La Bonne Etoile – A workshop with Margaret Dyer

5

Now that I’m back in Germany I realize that I was taken away from my usual daily routine and was put straight into another kind of time ….(I’m missing the right word to describe it).

I had such a great time, because of four reasons:

  1. Margaret Dyer as an increadible instructor
  2. My painting buddies.
  3. delicious food
  4. Kippy and her husband Jerome as splendid hosts.

This week has deeply touched my soul and I’m very curious to find out how all the things I’ve learned will influence me as an artist in the future.
Anybody who thinks of going to this place in order to take a workshop, I can only advise not to hesitate, safe your money and get in there. As far as I know Kippy and Margaret are setting up something for the year 2011.

Eva im Bad – 61×40,5 cm
© Astrid Volquardsen

 

Margaret is a very good teacher, very generous with sharing her knowledge and she will teach you all the things she knows. In this workshop the students learned her formula of her procedure and how to stick to it, how to approach the work with a live model, how to work from photos so they don’t look like a photo and how to finish a painting.
I felt like a dry sponge and Margaret was so kind to pour over me the water (and some wine: we’re in France right?) and I’ve soaked it all up. And if she felt I could take in more, she would give it to me generously.
Margaret, I said it so many times, but I’m very thankful for your input. I feel more complete as an artist now.

Café Jacquemart André – 60×43 cm
© Astrid Volquardsen

 

The good instructing was rounded up by the place we stayed in. The home of Kippy and Jereome is a very beautiful place and the two of them are very attentive towards their guests.
Well, and then there was the food, just delicious food and we had so many nice conversations and or discussions about art, live in general and I don’t know what else. And we surely did laugh a lot.
We met some of Jerome’s and Kippy’s friends at their house and the talking didn’t stop there.
It was very interesting and sometimes very funny to find out how nationalities see things differently.


Well, when I’m grey and old (and hopefully I won’t have Alzheimer’s disease) I will look back to this week as one of the bests in my live.

Athmosphere to live in

0

© Astrid Volquardsen

I never have stayed in such a nice accomodation during a workshop. It’s such a nice athmosphere to live in.

In the evening they put on a fire in the fireplace (that’s what I call a fireplace!!!) and we’re eating and talking and are enjoying the company.

© Astrid Volquardsen

© Astrid Volquardsen

painting, painting, painting…

0

The days over here are very intensiv: If we’re not working, we’re chatting, talking and/or eating. This is very easy to do if three different nationalities and generations are coming together. The past two days we have spent with painting, painting, painting and thanks to the fantastic model Eva it was a pure joy. I realised how much I missed the figurative painting over the past years. Those who know my older figurative work can see that Margaret pushed me to a new level.

Eva, Gypsi, Pastell, 2010, ca.45×60cm
© Astrid Volquardsen

 

 

Eva mit Kimono, Pastell, ca.45×60cm, 2010
© Astrid Volquardsen

Demo with Margaret Dyer

3

Yesterday Margaret made a Demo which was really fascinating…

© Astrid Volquardsen

She starts with a loose characol drawing

© Astrid Volquardsen

 

She breaks down the picture into three values and starts with dark colors, but not with the too dark ones. At one point she adds black to be able to compare how dark her dark colors should be…

© Astrid Volquardsen

 

Within each value she plays with warm and cool colors and it’s a treat to watch her doing this.
The next day Margaret wasn’t too happy with the result and she wants to go back to the painting and do some corrections.
She’s trying to do it, while within the next days and I would like to show you what she did to it.

© Astrid Volquardsen
© Astrid Volquardsen
© Astrid Volquardsen
© Astrid Volquardsen
1 74 75 76 77 78 79 80