Spring Sunrise, Jo-Ann Sanborn, 2011

acrylic on canvas, 12"x12

I took a workshop recently with Brian Curtis, University of Miami Art Department professor.  The class used only black and white paint, and the subject was expressive landscapes with the focus on values.  I'm always one for strengthening my values, hadn't taken a workshop myself for far too long, and the class came highly recommended.

I paint thinly and was excited by the use of so much paint!  It turns out the class wasn't at all what I expected, with so many people jammed in a small non-studio room that it was almost impossible to be expressive with brushstroke.  Still, Curtis was a wealth of knowledge and it was a pleasure to hear him speak and comment both about painting and about our changing society. 

I used the palette knife exclusively for the two day workshop. The results were interesting and expressive, and I came away loving the texture and depth forced by using the knife and from having to make a decision on what was black, what was white.

The palette knife probably doesn't suit my usual style of working,  Still, there are delightful surprises in the way the colors mix on the canvas.  I'll return to using it for excitement and expression occasionally, I'm sure. 

The value parts of the class are still simmering in my brain....