My Commitment To You
In every workshop description that you'll find on the internet, all plein air instructors have a common goal to help you take your outdoor painting skills to the next level. I not only see this as a desired goal, but as the number one reason to be offering plein air workshops in the first place. One of the ways to help you find your way, is with instructor demos. My morning demonstrations are meant to be much more than just a visual for you to watch me produce a painting. They are a verbal dialogue with you, with explanations of each step being presented along the way. I present hand outs to reinforce my ideas and present you with specific links to information on my website, that is only available to you as a workshop participant. I am also very aware how excited students are to begin painting and so I keep my demonstrations to within an hour and a half. This gives everyone a chance to find their painting spot with time to get work in before lunch. As you paint on your own, I will never ask you to do anything that I have not demonstrated and explained first. Composition, values, color, brushwork and edge control are all a part of my step by step approach and I'll work with you to reinforce and build on your strengths in these areas, and help you to overcome weaknesses. In order to insure proper individual instruction at the easel, all of my workshops are limited to a maximum of 15 students. Group critiques are also an important step in the creative and learning process and are an integral part of my workshops. At the start of each workshop, I stress the importance of taking painting seriously, but also how it needs to be a fun endeavor and how as a workshop group, we need to laugh along the way. I approach each painting session with the mind set that I am going to do my very best to come up with a good painting, maybe even an exceptional one, but I realize that I'm a human being and not a machine. I tell myself that I'm going to paint for a few hours on this blank canvas before me without fear, in a confident and spirited way. In the end, I will see what I have. It is only a few hours of my time. It is my experience that if you take this approach to painting, you will begin to come up with more of your share of winners that are expressive and uniquely you.
About Me
David is known for his sophisticated color sense, poetic brushwork and his ability to convey emotion in a painting. His 'Less Is More' approach to painting has garnered him numerous accolades throughout his long career in plein air painting. David has competed extensively throughout the United States in both juried and invitational plein air competitions and has been asked to be juror for numerous events. He is an extremely knowledgeable instructor, who can reach students at their own individual level. David's workshops are filled with demos and plenty of hands on instruction. He will never ask you to do anything that he has not demonstrated and explained first. Composition, values, color, brushwork and edge control are all a part of his step by step approach. In order to insure plenty of individual instruction at the easel, all workshops are limited to a maximum of 12 students.When she is not involved with her own painting commissions and projects, David is assisted by his wife Pam, who is a very talented and knowledgeable plein air painter and instructor. Together they make up an exciting and amusing team and are known as the original 'Plein Air Pair'.