Register for both of Barbara’s workshops, 3 days of oil and 2 days pastel you will receive a 15% discount!

Please see the registration page that offers both workshops, this one is for the OIL WORKSHOP only.

A note to our students: To ensure that the workshop will not be canceled, we kindly request that you sign up as early as possible. Please note that if the minimum number of students required is not met three (3) weeks before the first day of class, the workshop will be canceled. However, we offer a full refund in the event of a canceled workshop, so there is no monetary risk for you. Please take some time to review our cancellation policy.

About the Workshop

Skill level: Open to all levels, although artists with at least some basic landscape painting experience will benefit most.

Materials used: Oil (Acrylic and water-soluble oils are fine too)

Spend three days in an intensive study on how to train your eyes to discern light in the landscape. Although this is a studio workshop, Barbara will discuss what to observe when painting outdoors from life (or simply when gathering reference photos), and how to bring that knowledge into the studio. She’ll focus on how to “read” a reference photo and capture the genuine effects of various lighting situations in your studio landscape paintings, rather than duplicate a compromised photographic image. The workshop will cover a few different types of landscapes, with one day focused on snow. Each day will begin with a demonstration, followed by student painting time in the afternoon during which students will receive plenty of individual guidance at their easel. This workshop is open to all levels, but those with at least some initial experience with oil painting will benefit most.

Each day of the workshop will begin with a demonstration followed by students working on a specific painting exercise for the remainder of the day. Students will receive plenty of individual help from the instructor at the easel during their painting time.

With a desire from an early age to pursue a career of some sort in the art world, Barbara earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1986 from The College of New Jersey (formerly Trenton State College), majoring in Art with an emphasis in Advertising Design, while also studying painting outside of her college studies.

Her early careers were spent in advertising as an art director, then later in marketing communications. In 2002, she was able to turn her focus to a career in fine art. Grateful for her earlier background in the advertising and marketing fields, Barbara has been able to leverage skills from those careers to build another in the fine art world.

As she embarked on her journey as a fine art painter in pastel and oil, she sought instruction from classes and workshops and continually delved into art magazines, books, and online resources, but she credits the majority of her success to plenty of intense, dedicated mileage at the easel. Although Barbara’s finished work is created in the studio, a regular practice of Plein air painting in all seasons has greatly enhanced her ability to capture the genuine effects of the landscape in her paintings.

Barbara teaches workshops throughout the US, and also offers instructional videos and online resources.

What’s Included

Bluebird Studios offers an array of complimentary food and beverages during our workshops. Attendees can enjoy an ice breaker the evening before the first day, complimentary continental breakfast served every morning, complimentary unlimited beverages, and afternoon treats each day. We also offer catered lunches brought to the studio or the plein air site (optional for $20), and lastly, our complimentary signature lunch of Frito Chili Pie on the final day. We will spoil you!

Supply list:

OIL PAINTING SUPPLIES

Paint*

Titanium White (or Titanium-Zinc White) (Gamblin)

Cadmium Lemon (Gamblin)

Cadmium Yellow Deep (Gamblin)

Cadmium Orange (Gamblin)

Yellow Ochre (Gamblin)

Cadmium Red Light (Gamblin) or Permanent Red Medium (Rembrandt)

Alizarin Crimson (or Permanent) (Gamblin)

Transparent Red Oxide (Gamblin 1980 line; or Rembrandt)

Ultramarine Blue (Gamblin)

Cobalt Blue (Gamblin)

Viridian Green (Gamblin)

*Listed above are my brand preferences and what I’ll likely use in my demos. I understand the expense of each new tube of paint, so feel free to use similar alternatives you may already have. I tend to see the most discrepancy in color mixing with Cadmium Lemon, Transparent Red Oxide, Yellow Ochre and Alizarin, so I do recommend using one of the brands I’ve listed for those.

I tone my surface with a 50/50 mixture of Transparent Red Oxide and Alizarin, diluted with Gamsol. Once brushed on and wiped with a rag or paper towel, it should appear as a warm flesh color, toned to about a 2 on a value scale of 1/lightest-10/darkest. It’s ideal to tone your panels prior to the workshop, but you can also do it there.

Surface – I recommend panels from www.canvaspanels.com (SourceTek – I like #13 oil primed linen on Gatorboard, but any version is fine) or www.judsonsart.com (Guerrilla Painter® Extra Fine Oil Primed Linen Panels…these are a great affordable option for workshop studies)

Sizes/Quantities: 8x10  (2)

11x14 (2)

(If you tend to be a fast painter, bring a couple extra of each size.)

Brushes

Bristle brushes in sizes 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 (or other similar size range). Filberts for sizes 1-3; flats for sizes 4-8. Bristle brushes, rather than softer synthetic brushes, will be important. More information is available on the workshop page of my website (https://barbarajaenicke.com/page/9904/workshops) about an optional Richeson brush set I have available for students, or to simply take a look at the brushes I’ll be using in my demos.

Other supplies:

• Small sketchbook

• Artists tape 

• A couple of sharp pencils (any type) for thumbnails, and sharpener; or mechanical pencil

• ruler

• Portable palette 

• Odorless mineral spirits such as Gamsol 

• Painting medium (I use Gamblin’s Solvent-free Gel or Galkyd Gel, but any medium is fine)

• Wet canvas/panel carrier

• Palette knife

• Paper towels

• Hand wipes

• Latex gloves or other hand protection if desired

• Portable easel if venue does not provide

Reference Photos:

On the first day of the workshop, students will all work from instructor-provided reference. On the remaining two days, students may work from their own photos or from provided photos. If bringing your own photos to work from, select images with distinct light and shadow shapes. One of my demos will be a snow scene. About a week or two prior to the workshop, you’ll receive an email with the images I’ll use for my demos. You may work from photos on your laptop or iPad, or printed photos. (Please, however, do not plan to work directly from photos on your phone.)