What a week!
I'm a little late getting here because I left for a hiking trip to Glacier National Park in Montana and Canada the day after our workshop was over.
I have not been able to get my brushes out since then! I was thinking of Marvin's palette and beautiful demo painting of Brooke many times while hiking. Many times I just wanted to beam myself back in time to the Greensboro studio - still watching him paint!! What a great week I had.
Planning a workshop with a large group, and a college rule list a mile long, dorm rooms, etc. was a lot more than we thought it would be (I'm sure Renee doesn't mind me speaking for her). There were many times when Renee and I could hardly watch or listen to Marvin, much less paint (hahaha) due to troubleshooting the latest minor disaster. All in all we blazed through the week, literally, and loved every second of it (well, almost!)
The best thing I can say after being a participant in Marvin Mattelson's workshop is - I feel confident that his palette is the ANSWER to my problems with Color and Value. His research into the colors used by his teacher, John Murray, who studied with Frank Reilley (sp), has enabled him to form a palette, which for many others and me is very mixable, believable and beautiful. I am so amazed at how easily I absorbed the information he shared with us during class, which lasted from 8:30 each morning until sometimes way after class time was over. I say "absorbed" in a general way. I will have to paint and paint some more each day in order to truly learn to use this palette well. That is to be expected from anything new. I do know, as Tom said, this palette has beautiful skin colors that work together in amazing ways. I can't believe how simple yet how complex it is. Marvin has it all figured out and all we have to do is concentrate on developing the artistry.
Marvin's teaching technique is parallel in quality with his knowledge of the subject matter. If there was a question, Marvin had the answer and then some. He taught non-stop even while dining in the beautiful Greensboro College cafeteria at lunch. He loved sharing all his knowledge with all of us. Anecdotal stories from Marvin's life experiences always kept us in stitches as well. We all had a few of our own too!
Our models never left - ate lunch and dinners with us too - I guess we were just a fun group. Husbands joined us in the evenings a couple of times and that added to the crowd too. We learned so much from Marvin and each other.
Our group of students was diverse and energetic. There were those that nurtured others and painted silently, listening all the while ( Patt Legg, Donna Claybrook, Frankie Olmstead, Irene Bailey and Alicia Kornick come to mind), those who asked questions everyone else wanted to (Beth Schott, Renee and myself come to mind, ehhe), those who inspired others with their innate ability (Tom Edgerton and Irene Bailey come to mind!) as well as those who just mixed the colors fervently, picking Marvin's brain at every turn (the majority of us!!). Some were frustrated with their progress but realized why they were frustrated - and that is the important part! In order to progress, a little pain is involved, some realizations and truths about our own roadblocks which we have been ignoring and stumbling over again and again. Those roadblocks were broken through for those of us who listened and faced our insecurities and tried to move forward with Marvin's lessons. In hindsight, much of what we learned from Marvin was always there in our painting bank - just all jumbled up with too much reading and comparative shopping! I feel calm and centered now about my painting and hope to be able to post a finished painting soon using all the tools that Marvin shared with me at our workshop.
As a result of our workshop - we, the North Carolina painters who attended, are going to form a N. C. Portrait Society. That is a giant step and the idea came after being together for the first time at the workshop. We want to get together to paint every few months, hire a model and compare notes. This is another wonderful thing that came from the workshop. We just didn't have enough time together and this will be a way to keep in touch in a professional as well as personal level.
We, Renee and I, will be posting scanned pictures from our workshop as soon as I receive the pictures from Renee to scan. Her scanner is on the blink and the pictures are in the mail.
When my husband, Mike, arrived the last hour of the workshop on the last day and saw Marvin cleaning his brushes, which are kept in a perfectly patentable designed contraption for travel as well as studio use, all in order of size as well as value he said, "I knew when I saw the condition of his brushes that he was all right and he can sure come work in my lab anytime" (chemistry lab, that is).
I only wish I had Marvin living right down the street to critique my work once every day! Too bad New York City is such a long way from here. We'll have to wait for another time and keep in touch. I hope everyone who gets a chance to study with Marvin will get as much out of working with him as I did. He truly is a gem and a Master Painter.
Denise
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