Landscape Source to Studio: Steamboat Springs, CO 2020

Plein air paint with me, Joshua Been around Steamboat Springs, CO at the end of September. There should still be plenty of golden aspen leaves among the beautiful groves, as well as intimate creeks, cascades, rivers, and distant peaks. The area checks all the boxes of fun things to paint in the higher elevations of Colorado, including, yet unlikely, snow.
IMPORTANT STUFF:
where: Steamboat Springs, CO
September 26-29, 2020
3.5 Days
9am- ?pm Sat, Sep. 26. Lecture in morning/ Plein air in afternoon into evening.
9am- ?pm , Sunday,Monday, Sep. 27,28. Plein air around Steamboat Springs (weather permitting).
9am-1-ish pm Tuesday Sep. 29. Studio Demonstration. Painting a larger painting from reference and best studio practices. (Sit back and relax for this one) 
Price: 400.00
Max Enrollment: 12

For sign-ups please contact, Dottie Zabel 970 819 4270:
For workshop questions, contact Joshua Been by text message 719-221-8964
On-location landscape painting is a translation process from the four dimensional space-time we occupy in the present environment, to a two dimensional surface. This process is largely self-correcting if we, in earnest, attempt to create an illusion of the scene we’re experiencing. The read-ability or convincing-ness of the illusion, or lack there of, in the result of our toil and attention, should be a gauge revelatory of our fundamental understanding and fluency in Visual Language. Fluency in Visual Language is the foundation I can confidently strengthen in most painter’s level of understanding. For the physical practice, the discipline and curiosity driven hours behind the brush required, I can give only the guidance to improve their effectiveness, in order to catalyze growth.

Please check out this 10 min video. Many more to come.

I teach a 4 pronged approach that is based in learning to SEE. This builds on our congruent understanding of painting stuff the way it looks from our viewpoint, counter-intuitive to painting how we think it may be. By looking for the Visual Language Elements, Value, Shapes, Edges, and Texture instead of things, like rocks, water, sky, etc., we approach the translation from the purely abstract. This creates confidence in an extremely effective way of breaking down difficult subject matter into manageable, and paintable visual information.
Get a jump on the information, pick up my book on the Visual Language of painting called, “Learn to See Learn to Paint.” It’s 150 pages of Inspiration and Education!!
It can be read/previewed online for FREE HERE, or
CLICK HERE to purchase, it is $20.00, and includes a Light Direction Sphere Pen (the Key to the Kingdom).

A 4 pronged approach to learning Visual Language:
1. VALUE: Comprehend the causes of the appearance of VALUE. Discussion of Value Families, Keys, and Contrast Relationships, as well as the Anatomy of Light and Form, and how the Viewpoint effects VALUE. Also a breakdown of COLOR, how it can be exaggerated, downplayed, or just simply do what you intend.
2. SHAPE: We will talk about the importance of SHAPE to composition and draftsmanship. How integrally intertwined this element is with the three equal factors that cause it, the Light Source, the Form, and the Viewpoint. An overview of Linear Perspective, and 3D mapping a scene to aid placement, and feel of the light and form in space. 
3. EDGES: See and understand EDGES, both tangible and intangible, and their relative importance to the overall intentions. We’ll analyze the 4 different Shape perimeters where Edges reside, Form Shadow, Overlaps, Cast Shadow, and Changes in Local Surface Value. 
4. TEXTURE: I will demonstrate how different ways of applying paint enhances the viewer experience. This refers to not only material rendering like shiney material vs. matte, but also the physical brushwork, and paint quality on the surface of a painting.
Incorporating the 4 Visual Language elements into design and composition will be an enormous focus in creating strong visual statements. It is through this understanding that good painting ideas become great painting ideas, and keep an artist fully engaged in the process.
We’ll start each painting session with pre-sketches where the four elements are contemplated, and arranged in a visually pleasing way. Each day I will demonstrate the pre-sketch to color sketch process, working small and quickly to allow a lot of time for students to explore the process on their own with me engaging each student with one on one, effective help.

SUPPLY LIST:
*A small drawing kit for doing pre-sketches (can be as simple as a pencil and paper, or I prefer a kit similar to the Sketchbox complete with a pencil, pen, and incremental value markers. Check one out HERE)
*Assortment of bristle/synthetic (flat) brushes (Rosemary long hangle, long flats) and a medium sized pallet knife.
*Paper towels (Viva brand works great)
*Brush cleaner jar with agitator (a jar needs something to scrub the bristles on, that’s the agitator).
*Odorless paint thinner (I recommend Gamsol brand)
*10  6×8 canvases or panels for the plein air color sketches.
*3  8x10s or 9x12s for longer color sketches (nothing larger please, I spend a lot of time walking around helping each student individually, if you paint larger, I will not be able to help you because it will take too much time)
*A Portable Easel (I have two great ones available, called the Daytripper, and the Fly on the Wall Easels. To check them out, click HERE)
*Brimmed Hat
*Sunscreen
*Bugspray

Paint: (I prefer Utrecht Brand)
Titanium White
Cadmium Yellow Lemon or Light
Cadmium Orange
Burnt Sienna
Alizarin Crimson
Cerulean Blue (HUE)
Ultramarine Blue
Dioxizine Purple[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Day Planner:
Saturday, September 26th
9:00 Meeting at SAM.
9-12:00 Lecture and overview of Visual Language.
12:00-12:30 Lunch Break
12:30 Carpool/convoy to a destination.
1:00 Pre-sketch and color sketch painting demonstration. (Focus on accuracy, translating what you see)
2:00-5:00 Group painting session, I will be helping individually.

Sunday, September 27th
9:00am Meet.
9-9:30 Carpool/convoy to a destination.
9:30-10:00 Pre-sketch and color sketch painting demonstration. (Focus on varying the idea, moving things around, linear perspective, viewpoint, lighting)
10:00-12:30 Group painting sessions with and me walking around helping individually.
12:30-1:00 Lunch Break
1:00-2:30 Another pre-sketch and color sketch painting demonstration.
-5:00 Group painting session.

Monday, September 28th
9:00am Meet.
9-9:30 Carpool/convoy to a destination.
9:30-10:00 Pre-sketch and color sketch painting demonstration. (Focus on edges, tangible vs. intangible, texture, and style)
10:00-12:30 Group painting session with me walking around helping individually.
12:30-1:00 Lunch Break
1:00-2:30 Pre-sketch and color sketch painting demonstration.
2:30-5:00 Another group painting session.

Tuesday, September 29th
9:00am-1:00-2:00ishpm Demonstration open to the paying public ($50.00, this is included in the workshop tuition, and those signed up will get preferred seating). Sit back and relax after 3 long days of painting, while I demonstrate blowing up a plein air color sketch into a larger canvas. This demonstration will be a wonderful overview, and a great opportunity to review and re-take notes on effective studio practices incorporating every bit of knowledge gained through the on-location experience. Throughout this demonstration, I’ll be talking about crucial decisions in the process, and how to stay engaged, efficient, and deliberate in applying paint.