Notes from Gabor Svagrik's Workshop: January 28-February 1, 2008

Okay, you will have to look at this as the rough notes they are - at some point I may find time to work the information into an article, but for now, here is the gist of his teachings:

Materials:
Maple panels - bookbinding glue, acid free Miracle Muck (sourcetek), Lineco (utrecht) Claessens #66 oil primed linen gatorboard, light stain (50/50 burnt sienna, ultramarine blue)
Open Box M, carbon fiber tripod (light weight)
Holbein thinner container (better seal)
Sourcetek REI backpack - guaranteed for life!

take photo first - 1 1/2 hours to two hours max on subject 

IT'S NOT WHAT YOU PUT IN, IT'S WHAT YOU TAKE OUT Capture the essence, not literal translation 

1/2" brush from hardware store for 1.50

Thomas Moran Matt Smith Kevin MacPherson, Carlson

For your legacy you need to have some monumental paintings
Be selective - back it up!! (photographs) Monitor - Apple Cinema Display - 23" middle size

plein air study, color and value more accurate than photo darkest dark first crosshair division of panel  

It's all about color and value relationships 
generalize areas - rocks all dark - add lighter tones/highlights at end
charcoal drawing, indoors - change with towel, can move it easily draw it out
start with darks figure out value of mountain, add midtones and lightest areas top to bottom, leaving out the sky
as things recede, cooler and lighter
need to push value/color in paint
need mountain to sit back, lighter to get the difference in value
white cools and muddies
white - atmosphere use yellows to create warmth, get feeling of sunlight
think thin to thick - thick lights

Palette:  Titanium white, lemon yellow, yellow ochre, raw sienna, ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, alizarin crimson

reserve yout lights - opera singer, all high notes where do you go?

10 foot tree?  30 feet back Rocks - 80/20  or 90/10

need hard edges
pull the brush for tiny branches
three bushes are better than two
vertical dark brushmarks break up the block in add variety to base - go over with lighter color, sand use side of brush, parallel to panel rolls the brush in an arc for light on a shrub
white kills light use yellow to lighten
big shapes dark to light
small sketch to plan positioning

Laura Robb - master of edges

keep brushes very clean when doing sky
palette knife to put long narrow highlight on saguaro, thick mixture of white and raw sienna