A letter to the 2010 class

Welcome to everyone interested in my June 2010 Landscape Oil Painting Class.

This class takes place in and around Pawlet, VT a small agricultural community at the North end of the beautiful Mettowee Valley. An ideal place for landscape painting, Pawlet is also where Elizabeth and I make our home and have our studios. Saturday crits and Saturday night suppers will take place at our home and studio.

You will find detailed information about the class and a materials list in the post below. As always students will be responsible for their housing. Expect to find both housing and crit locations in the surrounding towns of Danby, Rupert, Dorset, and Manchester. Please contact us for a list of local realtors and the names of a few local people with rooms or houses to rent. Last year students had success finding accommodations in both the Manchester http://www.manchestervermont.net/ and Lake St. Catherine areas. Though the distances are not long (and the drives are beautiful) everyone will need a car or a friend with whom to carpool. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at thomastorak@gmail.com or Elizabeth at torak@vermontel.net or call 802-325-6428.

The tradition of Saturday night suppers will continue. You are all invited.

Information and Materials

FIRST CLASS: Thursday June 3, 2010 @ 3pm – We will start with a late afternoon painting session on the road outside my studio (Beaver Brook Road, Pawlet, VT) . Directions will be sent when you register for the class.

CLASS SCHEDULE: Three classes a week. Tuesday and Thursday we will meet outdoors for plein air painting and critiques. The time of the session could be anywhere from sunrise to late afternoon, depending on the location and the weather. I will decide a day or two before the crit so you should be prepared to keep those days free from other obligations. Saturday we will meet in my studio to discuss the principles and theories of landscape painting, each student should bring one painting.

CLASS SUPPERS: Each Saturday evening (June 5, 12, 19, 26) Elizabeth and I will host an informal class supper at our home and studio. We invite the students to bring friends and family.

LAST CLASS: Tuesday June 29, 2010

CLASS FEE: $750 for the month or any part of the month. No partial payments for one week or half of the month. A $50 nonrefundable deposit (checks only please, no credit cards) payable to Thomas Torak will reserve space in the class, enrollment is limited to 40 students. Mail to: Thomas Torak 360 Beaver Brook Road Pawlet, VT 05761 For additional information contact Elizabeth Torak: torak@vermontel.net or call 802-325-6428.

SUPPLIES: Portable field easel. Palette (a small wooden palette works well outdoors, no white or paper palettes). Gesso panels, canvas boards or stretched canvases (if you bring stretched canvases bring a piece of cardboard to put behind the canvas so that light will not pass through from the back), 9 x 12 or so is good for field crits, but if you want to do something larger for the Saturday crit please feel free to do so. A sketch pad (9 x 12 or so), pencils, charcoal or other drawing materials are very useful. Mineral spirits in a can or jar to clean your brushes. Filbert and round brushes in a variety of sizes. A few round sables are useful for details. Paper towels or rags to wipe your brushes and a small bag to keep them from blowing away. Palette cups to hold medium.

PAINTS: OIL PAINTS ONLY, no acrylic or water based oils. White (titanium-zinc or Permalba, a large tube); Winsor Newton’s best quality cadmium lemon yellow and cadmium yellow light (these are very important for making rich landscape greens); cadmium yellow medium; cadmium yellow deep; cadmium orange; cadmium red light (again Winsor Newton’s best quality); cadmium red medium; cadmium red deep; alizarin crimson; cerulean or manganese blue; cobalt blue; ultramarine blue; thalo blue; thalo green; yellow ochre; ivory or lamp black.

MEDIUM: A good general medium is: 1 part linseed oil, 1 part dammar or mastic varnish, 1 part turpentine mixed together in a jar. If you prefer to use Fels mediums, Maroger, Liquin or any other medium (except water based) please feel free to do so.

Prepare for all sorts of weather. Bring boots, warm clothing, rain poncho, sun hat and a swimsuit.