Sample from Sherrie McGraw Workshop

I'm extremely late in posting pics from the Sherrie McGraw workshop I took back in April. I have wanted to study with Sherrie for a long time and was very excited to get the chance. The class was in Herndon VA--a rare opportunity that I hope she will consider again.

This picture is a sample of one of my paintings from the class. Very interesting concepts that I learned. I wish I had taken progression pictures because the painting changed a lot--after I thought I had completed my subject. I had to paint the peonies over several times at Sherrie's suggestion for a variety of very good reasons: The subject was too big (not allowing the viewer to travel into the painting), the darks weren't warm enough, the lights didn't define the subject enough, the leaves didn't create a mass, etc. All very good points! Several theories I want to explore are the fact that darks are warm and lights are cool when painting in natural light. I usually paint under hot lights so this is a reversal. That you block in the darks and pretty much leave them that way without much detail. That you make masses out of leaves (maybe you can see that in the midtone area above) with no distinction between them even though visually you can see difference.