JOIN ME AT MY STUDIO IN EASTON, PA THIS SUMMER FOR A 5-DAY WORKSHOP!
I’ve spent the past several years honing this workshop online with students from all over the world and I’m excited for the chance to share it with you in my studio. This course combines two principles of painting practice that have not only grown to define my work, but have become the foundation of how I work: the sketching mindset and the studio mindset
I will be demoing live and painting alongside students but as a bonus, I’ll be showing segments of prerecorded demos and talks from the SCLA online program during this workshop to give you the most comprehensive workshop experience. Every student can also expect daily one-on-one critiques and personalized guidance.
Read the description below and watch the video clips to get an idea of what SCLA is all about. And students of SCLA 5 Day workshop have the option to add two more days to their trip and receive access to to the StudioWork Mentorship program in-person! That means we will meet one-on-one for a comprehensive review of your current creative practice, discuss your goals both in the skill-building and career contexts, review your website and social media presence, and you’ll leave with personalized workflow for you to follow as you build a body of work and grow your creative practice. Plus, you’ll have two extra days to work on your SCLA projects in the studio!
Please let me know if you have any questions. It is open to all skill levels. If you’re new to SCLA, the bottom of this page has embedded video clips of a demo and a condensed keynote where I present the technical overview of the class.
Space is limited so don’t wait too long to sign up. Scroll to the bottom or click here to register. I’m looking forward to working with all of you.
LEVEL ONE / THE SKETCHING MINDSET
This workshop isn’t a step by step on how to paint clouds from photos, although I explain and demonstrate exactly what steps I use and map out a comprehensive workflow for students to follow. So, yes, we paint landscapes with an emphasis on clouds and sky but…This program was designed to serve the bigger issue of developing a consistent creative practice and getting the absolute most out the time spent in the studio. It’s about creating a practice and then practicing practice which ultimately leads to skill building, proficiency, a catalog of sketches to pull from when making studio paintings, and most importantly, a relationship with your creative practice that allows for more growth and expansion beyond the subject matter.
So clouds and sky and land and air are the vehicle we use to get to creative proficiency, or at the very minimum, to get us to a place where we are more comfortable and confident during the search for our singular creative voice.
Sketching as a practice, is steeped in the potential energy of exploratory mark making and when we adopt that energy in practicing, we allow ourselves to take the preciousness out of what we’re making and reorganize our choices into a new space to freely play with variations on a theme without the heaviness of trying to make everything perfect.
The sketching mindset helped me reexamine how I felt about starting something without knowing where it’s going to end. It transformed a deer in headlights feeling to one of trusting myself to figure it out as I went along. Painting intuitively is actually a way of developing our technique rather than only our skills.
5 DAY IN PERSON WORKSHOP in EASTON, PA at MY STUDIO
Day One:
Introductions, explanation of materials, set-up, and palette.
Watching recorded SCLA Level 1 Keynote which explains the entire workshop philosophy
Introduction to ‘muted scale’ palette
Demo of 1one block-ins
Students paint their phase-one block ins
Day Two:
Group critique of student in-progress sketches
Short talk about improvisation, variations on a theme, intuitive painting practice
Morning : Demo of phase 2 / refining the design
Afternoon: Demo of phase 3 and 4, demo on glazing, introduction of higher chroma colors
Day Three:
Watching recorded SCLA Level 2 Keynote and introduction of 4 ways to block in larger scale studio paintings and Process Maps
Students work to bring their sketches to completion
Critique of student sketches & choosing a painting for larger work
*Field Trip: The amazing Vasari Paints has a showroom here in Easton about 5 minutes from my studio. After class, we’ll take a field trip to see where they make the paint, mix and test a few colors at their mixing table, and come away with some of the best paint on earth!
Day four:
Students block in one larger painting based on a sketch from the first half of the workshop
Day five:
Morning and afternoon sessions are spent painting the larger studio painting.
Afternoon session ends with a group critique.
Group dinner in the evening
OPTIONAL DAY SIX & SEVEN
For students who choose the StudioWork Mentorship Bundle, these days will be spent meeting one-on-one to examine your current practice, discuss your goals, review your website and social media presence, and make a personalized workflow for you to follow as you build a body of work and grow your creative practice. You’ll also be able to spend all day in the studio working on your SCLA studio painting or starting a new project.
LEVEL TWO / THE STUDIO MINDSET
The second part of this workshop aims to use our small sketches and the process we practiced as a platform and a map to creating a larger studio painting.
I often used to struggle with how to translate the energy of a small sketch into a larger studio painting. What I found is that a few simple steps using what I call a ‘process map’ not only helped me prepare for the larger surface area, but did so in a way that preserved the spirit of the sketch instead of losing it to tedium and frustration (like I used to do years ago). This studio mindset led to better large scale paintings, more clarity and confidence in my creative decisions, and a joyful workflow where the action of painting can flourish instead of being strangled by overthinking.
By ‘studio painting’ I mean something more developed than a sketch, which could be, adding more detail, more definition in forms, more precision rendering, but it doesn’t have to mean any of those things either. It could simply be a larger and (slightly) more developed version of the sketch. This is where the studio mindset comes in as a tool to help us define what we want our finished work to look and feel like.
For some, it’s highly refined, highly detailed, no brushwork showing. For others, it’s painterly and loose with bold brushwork. So as we practice, we also cultivate our definition of what we mean when we say ‘this painting is finished’.
Our goals in SCLA Level One:
To gain a better understanding of how to use direct painting both as an end in itself, and as a set-up for indirect finishing phases
To use low chroma colors to compose paintings from imagination (or photo sources if students prefer that) and introduce high chroma colors both directly and indirectly as the painting moves from beginning to finishing stages
To keep value and design in mind as drivers of the composition
To learn to use glazing as a way to shift the temperature and tone
To give careful consideration to the concept and use of color harmony as it pertains to the beginning, middle, and finishing phases of painting.
To adopt the sketching mindset as a way of practicing practice
Our goals in SCLA Level Two:
To define what it means for our painting to be ‘finished’
To approach larger paintings with the same starting process as the sketches but work towards a more refined finish
To navigate the translation from sketches to formal studio painting
To maintain a joyful workflow and avoid overthinking
Painted Sketch Inventions—Direct and Indirect Painting
The workshop revolves around the practice of inventing small scale landscape motifs, (like those seen in the photo on the right), using a limited palette variation I call ‘muted scale’. It’s essentially using low chroma colors and neutrals as stand-ins for higher chroma colors during the early stages of composing a painting. As the composition is worked out and solidified, higher chroma colors are worked in directly with opaque paint, or indirectly by glazing, to finish the painting.
During this workshop, we work with direct painting methods as both an end in itself and as a set-up for indirect painting methods used during the finishing phases. Direct painting is more intuitive and done quickly and reactively. Indirect painting seeks to refine those initial decisions while still honoring the original energy and spirit present in the early stages of painting.
MATERIALS
Students are always curious about my paints, brushes, mediums, and other studio materials. Below is a list of everything I use to paint sketches for SCLA but please understand that you are not required to buy these specific materials in order to take this workshop. You can use any brands of paint and brushes you’re comfortable with.
All the materials are linked so you can simply click anything and purchase it. *Note I’m an affiliate with Blick so when you purchase from these links I receive a small fee but it doesn’t effect the price of your materials.
CANVAS AND PAPER
Arches Oleo Paper (12x16 pad)
*This is the paper I use for my studies. It works well as-is, however I prefer it with two coats of gesso and some sanding. Click here to purchase
Canson Canva Paper (16x20 or 18x24)
This paper is great right off the pad. No need to gesso it as it already primed. It’s got a texture and tooth similar to primed linen and it’s very easy to paint on
Centurion Linen Paper (16x20 or 18x24)
This paper is silky and non-absorbent. It’s basically like using un-stretched linen.
BOARD
I usually tape the paper onto a piece of 3/4 inch foam core. The idea here is to have the entire board workable at the same time, not to work on one sketch, take it off the easel, put another one on the easel and work on that one. It’s imperative that they all be together as shown in the photo below right.
For traveling workshops, I suggest students purchase an 18 x 24 panel to use instead of foam core since it will fit on most pochade boxes easily. You can purchase the unprimed one or a GessoBoard from Ampersand and use the back side to tape the paper to. If it’s gesso’d, you can then use it for part two of the workshop where we make a larger painting from a sketch.
BRUSHES
Brushes are so subjective so here is a list of ones that I like and use regularly. *Choose what works best for you and don’t feel obligated to have these brands
Rosemary & Co.
Ivory Series 2, 4, 6 long filberts, long flats
Evergreen Short Flats 6, 10
Ultimate Long Flats & Ultimate Long Filberts
*(I use almost every size in this series. Use what works for the size of your work)Princeton ASPEN series
Flats, Egberts, Filberts 2,4,6,8,10Princeton Catalyst Polytip BristleDaggers, flats, filberts 2,4,6,8,10
Utrecht Synthetic
Flats Sizes 2, 4, 6, 8, 10Silver Grand Prix Bright Long Handle
Bright, Flat, Filbert Sizes 2, 6, 8, 10Blick Essentials Value Brush Set12-Pack Long Handle Flat Brown Nylon
EASEL LIGHT
I use this Daylight Techne Artists Drafting Lamp over my easel during this class and attach it to my pochade box when I teach at other studios. It has three levels of brightness and a long, thin design which means it doesn’t create any hotspots. It comes with a clamp to attach it to a flat surface or a universal fit easel mount that slides over the mast of any easel. You can purchase the lamp here
ESSENTIAL PAINTS
Titanium White
Flake White Replacement
Gamblin Warm White
Titanium Buff
Gamblin Portland Grey Light
Cerulean Blue (Hue)
Ultramarine Blue Deep
Cobalt Blue
Cadmium Red Light
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Naples Yellow Light
Oxide of Chromium Green
Sap Green
Burnt Sienna
Raw Umber
Burnt Umber
Paynes Grey
OPTIONAL PAINTS
Ivory Black
Indigo Blue
Radiant Turquoise (Gamblin)
Turquoise Light
Napthol Red Light
Quinachridone Red
Hansa Yellow Light
Yellow Ochre Pale
Cadmium Orange
Violet Pastel
Transparent White
MEDIUM & GESSO
I mostly use linseed oil alone or else cut with some Gamsol when I work on these sketches. It helps keep the paint thin and establishes a workable flow.
It should work fine for you as well especially since we have a week between classes for the paint to dry. I also use Liquin to glaze toward the later stages of the painting or if I need the painting to dry quicker. If you prefer a solvent free painting medium, Gamblin makes a ‘gel’, and so do many other companies. Choose what works best for you.
My favorite acrylic gesso (for now) is:
Golden Acrylic Gesso
MISCELLANEOUS MATERIALS
Viva Paper Towels or lint free rags like old T-shirts
White painters tape (I find the blue painters tape visually distracting)
FOR ACRYLIC PAINTERS
For students painting in acrylic paint, I’ve found the brands below to have the closest matches to the colors listed above
Also useful for acrylic painters looking to glaze:
*IMPORTANT NOTE*
Students are only responsible for bringing brushes and paints
THE STUDIO WILL SUPPLY STUDENTS WITH
easels
taboret table
stool or folding chair
Arches Oleo Paper or Canson CanvaPaper
foam core board to tape paper to
white painters tape
gesso
gamsol
refined linseed oil
Liquin
Paper towels and/or lint free rags
TESTIMONIALS
“This was the best workshop I have taken, and I have been to a few over the years. You are a great and encouraging teacher. Thank you so much for doing this! The online format was very helpful. It really helps to be able to watch the recordings and practice. In a 3-5 day workshop the training is focused and intense, and I wouldn’t have so many life distractions, but I also end up forgetting a lot...Thank you so much for the critiques! So, so helpful! I’ve been terrified of critiques. I’ve been to many where our work was torn apart verbally. You critiques were helpful and honest to each person’s level and ability and uplifting and encouraging.”
“I throughly enjoyed Adriano’s workshop. He is a gifted instructor who exudes patience and calmness . He is overly generous with his time to help both in the class and the valuable weekly critiques. He is incredibly knowledgeable!”
“Adriano is an incredible artist and teacher, and his online workshops are the perfect balance of demonstrations, technique, and personalized instruction. The Sky & Clouds & Land & Air courses have helped me grow tremendously as an artist, in both skill and confidence. I’m amazed at the amount of knowledge I’ve gained for my studio practice!”
“This class more than met my expectations! It was awesome to watch Adriano paint during the demos while explaining his thought process. The one on one sessions were so very helpful as Adriano critiqued my work and had the technology to add to and paint over my sketches and offer guidance for improvement. I definitely recommend this great class!!”
“This is the one of the best classes I have ever taken. The critiques are honest and truly motivated me with solid skills to progress with, and the demonstrations and wealth of knowledge offered were invaluable. Adriano is a truly fantastic teacher.”
“Adriano is a great teacher. The way his class is organized and the focus on process is perfection. Adriano is a wonderful coach and understands that learning a new skill requires simplification and encouragement. This class is an amazing experience”
“I did both the in person SCLA workshop and the online level 2 class. In that time I’ve not only grown in my understanding of what I’m doing but have learned a tremendous amount about how to approach the work. Adriano is hands down one of the kindest, most considerate and knowledgeable instructors I’ve had. He honors where you are in your process as well as giving you valuable information on improving as an artist. I am very grateful I’ve had the experience of his classes.”
“Cost was very fair. You provided a lot of technical support, hours of instruction plus critique. I thought it was a great value.Loved the techniques, learned some painting concepts I should have learned in college, loved the info about palette set-up, value, and chroma.I would be unlikely to travel to Eastern PA for a workshop, and I am extremely shy about working in front of other people, so this was a great fit for me. That being said, now I’d love to come take a class in person”
“An excellent and focused workshop full of information, personal attention and constructive feedback of my sketches and paintings. Gave me a solid working process to follow which provides a good base before starting larger paintings. Adriano shared how he thinks while painting which has helped me get out of my own way to become more focused”
“Adriano is a very inspiring artist and a generous instructor. He clearly articulates how to use different color palettes and color mixes to achieve a feeling of airiness and light, and he helps students achieve their individual goals.He has invested in technology to make the online instruction experience as illuminating as possible.”
“ I’ve been to several landscape painting workshops. Adriano’s has been my favorite. I find that I’m not a technical “heady” artist and so his intuitive process really speaks to me. He made it approachable with his kindness and encouragement. I feel I have a better understanding of how to keep moving through the sketches.In many ways I became a landscape artist because I love the landscape. I enjoy hiking and exploring it. Adriano’s class reminds me of those walks. I don’t know what I’ll find but I know it’s out there. It takes work (and I get tired along the way, get lost or stumble) but it’s always worth the work for the discovery, the beauty and the gratitude it brings.”
THE STUDIO
My workspace on the second floor. This is where I paint and film all the online class content. And this is where workshop mornings start with coffee, snacks, and crits.
The workshop room on the first floor.
Kitchenette with small refrigerator. Plus coffee and water are always available for students.
My office and growing library of art history books
Rooftop Deck where we’ll have our farewell dinner the last night of the workshop. Great for lunch and breaks too!
The gallery on the first floor of the studio.
Gallery and entrance
Lucia will make appearances and is available for snugs
Workshop room
STUDIO LOCATION & PARKING
The studio is located at 45 N Sitgreaves Street, Easton, Pennsylvania, 18042.
N Sitgreaves is technically an ‘alley’ so there is no parking. I would suggest parking on Spring Garden Street between N 2nd and N 3rd Streets. Or the 4th Street parking garage a block away behind the Easton Public Market. I would also recommend downloading the free Park Mobile App. It’s works like EZ Pass where it’s preloaded with a dollar amount which can then be used for your parking meter. It send notifications to your phone when you’re 15 minutes from meter time expiring and allows for remote extensions of meter time.
ABOUT STAYING IN EASTON,PENNSYLVANIA
Easton is an amazing community and I love it here for so many reasons. My building is right downtown in the historic district and a two minute walk to our town square. There’s lots of restaurants, great little shops, a huge historic hotel, a lovely new boutique hotel, the fantastic Easton Public Market, and the convergence of the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers all within walking distance. For a comprehensive list and map of all the downtown shops visit shopdowntowneaston. Below are some of my favorites that make up the heart of this city.
Hotels
The Grand Eastonian - Lovely big hotel within an easy under-five-minute walk from my studio. Lots of students book this place when they come to Easton because it’s so close.
Townly House - Gorgeous boutique hotel - less than a five minute walk from my studio. Pricey but truly beautiful.
AirBnb
AirBnbs like this one are few and far between in Easton for some reason so if you find one, especially downtown, book it.
Food & Restaurants
The Easton Public Market - our beloved market that breathed so much new life into downtown. Fun fact: their grand opening several years ago was the first day of my first plein air workshop in Easton! They have some of the best vendors around. Here are my absolute favorites:
Mr. Lee’s Noodles - amazing Ramen. Chef Lee is James Beard Award winning chef and has several other restaurants including nearby Bolete (another fun fact: I was super honored to be asked to furnish Bolete with paintings when they first opened years ago. It’s my favorite restaurant for many reasons but it has a special place in my heart because they gave me a chance to show my work back then). Anyway, the Ramen is spectacular and I’m happy bringing visitors there all the time.
The Modern Crumb - The croissants from this place are perfection…Everything is really. (Our first morning meeting will have some treats from here)
Green Vida - So many great fresh juices, vegetarian options, and one the best breakfast sandwiches ever.
Kabinett Wine Bar - My favorite place downtown for fine dining. Exquisite and artful dishes, amazing wine list, lovely staff. By summer 2024 they will open an amazing addition to their restaurant—a general store with coffees, teas, groceries, and a bottle shop.
Bar Torino - Exquisite wine bar with pizza and small plate charcuterie features. Right around the corner from my studio and perfect for lunch!
Thyme Rooftop Grille - modern cuisine, amazing views overlooking the Delaware River.
Sette Luna - Rustic Italian with excellent wood oven pizza. It’s one of my favorite places for group dinners after workshops.
Meli - Mediterranean cuisine, amazing cocktails, great atmosphere
Mesa - Modern Mexican with some of the best guacamole around.
Third & Ferry Fish Market - Fresh fish dishes and a hearty fish n chips dish.
Aman’s Artisan Indian Cuisine - delicious Indian dishes and they have a new outdoor dining courtyard
Tokyo Sushi - take out sushi right up the street from the studio
SweetGirlz Bakery - right around the corner and across the street for delicious baked goods and epic cupcakes.
Coffee and Ice Cream
Three Birds Coffee House - The best coffee shop! And it’s only steps away from my studio. They have a satellite shop called Nest in the Easton Public Market.
Bank Street Creamery - Sweet little ice cream shop down one of the cutest Easton alleys
Fitness (Just in case you want to get some workouts and/or yoga in while you’re here visiting)
Easton Yoga - Award winning studio with lots of classes and instructors and right up the street
The Valley Om - Another award winning yoga studio in Easton. This one isn’t quite within walking distance but only about a five minute car ride.
Shops
For a comprehensive list and map of all the downtown shops visit shopdowntowneaston
Mercantile Home - artfully hand made home accessories…(go buy a squirrel!)
Casa 401 - Small batches of sustainable Goods. Marketplace Celebrating Independent Creators. Fashion Goods, Accessories.
Wegmans - the best grocery store and only about a ten minute-ish drive or you can instacart it if you’re staying at an airbnb.
REGISTER
Sky & Clouds & Land & Air 5 Day In-Person Workshop
at my studio in Easton, Pennsylvania
Level 1 / Painted Sketch Inventions & Variations on a Theme
Level 2 / Developing a Studio Painting from Your Sketches
July 7 - 11, 2024
9am - 4pm daily with an hour lunch break
$695
*STUDIOWORK MENTORSHIP bundle*
*Special StudioWork Mentorship Bundle
July 7 - 13, 2024
Full SCLA Workshop PLUS TWO DAYS of STUDIOWORK MENTORSHIP
$895
StudioWork Mentorship Sessions are my ongoing one-on-one online sessions designed to meet students where they are in their practice and address any technical questions or mindset challenges that might be holding up progress and limiting growth as a working artist. These weekly meetings help students stay connected and accountable to their creative practice and receive completely individualized instruction and guidance as they build a body of work and navigate the challenges of being a working artist.
Students of SCLA 5 Day workshop can add two more days to their trip and receive access to this program in-person! That means we will meet one-on-one for a comprehensive review of your current creative practice, discuss your goals both in the skill-building and career contexts, review your website and social media presence, and you’ll leave with personalized workflow for you to follow as you build a body of work and grow your creative practice. Plus, you’ll have two extra days to work on your SCLA projects in the studio!
*Note - Enrollment is limited to 10 students for this session even though there is room for double that amount in the studio. The intent is to give students an intimate working environment and lots of individualized attention.
If this session fills up, I will run second session the week after this one ends. Also, if you’d like to join this workshop but cannot make these dates, please reach out and I’ll add you to the list for a second session. I’m thrilled to welcome you to my studio and city and happy to answer any questions about any aspect of this experience so please feel free to write or call.
*All workshops and classes are non refundable but I’m happy to transfer tuition to another workshop or online class on a case by case basis.
SCLA ONLINE CLASS DEMO
If you’ve never taken any SCLA classes before, you can watch some condensed demos from a recent online class below. One thing about teaching this online is that all demos could be watched in hi-definition so no one misses anything on the palette or canvas. In person workshops sometimes end up with students having to crowd around the demo uncomfortably if they want to really see the palette and canvas. I’ll be demoing just like this during the in-person class and students will see every color mix and brushstroke projected onto a 55 inch television screen in the classroom.
SCLA KEYNOTE CLIP
Below you’ll find a condensed version of the SCLA Level 1 Keynote, Notes on Painted Sketches. We spend some time on the morning of the first day of in-person class watching this in order to learn the context and technical overview of the class.