July 17- 21
10am- 4pm
@Townsend Atelier
instructor: Mia Bergeron
A great class to jump start a new or existing interest in oil painting! Mia will guide students each day through the basics of learning this tricky medium. We will be discussing materials, drawing proportions, color wheels, color charts, values, mixing, lighting, and composition. We will start the class using only black and white oil paints, but will progress to primaries the second half of the week, making for stable understanding of values and color. The goal of this class is to answer questions, explain and demonstrate firsthand techniques, learn to paint what you see, and to create curiosity and interest for further experimenting. Open to all levels- whether you are a total newbie, coming back to oils after a long pause, or are a seasoned painter looking to revisit the basics!
There will be a one-hour lunch break each day. Lunch is on your own. For students traveling from out of town, please contact us if you need accommodation recommendations.
Click here for materials list
About the Instructor:
Mia Bergeron is a classically trained oil painter that uses modern techniques and concepts to create layered imaginative works. Imagery in her work often oscillates between the fictitious and the observed in equal parts.
Rooted in her upbringing in New York City with continuous exposure to modern art, her paintings also reveal her choice to study classical painting in Florence, Italy under Charles H. Cecil in her twenties. Heavily influenced by historical artists such as Diego Velázquez, Titian, Anthony van Dyck, and John Singer Sargent, her paintings are also shaped by contemporary artists such as Alex Kanevsky, Ann Gale, and Adrian Ghenie.
For Mia, the process of making paintings is similar to meditation. Each painting is the listening and contemplating of the surrounding world. The minutes at the easel are similar to focusing on the breath- there are times when the scrutiny is welcomed and quiet, and other times when the mind is loud and unintelligible. It is this dynamic contrast that is at the center of Mia’s paintings. This dualistic nature of life is what pushes and inspires her work.
Mia has been published numerous times in international magazines. Her painting “Tranquil Ghosts” was the cover image for the January 2022 Issue of American Art Collector Magazine. She continues to teach workshops at Townsend Atelier, Chattanooga. She and her husband, artist John McLeod, live in Red Bank.
