Fresh From a Saper Workshop

[Carol Norton]

Fresh from a recent Chris Saper Workshop, ("For Love or Money" at Scottsdale Artists' School), it is difficult to stop enthusing.

Each member of our class expressed their appreciation for her dedication to making our experience one of great and practical merit. It was evident from her extensive planning that she had made our 5 days of study important to her. Many of us have experienced classes where the artist/teacher's instructional skills have been a disappointment. There is no doubt that each one of us left the week levels above where we had been the week before.

To begin, each student was presented with a notebook containing a daily overview of the week's lessons, a business plan outline designed for portrait painters and relevant articles. Photography, sizing, color, light and shadow, color mixtures and composition were some of the topics covered.

Each day's lessons were met with clarity, variety and efficiency.
Highlights of the week were many but one of the most discussed lessons during student breaks was the demonstration of how greatly different a subject appears in a photograph from that of a live subject. It is a very different thing to be TOLD that fact, but to SEE and compare it first hand is quite powerful. Lessons on photography and model set - up were taught to enable us to paint from the best reference material.

During model breaks, we gathered for specific lessons that she called her "labs." There we saw examples of paintings from slides in a Power Point presentations. Q & A sessions often followed.

The week of February 26 and the Chris Saper workshop, "For Love or Money" has been one of the most valuable experiences in my career as an artist. For anyone who is fortunate enough to study with her, it is a promise that you will leave with Love, (gratitude) AND hopefully, more Money.






























Every minute counted and "No slacking!" was her reminder. Each artist was assigned to an easel, allowing for no loss of classroom time. The atmosphere was focussed, respectful, and relaxed. Each day was peppered with humor creating the prefect atmosphere for learning.

Highlights of the week were many but one of the most discussed lessons during student breaks was the demonstration of how greatly different a subject appears in a photograph from that of a live subject. It is a very different thing to be TOLD that fact, but to SEE and compare it first hand is quite powerful. Lessons on photography and model set - up were taught to enable us to paint from the best reference material.


During model breaks, we gathered for specific lessons that she called her "labs." There we saw examples of paintings from slides in a Power Point presentations. Q & A sessions often followed.


The week of February 26 and the Chris Saper workshop, "For Love or Money" has been one of the most valuable experiences in my career as an artist. For anyone who is fortunate enough to study with Chris, it is a promise that you will leave with Love, (gratitude) AND Money.