‘Modern Impressionism’
Medium: Oils
 Art work by Colley Whisson In January Stephanie and I attended a week long workshop in Bathurst at the Mitchell School of Arts Summer School. The Summer School is organised by The Art Scene and Colley Whisson was our tutor.
Colley is a warm and dedicated teacher. He was well organised and always started workshops on time (which is more than can be said for myself or Stephanie; we were always a little late – especially back from morning tea!). Colley made sure that he worked with each and every person in the class every day. The physicality of the workshop left us both exhausted at the end of each day but eager to learn more every morning.
Colley guided us through demonstrations to reproduce some of his paintings – ranging from landscapes and still life to chickens! This is a style of teaching that echoes the master/apprentice style of learning. By doing (or attempting to do) what Colley has taken years to master, we all gained an enormous amount of knowledge and skill.
 Art work by Colley Whisson
So what did we learn?
First we learnt that Colley works from a limited colour palette which enables him to deftly and surely mix the correct colours to create the strong lights and darks you see in his paintings. And he also only uses three brushes!
The process that Colley uses is to:
- Apply a thin wash, using oil paint and gum turps, for all the dark areas in the painting. Make sure to notice and paint the largest shapes – not objects! To keep your light areas – wipe back paint with clean rag.
- Build up the second layer of shadows and use cooler colours in the background and warmer colours in the foreground. Keep light areas thin. From here on we didn’t use turps at all but used a Lean Medium by Archival Oils to thin our paint. This alkyd medium is fast drying allowing us to finish a painting in a day!
- The next layer allows us to adjust our compositions to ensure that the focal point is strong with crisp sharp edges to contrast the darks and the light. The remainder of composition is somewhat lacking in detail so as to sharpen the details and tonal difference in the focal area of the painting.
- Remember to use varied brushstrokes to add depth and interest to your painting. (Colley’s brushstrokes are masterful and I liked to call him the ‘magician’ as he could use a large sized brush and manipulate it for large interesting strokes and smaller dabs here and there).
- The final layer is where we were let loose to fill in the details, the highlights and accents – those subtle touches that tie everything together and bring the painting alive!
 Art work by Colley Whisson If you can consistently apply and master this methodology you can paint any subject matter to create an impressionist style painting that should be a “work of art”!
Here are some more tips from Colley:
- Three important aspects to consider:
- Think Tone, Light – Dark, Warm Cool
- Shape
- Edge
- Wipe your brush clean on a rag between each and every colour change – do NOT use turps as this thins the paint causing cracks as well as muddy colours.
- Whilst you can have duller flatter backgrounds, foreground has to use clean warmer colours.
- The key is to get just enough visual information but not too much except in the focal area.
- To develop your skills do one month of drawing then one month of painting. This will speed up your progress enormously.
- Do one still life per week. Short 30 minute studies in oil – this will help you to learn to see tonal variations.
- Break up your horizontal lines in a painting.
- Do not mix your colours on your canvas – just place and leave it otherwise you will get muddy colours
Group members were very supportive and it was encouraging and interesting, as always, to see how others interpret their work even while working from the exact same painting.
Review by Teresa and Stephanie
For more information about the Mitchell School of Arts in Winter - 4th to 10th July 2010 click here.
 Please download the brochure for details or phone the Art Scene office on 02 9807 6900 for a copy of the brochure to be sent to you.
You can also join Colley at the Mitchell School of Arts in Summer 2011
Workshop Participants with Len in the foreground
Colley Whisson was born 1966 and commenced painting at 20. He considers himself to be a modern impressionist painter. His paintings are filled with light and abstract content. He is the author of two books & demonstration DVD’s. Colley continues to build his reputation on the national and international stage.
For a full list of Colley's workshop dates & venues please download Colley's Workshop Schedule for 2010
Colley Whisson Solo Exhibition
Jenny Pihan Fine Art
595a Hampton St
Hampton, Melbourne Australia
Opening Night @ 6pm
Thursday 26th August, 2010
(Concludes Sunday 5th September, 2010) |
