National award-winning artist, Bryan Jernigan, paints impressionistic pastel landscapes and still lifes. Each day in this workshop, he will demonstrate landscapes – from bucolic scenes to sandy beaches – and still life arrangements while he shares with you the secrets of the pastel medium. From choosing the right papers to create your best work to learning the basics of value, composition and color that apply to all disciplines, a new world of artistic possibilities will open up for you. You’ll learn what tools to use, get practical guidance on developing skies, water, trees, flowers and more, explore framing options, and discover application tips and tricks to take your art to the next level as well as techniques to produce loosely expressive, impressionistic works.
 
Location: Glastonbury, Connecticut
Instructor: Bryan Jernigan
Cost: $1,596
Sponsor: Artists Rising Creativity Retreats
Website, email, 860-781-4389

Nature will be our starting point, but rather than copying what we see, we will look for the underlying structure, rhythm, color relationships, and emotional character of our subject. Guided exercises and demonstrations will help participants simplify complex natural forms, take creative risks, and move beyond predictable solutions. We will explore how colored grounds and expressive underpainting can establish mood; how Notan and value patterns can strengthen impact; and how cropping, repetition, and variation can generate compelling new compositions. The emphasis is on exploration, discovery, and building a process that can continue long after the retreat. Students gain a clearer understanding of how to move from observation into abstraction; and practical strategies for beginning, revising, evaluating, and extending their work into a cohesive series.
 
Location: Glastonbury, Connecticut
Instructor: Debora Stewart
Cost: $1,596
Sponsor: Artists Rising Creativity Retreats
Website, email, 860-781-4389