Virtual Workshop - Day 2

Apples and Spoon, 6" x 8" Oil on wood panel

Sunday at noon we resumed painting the apples and spoon after remixing the palette of colors if needed. Carefully guided and encouraged by Lisa, we painted toward the finish. The transparency was an aid in checking and rechecking the drawing. Lots of emphasis on taking time to really see every little nuance inside the reflective surfaces. On Monday a photo of the completed painting was sent to Lisa for a final critique. She took time to really look at my painting and provided a thorough critique. Thank you, Lisa!

I sometimes tend to be careless and if something looks "close" I might just leave it. Lisa reminded me that "close" isn't acceptable when a little more concentration and a bit more effort will result in a finer painting. This was a much needed refresher course on warm and cool body and cast shadows. Lisa suggested that I pay closer attention to edges by asking myself, "what the edges mean, why is something soft, what effect does it have, when does it need to change"...Of course, those of us who have been painting a long time "know" these things, right? ...so...we concentrate on other areas where we aren't so confident and forget to pay attention to the obvious! A workshop like this brings our efforts into focus on the parts and not just the whole...

I am pleased with my painting! Lisa Gloria conducted this workshop professionally, Ustream glitches were minor, participants were friendly and it was fun visiting with them on the chat line. I look forward to taking another workshop with Lisa and highly recommend her virtual workshops to anyone wishing to perfect his/her painting skills! No travel, no carting art supplies around, just do the workshop from ones own studio!! Gotta love the internet!

A photo of Lisa's completed apple painting and the paintings of other workshop participants may be seen at her blogsite http://lisagloria.blogsite.com