|
Liberace the Portrait Painter - a workshop review.
I think this is where I should post this.
My editorial thus far:
Liberace the portrait painter masterfully plays the notes like those of Sorolla, creating fresh color with glowing form and function.
Rob's workshop is not necessarily for the portrait artist who is complacent with an earthy palette but when one is ready or seeking a lively color, with fresh exuberance. His comparably limited palette stretches the imagination and challenges the artist to trust the skills that accompany great figurative art.
With his first demo, it is plainly apparent that Rob draws with the old master style of a William Whitaker indicating an axis and running with it. He quickly maps in the dark shadows popping a figure right off the page with a few broad strokes. There are no measuring tools, just incredible talent, skill and knowledge of anatomy not always found in an artist so young. Rob easily rolls the technical names of facial features of his tongue like one so richly versed in medical illustration like Peggy Baumgartner.
It is amazing to watch him create the structure of the head and catch perfect likeness with an audience of over 80 people hanging on his every word and stroke.
I will pick up more on the workshop days on my site and post the link when it is finished.
Here are a series of images from the 3.5 days spent with Rob in Bradenton, FL over the spring holiday.
The first is from his public demo. Shown looking at the sketch in progress during a break is forum member Holly Snyder. We thought a fella with a beard busy with his camera could have been Mike McCarty so I took a number of pictures of a stranger... fortunately I got to know him later. Unfortunately it wasn't Mike.
Next is Rob explaining his palette during the actual workshop. To his left is the grisaille he had demonstrated the day before.
We started our first morning with a series of three twenty-minute charcoals - this is one of mine.
|
Threaded Mode
