Workshop with Lori Putnam

"Solitary Boat"

12" x 16" oil on linen panel

Last weekend, I participated in a workshop with Lori Putnam held in Nashville at LeQuire Gallery. It was a short, intensive, day and a half experience that I truly enjoyed! Lori is not only a fabulous painter, but an excellent instructor and fun person too! We began the workshop on Sunday afternoon and watched Lori demo from a plein air piece she had done on a recent trip to the Adirondacks in New York state. The demo was wonderful and Lori is one of those artists who can demo and talk about what she is doing at the same time, which helps artists like myself who always want to know why someone is doing what they are when painting.

The following day, we each painted from either a plein air piece we brought in or from a photo. The photo I used was given to me by a good friend who visited Jamaica earlier in the year and shared some wonderful photos with me to use for painting. After doing several thumbnail sketches to determine the best use of this photo as far as composition goes, I painted the piece above. I was pleased with my day and from the help and feedback I got from Lori. I also met some very nice artists too, which is always one of my favorite benefits of taking a workshop.

I am also excited about starting a mentoring program with Lori in January of 2012. She will mentor 6 artists and I am happy to be a part of that group! I am ready for some intensive focus and work and I know that Lori is the one that will provide that work for me on a regular basis. I do have a few exciting workshops this fall (two of them with Lori!) but as of January, I will be focused on consistent instruction from her. I always loved school, which is why I like workshops so much, and this will be a little like school for me!