The Still Life & Floral in Oil with Robert Johnson
A Three-Day Workshop • July 13-15, 2018
$470M/$500NM

A rare opportunity to take a workshop with Robert Johnson in New York! 

What makes a painting compelling and memorable? What imparts enduring beauty to a painting? What are the time tested principles underlying the creation of a successful painting? The answers to these persistent questions will be explored in depth in this still life and floral workshop. These enduring fundamental principles taught will be equally applicable to other genres of painting. 
The workshop will include a demonstration which will illustrate and discuss the principles underlying a successful still life arrangement, the design of the painting in the beginning stage, and effectively and artistically carrying the painting forward to its conclusion.  The importance of effective and descriptive brush strokes and creating and preserving fresh and compelling paint quality will be emphasized. As the demonstration progresses students will be able to observe the importance of the observation and depiction of relative values and edges and the importance of the preservation of the initial design while working.
Students will receive individual critiques and assistance as their  paintings progress.
Some of the topics covered in the workshop, among others,  will be:
-How one can identify, select and use effective color.
-The importance of having a compelling underlying design and preserving it throughout the painting.
-The critical necessity of understanding and using values for artistic purposes.
-The understanding of the importance of edges in the visual world of painting and how to use them effectively.
-The importance of the creation of the illusion of depth and solid form and how to do it with paint.
-How to use selective detail to create the illusion finished masses in the eyes of the viewer.
-How to recognize, create and preserve the beauty of fresh oil paint on the canvas.
While this will be a painting and not a drawing workshop the instructor will discuss the importance of effective drawing and a solid foundation for a compelling painting.  The instructor will make recommendations for books and materials to move the student’s drawing skills forward, and will also use some of his own finished drawings to illustrate the concepts discussed.
All levels welcome.

Bio: Robert Johnson was born in Hopewell, VA, into a family that included a mother who loved to paint and his older brother Ben, who became a worldwide respected art conservator and connoisseur as well as an accomplished painter. Robert remembers that as a child he watched his brother painting for hours – “seeing the magic of three dimensional form, recognizable objects, and the illusion of space emerging from a flat canvas fascinated me then and has never ceased to excite and amaze me-even today.”

A love of athletics took him to Duke University on a football scholarship, and later an interest in law led him to Duke Law School. After graduation his life took an unusual turn as he went to live in Europe where he spent two years in a small German village traveling extensively, seeing the best art in Europe and drawing and painting on his own. His brother was a knowledgeable and caring mentor. When Robert asked him what he should do to become a real artist, Ben advised him to “learn to draw and compare your work only to that of the masters.” Robert feels that “drawing is the foundation of all we are trying to accomplish as artists. When our drawing skills improve, the quality of our paintings mysteriously take jumps forward.” 

Upon his return to the US he began his serious studies at the Art Student’s League of New York painting with David Leffel; drawing with Robert Beverly Hale and Michael Burban; and learning sculpture with Barney Hodes. He later had the privilege of painting and studying in the studio of Hungarian-American master Lajos Markos.

Since becoming a full time [painter in 1987 Robert has won first place national juried awards in The Artists Magazine and Salmagundi Club (NY) and numerous other awards – including five awards from the Oil Painters of America, and the American Art Collector Magazine’s  Award of Excellence. He has had twenty one-man shows in private galleries throughout the US. He is the author of On Becoming a Painter (Sunflower Press, 2001) in which he explores his experiences in becoming an artist and his thoughts on the fundamentals of the painting process.

His work has also been featured in the Best of Flower Painting II (North Light Books) and The Simple Secret to Better Painting (North Light Books, 2003). He is featured in Learning from The Masters by Cindy Salaski (North Light Books, 2014). His work has been featured in numerous magazines including American Art Collector, The Artist Magazine, Southwest Art, American Artist, and Art of the West. 

He is represented by Trailside Gallery (Scottsdale, AZ, and Jackson Hole, WY), Sage Creek Gallery (Santa Fe, NM), Whistle Pik Gallery (Fredericksburg, Texas), and Brazier Gallery (Richmond, VA) and Anderson Gallery (Saint Simons Islands, GA). 

He teaches painting workshops throughout the US and Canada and has produced seven instructional videos. 

For more information on Robert, visit his website robertjohnsonart.com.