wow.. did i have fun!!!..David Michael Slonim workshop

 

above paintings are from other workshop attendees!!

so..monday i hopped in the car with all my gear and off to anderson i went!!..this last picture is david in front of his white board.. he was doing a power point presentation..i think just a portion of what he will be doing in scottsdale..and recommending several books for us...

so first..he wanted to host a one-day workshop to see if he had the stamina for a five-day one.  and trust me..it takes great stamina to do what he does..(i was there one day and it was exhausting!!!)...not only imparting loads of knowledge..but also handling the group of rowdy ladies..(some of whom had studied with him and abstraction before)...(i was fortunate enough to buy a demo of his from a workshop i took in 2010...a while before he went in this direction..)...back to the ladies...many questions..many thought-provokers..we listened and laughed and interacted all morning and then painted for about three hours in the afternoon...before our critique at the end of the day.....i did four..i think more than anyone..but the whole idea is..paint paint paint!!!..the more mistakes you make the more you learn something... and ..trust me...as a representational painter for all these years.. abstract is hard!!..you can't just throw paint on the canvas.. well..maybe you can but it has to have a sound basis.. structure..and have the dominant feature be one of several themes in  line..which we concentrated on.. to name a few: u-shaped, l-shaped, bridge, cantilever, grid, horizontality, verticality, singe mass, twin masses, circle, s shape, ....etc etc....
       confused?... try being there!!.. i had a plan to use each of four photo references i brought to do one each..u-shaped, diagonal, vertical and horizontal!.. such a plan!!.. to my horror...david wouldn't let me use any of my other references!!...he said he was going to push me..and i had to figure out different formats for JUST ONE REFERENCE!!!!. which i will post...paint prints and all!..
      so his play list was fantastical!!..we painted and hummed and sang and maybe a little dancing...at least i was dancing!!...all the while concentrating on the work at hand...as david says.."art is exploration. it's asking "what if" with a brush in your hand,  it's grown-up play!"...also.."a painting is a harmony of colored marks on a surface that communicates human experience".."a charged area of color that has the power to alter the biochemistry of another person - their mood, thoughts, pulse rate, blood pressure, imagination and mindset"

so this is the reference i used...over and over and over!!!..it's a city scape at night.. a theme that has always tugged at my heart..probably because of the possibilities of abstraction...

a few paint spatters up in the steam area..which i couldn't decide whether to use or not..the steam.. not the paint smears.....

first attempt..a u-shape...12x12

so my next was twin masses.....also 12x12.. he said i had a strong start but i should put it aside and do another...so totally unfinished,,,

he ordered me to have a circular format next..i thought "impossible"...and i was right...i really struggled with this attempt..which i ended up wiping!  ugh, right??  

so my last attempt..a 20x16 canvas...was fun!!..i was still trying for a circle of some sort..i looked at my reference and then put it away and did a sketch ..thinking about lines, shapes, and ended up with this:

this is a little off kilter because of my photo and the angles..but at least you can get the idea..i added that reddish strip at the bottom..just because..david seemed to be impressed with my progress from 1st attempt to last..(my hubby likes the first one best)..but i think i'm getting the idea of using a reference as a starting point and then stretching myself from there!!..he says "without exploration, you will never feel the thrill of discovery and surprise.  and neither will your audience!.. to paint well you have to regularly paint yourself into a corner...to get lost..on purpose!"

     i would highly recommend studying with David Michael Slonim if you ever get the chance!!  his workshop size is always limited..usually no more than 10..so he can really give each one lots of hand-on attention!.. he'll be in scottsdale the first part of february...check out his website for more info...so glad i did this!!!!   

               https://davidmichaelslonim.com/