Skies are one of the most beautiful elements of nature that are often a source of inspiration for artists. Skies are often the most abstract part of a landscape, so in this class we will focus on conveying skies with energy and drama using big brushstrokes applied with freedom. We want to help you convey the mood and atmosphere in your sky in a convincing way.

A common mistake is leaving the sky as an afterthought, and not developing it as a critical part of the composition. The sky needs to be painted in connection with the rest of the painting to achieve a convincing result in color, brushwork, tone and composition. In this class we will help you to think about how to depict the sky at the beginning of your painting to achieve a strong sense of atmosphere and light. We will teach you to see the varied colors in the sky, how to mix convincing sky colors, and avoid using pure colors as the sky is rarely pure blue and the clouds are rarely pure white.

This class will include demos in both oil and watercolor to illustrate the process of creating light and atmosphere in the sky, depicting the dome of the sky, and painting the sky with an economy of brushwork. 

All levels of students welcome.