Elizabeth teaches ongoing weekly classes in her studio on
Tuesdays. They
meet from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM. Since space is limited, and since she wants to
give each person personal time, the classes are limited to a 8 students
maximum; check with Elizabeth for openings. There are demonstrations
and short talks, but most of the teaching is done by personal mentoring.
Each person works on projects of their own choosing. Elizabeth teaches her masking and glazing technique,
design, color, qualities of particular paints, and other
painting-related issues. As needed, other topics are discussed. Some examples
are: copyright, matting and framing, interaction with galleries, entering
juried shows, and choice of equipment.
Elizabeth paints in a very realistic style, but many of her students have
chosen to paint in other styles. The techniques that she uses are equally
applicable to other, more abstracted ideas.
Elizabeth's Workshops
I teach two and five day workshops, and the fee is $200 and $500, accordingly. I
live in Kirkland, which is an eastern suburb of Seattle WA. I live on the eastern
slope of Finn Hill, with lots of parks around and a view of the Cascade mountain
range and Mt. Rainier from our house. I will provide lunch and morning coffee for
the group, so we are free to paint all day. The class will be in my home class room.
I have a large room, 26 feet square in the daylight basement of my house, which
is on a steeply sloping lot. The room has windows and a sliding door opening to
the back yard, and a gas fireplace for cozy heat on the very unlikely chance it
will be cool here in the summertime. The room also has a large sink and long counter.
We will work from photos, and I will be doing demos to teach my masking and glazing
technique, as well as a lot about how to pull a painting together to make an impact
and be full of light. I will be working individually with each student quite a bit,
as well as frequent demonstrations, and we would build from what you know. I'll
be teaching the masking and glazing technique that my book covers, as well as capturing
light in paintings.
I demonstrate a flower or animal, but I want you to pick subjects that you are excited
about. That's why I don't assign subjects. The emphasis is on design and
technique, which makes subject matter much less important. I will be teaching you
how to take the potential in your photograph and maximize the strength of the painting
you can make from it. You will learn how to apply basic design principles in order
to create the most impact, how to create the illusion of light falling on a three
dimensional object on a two dimensional surface. Manipulating value relationships,
choosing strong color combinations, giving shapes the right edge quality (i.e. soft
or hard edges), ways to add texture - all of these will be covered. At the end I
will be demonstrating how to pull it all together to make the finished painting
work, how to tell when a painting is finished, and what to do when there are problems
that need fixing. The class size will be limited to no more than 12 students - small
enough for me to work with each student individually, as well as the demonstrations
I will be giving each day.
Your gear will take up less space if you work on quarter sheet paper (11x14), but
the 2x4 foot table each student will have is large enough to work on half sheet
size. If you've already been painting you can bring what you already have, and
just add the things that are missing from the supply list. Be sure to ask me if
you are uncertain about what to bring.
To register, you need to send a check for a 50% deposit, and I will let you know
when I receive it, and send you the supply list. The remainder is due before the
class begins. My address is: 9515 NE 137th Street Kirkland WA 98034. My phone
number is (425) 823-9420. There are lots of motels and bed and breakfasts in the
area, and I can send you a list if you need that. The airport to take here is the
SeattleTacoma (Sea-Tac) International Airport, south of Seattle - about an hour
drive from here, except during rush hour.