PORTRAIT PAINTING WORKSHOP IN ROME
with AGNES GROCHULSKA
5-DAY INTENSIVE WORKSHOP | 6 HRS PER DAY | GUIDED MUSEUM TOURS | MEET ARTISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
MAY 18 TO MAY 24, 2025
LIMITED TO 17 PARTICIPANTS
$1550
Register Today with a 50% deposit! Deadline for registration and final payment: March 31, 2025
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:
In this workshop, artists of all levels will learn about Agnes’ approach to painting portraits, practice life drawing from models, create their own oil painting following the instructions, and have an opportunity to watch her paint along with the group. This course will entail a total of five studio days with a live model, six hours per day, supplemented by trips to museums, churches, and historical sites.
LINE AND COLOR - PORTRAIT PAINTING WORKSHOP:
The Line and Color workshop is designed to take five days. We will focus on different aspects of the artist’s painting process in parts. Each part might take a different number of days depending on the students’ interest and progress.
Part One - Line - portrait drawing practice from models as preparation to painting.
Part Two - Light and Shadow - creating an underpainting on canvas, establishing lights and shadows in oil paint.
Part Three, Four and Five - Color: painting a portrait in oil using a deliberately chosen color palette. Practicing portrait painting in oil.
Each part will consist of three elements: Theory, Practice, and a Discussion.
Part One - Line
1.THEORY:
- Google Docs presentation on “Drawing with Expression not Expectation”
The Process:
- Gesture drawing (line of action) for the initial placement and energy of the portrait
- Construction and observation in portrait painting: explanation of the Loomis and Reilly construction methods, and other observation/measurement methods
- Theory of composition
- Idea/message that I am trying to convey in this particular portrait (The “why?”)
Examples in art.
2. PRACTICE:
- Line drawing - Gesture and Construction. Sketch in basic composition according to the direction/message/meaning you want to convey. Step-by-step construction process (charcoal/pencil and/or oil on canvas)
- The Planes of the Face - establish main construction lines for the face planes
- Features - Using comparative measuring, establishing the main features
- Voluntary critique of student progress
3.DISCUSSION:
Intuitive gesture versus construction. Discussing painting and drawing methods.
Part Two - Light and shadow.
1. THEORY:
- Basic anatomy/geometry of the human features ( painting demonstration of eyes, nose, lips, etc.)
- Light and shadow - basic theory of modelling the form. Examples in art.
2. PRACTICE: Underpainting
- Composition, proportions, perspective
- Painting the human face
- Establish the direction of the light source
- Building the form - light and shadow
3. DISCUSSION:
Realism and objectivity versus expression and individuality. Discussing the spectrum from representational to abstract art. What do I want to exaggerate or distort? Does it work for the overall emotion and feel of the painting?
Day Three, Four and Five - Color. Portrait Painting.
1. THEORY:
- Color theory (hue, value, chroma), value scale in monochrome and color, mixing skin tones. - The meaning and impact of color.
- The overall impression of the painting as compared to the model and to the idea for the painting.
Examples.
2. PRACTICE:
- Focal Point - According to the composition idea and the emotion the portrait is supposed to convey and decide what will the focal point of the painting be - use edge/texture/color accents
- Making a conscientious decision on how to make the painting intriguing, a composition that draws and keeps the viewer in
- Think of/decide on a color palette for the finished painting
- Premix basic colors for the skin tones
- The background: color, mood, elements
- Deciding on the level of finished/unfinished for this Painting
- Portrait Painting - putting all elements together to create a portrait in oil
- Voluntary critique of student progress.
3. DISCUSSION:
Is my painting “believable”?
Why did I want to create this painting?
What is a successful painting? Is my idea/message for the painting easily readable? (At least to me?...)
What is finished/unfinished in painting?
Paints and medium are included. On Sunday, May 18 at 1 PM there will be a brief orientation and group meeting to get acquainted. Painting begins on Monday, May 19. May 24 will be the last day for packing paintings and a group dinner at night. Each day will be a full experience from morning to night!
Studios are located at Palazzo Velli Expo in Trastevere, Rome.
Address: Piazza di Sant'Egidio 10, 00153 Roma
AGNES GROCHULSKA
BIO:
Born in Poland, Agnes Grochulska studied at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts, and lives and works in Richmond, Virginia.
Her work has been exhibited among others, at galleries in New York City, Miami, and abroad.
A solo exhibition of her work “Line and Color” took place at Eric Schindler Gallery in Richmond, Virginia in May 2019.
Recent exhibitions include NOMAD St. Moritz, Switzerland, and “New Waves 2020” at the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art curated by Susan Thompson, an Associate Curator at the Guggenheim Museum, where her painting “Lia” was awarded The People’s Choice Award. Upcoming shows include a solo show at the Virginia MOCA in November 2021, and a group and one-person show scheduled for 2021/2022 at Pulpo Gallery in Germany.
Her work has been published in Colossal Magazine, Whitehot Magazine, Artist’s Magazine, Drawing Magazine, and others. Her drawings and paintings have been shown and privately collected throughout the US and around the world.
Instagram: /agnesgrochulska
PAYMENT: FULL PAYMENT OR MINIMUM 50% DUE ON REGISTRATION, REMAINING BALANCE DUE BY MARCH 31, 2025.
IF THE WORKSHOP IS FULL, YOU CAN REGISTER TO THE WAIT LIST
The workshops fill up quickly but sometimes last minute spots open up. Once the workshop is filled, a form will be available here for the Wait List.
PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT - TRAVELER’S INSURANCE
Rome Art Residencies HIGHLY recommends that you obtain Traveler's Insurance to protect your investment and to cover emergency medical expenses. You should seek insurance that will cover the following:
Trip Cancellation (total cost of trip, including course fees)
Medical Evacuation ($50,000 minimum)
Emergency Medical Coverage ($25,000 minimum)
To compare quotes, you may begin here:
For USA citizens; https://www.travelinsurance.com/
For non-USA citizens; https://medical.travelinsurance.com/
Please note that if the course is canceled due to COVID-19, all course fees will be refunded, minus credit card or PayPal transaction fees.
Accommodations: Housing is not included in the workshop fees. If you wish to share housing with another participant, please check the box upon registration and we will coordinate the communication with others seeking the same arrangement. It is recommended that participants arrive the day before the course begins, and depart no sooner than the day after the course ends.
PAYMENT: FULL PAYMENT OR MINIMUM 50% DUE ON REGISTRATION, REMAINING BALANCE DUE BY MARCH 31, 2025.