3.31.2015

PLEIN AIR PAINTING TRIP @ POINT LOBOS, MONTEREY



Just returned from a plain air painting trip to Point Lobos, Monterey with my good friend Ignat Ignatov.
Unbelievable coastline and equally unbeliebvable weather…great times!

Did quite a few 'poster' studies over a four-day period:






















































3.10.2015

2-DAY LANDSCAPE 'POSTER' PAINTING WORKSHOP





This landscape painting workshop will take the Poster Study outdoors, which is an incredible exercise. The Poster Study is a portrait of the LIGHT. It is a color study that conveys the kind and quality of light within the visual field.

I'm thrilled to offer this workshop because I know how much this type of intelligent observation and comparison has advanced my Art in an out of the studio.

For more information, please contact me at rwurmser@yahoo.com


SPRING FIGURATIVE INTENSIVE @ STUDIO 909








SPRING FIGURATIVE INTENSIVE
STUDIO 909/Contemporary Figurative Atelier
Thousand Oaks, CA

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

After a successful Winter Figurative Intensive—2015, with an emphasis on drawing and painting the model from Life, I am excited to offer a curriculum where students can further delve into the Principles and Techniques of Painting from Life. This semester we will be even more attentive to the Principles of Color and Light, through our extended focus on four main exercises:
  1. Plane of Light Drawing
  2. Poster Study
  3. Plane of Light Color Study
  4. Rounding Study
Students will learn how to conceptualize the fall of light over the human figure and how to create that illusion with paint.

The greater part of my instruction is based on the clear exposition of underlying VISUAL PRINCIPLES. These are essentially abstract qualities embedded in the reality of what we see. I will draw heavily from a book that I am currently working on, which discusses ART as a VISUAL LANGUAGE, comprised of visual ELEMENTS and PRINCIPLES. VISUAL ELEMENTS are WHAT we see. VISUAL PRINCIPLES are HOW we see.

My teaching is a compilation of perceptual, conceptual and physical exercises. It introduces unmistaken principles from a unique, unbroken, master-apprentice tradition, and cultivates them in the student through daily studio practice and critiques. The aim is to understand the figure visually, and as a living design — its structure, nature, character and the play of light upon it.

The Spring Figurative Intensive—2015 will be geared towards PAINTING with an emphasis on TRADITIONAL METHODS & MATERIALS. Students will receive real-time coaching and critique at their workstations, weekly lecture-demonstrations, and adequate time to study and practice the teaching on their own, in the life class.

The FIGURATIVE INTENSIVE program will be ongoing from one semester to the next. With continued enthusiasm and commitment, students will see a steady progression over time. Other types of courses will be offered as workshops throughout the year. 

For more information, please contact me at rwurmser@yahoo.com





1.28.2014

UPCOMING 2-DAY WEEKEND WORKSHOPS @ BACAA : MARCH 29-30/2014 : MAY 3-4/2014





2-DAY WEEKEND WORKSHOPS @ BACAA :
MARCH 29-30/2014 : MAY 3-4/2014




“THE CUTTING EDGE OF ‘SCIENCE’ IS ‘REDUCTIONISM’, THE BREAKING APART OF ‘NATURE’ INTO ITS NATURAL CONSTITUENTS.” 
~ Dr. Edward O. WILSON, Ph.D.



Learning how to paint TRADITIONALLY is very much like learning in SCIENCE. ‘REDUCTIONISM’ in Art Training is the isolated study and practice of VISUAL FUNDAMENTALS. Consistent EFFORT and ATTENTION is required in order to UNDERSTAND VISUAL PRINCIPLES which can DEVELOP PERCEPTUAL SKILLS and IMPROVE TECHNICAL FACILITY. Students learn how to SEE, HOW THINGS WORK, and how to COMMUNICATE that understanding REPRESENTATIONALLY in a more EFFECTIVE and EFFICIENT manner.

In December of 2013, I conducted my first weekend-workshop (W-W) with BACAA. I introduced two (2) main concepts of figure drawing and painting: THE INNER MOVEMENT CURVE (LINE OF FIRE) and a PLANE OF LIGHT DRAWING.
In future two-day workshops, I will build upon the knowledge shared in the previous workshops, which will provide students with an outline of things to study more in depth. These classes may be expanded into longer, more comprehensive workshops in the future.

MARCH 29-30/2014:

On Saturday morning (Day 1), there will be a full introduction (First Lecture/Demo) to basic COLOR THEORY including the following:
·       PIGMENT QUALITIES
·       PROPERTIES & PRINCIPLES OF COLOR
·       SPECTRAL COLOR MIXING and HARMONIES
·       COMPLIMENTARY COLOR MIXING
·       LAWS OF COLOR HARMONY
·       COLOR & PALETTE SCALES

The POSTER STUDY is a STUDY of the LIGHT—a study of the KIND and QUALITY of LIGHT in the VISUAL FIELD (See the gallery of images). The PLANE OF LIGHT STUDY is a more advanced POSTER STUDY. 

In the afternoon, there will be a full-demonstration (Second Lecture-Demo) of a PLANE OF LIGHT STUDY including the following:
·       PROPERTIES & PRINCIPLES of LIGHT and COLOR
·       ORIENTATION and PROXIMITY
·       COLOR MIXING
·       FIGURE-GROUND REALTIONSHIPS and LEVELS OF ‘TONAL’ CONTRAST

On Sunday morning and afternoon (Day 2), students will have all-day try their hand at a Plane of Light Study. There will be one-on-one critiques throughout the day.


MAY 3-4/2014:

This weekend-workshop will be a continuation of the April W-W (above) and students are highly encouraged to enroll in BOTH.
The class will run very similar to the April W-W (above)—the only difference will be that the PLANE OF LIGHT STUDY Lecture/Demonstration will be done in the morning leaving the reast of Saturday afternoon and all-day Sunday to do two of your own studies.

The POSTER STUDY and the PLANE OF LIGHT STUDY are the most important instructional tools in figurative painting.



FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT :
















DYNAMIC TRIANGULAR CONFIGURATIONS IN SPACE (3-D CONSTELLATIONS) & PLANE OF LIGHT DRAWINGS (NOTAN) : 2013






























WORKSHOP/DEMONSTRATIONS : 2013