Pickle Street School Studio

A working art studio located in scenic Monterey Township, Michigan

Pickle Street School Studio is a one-room school building renovated and transformed into an art studio offering a variety of arts and enrichment classes and workshops.

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Capturing the Character of Trees


  • Pickle Street School Studio 2980 134th Avenue Hopkins, MI, 49328 United States (map)

with Richard Jordan

  • Two day workshop: Thursday, July 14 and Friday, July 15, 2022

  • 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily

  • $225.00

Trees are grand living things and we relate to them on an emotional level. As artists, we should feel something when we paint trees, yet often they are handled as props or filler. Whether they are the center of interest in your painting, or the supporting cast, how you paint trees can either elevate them as giants or leave them looking small and uninspired.

In this special workshop, Richard will demonstrate his approach to painting trees and how you can give them life and a believable presence in your work.

Workshop Highlights

• Finding a tree’s essential elements 

• Developing structure of the trunk and limbs

• Massing foliage to create volume and using suggestion to create branches and twigs

• Developing trees as the supporting cast

• Grouping trees to establish order 

• Dealing with all that green

MATERIALS TO BRING

Students will provide their own materials. A supply list will be sent out prior to the workshop.

Contact Pickle Street School Studio to register.


About the Artist

Painting outdoors, directly from nature (plein air) has been the driving force of my art since 1997 and is the most significant factor in my growth as an artist. Trying to capture the unpredictable moods of nature in a few short hours is both enjoyable and challenging. It forces me to tackle complex visual problems which of course determines the outcome. Some paintings seem effortless, while others are a battle from start to finish. Over the years, I’ve come to love the process of painting outdoors as much as the finished results. Good or bad the day is never wasted, the lessons alone are worth the effort.

View Richard's artist website at artistrichardjordan.com