October 21 & 22
10 am – 4pm EST
@Townsend Atelier
instructor: Mia Bergeron
This oil painting class is designed to investigate an extra layer in the narrative of still life painting. Students will be adding imaginative elements into a seemingly observational still life. We will be working on one painting throughout the entire workshop. Mia will set up still life’s for smaller groups within the class to paint from direct observation for the first half of each day. The second half of the day will be spent painting from photographs provided by Mia (though students are strongly encouraged to bring a phone or tablet to have even broader access to images) on the same canvas.
Mia will discuss the basics of representational painting like lighting, drawing, values, color, edges, chroma, composition, but will also delve into more complex ideas like personal narratives, how to make multiple separate images read cohesively , and how to set up believable lighting when working from photography, observation, and imagination in the same painting. Mia will demonstrate every morning, and students will get personalized critiques repeatedly throughout each day. Prior knowledge of oil painting is strongly suggested. Acrylic paints are also welcome.
There will be a 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.
