I am a student always, and a teacher sometimes. I continue to learn my craft from those I whose work I love, both living and deceased. I enjoy teaching all levels of students and stress the basics of design, value, and color. I have learned from the best, and I try to pass on those things that have helped me in my craft, and made it possible to express my own vision through painting.

I teach workshops for individuals and organizations.

Gesture and Figure–to be scheduled

Students paint from models posed for gesture and character, showing in alla prima freshness all the many moods and charms of women. The workshop is based on the three primary principles in any good painting: Design, value, and color value. Students learn how to use a four-color palette, allowing for better understanding of how to mix colors, easier access to color values, and colors that do not degrade or become muddy. Other colors will be added as needed. The class includes morning demonstrations, student painting in the afternoon, and one-on-one instruction daily.

Impressionist Portraits in Oil Using a Four Color Palette-To be Scheduled

“What the eye sees, the heart covets.” At the heart of painting is the skill of the eye more than any other thing. The rest is learning the craft of painting.

John Singer Sargent said, “Every good portrait is a good caricature.” The class will be taught with this in mind, enabling the student to look for the essentials. Attention will also be given to pushing the gesture as an extension of character.

“Design, tone [value], the rest is up to you.” Since the design of painting is all important, the elements of design will be taught, so that the student can create not only a likeness, but a painting as well.

In class we will use a four-color palette in the Impressionist manner. Not only value will be emphasized, but the use of a color-value as a unit.
We will work from models every day – one portrait per day. There will be morning demonstrations.

Children’s Portraits – to be scheduled

Linda Kyser Smith: Class Description

“Design, tone (value), the rest is up to you.” There is a world of art in this well-known quote. And yet, painting children has its own set of problems in portraiture. The proportions of the body are different, the “baby fat” dewiness is different, and painting a moving target is nearly impossible. This course will address all three issues, as well as painting from photographs and life.

In addition, the course will be taught with a four-color palette that arms one with the colors of the rainbow and enables the painter to keep the palette as fresh and luscious as icing on a birthday cake. The palette also helps the artist to replicate more easily the unique colors of children’s skin tones, having “color values” ready to dip into. Also, because the basis of the palette is only four colors, the palette is not degraded by “earth tones”, which makes it more difficult to make “mud”.

Helpful hints for photographing children will be shared, and there will be an oil demonstration every morning. I continue to teach the basics in every class–the foundation for successful painting– and welcome beginners to professionals.