Artist Workshops

My husband Jackie and I host workshops for artists. 

If you are an artist you understand about workshops. If you are not a painter, just think of it as education and continuing education for artists.

These workshops are for students, intermediate artists and professionals. Sometimes the students are professional artists studying with another artist that they admire. Sometimes even the professional artist instructors themselves study with the other professional artists that they admire! No artist ever stops learning and we all learn a lot from each other. 

I see lots of different styles of painting and work that I admire and their work styles range a lot. We recently invited and hosted a workshop with Anne Blair Brown. Her work is loose and she has beautiful sense of color relationships within her works. A lot of what I love about here work is the beautiful colorful "grays" she mixes. I also like the way she lays in the work on the canvas. She limits her brushstrokes and some of the exercises she had the students do was to "count" brushstrokes and to keep it under 40 strokes. What a challenge!

Anne talks with students at lunch break on the square in Pontotoc, MS

Anne's demo on the square.

Ann was so caring about her students needs. She is a good clear communicator and her demos also speak. She painted several demos at the student's request and had them painting some of the scenes in our little town that drew the mayor, editor of our newspaper and reporter, and the director of our chamber of commerce to our painting site in the middle of our little park area of our downtown square! One of the local opticians downtown also came out and even joined our group the last day of the workshop.

In June - a few days after the Plein Air Richmond, I will be teaching a workshop with the Delta Art Association. There are lots of great artists in the delta and I love to paint that area. Here are some of my paintings of the delta:

If you are interested in this workshop please contact Iris Mitchell at lilyiris@suddenlink.net for details. This is for the Delta Art Association in Greenville, MS and they may want to put you on a wait list until the members have a chance to register unless you are already a member. Not sure how that will work.

  In July we have artist Lori Putnam from Nashville here teaching her still life workshop. I like her work- especially her still life work and we are looking forward to hosting here here for the first time. This workshop is full for now- but do let me know if you want on the waiting list. There could be an opening last minute- you just never know! Here is a painting I did in Memphis when I took here workshop. It is very loose:

Sunflowers 20x 16 ©2011 Dot Courson, Oil

Here is one of Lori Putnam's works:

Painting ©Lori Putnam, Oil

New!
We have added another workshop this fall. Robert (Bob) Harper will be back again and we love Bob. He is one of the most energetic and funny and sharing instructors you will ever meet. Here is a painting of his behind country recording artist Amy Grant.

Amy Grant bought his painting - actually Vince Gill bought it for her --and she loved it so much that she put a larger copy of it on the stage for her DVD that won a Grammy. That is amazing to me to see Bob's beautiful painting that large. What a huge honor. That image had to help account for Grammy!

I have not started advertising spots for Bob's workshop yet but if you are reading this and want in to it please let us know. Dates are October 22-24- That is a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday-3 full days and is $295. Contact us at artist@dotcourson.com to register. 

Painting- FUN!! ...Washing Brushes - Not too bad!!!

What can be more fun than painting?

Especially in the fall! This is a photo from the side back of our yard looking back toward the house.


Below is a photo of me that Jackie, my husband took without my permission today. I'm painting the trees right behind our house and studio. My studio is upstairs and overlooks the woods. but I had to be outside to feel the light and be eye level with the trees. I have been working outside on this daily at 4PM - but today it was 3 as time changed last night:...

It was a pretty day today!  Here is Scaredy- my cat today - she always keeps me company!

Okay brush washing!
Awhile back a friend asked how I washed my brushes and suggested that I blog about it.
When I'm outside painting en plein air, I rinse my brushes in the portable brush washer and take it inside to my studio to re-rinse in a large vat of Gamisol that I have or wash them with my cleaner on the road. Sometimes I  just use white soap away from home to wash them daily.

...

The product at home that I use to wash my brushes I heard about from a workshop with David Leffel who let us use his Really Works. It is hard to find but I buy it from a friend  from Jackson and she is the only Mississippi distributor I think. Leave a note below or email me  if you'd like her email. address.

Clean brushes inspire me!!

These are my favorite Trekell brushes! I love them!
This whole set is only $39.20!!! 

 At home, I wash my brushes after several uses. I just rinse them after use in Gamisol in a vat and dip them in brush oil daily when I am finished painting.Weekly I wash them in  Really Works.
Currently in studio I am happy with the setup I have. Because I hate to wash brushes I was delighted that
Robert Harper told me about two products that I now use and love.
The first is an Army ammo box that you can get at Army surplus stores or E bay. I fill it about half way with Gamsol solvent.

Jackie (my wonderful husband and "hand model" here to the left) made me a wire mesh screen to fit the bottom so brushes can swipe across it without getting into the settled sludge.

The vat is perfect to wash out all the paint from brushes daily making sure all the paint is removed and they are almost clean bushes :

Kafka brush Oil  & Preservative  

Rubber seal on the ammo box closes tight to prevent evaporation & for travel!

• The other product that Bob Harper suggested was  Kafka Brush Oil and Preservative. Mine came from Dick Blick.  

Make sure the paint thoroughly removed by washing them by sloshing them back and forth  the Gamsol (which is purer and safer than turpentine or store brand odorless mineral spirits) or Turpenoid which comes from art supply stores. Then jjust dip (as pictured above) and wipe the excess oil off the bristles gently with a paper towel.

Once a week or so I clean the brushes as the above rinse and oil soak really does not remove all the paint form the ferrel of the brush. I dip the rinsed brushes into the Really Works....and wash them.

Washing brushes:

How to wash brushes: 

• Dip the brush into cleanser or liquid.
• Gently message the bristles from the ferrule working out toward the end of the brush. 
• Repeat rinsing between with warm or cool water until the suds are completely clean and 
• Also wash the handle at this time. 
• Do not splay brushes out when washing as it will dislodge, loosen, or break bristles.
• Do not use hot water - it may damage or loosen bristles. 
• Gently reshape the bristles and pat dry with a paper towel. NOTE: I lay them flat to dry so water doesn't flow back into the ferrule of the brush 

(BTW- a ferrule is the metal part that holds the bristles on the end of the brush.)

 I hear that Pine sol works well too, but I've not tried it. Really Works smells like pine Sol. I also use white soap occasionally. But Really Works will soak out old dried paint if you have a really messed up brush. I just wrap it up inplastic and leave it a couple of days and then wash it .It's saved a many a brush for me!

New brushes and an unfinished 20x24 plein air landscape I started lately in the woods near our home. 

That's it!  Happy brush washing and happy painting!