Oil Workshop with Ross Paterson

I was recently a participant in a weekend oil painting workshop taken by the highly awarded artist, Ross Paterson. It was a very rewarding couple of days submerging ourselves in Ross's demonstrations and soaking up the wealth of information he has gleaned from over 40 years of painting, much of it on location, en plain air. Ross manages to capture the essence of the Australian landscape with his palette and wields his brush with mastery leaving a beautifully rendered painting in no time at all. I tend to paint quite thinly and in a controlled, detailed manner so it was an interesting exercise to loosen up and try something new, especially when it came to the human figure. Running with the moment and with half an hour left, I threw some paint on my board and loosely rendered an old man, surprising myself at how I managed to capture his age and gesture so quickly. It is a wonderful thing to try something different, it adds to your knowledge and experience and gives one a boost on this amazing artistic journey.