ALIA FINE ART STUDIOS

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA

October 17-19, 2025

Making a painting is an act of organization. Color is arranged, interlocked, and layered to create a compositional whole. In this 3-day workshop, students will work from life, visually analyzing and depicting still life subjects. The painting process will be simplified, clarified, and broken down into manageable stages as we hone sensitivity to color, confidently mix on the palette, and apply paint with intention.

Abstract concepts are at the heart of representation, and this connection guides the translation of our observable world onto canvas. In this class, we will first address the importance of accurate drawing and a clearly established value structure. This framework is rooted in the idea of shape, which is central to creating a cohesive sense of light and the illusion of form. Building on this foundation, we will verbally identify the components of colors in order to recreate them on the palette, focusing on the relative nature of this process. We will also discuss varied paint application in the creation of a richly crafted surface. All levels of experience are welcome.

TOWNSEND ATELIER

CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSES

April 11-13, 2025

Oil paint is widely regarded as a challenging medium. Many artists are intimidated by the variety of materials involved, the mess, or the slow drying time. These qualities can feel like obstacles, leading some to avoid oil painting altogether. In this 3-day class for beginning to intermediate painters, we will strip the oil painting process down to its essentials. The goal will be to simplify and clarify by minimizing materials and isolating key concepts. Students will learn how to organize and set up a palette, mix colors cleanly and intentionally with a palette knife, and apply paint with control using brushes. Basic color theory and value structure will be covered as we build comfort and confidence with the medium. Mornings will be dedicated to quick exercises and demonstrations. Afternoons will be for applying these techniques to create a single still life painting from observation.

TOWNSEND ATELIER

CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE

February 17-21, 2025

This 5-day course is designed to clarify and simplify the oil painting process. Each day will offer an isolated look at one of the following principles: shape, value, color, form, surface. We will work directly from a varied still life of manmade and natural objects, organizing observations into images that convey light and space. Compositional tools, value studies, and color theory exercises will facilitate these explorations.

The “nuts and bolts” of painting – accurate drawing, color analysis, and clean mixing – will be covered for those who are aiming to build skill and familiarity with the medium. For experienced painters who are looking to hone their practice, we will also address edge quality, paint application, and the elusive question of “finish”. Lectures and demonstrations will accompany independent work time, which will be guided by one-on-one instruction.

WARRIOR ART CAMP

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

May 17-19, 2024

In this dynamic outdoor class, students will spend 3 days capturing the striking flora of LA’s parks and gardens. Flowers and foliage, in their endless colors, shapes, and textures, offer abundant material for the observational painter. Careful looking and intentional color mixing will direct our efforts as we complete three one-shot studies from life. Through the translation of complex visual information onto canvas, we will sharpen our understanding of value structure, hone sensitivity to color, and gain control of the painting medium. Emphasis on simplification and shape will promote cohesive compositions that achieve the effects of light, form, and space. Paint application and edge quality will also be addressed in the building of a richly layered surface.

Acrylic paint, with its quick dry time and ease of cleanup, encourages deliberate painting decisions and streamlines the logistics of working outside. Christina will paint with acrylics and will teach with this medium in mind, but students may work in gouache if they prefer.

Working “en plein air” presents unique challenges - fleeting light, weather elements, moving subjects, and a public setting. The context of this course calls for quick decisions and adaptability to change. Flexibility will be essential as we embrace unpredictability and cultivate responsiveness to our environment and subjects.

MANIFEST DRAWING CENTER

CINCINNATI, OHIO

April 12-14, 2024

Participants will experience guided plein air painting at the historic Manifest Drawing Center facility and its grounds. Immerse yourself in the beauty of spring as we explore small moments in the landscape, honing in on the vibrant colors, striking geometry, and intricate forms of plants. Over the course of 3 days, students will develop an oil painting from start to finish, layering observations to create a richly built surface. Emphasis will be on accurate drawing, value structure, and color relationships as we organize botanical complexity onto canvas.

With direct observation at the heart of our process, we will address the unique challenges of working outside, an endeavor that demands adaptation to an ever-changing environment. Unpredictabilities of light, weather, and movement resist traditional methods of depiction and confront our notions about representation. How do you paint the play of shadows, the dance of leaves, or the unfolding of a flower? These are the questions we will ask as we strike a balance between control and chaos, capturing something true about the nature of our living subjects.

TOWNSEND ATELIER

CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE

February 5-9, 2024

This 5-day course is designed to clarify and simplify the oil painting process. Each session will offer an isolated look at one of the following principles: shape, value, color, form, and surface. We will work directly from a still life of both man-made and natural objects, organizing observations into images that convey light and space. Compositional tools, value studies, and color theory exercises will facilitate these explorations.

The “nuts and bolts” of painting will be covered – accurate drawing, color analysis, clean mixing – for those who are aiming to build skill and familiarity with the medium. For experienced painters who are looking to hone their practice, we will also address edge quality, paint application, and the elusive question of “finish”. Lectures and demonstrations will accompany independent work time, which will be guided by one-on-one instruction.

ALIA FINE ART STUDIOS

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA

October 6-8, 2023

Plants, in their endless variety of forms, offer abundant material for the observational artist. In this class we will capture nature’s intricacies through the drawing of an overgrown botanical still life (in studio). Stems, leaves, branches, and petals will guide our explorations of line, shape, value, and texture.

Using a range of black and white media —pencil, collage, ink—we will employ various approaches for taking on tangles of foliage, from short exercises that demand quick responses, to longer studies that call for deep looking. A review of drawing basics, including proportion, spatial relationships, and value structure, will help us organize and compose layers of visual information. Although emphasis will be on accurate representation, students will be encouraged to respond expressively to and with the subject and tools.

TOWNSEND ATELIER

CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE

February 17-19, 2023

In this 3-day oil painting workshop, we will breathe life into a classic genre by encouraging change in our subjects. Working from an evolving setup is one way of bringing freshness and flexibility into the studio. One canvas will be developed over the course of the class, where painters and paintings must adapt to arrangements that are altered through both deliberate and passive means. Quick decisions and gut responses will guide our compositions as components rearrange, wither, bloom, or disappear.

This open, dynamic process will be anchored in careful observation, with emphasis on accurate drawing, shape, value structure, and color relationships. Paint application and edge quality will also be prioritized in the creation of a richly layered surface.

ALIA FINE ART STUDIOS

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA

October 14–16, 2022

This class, taught on site at Juniper Level Gardens, will be an introduction to painting flowers and foliage, from observation, in an outdoor setting. We will indulge in the color, texture, geometry, and movement of plants as we build an oil painting from the ground up. Focus will be on accurate drawing, value structure, and color relationships as we organize complex form and space into shapes on canvas. Paint application and edge quality will also be emphasized in the creation of a rich, layered surface.

We will address the joys and challenges of working “en plein air” – fleeting light, unpredictable weather, and shifting surroundings. As we grapple with and embrace the ever-changing nature of our living subjects, the painting will emerge as a document of that experience.