"Using Color, Composition and Value to Tell Your Story" with Tara Will
Icebreaker: 5 p.m. May 3, 2027
Workshop: May 4 – 7, 2027
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
4-Day Studio Workshop with an optional afternoon of plein air and demo
$875 + 6.88% NM Sales Tax
About the Workshop
Skill level: All levels welcome
Materials used: Pastels only
The quest for perfection can bring with it fear of making mistakes and can result in a style which can seem inhibited. In this workshop we will concentrate on freedom and spontaneity to add elements of semi abstraction but keep association with reality. Sometimes when I paint Plein air I don't necessarily try to capture exactly what is in front of me. The weather, light and composition may not always be what I am looking for. My intention is to go out to make a good painting. If you ever wanted to bring a looser and more painterly feel to your work loaded with juicy colour and flooded with light? join me and I will share some of my working methods concentrating on painting the landscape that delight you and excite the viewer. Using our reference material and sketches we can bring some fresh colour and a more painterly feel to your work our aim is to break free from the restraints of perfection and give ourselves permission to capture the essence of the subject in an intuitive way with the freedom of ‘brushwork' that has its roots in the style of alla prima giving a lively and vigorous mark that is instrumental in expressing mood and atmosphere.
We will experiment and activate the potential of complementary, harmonious, and tertiary colours that will lift our work to another exciting level. We will look at ways of how to unlock your confidence and imagination in your own creativity. I will share some tips and methods drawn from my own way of working, where colour and light play a central and passionate part of my personal artistic practice. Artists use colour, values to express themselves and aim to make you feel something when you look at it in the four days of the workshop, we will cover subjects, including Looking at our landscape, The Sky above us, the many aspects of painting water and finally painting epic mountain scenes.
Day 1: Land
We will look at the entire process of recording trees in the landscape from conception through to thumbnails and value sketches, colour beginnings progressing through to the finished painting. Each day begins with a demonstration. The rest of the day students will work on their own paintings using their own reference material or reference supplied by me
Day 2: Sky
We will look at ways to bring a looser more painterly feel in our work which will be loaded with juicy colour and flooded with light. I will share some of my working methods concentrating on painting the sky to create interest and drama that delight you and excite the viewer. We will learn how to simplify our approach to achieve exciting impressionistic paintings that has a strong design with expressive marks that use direct strokes on our textured surface to emphasise ‘brushwork' exploring the quality of light, the colour of light and the direction of light.
Day 3: Water
We will look at the colour of water, reflections, moving water, shallow water, and everything in between! Today will see the students working on their own paintings using their own reference material, or reference supplied by me. There will be plenty of easel time As I go from student to student providing individual help.
Day 4: Mountains
Our final day will paint one or two 'blockbuster' mountain scenes. Join me if you wish to paint along, or just simply sit back and relax as I paint the first demonstration.
Workshop requirements/supplies
PASTELS
As many pastels as you feel comfortable with. Colour range is more important than quantity. Aim for a good range of values and colours.
My box of pastels usually holds a value range of the primaries. A choice of warm and cool neutrals. Plus, some bright fluorescents.
I also use semi-hard black pastel sticks which I get from Amazon..
PAPER and BACKING BOARDS
Your favourite pastel paper.
I will be using mostly Canson Velvet (sepia, deep brown, red), Pastel Premier (Italian Clay, & Terracotta)
I favour full sheets of each as this allows me to trim to size.
MISCELLANEOUS
Your favourite easel.
Solid Backing board (I add foam board to my backing board to act as a cushion).
Your sketchbook/journal.
OPTIONAL: A few pastel pencils, semi hard black pastels, Drawing pencils.
OPTIONAL: A choice of black ink markers (fine liners plus wedge shaped nibs the fatter the better).
OPTIONAL: Toned sketchbook for use with markers and pastel pencils.
iPad, Tablet, Phone for reference images and for taking photographs!
Photo reference you feel at ease with. Try to choose your photographs have a good composition with a possible lead in, a good focal point and most importantly a range of values.
I can provide and air drop from my iPad’ reference images for students to choose for their own paintings.
Hand wipes.
Drop cloth.
Masking tape or clips.
A sense of Fun!
About Tony
Tony is an award winning painter, instructor and author and has been painting for all of his life. A member of the Pastel Society London, a member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists among others. A painter of colour, light and movement with a complete understanding of his surroundings. Born and raised on Guernsey in the Channel Islands where he studied life drawing and painting from life. He moved to live and paint in Cornwall to capture the unique clarity of light on the peninsular of the West Country. Tony has exhibited extensively over the years, his work can be found in many leading galleries as well as private and corporate collections worldwide, including the Maritime Museum, Guernsey and Queen Mary 2, Cunard Liner. He has exhibited with The Pastel Society of America in New York, the Royal Society of Marine Artists, London, The International Pastel Exhibition, Suzhou, China and the Pastel Society, Mall Galleries, London. A move to New Zealand in 2006 proved to be a turning point in his career with the acceptance as a Master of the Pastel Artists of New Zealand, a Signature member of the Pastel Society of America, elected an Eminent Pastelist of the International Association of Pastel Societies. His work is regularly featured in The Artist Magazine, the Pastel Journal and the Practique des Arts. Tony now lives and works in Scotland.
My aim is to capture the essence of a time and place. This is through the freedom of his mark making. The joy of this medium for me is in its immediacy. With no need to mix colours on a palette or wait for certain areas to dry, I work on my surfaces with an intuitive speed and confidence. The resulting compositions have a robust, awe inspiring quality that itry to capture the viewer’s attention." My passion will always be the landscape, it is why I became an artist. I want to share my vision of the world I see. Colour and light is my motivation for choosing a subject. The light sparkling on the water, the colour reflected in the landscape. I favour the early morning or late afternoon to capture these effects. My art is simply a collection of moments. I think an artist has to allow his surroundings to reveal itself, before the artist can reveal their vision of the way they see the world onto others.
What’s included
This workshop includes a mix of complimentary food and beverages. Included are the following:
Complimentary continental breakfast: Yogurt, fruit, coffee, teas, juices, hard-boiled eggs, and pastries
Coffee, hot and/or iced tea, lemonade, soft drinks, sparkling waters, and fruit-infused still water are available all day
Catered lunch brought into the studio or painting location for $20 (optional)
