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Contact us at blackpondstudio@gmail.com with questions.
Workshops are listed in chronological order.
Scroll down for complete listings.
Sign up for the mailing list to be notified of new workshops.
Contact us at blackpondstudio@gmail.com with questions.
Workshops are listed in chronological order.
Scroll down for complete listings.
THE HEAD IN THE MIRROR
WITH CATHERINE KEHOE
THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL
December 5-9, 2020
Saturday-Wednesday
ONLINE WORKSHOP The head we see every day is a meaningful, personal and convenient subject for a painting. This workshop takes a reductive approach to painting the head, seeking how little information is enough. Universal proportions of the head will be covered, and a simple, intuitive drawing method will be introduced to help with drawing accuracy. Using paint, we will investigate whether translating the head into a few accurate shapes of color and value can create a truer likeness than a detailed description can. We will meet on Zoom two or three times each day, and share the work in online albums.
THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL
December 5-9, 2020
Saturday-Wednesday
ONLINE WORKSHOP The head we see every day is a meaningful, personal and convenient subject for a painting. This workshop takes a reductive approach to painting the head, seeking how little information is enough. Universal proportions of the head will be covered, and a simple, intuitive drawing method will be introduced to help with drawing accuracy. Using paint, we will investigate whether translating the head into a few accurate shapes of color and value can create a truer likeness than a detailed description can. We will meet on Zoom two or three times each day, and share the work in online albums.
NEW GROUND
WITH JENNIFER POCHINSKI
THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL
ONLINE WORKSHOP
December 12-16, 2020
Saturday-Wednesday
“I don't know what perfection is.”
— Henry Taylor
Many painters work in isolation and find themselves in a rut or just need some direction. Both good habits and bad can get in the way of progress. The workshop is an opportunity to explore the process of painting through exercises with specific objectives. We'll do some premier coup and longer term work. Exploration will be encouraged! Hopefully it will be a week of stretching into new territory which each painter can carry into their own practice.
The exercises will be both working from still life and photos. Each day there will be presentations and group discussions to try to maintain the intimate environment of an in-person workshop. This workshop is best suited to intermediate to advanced painters.
THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL
ONLINE WORKSHOP
December 12-16, 2020
Saturday-Wednesday
“I don't know what perfection is.”
— Henry Taylor
Many painters work in isolation and find themselves in a rut or just need some direction. Both good habits and bad can get in the way of progress. The workshop is an opportunity to explore the process of painting through exercises with specific objectives. We'll do some premier coup and longer term work. Exploration will be encouraged! Hopefully it will be a week of stretching into new territory which each painter can carry into their own practice.
The exercises will be both working from still life and photos. Each day there will be presentations and group discussions to try to maintain the intimate environment of an in-person workshop. This workshop is best suited to intermediate to advanced painters.
START WITH A PART
WITH SUSAN LICHTMAN
THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL
ONLINE WORKSHOP
January 7-10, 2021
Thursday-Sunday
There is a way of constructing a painting that is comparable to writing fiction without an outline. Usually writers and painters compose by starting with a general outline, a design, where parts support the whole. But it is possible to reverse this method. Rather than composing the whole rectangle first, a painter’s starting point might be a detail: a small thing seen, a peculiar shape, shadow or color note. This visual starting point might not be important in itself, but for our eyes, it has a specific allure. By working out from this detail, we can embark on a painting journey where our habits of focus and hierarchy are upended, and all things seen have the potential to matter. By delaying our claim to a finished design, we will organically find a strong composition that is an authentic and possibly surprising account of an intimate visual experience.
We will meet on Zoom two or three times each day, and share the work in online albums.
THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL
ONLINE WORKSHOP
January 7-10, 2021
Thursday-Sunday
There is a way of constructing a painting that is comparable to writing fiction without an outline. Usually writers and painters compose by starting with a general outline, a design, where parts support the whole. But it is possible to reverse this method. Rather than composing the whole rectangle first, a painter’s starting point might be a detail: a small thing seen, a peculiar shape, shadow or color note. This visual starting point might not be important in itself, but for our eyes, it has a specific allure. By working out from this detail, we can embark on a painting journey where our habits of focus and hierarchy are upended, and all things seen have the potential to matter. By delaying our claim to a finished design, we will organically find a strong composition that is an authentic and possibly surprising account of an intimate visual experience.
We will meet on Zoom two or three times each day, and share the work in online albums.
DRAWING: PROPORTION AND ECONOMY
WITH CATHERINE KEHOE
THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL
January 13-17, 2021
Wednesday - Sunday
This ONLINE workshop will present a drawing method that results in accuracy of proportion. We will use straight lines to find relationships between the rectangle and the parts of the motif. This approach is a way of looking and seeing, not a style, and can be used to find the essential structure of any subject. We will work from images of the figure and the head. With practice, this method leads to an intuitive, personal balance between accuracy and individual voice.
We will meet on Zoom two or three times each day, and share the work in online albums.
THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL
January 13-17, 2021
Wednesday - Sunday
This ONLINE workshop will present a drawing method that results in accuracy of proportion. We will use straight lines to find relationships between the rectangle and the parts of the motif. This approach is a way of looking and seeing, not a style, and can be used to find the essential structure of any subject. We will work from images of the figure and the head. With practice, this method leads to an intuitive, personal balance between accuracy and individual voice.
We will meet on Zoom two or three times each day, and share the work in online albums.
TRANSCRIBING ITALIAN MASTERS
WITH LUCY MacGILLIS
February 12-17, 2021
Friday-Wednesday
This ONLINE workshop, with Italy-based painter Lucy MacGillis, will look closely at five 500-year-old Italian secular masterpieces, investigating what makes them so powerful. Each day will begin with an introduction to the painter whose work we are studying, and the context in which the painting was created. We will draw from these paintings, searching for the brilliant uses of rhythm, duality and repetition within the geometry of the painting. Specific paintings from the Renaissance will be our sources. In the afternoons, participants will create a painted sketch to better grasp the use of color in that day's painting. We will conclude with a group critique of the studies and a discussion about the colors that were used to create the original paintings.
Each participant will receive a kit in the mail, prior to the course, containing prints of the five paintings we will transcribe, as well as Fabriano paper measured in proportion to the works. There will also be primed paper provided for afternoon painting studies. (The workshop fee includes the cost of materials and shipping.) The three daily meetings will be on Zoom, and work will be shared in online albums.
Limited to 15 participants. This five day workshop runs over six days, with a day off midweek.
February 12-17, 2021
Friday-Wednesday
This ONLINE workshop, with Italy-based painter Lucy MacGillis, will look closely at five 500-year-old Italian secular masterpieces, investigating what makes them so powerful. Each day will begin with an introduction to the painter whose work we are studying, and the context in which the painting was created. We will draw from these paintings, searching for the brilliant uses of rhythm, duality and repetition within the geometry of the painting. Specific paintings from the Renaissance will be our sources. In the afternoons, participants will create a painted sketch to better grasp the use of color in that day's painting. We will conclude with a group critique of the studies and a discussion about the colors that were used to create the original paintings.
Each participant will receive a kit in the mail, prior to the course, containing prints of the five paintings we will transcribe, as well as Fabriano paper measured in proportion to the works. There will also be primed paper provided for afternoon painting studies. (The workshop fee includes the cost of materials and shipping.) The three daily meetings will be on Zoom, and work will be shared in online albums.
Limited to 15 participants. This five day workshop runs over six days, with a day off midweek.
THE OBJECT AS ACTOR
WITH NANCY GRUSKIN
THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL
March 6-8, 2021
Saturday-Monday
“A good actor can have a part in ten different plays; an object can play a role in ten different pictures.” Henri Matisse
In this three-day ONLINE workshop, we will make drawings, collages, and paintings of still life objects. These objects will serve as a springboard for experimentation and individual expression. Exercises will focus on playing with form, color and composition, as we see how far we can push our work’s relationship to reality. As we become more acquainted with these objects during the course of the workshop, we will take more liberties with their depiction, incorporating invented imagery and outside source material. Artists will be working in collage and with drawing materials, and water-based and/or oil paint. Slide shows of the work of modern and contemporary artists will supplement the exercises. It is intended to invigorate the practice of newer and more experienced artists alike. The workshop will meet on Zoom, two or three times per day, and work will be shared in an online album for discussion.
THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL
March 6-8, 2021
Saturday-Monday
“A good actor can have a part in ten different plays; an object can play a role in ten different pictures.” Henri Matisse
In this three-day ONLINE workshop, we will make drawings, collages, and paintings of still life objects. These objects will serve as a springboard for experimentation and individual expression. Exercises will focus on playing with form, color and composition, as we see how far we can push our work’s relationship to reality. As we become more acquainted with these objects during the course of the workshop, we will take more liberties with their depiction, incorporating invented imagery and outside source material. Artists will be working in collage and with drawing materials, and water-based and/or oil paint. Slide shows of the work of modern and contemporary artists will supplement the exercises. It is intended to invigorate the practice of newer and more experienced artists alike. The workshop will meet on Zoom, two or three times per day, and work will be shared in an online album for discussion.
BLACK, WHITE, AND IN-BETWEEN
WITH NANCY McCARTHY
March 11-13, 2021
Thursday-Saturday
ONLINE WORKSHOP The striking contrasts of black and white, and the subtle differences between grays, will be the fuel for our images. First, using brushes with black ink on white paper, we will build compositions from shapes of black and white, with still life and the landscape as our sources. We will move into ink washes, then switch to white on black, and each day delve into more exercises using pens, cut paper, collage and block prints. Our aim is to generate a volume of drawings, from both observation and abstraction, which expand our visual vocabulary, sensitivity to value and shape, as well as compositional skills. We will use Zoom to meet as as group, view image presentations, share and discuss work.
March 11-13, 2021
Thursday-Saturday
ONLINE WORKSHOP The striking contrasts of black and white, and the subtle differences between grays, will be the fuel for our images. First, using brushes with black ink on white paper, we will build compositions from shapes of black and white, with still life and the landscape as our sources. We will move into ink washes, then switch to white on black, and each day delve into more exercises using pens, cut paper, collage and block prints. Our aim is to generate a volume of drawings, from both observation and abstraction, which expand our visual vocabulary, sensitivity to value and shape, as well as compositional skills. We will use Zoom to meet as as group, view image presentations, share and discuss work.
DRAWING MARATHON
WITH GWEN STRAHLE
MARCH 27-30, 2021
Saturday-Tuesday
ONLINE WORKSHOP
Drawing can be painterly, whether using charcoal, pencil or ink. This workshop will stimulate and maintain a continuous flow of drawing energy and examination. We will work from observation, using various materials and approaches. Exercises will be woven into the structure, including drawing from memory, gestures, drawing from other members of the studio. We will build abstractly to serve observation — drawing, re-drawing, re-thinking, re-seeing, re-working, to pull the drawing out from the inside, through process. Let’s make changes in order to dig deeper into the drawing experience, and provide opportunity for new invention. And, of course, it’s a marathon, so non-stop drawing...
Price includes model fee.
MARCH 27-30, 2021
Saturday-Tuesday
ONLINE WORKSHOP
Drawing can be painterly, whether using charcoal, pencil or ink. This workshop will stimulate and maintain a continuous flow of drawing energy and examination. We will work from observation, using various materials and approaches. Exercises will be woven into the structure, including drawing from memory, gestures, drawing from other members of the studio. We will build abstractly to serve observation — drawing, re-drawing, re-thinking, re-seeing, re-working, to pull the drawing out from the inside, through process. Let’s make changes in order to dig deeper into the drawing experience, and provide opportunity for new invention. And, of course, it’s a marathon, so non-stop drawing...
Price includes model fee.
COLOR RULES
WITH NANCY McCARTHY
April 17-19, 2021
Saturday-Monday
10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. US eastern time
Check your own time zone
ONLINE WORKSHOP. Color Rules! It does, absolutely, but there are NO rules, no formulas, no tricks. There is intention, getting color to say what you want it to say. In this intensive workshop we consider basic color concepts such as value, hue, and saturation and learn how to manipulate them to energize our work. Building color relationships with gouache on paper helps up understand how color functions and to build our personal color vocabulary. This workshop is meant for anyone working with color: painters, designers, architects, etc. We will use Zoom to meet as as group, view image presentations, share and discuss work.
April 17-19, 2021
Saturday-Monday
10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. US eastern time
Check your own time zone
ONLINE WORKSHOP. Color Rules! It does, absolutely, but there are NO rules, no formulas, no tricks. There is intention, getting color to say what you want it to say. In this intensive workshop we consider basic color concepts such as value, hue, and saturation and learn how to manipulate them to energize our work. Building color relationships with gouache on paper helps up understand how color functions and to build our personal color vocabulary. This workshop is meant for anyone working with color: painters, designers, architects, etc. We will use Zoom to meet as as group, view image presentations, share and discuss work.
COLLAGE AFTER MASTERS
WITH ROTEM AMIZUR
THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL
May 1-4, 2021
Saturday-Tuesday
ONLINE WORKSHOP We will begin by painting papers with colors that excite us. Then, looking at old masters’ paintings, we will choose hues that create a sensation equivalent to what is evoked by them. Working only with our pre-painted papers helps us find unexpected color combinations. We look for relationships that feel good as opposed to "mixing the colors out there." Once colors are chosen and satisfying to us, we can dive into the continuous cycle of building, overlapping, changing and moving the cutout shapes — thus experiencing painting, drawing, observation, and invention as inseparable.
We will work small, with foam board and pins, pinning the cut-out shapes as we go along. Pinning as opposed to immediately gluing gives us a chance to constantly move shapes around. Making a variation, then another and another... Each new combination of colors leads us to see the reproduction in a new way — memory and familiarity making the game even more exciting and giving us the courage to make decisions we wouldn’t have dreamed of in the beginning. We are using the masters as our source but creating something distinctly personal and our own.
We will use Zoom to meet as as group, view image presentations, share and discuss work.
THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL
May 1-4, 2021
Saturday-Tuesday
ONLINE WORKSHOP We will begin by painting papers with colors that excite us. Then, looking at old masters’ paintings, we will choose hues that create a sensation equivalent to what is evoked by them. Working only with our pre-painted papers helps us find unexpected color combinations. We look for relationships that feel good as opposed to "mixing the colors out there." Once colors are chosen and satisfying to us, we can dive into the continuous cycle of building, overlapping, changing and moving the cutout shapes — thus experiencing painting, drawing, observation, and invention as inseparable.
We will work small, with foam board and pins, pinning the cut-out shapes as we go along. Pinning as opposed to immediately gluing gives us a chance to constantly move shapes around. Making a variation, then another and another... Each new combination of colors leads us to see the reproduction in a new way — memory and familiarity making the game even more exciting and giving us the courage to make decisions we wouldn’t have dreamed of in the beginning. We are using the masters as our source but creating something distinctly personal and our own.
We will use Zoom to meet as as group, view image presentations, share and discuss work.
INTERIOR SPACE
WITH PETER VAN DYCK
THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL
ONLINE WORKSHOP
May 12-16, 2021
Wednesday-Sunday
Using pencil sketches, color studies, larger drawings and painting on location, we will build paintings of interior spaces from direct observation. Our goal will be to merge two different ways of organizing and depicting space in a painting: one will be through drawing the 3-dimensional, volumetric quality of the space; the other will be through finding large color relationships to express the movement of light through space. Experience in basic observational drawing as well as with oil and/or acrylic paint will be helpful.
THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL
ONLINE WORKSHOP
May 12-16, 2021
Wednesday-Sunday
Using pencil sketches, color studies, larger drawings and painting on location, we will build paintings of interior spaces from direct observation. Our goal will be to merge two different ways of organizing and depicting space in a painting: one will be through drawing the 3-dimensional, volumetric quality of the space; the other will be through finding large color relationships to express the movement of light through space. Experience in basic observational drawing as well as with oil and/or acrylic paint will be helpful.
PAINTING THE FIGURE WITH THE ITALIAN EARTH PALETTE
WITH LUCY MacGILLIS
RESCHEDULED FOR JULY 2021
DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED
In this intense three-day course, Lucy MacGillis shares her love for paint, beginning with its creation — mixing raw earth pigments from Italy with linseed oil. Working directly from observation of the model, participants learn not only how to create their own paint, but are guided in looking closely at the tones of the figure before them. By limiting the range of colors, painters use the relationships between colors to give them more force.
Using herculaneum and pozzuoli red, warm italian earth, yellow ochre, naples yellow, earth green, herculaneum blue, burnt and raw umber, roman black earth, and titanium white, participants are encouraged to paint with the palette knife via trial and error, mixing, placing the paint and scraping it off as needed — the result being a harmonious study of space, color and form.
Working directly from the observation of the nude model, participants are encouraged to simplify the figure into simple, carefully mixed planes of color.
On the each day there will be several fast studies as well as longer poses. Each day ends in a group critique including art historical examples, referring back to the Italian tradition of figure painting.
RESCHEDULED FOR JULY 2021
DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED
In this intense three-day course, Lucy MacGillis shares her love for paint, beginning with its creation — mixing raw earth pigments from Italy with linseed oil. Working directly from observation of the model, participants learn not only how to create their own paint, but are guided in looking closely at the tones of the figure before them. By limiting the range of colors, painters use the relationships between colors to give them more force.
Using herculaneum and pozzuoli red, warm italian earth, yellow ochre, naples yellow, earth green, herculaneum blue, burnt and raw umber, roman black earth, and titanium white, participants are encouraged to paint with the palette knife via trial and error, mixing, placing the paint and scraping it off as needed — the result being a harmonious study of space, color and form.
Working directly from the observation of the nude model, participants are encouraged to simplify the figure into simple, carefully mixed planes of color.
On the each day there will be several fast studies as well as longer poses. Each day ends in a group critique including art historical examples, referring back to the Italian tradition of figure painting.