Advice for attending Daniel Greene workshop
 

I will be attending Daniel Greene's workshop in February and wonder if anyone can give me any advice (or tips) on what I can expect. I've seen his videos and like the way he teaches, but I'm a little nervous! How can I get the most out of this (expensive) investment in my career (ie. how can I prepare myself during the next few weeks before the workshop)?

Thanks!
Melinda Roeleveld

Melinda,

I can't answer your question, but could you please answer mine?

I posted a question in the "Books and Videos" forum about Daniel Greene's videos. In a nutshell, I wanted to know if they are worth the money, and what to expect from them. No one responded.

Since you've seen them, could you please give me your impressions? I'm thinking about the portrait drawing video.

Thanks in advance,

Jeff

Hi, Melinda,

I

Jeff,

Use the "Search Messages" feature to find some of the several discussions and recommendations about Greene's videos.

I'll say here what I've said elsewhere, that you won't be disappointed in any of them. They're easily among the best value-for-money productions I've seen (and I've had a look at a lot of videos over the years.)

If you have specific questions about particular videos, let me know.

I was hoping to jump in here with a workshop question. I really don't mean this to sound silly, but how do you get the wet canvas home, especially if you are flying?

Dear Steven,

Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a helpful reply! This Forum is tremendous. I needed to hear what you said. To not be prepared for this workshop with adequate supplies would really hinder my ability to get out of it what I want to get out of it. I had a feeling it was going to be how you described it, but now I think I get the picture! Although it may be difficult to swallow at first, I need someone like Daniel Greene to "tell it like it is". I

Jeff,

The Daniel Greene videos (and books)are definitely worth every penny. You can play them over and over and each time will learn something new. He is very academic and has a gift with words. I find that helpful. Actually, you ought to try your public library. Ours in St. Louis has several of his videos. Perhaps start with the drawing one. If your library doesn't carry it, request it through their Inter-library loan system. It's amazing what they eventually can get for you. That way you can see if you want to invest in his videos. Good luck!

Melinda Roeleveld

Beth, to carry two wet canvasses, you can clip them together, face-to-face, with specially designed clips found in any of the art supply catalogs.

Or you can leave them behind with a workshop friend with a request that they ship them to you when they dry.

Thanks, Melinda. The inter-library loan system was my first avenue. I submitted my request about a month ago, and it's looking like they're not going to be able to get them.

I'm waiting for the Tony Ryder book to arrive any day now. I bought that one from Barnes and Noble's website. I've browsed it enough in the store that I know it's worth it.

Books are great, but there's nothing like watching the process. In some printed demonstrations, step 1 shows a half completed portrait, with no explanation of the process that led up to it. I'm expecting the videos to start with a blank page (or canvas) and not leave out a single stroke.

Jeff, Peggy Baumgaertner's video series is wonderful too!
http://www.portraitartist.com/baumgaertner/video.htm

Thanks Mari.

Melinda,

The Scottsdale location undoubtedly trumps a number of my observations about how the workshop will proceed, and I'm sure you can sort out the things that will be different from the experience I described. Better natural winter lighting in Phoenix than upstate NY, for one thing. For another, he may not have some of those prints and other materials in tow. I'm sure there are any number of other ways that the workshop will be modified for the location, but I'm also sure you'll get the same valuable instruction.

The issue of transporting paints in airline baggage is vexing. I used to do it -- before 9/11 -- even on international flights. I think it's probably still "okay", as tubed paints, though flammable (but so are books and clothing), are not volatile. I decided I didn't want to ever have to argue the point, however, with a Chinese customs officer, so I just purchased duplicate sets of the recommended paints to have in the U.S. and overseas. I do, nonetheless, think you could fly with tubed paints (I'd keep them in carry-on and not checked baggage, so I could at least be present if baggage inspectors decided there was a problem,) but most certainly you shouldn't carry any solvents (turps, brush cleaner, etc.), and I'd even pick up some fresh medium (linseed oil or Liquin or whatever you use) in Scottsdale.

(I'm responding hypothetically, because I, in fact, drove from my then-home in Minnesota to New York. That also dealt with the "how to transport wet canvases" problem. I built custom wooden crates for transporting the two paintings completed at the workshop, as well as a number of landscape oil sketches I went on to do on Cape Cod. I suspect that your "solution" -- especially if you elect to use the larger-dimension canvases that Greene permits -- is to bite the bullet and ship them home.)

By the way, since I'm back in the thread, I'll mention something that should be obvious, which is to show up with a palette large enough to accommodate that pre-mixed array of paints. No 10" x 12" disposable palettes or such.

Steven--

Thanks for such a terrific, comprehensive reply; this is good advice for all workshops, not just Mr. Greene's.

Beth--

I've flown home with wet work, and this worked for me:
I take an 18x24 (fits in my suitcase) piece of Homosote board, with edges finished off with good old duct tape. (Homosote is that old gray, soft, fibrous particle board that they used to make bulletin boards in grammar schools back Before The Flood.) I also take a good number of scraps of canvas of the same size rolled up in a tube. Then when I'm painting, I thumbtack a piece of canvas to the Homosote, on the easel. This eliminates the need for stretchers. At the end of the week, I stack all of the semi-wet paintings onto the Homosote, front to back, and thumbtack through all of them to hold them secure. Wrap the whole thing in borrowed Saran Wrap, or a plastic garbage bag, and fly back with it in the bottom of the suitcase. Then you're not rolling the paintings and possibly cracking the ones you want to continue with back home.

Works for me, anyway.

Good luck, Melinda!

Hi Tom,

Thank you for your ideas as well. That's an interesting way of transporting paintings which I hadn't thought of (but will consider). They don't stick together or change when stacked? I wonder if anyone has any experience with using waxed paper on top of oils? Several nice fellow artists living in Phoenix have even offered to ship my paintings back for me :)

Thanks again Tom!
Melinda

p.s. Your work is terrific! I've been admiring it via this site for a while....

Melinda--

Thanks a lot!

I didn't have a problem with stacking the paintings, but I don't paint very heavily or thickly, and in the workshops, I use a little Liquin or Win-gel to get the paint to set up faster than I might if working back home. If you really pile it on, it might demand another method.

Videos
 

Jeff,

Get the videos, I took the workshop and have the videos. I took a binder full of notes and a major case of information overload. Even now, things that he said pop into my head. I look at my notes for formulas that he gave and to problem solve. I can't think of one forseeable problem that he didn't cover. But I can watch the videos and everthing is much more clear and they are very motivating.

Happy painting.

D. Greene workshop follow- up
 

To anyone interested in some day attending a Daniel Greene workshop or buying the videos (and to those who have been following the thread of this discussion), I just want to say that I had a fabulous time in Scottsdale! I've never learned so much in such a short time. It was an investment, but to me, worth every penny. The videos are indeed excellent, but there's nothing like a firsthand experience. To see him paint, to be able to ask questions and to have personal critiques (on the hour) was so incredibly helpful to me.

I see the videos as either preparation or review (also very important). Steven, your advice before I went was VERY true, and I'm so glad you were able to explain things so well. I think everyone attending should be briefed, otherwise one could be in for a bit of a shock. I only wished I had practiced the color mixing at home (as well as arrived at each session a half an hour early in order to get the colors mixed on time). When the models start posing you don't want to waste valuable time trying to get your palette ready. (By the way, the brand of oils he really uses is Grumbacher. I wished I had just bought the whole set of paints when I got there because there is a difference between different brands. Packing oils in ziplock bags and putting in one's suitcase went fine. I just had the wrong colors!)

Lastly, meeting other wonderful artists, like Chris Saper, was an extra bonus! If anyone wants to know any more about the D. Greene workshops or videos, just ask one of us.

Glad for you
 

Hi Melinda

I'm so glad you you got so much out of Greene's workshop. I know I did and it's hard to explain to someone how important it is to take the workshops. The cost is high but the knowledge is priceless. I remember thinking that I couldn't hold one more piece of information, I won't be able to remember everything! It's amazing how much you do remember at the time you need it. The energy and motivation you receive are unexplainable. Another great workshop I took was John De La Vega's. Look him up on this site. Another giving and full-of-information guy.

Happy Painting!

There's info on his Dan's new website: http://danielgreeneartist.com/workshopformat.htm