Save the Date: Saturday July 4, 11, 18 from 9am - 4pm

In this workshop, we will cover: 

• Mixing clean, vibrant color with oil paint

• Designing and blocking-in a complex composition using charcoal 

• Avoiding grey or “muddy” mixtures

• Indirect and direct painting techniques

• Flower anatomy and structure

• Layering paint to create luminous, jewel-like colors

• Adding finishing details like dew drops and insects

Class Overview:

In this three-session workshop, participants will complete a fully realized floral composition while exploring a range of oil painting techniques, including wet-into-wet passages, glazing over white, and glazing over vibrant underlayers. The extended format provides ample time to thoughtfully plan and draw a more complex arrangement, as well as to add refinement as the painting develops.

We will focus on the unique, semi-translucent qualities of flowers which make them so challenging yet so alluring. Special emphasis will be placed on mixing accurate, luminous color that conveys the interaction of light across petals. Students will also be guided in simplifying intricate botanical structures into basic geometric forms, helping them create a convincing sense of three dimensionality.

Vivian Tanga is a traditionally trained oil painter who specializes in portraiture. She began her artistic education at the Schuler School of Fine Art in Baltimore. Over a four-year studio art education, she became immersed in the centuries-long legacy of classical painting and draftsmanship. Afterwards, she completed a two-year apprenticeship with master realist painter Will Wilson. She currently works and teaches in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Vivian works in a range of genres and styles, from spontaneous alla prima florals to highly refined portrait commissions. She has won numerous awards over the past decade including prestigious awards from BoldBrush, Richeson and Portrait Society of America.