Color – Art Monk

The Lemon Branches

By: Melissa July 3, 2017July 1, 2018

Color, Painting, Process, Still Life, Year Threecontemporaryrealism, floralpainting, lemons, naturamorta, paintfromlife, paintingprocess, realism, stilllifepainting3 Comments

For the third year in a row the school year has ended in a blur of events, travel, scramble-scramble-scrambling to finish paintings, shows, trying to ignore distractingly good weather and not getting nearly enough sleep. There’s so much about Third Year I want to share with you and have record of before immersing in summer…

Alla Prima Portrait Workshop with Irvin Rodriguez

By: Melissa April 8, 2017January 6, 2018

Color, Technique, Year ThreeLeave a Comment

Last week I took a super fun and extremely challenging alla prima portrait workshop instructed by a great young painter named Irvin Rodriguez. Irvin and I met almost a year ago at the Frye Museum while I was copying a painting in the gallery. He introduced himself and asked if I was training in an atelier, because…

My Teacher’s Paintings

By: Melissa December 18, 2016January 6, 2018

Art History, Color, PaintingLeave a Comment

In trying to understand color I’ve been looking through my teacher’s archives and seeing her work with new eyes. I haven’t actually written about her directly, though I suppose I write about her indirectly quite a lot. Before I’ve always found her paintings beautiful but could never name what was so magical about them. Now as I…

Limes, Figures and the End of Fall

By: Melissa December 11, 2016January 6, 2018

Color, Grisaille, Paintingpaintfromlife, stilllifepainting4 Comments

(Featured image, Etude in Green, 8 x 10 oil on canvas board, available) Five weeks have passed since the end of the Randy pose and, because (cruelly) progress is not linear, it has been one unsatisfying figure painting experience after another but the limes were truly a joy.

Lemons

By: Melissa October 15, 2016January 6, 2018

Color, featured, Grisaille, Painting, Technique, Year Three3 Comments

Last week, the day before my 32nd birthday, I finished a 6×8″ still life study of three lemons. One lemon sits in a silver parfait dish, which I bought at a collectibles shop that was painful to leave with only this cup.

Portrait Workshop with Gregory Mortenson

By: Melissa September 22, 2016January 6, 2018

Color, Painting, Workshop, Year Three2 Comments

In August I took a two-week portrait workshop in New York at Jacob Collins’ atelier, Grand Central Academy (GCA). The workshop was taught by Gregory Mortenson who does beautiful portrait work.

“The Poet”

By: Melissa May 3, 2016October 15, 2016

Art History, Color, Life Room, Painting, Year Two2 Comments

The end of the year is nigh!

Pastel Workshop, Year Two

By: Melissa April 20, 2016October 15, 2016

Color, Drawing, Year TwoLeave a Comment

On Friday we finished up our yearly pastel drawing workshop lead by one of our assistant teachers David.

February and the Shadow Side

By: Melissa March 12, 2016October 15, 2016

Art History, Color, Life Room, Painting, Year Two4 Comments

(Featured image: Study of a Male Nude by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, 1801) A week ago I finished my second figure painting using a limited color palette.