Want to improve your painting skills, learn how to draw. This course will introduce students to the basic elements of drawing to be applied with their painting process. Perspective, shape, value, form and color, will be stressed to create the illusions needed for success. 

Course Structure:

1/3 Objective: Students will be introduced to basic drawing materials and uses. Students will be introduced to the square shape and using 1 point perspective, change it into a two dimensional cube form. This lesson will include 1 point perspective, light source, shading, and shadow.

1/10 Objective: Students will be introduced to three other elements of shape circle, triangle, rectangle. Using the ellipse, students will create 2 dimensional sphere, cone, cylinder forms. Using all 4 forms, students will create a 1 point perspective design including variety of size.

1/17 Objective: Students will be introduced to 2 point perspective. Students will create a cityscape using their choice of city location, season of the year, and period in history. 

1/24 Objective: Students will be introduced to the color wheel. Examples of color choices will be demonstrated using seascape and landscape elements. Center of interest and subject placement will be included with an understanding of foreground, midground and background.

Artist Statement

I am an oil painter living on the South Shore of Boston, MA. I enjoy painting subjects consisting of New England elements including seascapes, marshland, boats, blooms and cityscapes. I was awarded Copley Artist status and as a Juried Artist Member in Fine Arts at the Cape Cod Art Center. I have recently been juried into the South Shore Art Center Cohasset, MA as a Gallery Artist. I have also been an art educator, working in public and private institutions. My paintings stress a sense of time, place and perspective. I fracture my images with the application of paint using a palette knife. 

My major influences have been painting with Master Colorists Margaret McWethy and Sue Charles. My more recent influence has been with Kim Alemian, Realism to Abstraction explorative environment. 

I have been juried into recent national competitions and have completed commissions through out New England including the Langham Hotel Project, Boston, MA.

Want to break free from copying photos? Let’s mix it up to get more creative color choices. Pastel is our primary medium but other paints are welcome.

Week 1: Grisaille Underpainting

Although grisaille usually means gray, it has also come to mean any painting technique in which translucent colors are laid over a monotone underpainting. We will start with a full value range underpainting using just one color. That color will be determined by your reference material and your intension for the painting. Then through the use of broken color we will add colors in layers through scumbling or crosshatching.

Week 2: Reverse Complimentary

We will start with local color, then set it with alcohol. Using your color wheel, continue using just complimentary (opposite) colors. Try to leave some of your underpainting showing through to create some exciting color vibrations.

Week 3: The Power of Neutrals

Today we will work exclusively from black and white images. Think mood. Atmosphere. Subtlety.

Pre-select a palate of 12-15 neutral tones. Depending on your intension, choose a surface color that will enhance your objective. Decide if an underpainting will help your goal. You may have a full or narrow range of values.

Once your painting is 90% complete we will gather to discuss if the addition of any selective bolder colors might improve your painting.

Week 4: Painting Directly 

Alla Prima. No underpainting.

We will start with 2 quick timed exercises. The focus will be on bold mark making.

Paper: 2 sheets of 8x10 mid-toned sanded paper plus one larger sheet of the same color

Week 5: Adding  a Figure or Animal to a Landscape

We’ll spend extra time pre-planning and working out your ideal composition before you begin painting

Week 6: Painting the Portrait in Strong Light

Bring in portrait photos shot with one direct strong light source and a clear dark and light side of the face. Through a series of steps we will focus on the planes, shapes, proportions, and values of the head.

Week 7 - 9: TBD depending on desires of the group

The focus could be on anatomy, sky, water, dramatic light, atmospheric mood, Brusho watercolor crystals, creating your own textured surface, black paper...

Week 10: Bring in Your Duds!

(JK, I mean your unfinished potential marvels.)

Please bring in anything unfinished, or earlier work that you could now improve on. We will start with a group critique and talk about suggestions you could try. An open mind is needed today. No fear in experimenting on duds! 

Note: Nailing your values in your underpainting or your direct painting is critical to the success of a strong work of art. Color seduces, but values have substance.

The goal of the class will be to demystify watercolors, from Planning, Materials, Composition, Washes, Shapes, Perspective, Values, Edges and anything else that comes up. 

Watercolor artist Jack Haran is the past president of the New England Watercolor Society (NEWS) and past President of North River Arts Society (NRAS). He sits on the Board of Directors for NRAS. He earned a BS in Fine Arts from Northeastern University and a School of the Museum of Fine Arts Diploma. He has studied with Tony Van Hasselt and Judi Wagner, Zygmond Jankowski, John Kilroy, Alvaro Castagnet and Joseph Zbukvic.

This is an open studio session available to North River Arts Society members, limited to 12 artists per day, first come, first served. Spend 3 hours on Monday mornings working on your art alongside fellow artists; get feedback, feel inspired and just enjoy each other’s company! 

Are you drawn to the power of abstract painting? Would you like to experience the feeling of joy at layering colors on a canvas? Do you have curiosity about mark making and the whole ‘why’ of it?  Join us on Thursday mornings - all levels - to dive deep into Intuitive Abstract Painting. Each week we will work with our intuition and desire for beautiful color… tempered by neutrals that push them forward. Be brave. Let yourself try. We use composition, value and line… just like traditional painting, but we go beyond objects, and paint in a non-objective style. It’s a Happy Place for painting. Small class, lots of support. 

This is a class for those who want to carve and paint a wooden bird but have never tried it, or have tried it and want to do more, or carve lots of birds and want to do it for fun.  We will complete two birds, a shorebird and a 1/3rd sized loon.  Pine cutouts and all materials needed are provided.  You must provide your own woodcarving knife. 

Contact Kevin Dunn 781 837-3786 if you have questions.