Workshops

These popular one or two-week intensive programs on diverse subjects are taught by Studio Incamminati instructors and other outstanding artists personally selected by Nelson. Offered throughout the year, workshops allow artists to build upon their knowledge and skills.

The Art of Still Life
Carlo Russo
June 18 - 22
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
$550

In this workshop, students set up and paint individual still life arrangements. The instructor discusses sight sizing technique, composition, a color "story" or theme, how to choose the right objects, and how to determine the best canvas size and shape. After the final arrangement is set, the student  completes a pencil drawing of the still life and then transfer it to the canvas.  When painting, students begin with a thin wash and move to thicker paint over the next few days on to a finished painting. The instructor does daily demonstrations for a more thorough understanding of the process and techniques involved. All levels are welcome.

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or Phone 215-592-7910
Lodging Information 

Oil Painting: The Figure
Robin Frey
  Portrait Society of America 2008 Honor Award
June 25 - 29
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
$550 

The workshop begins with one-minute gestures with the figure.  It moves on to starting a grisaille of the painting using burnt sienna, ultramarine blue and some flake white. The grisaille will be completed on the first day and, on the second day, students lay in the color day with a palette knife. The figure is broken down into flat shapes of light and shadow using color to key the light.  Following this stage, the shapes are broken down into smaller shapes without losing the light and shadow patterns. Students are encouraged to continue using the palette knife until the shapes can only be managed with a paint brush. With the palette knife, the colors are more strongly stated and the painting has a better chance to stay together.This workshop is designed for all levels, especially for the student seeking to develop a painting in a cohesive manner.

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or Phone 215-592-7910
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Emerging Artists
For high school students serious about art
Portraiture in Color Study
Rebecca Tait
    Portrait Society of America 2009 Certificate of Excellence
with Jason Espey
June 25 - 29
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
$399

This workshop focuses on the anatomy of the human head, neck, and shoulders, as students explore in-depth bones and muscles that affect the portrait artist's work. Human skulls also are used as students explore all stages of portraiture from posing the model to sketching studies and painting in oil from a live model. Principles of color theory are taught as artists are trained to “see,” not “think,” color and learn the warm and cool effects of light and its value relationships. By combining this colorist approach with understanding of head structure, young artists gain a solid foundation in oil portraiture.

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or Phone 215-592-7910
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Intensive Painting
Lea Colie Wight
    Portrait Society of America 2010 Honor Award
with Stephen Early, Robin Dawn Frey, Natalie Italiano, Kerry Dunn, Peter Kelsey, Joseph Dolderer, Leona Shanks
Includes several evening lectures, demonstrations and presentations from studio and guests artists.
Painting demonstration with Nelson Shanks
Dinner at Nelson Shanks estate
and tour of his private studio
July 16 - 27
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Sunday, July 22 Open Studio opportunity, 1- 4 p.m.
$1,600

Experience the progressive study of Studio Incamminati’s Professional Program in a concentrated form. Students gain an understanding of open and closed grisailles, color studies in various conditions and developing a figure in color.
An evening demonstration by Nelson Shanks, as well as a dinner at his estate and a visit to his private studio, give students the chance to view his works in progress and ask questions.

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or Phone 215-592-7910
Lodging Information

Ink and Watercolor Drawing in the Italian Tradition
Rob Liberace
  Portrait Society of America 2003 Grand Prize
July 27 - 29
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
$425

This class will explore the classic technique of ink drawing using quill pens, watercolors and inks with a special focus on Italy's greatest artists from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The morning sessions will focus on the dynamic gestural approach of wash drawing which  was mastered by artists such as Guercino and Tiepolo. The afternoons will highlight the  robust sculptural approach of the Tuscan Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo and Raphael in which linear modeling predominates.

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or Phone 215-592-7910
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Still Life
Kerry Dunn
  Portrait Society of America 2009 Certificate of Excellence
July 30 - August 3
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
$550

This five-day workshop explores the building stages of a painting from start to finish. The constant subject and light source, make still life deal for this type of study. The first day, students set up individual still-life arrangements and execute painting thumbnails to determine the composition. Day two, students begin their final painting which they have four days to develop. For 90 minutes at the start of each class, the instructor works on a demo painting. For the rest of the class, he teaches at the students’ easels. The first painting stage consists of the initial grisaille where drawing and proportion are strictly observed. Subsequent stages move into the full color block-in where abstract value and color relationships are established and adjusted.

The larger-to-smaller shape principle is observed as students move through this process. In addition, class discussions center on the concept of light on form, establishing value and color parameters, edge development, paint handling, focal points, and determining when a work is considered complete. Students leave with a completed painting, enhanced skills and a deeper understanding of essential concepts. Beginner, intermediate and advanced painters are welcome. Some basic experience is beneficial.

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or Phone 215-592-7910
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Learn the principles essential to transform abstract flat shapes into fully dimensional forms and create a sense of light on the figure. Students concentrate on painting the figure with a full range of values and developing the ability to make accurate value calibrations. The focus is on structure, anatomy, proportion, light direction, edge conditions, abstract movements through the figure, composition and an understanding of form on the figure.These concepts are executed through an application of opaque and semi-opaque paint in the light and shadow areas. This also enables the student to develop painting skills such as scumbling, feathering, and texture. Control of the paint is a priority and is essential to achieving required goals.

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Mail
or Phone 215-592-7910

Structural Drawing:
A Three Dimensional Approach
Dan Thompson
ARC Living Master, Art Renewal Center 
August 6 - 10
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Includes Drawing Demonstration
Wednesday, Aug. 8
6 - 9 p.m.
$699

This course has been designed for students of figure drawing and painting in order to improve their structural knowledge.  Its main objective is to equate modeling in paint or graphite to modeling in clay. The workshop is conducted in the following way:  During sessions one and two and three, students will sculpt structural forms from the skull and model in the morning, while drawing the portrait in the afternoon.  Sessions four and five will be all portrait drawing. Since the knowledge presented in this course is applicable to all parts of the drawing language, a single pose from session one through five will be used.   By sculpting, drawing and extrapolating concepts of inner figure, the use of structural analysis should enable the student to rapidly develop a tactile sense of the finish.

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or Phone 215-592-7910
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Advanced Portrait and Figure
Stephen Early
      Portrait Society of America 2010 Certificate of Excellence
with Lea Colie Wight, Robin Dawn Frey, Natalie Italiano, Kerry Dunn, Peter Kelsey, Joseph Dolderer, Darren Kingsley, JaFang Lu, Leona Shanks
Includes several evening lectures, demonstrations and presentations from studio and guests artists.
Painting demonstration with Nelson Shanks
Dinner at Nelson Shanks estate
and tour of his private studio
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
August 13 - 24
$1,750

Experience the progressive study of Studio Incamminati’s Professional Program in a concentrated form. This two-week workshop is for experienced, advanced painters – both those who have attended Studio Incamminati and for newcomers. Students review fundamental concepts of study with experienced instructors who offer personal instruction and guidance through all stages of developing a painting.

Click to Register
Mail
or Phone 215-592-7910
Print a supply list.     Lodging Information

 

 

 

Portrait Painting July 9 - 13 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. $550 ($350 rate for Art Educators) This workshop begins with short studies analyzing the structure of the human head, providing the student with a foundation for portrait painting. Artists study basic concepts and methods of figurative painting taught at Studio Incamminati as applied to the portrait.Concepts  covered include: understanding the structure of the head in simplified planes, anatomical landmarks, basic value relationships, color relationships, edges and paint handling. An introduction to color study, as it applies to the portrait, is one of several instructor demonstrations. Students paint in a direct or “alla prima” method, utilizing a full color palette, and complete one to two portrait studies daily. Art educators of all levels are welcome. Experience in drawing is helpful but not required.   Print a registration form. Lodging Information	Still Life Painting : Developing a Color Study August 6 - 10 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. $550 ($350 rate for Art Educators) “Color Study” is an experiential method of learning to see and paint color as the effect of light on form. Inspired by the teachings of Henry Hensche, students learn to see beyond an object’s “local color.” Instead, they learn to see how the light source influences the color. Students learn to see the influence of the warm artificial studio light on the model and see shadows as distinctive colors rather than tints and shades of gray. Daily instructor demonstrations guide students in understanding the concepts and process. This workshop is suitable for beginning and advanced painters.  Print a registration form. Lodging Information
Studio Incamminati receives state arts funding support through a grantfromthePennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.