Egeli's Great Workshop
Cedric and Joanette Egeli shared a lifetime of portrait experience at Steve Perkins' studio house in Melbourne beach. Their long legacy of teaching artists was applied to an enthusiastic group of artists in a challenging setting. The goal of this outdoor workshop was to learn portraiture in the outdoors, where one can be at the mercy of clouds, winds, weather, and bugs (such as the brief cloud of love bugs one day).
The first lesson was the importance of strong color in outdoor settings, and the importance of perfecting the "mud head" silhouette first. The model is usually arranged backlit outdoors, hence silhouetted, and unlike indoor portraiture is not about values but color. Relatively pure hues provide life.
The second lesson was how light outdoors comes from all directions, each a different color and one has to be attuned to the natural structural planes of the body to perceive the influence of the color and color temperature of each direction.
Lessons in drawing were reinforced with demonstration by Cedric, and watchful instruction at the artists side.
Not to be forgotten were the entertaining stories and anecdotes gained from a lifetime of being professional artists and art instructors. The stories of the brilliant colorist, but also irascible near communist, Henry Hensche were particularly amusing. All in all the workshop was a memorable success.
The second lesson was how light outdoors comes from all directions, each a different color and one has to be attuned to the natural structural planes of the body to perceive the influence of the color and color temperature of each direction.
Lessons in drawing were reinforced with demonstration by Cedric, and watchful instruction at the artists side.
Not to be forgotten were the entertaining stories and anecdotes gained from a lifetime of being professional artists and art instructors. The stories of the brilliant colorist, but also irascible near communist, Henry Hensche were particularly amusing. All in all the workshop was a memorable success.