Creating Landscapes that Speak

MichaelWorkman is a master landscape artist. His rural landscapes evoke strong emotions in those who experience their subtle, yet powerful silent wonder. Whidbey Island Fine Art Studio has the privilege of hosting a week-long Plein Air workshop taught by Michael this summer.

Considered one of the major American Contemporary Tonalist painters, Michael’s use of color, texture, and light are soft and harmonious and create a dreamy effect. Tonalism is defined as the use of color’s middle values versus stronger contrasts. It is a subtle, yet powerful technique.

Michael’s workshop will focus on deconstructing his paintings to show you how he achieves a balance between a realistic approach and an abstract interpretation. Early on in his career, Michael realized that in order to distinguish his landscapes he would have to go beneath the visible surface and mine the reach emotional layers that lay below. Michael’s goal in his workshops is to teach artists to tap their emotional response to a landscape and capture this in their own rendering of the scene.

Michael freely shares his insights and thoughts in his workshops. Some of his insightful thoughts include:

“If you can’t draw, it’s hard to be a good painter.”

“If you have nothing to say, it is not art.”

“Most of the painting problems are caused by bad drawing, value and color.”

 “What you leave out is more important than what you leave in.”

 Most importantly, Michael believes that, “To become an artist is a long hard climb up a steep mountain. You can only stop and rest for a while. You must always strive for excellence. Go deeper than you've ever gone before.”  This is exactly what Michael strives to help artists do in his workshops.

Don’t miss this great opportunity to study alongside one of the greatest landscape artists of our time. If you are unable to attend this workshop, Michael has a couple recommendations of books for those serious about improving their landscape paintings. The two books he recommends are:  Guide to Landscape Painting by John F. Carlson and Composition of Outdoor Painting by Edgar Payne.