Debra Keirce

This workshop is FULL. Please contact [email protected] or 571-236-0047 to ask to be put on the waiting list.

LET DAVID SHOW YOU HOW TO MAKE YOUR PAINTINGS SING!

- Instruction is private, in my home studio, limited to 10 students - David takes pride in his very personal, one on one teaching methods. You will be treated to a very personal learning experience.

- Learn how to master the focus in your artwork

- Satisfy your curiosity about palette knife painting vs. brush painting

- All skill levels are welcome

November 5, 6, 7, 8  -  9:30am-4:30pm

Tuition: $595 (includes, snacks, beverages, light lunch, use of easel, lighting, still life props)

Location: Ashburn, Virginia USA

Course Description in David Cheifetz' own words:

We will work together on still life composition, brush painting, and knife painting. Any skill level in painting is fine, I enjoy adjusting my advice for each person’s level. However, more advanced students will find it easier to focus on the subtleties of composition. A solid drawing background is highly recommended.

Saturday morning:

Composition! I will work individually with each student to compose a still life setup. The goal will be to create compositions with a powerful sense of focus. This is an important stage and we will give it some thought. I also encourage students to listen to the composition problems faced by fellow students--it is a great way to learn and process. If you are finished earlier than others with your setup, you can begin setting out your paints.

The rest of Saturday:

After everyone has a good setup, I will explain my own composition and intentions, then I will begin a demo of my painting method and answer questions while I paint. The more questions the better. At some point I’ll stop and everyone will begin on their own paintings and I will circulate to help each person.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday:

You will paint and I will circulate. I will periodically come back to my demo. When the first demo is finished, I may begin another one with a new composition (If the first was with brushes, I would do the second with knife, or vise-versa, or a mixture). Depending on the needs of the group I may also decide to do quick demo-ettes such as a piece of fruit just to show effective turning of a round form. However, priority is given to your work time so that I can give you practical advice. You may choose to create a new composition every day if you like, or you may dig in and get to a more finished stage. I love talking about composition, and the beginning stages are so important, so I encourage more starts. That is how I was taught, and it did wonders for me.

Note: I would hope that you are not overly concerned with producing sellable work during the workshop as it will hinder learning. If you end up with something great, that is a bonus, but I don’t want students to feel rushed or obsessed with production. I am mostly concerned with communicating some key concepts in a way that really sinks in. I want this knowledge to be useful for you later on. We will work hard and enjoy the process together.

Supply list:

-A Large black cloth and a large white cloth.

Each at least 4’x4’ to use as your still life background/surface cloth. This is an important step in the composition process.

-Holbein MX no 1 painting knife. It is currently $37 and is the only painting knife you’ll ever need.

HERE is a link to purchase

If you have no intention of knife painting, you can stick with brushes. But I will be teaching both. I love both.

-Robert Simmons Signet Filbert Bristle Brushes (or equivalents), a variety of sizes.

When painting with brushes I use the whole range, but my workhorse is usually size 4. To make things simple, you can just get all even numbers...2,4,6,8,10,12. That’s what I do.

-Solvent: Gamsol.

-Medium: Gamblin Neo-Megilp

-Paint list:

Be sure to avoid student grade brands (like winton etc): the oily handling properties and weak pigmentation will hinder your progress. I like Winsor Newton Artist's Oils and there are plenty of decent brands in that price range.

ivory black

phthalo blue

ultramarine blue

alizarin crimson

cadmium red

cadmium orange (Winsor Newton Artist’s Oils preferred)

burnt umber

raw umber

yellow ochre

cadmium yellow

cadmium lemon

a quality white (I mostly use titanium)

-A variety of toned panels to paint on. Some different sizes: 8x10, 9x12, 11x14, bigger if you like, maybe a square if you want. It is nice to have a choice while composing. I’ll probably demo on 9x12

My favorite is Ampersand Gessobord or Jack Richeson Premium Gessoed Hardboard. Raymar’s linen panels are also fantastic. No Mona Lisa/Speedball panels, they are far too slick. Tone the panels in advance of the workshop to make sure they are totally dry. Can't go wrong with an umber color. Often I like to prep a few in different tones and then make a game-time decision.

-Paper towels. I like Viva or those blue shop towels, both are thick and cloth-like.

-Your other basics...palette, container for gamsol, gloves, whatever else you need. Please contact venue for information about easels etc.

To see more of David Cheifetz' work, visit his website at DavidCheifetz.com

In May of 2013, I had the good fortune to be listening to the Artists Helping Artists radio talk show, hosted by Leslie Saeta. 

The topic that day was about how artists benefit from working together. Leslie suggested that small mentoring groups of artists coming together in the spirit of collaboration and friendship can help support and bolster each other's art journeys. This was just what I needed to hear. I had not realized it, but I had been searching for a group of like minded artists I could work with for years. 

This was the beginning of WAM, Women. Artists. Mentors. Our current members are:

Helen K. Beacham, watercolor artist of Charleston, South Carolina

Maria Bennett Hock, oil portrait artist of Cary, North Carolina

Debra Keirce, oil and acrylic painter of Ashburn, Virginia

Kim Minichiello, watercolor and oil painter of Orlando, FL

Carrie Waller, watercolor artist of Tokyo, Japan

We started with a very different group, but within the first year, we gelled into the five members we have now. It's important to realize that collaborative project teams are not a good fit for everyone. We cherish our members who have opted out.

We knew a few things from the beginning.

* This group would not require extra work for any of the members. There is no "homework" or assigned weekly work schedule. This is a shared leadership group. We all take on leadership roles and each of us is an equal partner.

* We only invited artists who are serious about their careers and improving their craft. Ours is not a group for hobbyists.

* When choosing members, we did not exclude people because of their medium or location but we did try for diversity.

* From the start we stated we would have no more than 8 members

* We meet monthly for one hour, using Google Hangouts, a free video conferencing platform. Virtual meetings are an excellent way to develop relationships. In fact, when I visited Carrie in Tokyo a few weeks ago, she commented on how it hardly seemed like it had been a year and a half since we last hugged. We take turns hosting the meetings. We discovered early on that we prefer a discussion format for our meetings, vs. one person presenting on a topic.

* We promote and support each other on social media, and any way we can.

Please visit and like our Facebook page at Facebook.com/WAMArtists to follow our adventures. Already, we've been to Charleston, South Carolina for a group show at Lowcountry Artists Gallery, to The Portrait Society of America Conference in Atlanta, GA, to Tokyo to visit with member Carrie Waller, and to several workshops hosted by DebKArt Home Studios in Ashburn, VA. In 2016 we have more workshop experiences planned and a trip to Venice, Italy. In spring of 2017, we have a group show at WaterWorks Museum in Miles City, Montana.

Some examples of our current discussion topics are personal goals, WAM group goals, future retreats and workshops, whether to pursue group shows in gallery or museum venues, whether to focus on sales or resume building, whether to start additional online or physical group projects. We share our personal resources, past experiences, failures, successes. At this point, we are all dear friends and our discussion flows naturally.

The perks of the friendships formed in successful mentoring groups are priceless. Any of the WAM artists are welcome at my home anytime, and I will gladly host workshops for them at DebKArt Home Studios. The trips we've taken and planned are only made possible through the generosity of our hosting members. These ladies are friends who I can call anytime (literally since Carrie's time zone is 14 hours into my future) for help working through art situations. They talk me off the ledge when I am considering doing crazy things. They tell me to go to bed and rest when they know I'm sick and see me on Facebook posting late night works in progress. 

It's true - I snuck this photo of an original Bougereau painting in a museum in Tokyo, Japan that is hidden inside a HUGE furniture store, behind two car dealerships. Maria and Carrie were next to me trying hard to pretend they didn't see me breaking the rules. If I had been arrested, they weren't going into lock up with me. Collaboration only goes SO far!

Carrie and I had an adventure in the Seyu (Walmart) in Tokyo. The top floor - I think there are five - is slot machines and arcade games and photo booths. It took us plus two VERY helpful Seyu employees trying to speak English before we figured out how to get the photos out of the machine!

I hope this inspires you to start your own artist's mentoring group. I get goosebumps thinking of all the wonderful relationships that will develop and the experiences you will have!