March 14, 15, 16 • 9:30am – 4:00pm
Instructor: DK Palecek
Cost: $265.00
This class will combine a lot of plein air painting processes and techniques with a little bit of brain science – developing a strategy to consistently improve your painting and bringing awareness to how we learn.
We will discuss all aspects of plein air painting: how plein air differs from studio painting, how to design the composition, different approaches to begin a painting and develop a painting, and more. We will also discuss the timing and strategy of painting outdoors, as well as the ins and outs of competition.
“To me, learning HOW to learn to paint is as important as painting itself.” states Palecek.
Throughout the workshop we will focus on, and raise awareness of, the habits and rituals we currently employ, and ones we can develop to accomplish our desired painting goals.
Instructor DK (Deke) Palecek describes her workshops as three dimensional:
The First Dimension is the skills required to capture a scene with a laser focus on Shapes, Values, Focal Point and Brushwork. This is the fun part.
The Second Dimension involves goals and intention. Through pictures, each artist will spend time reviewing where they are currently, identifying where they want to go, and developing concrete steps on how to get there. No wait, THIS is the fun part.
The Third Dimension incorporates Awareness – It is important to be aware of the habits and rituals that work for you and those that need to change in order to reach your goals. More important is the brain science required to develop those habits. Ok, THIS is definitely the fun part.
Palecek is an oil painter based in Northeastern Wisconsin. Despite a degree in Math and a prior life on Wall Street, she now lives to paint and brings a unique perspective to her workshops.
In this workshop Palecek will introduce a simple approach to breaking down a complicated outdoor scene into simple steps focusing on shapes, values, focal point and brushwork. By creating a solid design as the foundation for the painting, each additional phase can add the dimension and details required to capture the scene. To do this, the artist needs to change the way they see as much as the way they paint.
By providing a clear, repeatable process for developing a painting, the artist is free to concentrate on other creative aspects that make their painting unique.
Beyond the core skills needed to capture a painting on location, Palecek will focus on the practices required to make lasting changes in painting habits. It is important to identify goals and directions and to determine what changes are needed to pursue those goals. Palecek incorporates her fascination with brain science into the painting process so artists walk away with tangible processes and an insightful way of making changes.