Workshop Program
Based on most common students’ issues, my standard workshop will focus on three major tasks according to students' level
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Make it Transparent (Beginner)
— Learn the skills to keep your paint transparent, even when your color should be darkest than black. If you are a beginner the quality of your first attempts will double the very minute you give your watercolor its inherent beauty: transparency!
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One Brushstroke (Intermediate)
— Learn the economy and expression of the brushwork. Every stroke makes the difference, it’s the ultimate one, your signature. My students love my 99-stroke exercise. Done quicker than expected? Don’t worry, paint a larger one or hundred more! A priceless discipline for intermediate painters!
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Be a Magician (Advanced)
— Learn the artifice to translate real life into poetry. Even when you paint the most mundane subject, you will be able to interprete it with artistic personality. Secrets for advanced painters to develop their unique style!
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Watercolor in One Stroke
Medium: Watercolor
Level: see below
Subject: landscape, cityscape, still life
Setting: En Plein Air or Studio
Material: See website
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Teaching Model
Lectures, demos and individual supervision on assignments.
Final open critique session and follow up directions. Fun and friendship!
Bonus lecture: plein air beyond mere copying
Painting Alla Seconda
How to avoid making just a copy when painting from life? With my Alla Seconda method you will learn how to translate the subject before you into an artistic project. Studio or plein air, sun or rain, and even from your photo, learn how to make effective notes and on-site studies to internalize your inspiration. Whether you’re traveling the world or just wandering in your neighborhood — train your visual memory to make it more truthful than photography and become a creative artist.
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Pat Farr, winner of the One stroke Challenge (make a painting in 99 strokes) at my Oregon workshop.
In my program you will learn how to be more effective and expressive with less brushstrokes. Soon an extended article on The Artist Magazine a a video clip.
Learning Plein Air Painting
The outdoor tradition is enjoy a huge revival across the world
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My plein air workshops offer essential instruction to paint cityscape in oil and watercolor on location like a professional. They reveal the secrets on how to plan a successful painting outdoor, with lots of creativity and technical tips. It’s perfect for the advanced beginner to enforce transparency, brushwork efficiency and vision, as well as for the expert painter who wants to interpret the scene with artistic personality.
Francesco will deliver lectures, demos and individual supervision on assignments. As well as suggesting serious sketching practice to also develop your paintings in the studio. Final open critique session and follow up directions are delivered as well. Good time over a beer or supper is definitely part of the program!
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