People at Work: Painting the Figure in Water-Soluble Oils

All Ages | Free, but registration is required

Artists have long found meaning in capturing people while they are working.

Inspired by the exhibitions America250: The American Worker and Workers Over Time, this workshop invites participants to look more closely at people at work and discover how an everyday moment can become the subject of a painting.

We will begin in the galleries, exploring how artists have depicted workers across time and considering what gesture, posture, clothing, tools, and surroundings can reveal about a person and their story.

Back in the studio, participants will work from a photograph they bring of someone engaged in a task. Your subject might be a mechanic repairing an engine, a grandmother cooking, an artist in the studio, a farmer in the field, a healthcare worker caring for someone, a musician practicing, or simply someone whose work or daily routine has meaning to you.

Using water-soluble oils, students will learn how to simplify the figure, develop a composition, mix color, and use expressive brushwork to capture not only what a person looks like, but something about what they are doing and why that moment matters.

Designed for ages 14 and older, this three-hour workshop is suitable for a range of experience levels. Participants should bring a printed or digital photograph of a person at work to use as their reference. All painting materials will be provided.