|
Classes with Mitchell Albala at Gage Academy of Art
GAGE ACADEMY OF ART (formerly
Seattle Academy of Fine Art) is an independent art school in
the tradition of the Ecole des beaux-arts
in Paris and the Art Students League in New York. It offers
the technical foundations of an artist’s training, as well
as programs that nurture the artist’s vision and creative
potential. With a focus on the humanist tradition, the Academy
presents the
broadest range of figurative studies on the West Coast.
"All my positive ratings don't come near
to doing this instructor justice. Mitch is a great communicator,
a conscientous
instructor
and a thoughtful critiquer. He is also generous and shares his
knowledge graciously. He's worth his weight in gold." —
Joyce Prigot, Workshop Participant, 2005
Landscape
Painting in Skagit Valley - Next 5-day summer workshop
begins Sunday night, July 27 – Friday August 1. Space still available.
Studio Landscape: Essential Thory and Process - Next class begins Spring 2008
Advanced Oil Landscape Critique Group - Next series begins Winter, 2009.
Drawing into Painting
Drawing - Next class begins Winter 2009.
Landscape
Painting in the Skagit Valley
Now in its tenth year, the 2008 summer
plein-air painting retreat is located on Fir Island, in the heart
of Skagit Valley — a
vast agricultural panorama dotted with trim farmhouses and big
red barns, in rural Washington. Your studio for the week is an
historic two-room schoolhouse. The nearby White Swan bed and
breakfast offers excellent accommodations. The nearby town of
La Conner offers high-quality restaurants
and a variety of accommodation choices.
The landscape poses unique challenges in translation,
composition and color. In a well-designed, practical overview
that includes daily demonstrations and lectures, you’ll
learn site selection, strategies for depicting light, color mixing,
composing the landscape space, simplification through massing,
and how to manage your “outdoor studio.” Special
emphasis is placed on the inherent abstraction within nature
and a direct painterly style. You'll do a combination of exercises
and long and short paintings, in both early morning and afternoon
sessions. The class forms a close knit “art colony” as
you benefit from several personal critiques per session, lunch
time chats, and evening slide shows. Level: Intermediate to Advanced.
Studio Landscape: Essential Theory and Process
This class embraces landscape’s “long form” — creating larger, more developed motifs from sketches and photos — while also covering essential theory: simplification/massing, color strategy and composition. You select an individual project, supported with exercises and studies, and examine technique, issues of scale, working in series, the correct way to reference photos and how to use the PC as an idea-generating tool. Intermediate to advanced. Landscape experience required. Homework required. Level: Intermediate to advanced
Advanced Oil Landscape Critique Group
Albala’s lively, in-depth critique sessions afford the ambitious landscapist the opportunity
to meet with a group of peers for
the exploration of advanced concepts in
landscape painting such as style, technique,
content development, working from photos
or developing a series. You paint independently
between sessions and convene
biweekly for a general critique discussion,
including examination of work by contemporary
landscape artists. Class size is limited to
six participants; new participants must obtain
instructor permission to join. Landscape-painting
experience required. Level: Advanced.
Drawing into Painting
Do you really want to paint, but still need foundation
drawing skills? Mr. Albala, in his simple, straightforward style,
shows you the “keys” to seeing in new ways. Working
from still lifes, four weeks of drawing introduce angles, measurement,
negative shapes, line, and value. Then, transition into painting.
Learn how to begin with an underpainting, compose, mix colors
with a limited palette, use brushes, and handle wet paint. With
weekly demonstrations, group critiques, and plenty of personal
attention, you gain an in-depth introduction into the challenges
and processes of art making. Level: Beginner
to intermediate.
|
