As someone who has been painting for many years, I sometimes wonder why I continue to take workshops - not that I take that many; usually just one every year or two.
But sometimes an artist comes to town whom I greatly admire and I just can't resist. Last summer it was Marc Hanson who lives in Taylors Falls, Minnesota. Not only does he use the muted subtle colors that I love but he also paints beautiful nocturnal paintings. This was my chance to learn from a master.
Featured today is one of the paintings I completed during the workshop. No one will ever say it looks like a photograph but that wasn't my goal. It was about 5:30 on an October afternoon and a golden light was streaming over the hill when I took the picture. My workshop goal was to capture the peaceful feeling I felt that day while standing on the banks of 13-Mile Creek that flows past the farm where I grew up.
Those of you who attend art workshops know that students should never expect to produce outstanding paintings while trying to learn techniques that are foreign to them. With that thought in mind, I simply threw myself into trying to learn as much as I could in a short three days. Is this painting a masterpiece? Of course not. I can see things that I will change if I ever paint the same scene again. But I do sense that feeling of peace and calm I was trying so hard to capture. Mission accomplished.
