Painting Better Alla Prima Paintings from Photos
Class | Available
While painting from a live model is preferable, the fact is that most people who take workshops paint from photographs at home. So Craig will show students how to make the most of their photos. How to set up a simple photo shoot with a subject to get the most interesting options; both with natural light and simple clamp lights from a hardware store. Also, critical is how to adjust the photos once taken by lightening the darks and darkening the lights a bit and how to enhance color. Then during the painting process, emphasis is given to checking planes of the face and simplifying, especially, the hair. Then, exaggerating color early on and next using neutrals to enhance them. Craig will also teach how to check shapes and proportions to obtain a better likeness. www.pursleyart.com
Craig Pursley
Craig started early in art, obtaining professional commissions at 14. He was chosen as Nebraska’s Outstanding Young Artist at 17 and the following year completed a large mural, which is still displayed in his high school.
While in college he worked as a composite artist for several law enforcement agencies including the F.B.I. and continued doing so after becoming an art teacher in Colorado.
In 1983, Craig moved to California where he began work as an illustrator for a major newspaper. During this time, he also achieved considerable notoriety as a sports artist for the California Angels, Topps Baseball Card Co., and Upper Deck Baseball Card Co.
In 2002, Craig and his wife, Julie, moved to New Hampshire where he paints the beauty of New England in addition to running the American Heritage Gallery of Art in the village of Bath.. He is a member of the The Portrait Society of America (who chose his portfolio as one of the top five in 2015) and Oil Painters of America (where he recently won second place in a national competition).
His work has been featured in American Art Collector, Southwest Art and International Artist magazines and can be seen in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, The Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site and The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. His paintings are also in private collections from coast to coast and in Europe. He has won many national awards including two Best of Shows in 2015. Recently, he was chosen by New Hampshire Magazine as “Best White Mountain Artist” and has two portraits on permanent display in the state house in Concord, NH.
Craig is represented by:
American Heritage Gallery, Bath, NH
Tilting at Windmills, Manchester Center, VT
Art3Gallery, Manchester, NH
Berkley Gallery, Warrenton, VA