HEAD THEORY - Zoom Demo for OPA
At Oil Painters of America’s invitation, Melissa Hefferlin and I want to share our fascination with the most expressive of subjects: the human head and face. We will broadcast a Lunch and Learn on April 29, live via Zoom, demonstarting the thinking behind my portraiture technique. Melissa will be helping me through questions and commentary. Audience questions will be welcome. I will be first drawing the basic structure and then laying in planes, and hopefully also having some time to talk about the pleasures of warms and cool color transitions, and the magic of edges/transitions.
We’d love for you to join us for this demo. Daud’s corresponding materials list you’ll find lower down on this page.
What we’re excited about for September……..
MASTERCLASSES IN ITALY
Lynn painting still life in the villa’s second floor gallery
The capacious and enchanting Villa Vitalba welcomes us for the second session of painting, dining and companionship outside of charming Bergamo, Italy.
Melissa focuses on the construction of joyful still life paintings in small groups of no more than five participants. The still life sessions will discuss compositional choices, color themes, emotional content and of course craft, in one-on-one and small-group settings.
I teach three different sections, the first of which is landscape painting on the beautiful estate, with gardens and charming small-town architecture. Another week we focus on the still-glorious proportions and architectural details of the villa’s and the chapels’ interiors. The last week I share the fresh approach of Russian-style academic watercolor painting without white.
If the focus on painting weren’t enough, we also share relaxed cooking classes with a professional chef, and lingering meals at the estate’s restaurant inside a former cloister. We are thrilled to return, and so pleased to have many returning participants. The villa’s owners are welcoming and informative, and we all came to love them like relatives last session.
Pasta class with Chef Benedetta
Because of Covid we’ve delayed for three years. Bergamo suffered terrible deaths during the pandemic, so proof of vaccination and/or recovery from Covid will be required for participation. Mask wearing will be dependent upon Italian guidelines at the time. We all hope that they will not be required!
If you share our passion for capturing the human experience through paint, and you love enchanting architecture, earthy Italian food and wine and excellent company, you might be interested in joining Daud Ahkriev or Melissa Hefferlin in the second biennial Italian Masterclasses in the rolling Bergamo hills during September 2022. More info below the Demo Materials List.
Materials List for the Demo:
Surface of the demo: Linen prepared with acrylic gesso
Brushes to be used: Bristle, sable and squirrel brushes from Rosemary Brushes, as well as a few Russian sables
Painting medium: mixture of (1/1/1) linseed oil, damar varnish and turpentine
Oil paint on my palette:
Daniel Smith Stiff White
Daniel Smith Mixed White
Old Holland Indian Yellow
Old Holland Transparent Red Oxide
Old Holland Cadmium Yellow Light, Medium and Deep
Any Brand Yellow Ochre
Rembrant Yellow Ochre Light
Old Holland Cadmium Red Light
Old Holland Quinacridone Rose
Any brand Alizarin Crimson
Rembrandt Ultramarine Dark
Old Holland Prussian Blue
Old Holland King’s Blue
Old Holland Turquoise Blue
Daniel Smith Burnt Umber
Old Holland or Daniel Smith Ivory Black
In general, I use Daniel Smith, Old Holland, Williamsburg or Michael Harding paint, depending on what’s available. To me, they are all equal. Rembrants and Gamblin, I use with softer brushes (like squirrel or sable).
