May 26-29, 10am-4pm: Painting the Portrait from Life

Hone your painting skills by learning to paint using the live model as our subject. Painting from Life will enhance all areas of your painting repertoire; Painting a subject that forces the artist to “see” objectively will launch painting skills to the next level! Values, Color Temperature, Edge variety & Brushwork, Color mixing and Form are some of what will be explored. All levels are welcome (some experience in oil painting is recommended). Instructor demonstrations will guide & inspire you; then individual/personal instruction will carry you through the rest of the painting day.  BFA in Fine Art, teaching experience includes teaching Life Drawing & Portrait Painting in Hilton Head Island 1993-1996, Gibbes Studio Class Rooms 1996-1998, Current Continue teaching Portraiture & Plein Air Workshops in various places around the Southeast. I love painting the Portrait and sharing how to create “realistic” portraits that feel “painterly,” There is no greater feeling than when students get that “Ah Ha” moment and breakthrough to their next level of their painting skill. A 1989 graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art in Cleveland Ohio, Mary L. Hoffman doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t drawing and painting. As her artistic skills developed over the years, Mary realized the joy of drawing and painting the figure and portrait. Soon after graduating, Mary joined the Dayton Society of Painters and Sculptors and entered several of their juried Fine Art Shows and Exhibits; one of which earned her the “Best of Show” title as well as many “Third Place” and “Honorable Mention” ribbons. Her final exhibit with The Dayton Society of Painters and Sculptors was a large, week- long One-Woman Show which launched her artistic journey to the Southeast. Hilton Head Island, SC is where Mary taught Life Drawing, Portrait Painting and Basic Drawing classes a few weeks of the year and continued her Portrait business. For the past four decades, CEO’s, Universities and collectors from all over the world have commissioned Mary for her elegant portraits of various mediums. Some of her well-known portrait clients include The University of Dayton, Actress and Model Andie MacDowell, and NHL Hockey Legend Mark Messier. In addition to teaching in Hilton Head Island, Mary also taught Life Drawing, Portrait Painting and Basic Drawing classes at The Gibbes Museum of Art’s Gibbes Studio in Downtown Charleston South Carolina. In 2005, Mary realized a deeper dimension to her art when she attended her first Plein Air Painting workshop. Mary paints each week alongside fellow artists and friends en Plein Air. Today, Mary enjoys combining her love of the portrait and figure with painting En Plein Air teaching workshops, figure classes and painting the Portrait from life. Her work is documented on her website: www.MaryHoffmanFineArt.com where one can view and purchase original art and her blog, “Mary’s Paintings” http://maryspaintingaday.blogspot.com