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| Kachina Lodge, 8"x 10", Pastel |
Last October I had the wonderful experience of taking a week-long workshop with the one and only Albert Handell. The workshop was held in and around Taos, New Mexico, my spiritual home away from home.
Albert suggested that we set up as close as we could to his easel and paint along with him. He expresses his thought process as he paints so, whether one paints along or just listens, there is so much to learn.
The group stayed at the Kachina Lodge, which was the subject of one of our lessons late one afternoon. I set up as near Albert as I could and tried to follow along. My results were less than stellar but I learned a lot by watching, listening and taking copious notes and photos.
Last week I decided to revisit one of the studies I did in the workshop and try it again. I started a new one of the Kachina Lodge, using the original as a reference and applied the things I learned. I am happy to say that this one is a great improvement over the initial one and it went a lot better, too. I may end up doing several with somewhat different color schemes.
NOTE: Things you are told in a workshop often take a little while to gel so be sure you always take notes and pictures, if at all possible. I suggest transcribing your notes when you get home. Seeing the demos, hearing the lectures, taking notes and then transcribing them will go a long way in committing the entire experience to memory.
