Studio Art Workshops 2010

The following is a list of specialized studio art workshops that Ephraim will be offering this year through The Art Students League of New York. Class sizes will be limited.

Studio 6 Workshop in Color Spot Oil Painting
Week 1: Monday–Friday, March 1–5, 8:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Week 2: Monday–Friday, March 8–12, 8:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
(Instructor present each day)

Color spot oil painting is a method of direct painting developed in the early decades of the twentieth century by Charles Hawthorne and later by his student and assistant, Edwin Dickinson. Although aspects of color spot painting go all the way back to Baroque painting, Hawthorne and Dickinson were the first to organize entire canvases and elaborate compositions by means of the color spot.

A color spot is a piece of color, large or small, that has been observed and abstracted from the appearance of nature and applied directly to the white canvas in discrete notes. Color spot painting is as direct a method as exists––you aim to hit the mark right at first, and not go back (or go back as little as possible) so as not to destroy the integrity of the network of spots.

This workshop will provide an intensive introduction to color spot painting, emphasizing the role of the viewfinder, the plumb line, the relationship between the object and its environment, and how to set up the initial key of the painting.

Florence Workshop
April 23rd - May 8th, 2010

For the fourth year in a row, the Art Students League is sponsoring two-week workshops in Florence, Italy. This year’s trip runs April 23 to May 8, and Ephraim Rubenstein will be leading a workshop.

Students on the trip share comfortable, fully-furnished apartments with kitchens, provided by the League’s partner: Studio Art Centers International (SACI) in Florence. Days mix classes in SACI’s well-equipped studios, outdoor work, trips to museums, independent excursions, and the freedom to experience the beautiful birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and the home of a vibrant contemporary art scene.

In Florence, art is not only in the museums - it is out in the streets. Considered by many to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Florence was made famous by the buildings, paintings and sculptures by artists such as Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Giotto.

Come study and work in the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. We will paint in the streets, the gardens and along the Arno, and visit the churches, museums, and collections that house some of the greatest artworks in the West.

Plein Air Landscape Painting
Section 1: Monday–Friday, June 14–18, 8:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Section 2: Monday–Friday, August 2–6, 8:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Fee per section: $400 (5 sessions). Fee for both sections: $750 (10 session)

This workshop will provide training in direct plein-air landscape painting utilizing various areas in Central Park as a location. The workshop will be open to both beginning students who have never worked outside before, and also to more advanced students who wish to refine their plein-air handling. The course will address such issues as the difference between direct and indirect approaches to oil painting in the landscape, topographical versus atmospheric emphasis, and the notion of space composition. The class will offer practice in handling changing light and weather conditions as well. Students must have a folding French easel, or something similar.