Workshops

Kevin Gorges
UNDERSTANDING COLOR AND FLORAL PAINTING
October 4 - 8, 2010
$600
all levels

We will focus on simplicity rather than complexity in our paintings.  By reviewing the basics, new habits can be formed that can be used in all areas of painting.  Artists frequently ask themselves the same question while they are in the beginning or middle of a painting:  what do I do now?  We will explore skills and habits that can help you answer that question.  We will address composition, drawing, and color mixing.  This course will also include a discussion of artist materials, including mediums, and choices of varnishes.  This is a great opportunity to learn more about color.  Your paintings will be bold and colorful.
 
The course will be about observing and mixing color.  I may stress mixing color AND applying it with a palette/painting knife.  I’ve done a number of paintings this way, and because the knife is harder to handle than a brush, the result is a looser looking painting, with fewer “drawn” edges, and a lot less blending. This approach is also part of my strategy to reduce the detail in the painting, and focus on the simple task of mixing the right color, and painting in large simplified shapes.   My goal as a teacher is to find what motivates students, and provide strategies to help them enjoy the act of painting without becoming overwhelmed and self-critical.
Kevin
 
 
Bio
 
  Born in 1961, Kevin Gorges has been painting since childhood.  Art runs in the family; his great grandfather Thomas Norris, a Scotsman, painted exquisite landscapes in the Old Dutch tradition. After receiving a formal degree in music, Mr. Gorges began to study drawing in earnest under the private tutelage of Jill Pottle in Boston, and Robert Cormier at the Gammell Studio in Boston. He then moved to Florence, Italy where he studied under Daniel Graves, and taught for 4 years at the Florence Academy of Art, where he also taught a summer pastel workshop. In addition to Italy, he has taught in Ireland and now in Santa Fe for the past 9 years. His work has been seen in shows in London, San Francisco, Santa Fe, Florida and Florence. He is represented in private collections in Italy, France, Ireland and the U.S.A. His work may be viewed at Sage Creek Gallery in Santa Fe, and The John Pence Gallery in San Francisco, and at his face book page:  www.facebook.com/pages/Kevin-Gorges/50256056914.
 
Exhibitions:
 
The Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco; San Francisco, CA  1995
C. Duncan Connelly Fine Art; Atlanta, GA  1996
The Appleton Museum of Art; Ocala, FL  1996
Saint Peter’s Hall; London, England  1997
Guadalupe Fine Art and Sculpture Garden; Santa Fe, NM  1999; “A Show of Hands”
Van de Griff Gallery; Santa Fe, NM  2000; “Paper Made”
Van de Griff Gallery; Santa Fe, NM  2000; 7th Annual Realism Invitational
John Pence Gallery; San Francisco, CA  2002; The Nude
Andreeva Portrait Gallery; Santa Fe, NM  2003; The Florence Academy of Art
Turner Carroll Gallery; Santa Fe, NM  2004; Salon Series:  Colors Without Lines
Corsini Family Stables; Florence, Italy 2005; 1st Annual Alumni Exhibition
Andreeva Portrait Gallery; Santa Fe, NM  2005; local artist group exhibition
Andreeva Portrait Gallery; Santa Fe, NM  2006; Recent Works from Instructors
St. John’s College; Santa Fe, NM  2006; The John Sloan Drawing Group
John Pence Gallery; San Francisco, CA  2008; Drawings, An Invitational Exhibition
Altitude Fine Art; Santa Fe, NM  2008; New Realism, Group Show