceled, we kindly request that you sign up as early as possible. Please note that if the minimum number of students required is not met three (3) weeks before the first day of class, the workshop will be canceled. However, we offer a full refund in the event of a canceled workshop, so there is no monetary risk for you. Please take some time to review our cancellation policy.
About the Workshop
Skill level: All skill levels are welcome.
Materials used: Michele will be working in oils, acrylic is also accepted.
Overview:
Michele will show you how to add natural-looking figures to your paintings using a palette knife and/or bold brush strokes. She will also teach you how to compose your paintings using strong design, correct value, and temperature as well as paint manipulation.
You will start with a small-value Study/Thrust Map for the design and then move on to the canvas. For these studies, you will use 4”x 6” index cards and learn to create them quickly.
Then you will start your canvas with a strongly designed underpainting and then add the colors with the correct values and color chroma.
Moving on you will finish your piece with thick paint and finally learn paint manipulation to create a powerful and dramatic impressionistic painting full of life and movement.
Michele will do daily morning demonstrations followed by student work time with lots of one-on-one help.
DAY 1 – In the morning there will be a slide presentation on Michele’s design process. In the afternoon you will paint from live models, painting 5 to 10-minute studies and wiping them off. This will help you gain confidence in creating believable body language for your subjects. In the afternoon you will learn to design your paintings using the value study.
DAY 2 – A morning demonstration on creating a value study and starting an underpainting. You’ll design your own piece and start your underpainting in the afternoon. Please bring your own photos with a figure or two, or use some that I will supply.
DAY 3 – A morning demonstration followed by student painting time.
DAY 4 – A morning demonstration on painting figures in motion using paint manipulation, followed by student painting time.
This will be an indoor class working from photos.
It will be a fun and information-packed workshop!
About Michele
Michele Byrne received a B.F.A. from Kutztown University and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. After working 20 years in graphic design, she turned to full time painting in 2001 and began plein air painting in 2006.
Michele is an impressionistic artist known for her bold, colorful palette knife work. She often explores the theme The Art of Conversation, painting cafés, street scenes, musicians, or any social situation where people gather to converse. She has won numerous awards in her plein air and studio work and was featured on the January 2020 cover of Plein Air Magazine with an eight-page article titled “Adventures with a Palette Knife.”
Byrne moved to Santa Fe, NM in 2020 and now incorporates her palette knife techniques into the Southwest colors of street scenes and landscapes.
Liliedahl Productions has released three instructional videos of Michele’s palette knife techniques. The most recent one is titled PALETTE KNIFE CITYSCAPES.
Michele is proud to be an Artist Ambassador for Royal Talens North America and is a popular instructor who teaches workshops in-person and online.
“I love to capture the energy and mood of people interacting with each other and their surroundings. I use a bold and colorful palette to create expressive and impressionistic paintings that invite the viewer to join the conversation.
I work both in the studio and en plein air, often painting scenes of urban life, cafes, churches, and festivals. I enjoy the challenge of painting from life, observing the changing light, colors, and shapes.
I paint with both brushes and palette knives, but I prefer the latter for its versatility and spontaneity. I use the palette knife to apply thick layers of paint, creating rich impasto effects that enhance the sense of movement and depth. I also use the palette knife to scrape, blend, and draw with the paint, creating interesting marks and edges.
My goal as an artist is to share my passion and joy for painting with others. I hope that my paintings convey a sense of life, emotion, and connection. I believe that art is a powerful form of communication that can transcend language and time.”
What’s Included
Bluebird Studios offers an array of complimentary food and beverages during our workshops. Attendees can enjoy an ice breaker the evening before the first day, complimentary continental breakfast served every morning, complimentary unlimited beverages, and afternoon treats each day. We also offer catered lunches brought to the studio or the plein air site (optional for $20), and lastly, our complimentary signature lunch of Frito Chili Pie on the final day. We will spoil you!
Supplies
The supply list for this class can be opened via the button below and printed at your convenience.