Richard Kochenash
Painting Flowers
July 24 - 26, 2026
Tuition: $580
Skill Level: All Levels
To reveal the exquisite beauty of delicate flowers takes more than just the basics of drawing, value and edges. It demands a looser gestural energy, dynamic mark making, speed-yet decisiveness and the ability to paint transmitted light into shadows. To express color, we’re inviting color vibration which requires layering notes that optically fuse to resonate a luminous color.
Beginning with a Friday evening demo, Rick will demonstrate his thinking process explaining decisions on composition, organization of process, the selection of appropriate paint, while utilizing little known tools and materials he has put into operation to carve out flowers in a series of lifting, scraping, painting and wiping.
As we move through the following days the attendees will individually work on their own compositions of live subjects while receiving abundant critiques and guidance individually as well as group where appropriate.
This class will require a degree of stamina as the pace will be quick and compressed due to the fleeting nature of the subject. The goal…to push you to extend your reach, challenging you to paint not just what is seen, but felt.
Meet the Artist
Richard Kochenash
Rick is an artist/teacher who has honed his craft in the Twin Cities area for the past 40 years. He earned a BS in Art Education, graduating from Kutztown University, in Pennsylvania, in 1978. He later moved to the Twin Cities and completed 5 years of study at the Atelier LeSueur, culminating with a year in special tutelage under Richard Lack, an acknowledged master of the school of Classical Realism. Rick is also an avid gardener, so it makes sense that he would find delight in working with flowers, especially the peony, which he cultivates and then arranges to paint. This has led to several one man shows of his works at the acclaimed Minnesota Landscape Arboretum galleries. Rick has received numerous distinguished awards nationwide and continues to share his knowledge and enthusiasm from his studio in historic downtown Chaska, teaching both indoor and outdoor workshops, demonstrating to hungry minds the art of painting in both oils and watercolors, his preferred mediums.
