I’ve been on a painting binge the last few days, due in part to an online art class led by Carol Strock Wasson. My friend Susan introduced me to the artist from Indiana and her online workshops. Having very little formal training in art, I’m constantly on the lookout for instruction that can help me improve my understanding of composition, color, and values.
A while back, Beth Dean, my favorite Mississippi artist and mentor, had recommended John Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting, as a valuable resource. I added it to my Amazon wish list, received it from Nana Claus for Christmas, and read it immediately; but like most books on art written by the masters, much of the advice went right over my head. I relegated the used copy to my small stash of art books to review the pretty pictures later whenever I needed inspiration.
Carol’s class was dedicated to breaking down that particular book into manageable pieces for people like me. Hurrah! Carol anticipated teaching for 2 hours each Wednesday via Zoom, but the artist spent a generous amount of time before her weekly lesson critiquing her students’ homework. Class numbers 2 through 5 all ran over time… significantly!
I learned so much from this class! One painting that I had thrown together earlier in the year–just to get my creative juices flowing–has bothered me for months. I could not figure out what was wrong with it until I applied what I had learned from Carol.
I took a photo of it, opened it in Photoshop Elements (my PS of choice), and added a layer to it in which I could adjust the values of the color in painting beneath. The exercise revealed my problem—my uppermost sky was far too dark (a no-no, according to Carlson’s book). I added another layer in PSE and tossed a barn into the landscape, which gave the painting a focal point. I put the painting back on the easel and adjusted my original painting accordingly. Now I feel like I can leave it alone!
Carol’s method of taking her students’ paintings and applying brushes of color in the correct values while she explained why the painting would work better with her adjustments was direct and straight forward and just what I needed. It was an added bonus to her explanations of Carlson’s guide and her own demos that she performed at the end of class.
I am grateful for teachers who teach so generously!
