PAINTING THE BRUGGE CITYSCAPE THROUGH THE LENS
INSTRUCTOR: GLEN KESSLER
August 4-13, 2019
Glen Kessler will run a painting workshop at the vaunted Flemish Classical Atelier in Brugge (Bruges). Arrive and gather photographs in this historic and charming Medieval city on August 4. Then craft masterworks from your photographs in the Atelier under the excellent tutelage of the Compass Atelier founder and director from August 5-9. Finally enjoy 4 days of art and sights with Glen from August 10-13.
THE CITY
Bruges is a historic fairy-tale-like city, and it is the birthplace of oil painting. Whether your interests are food (their chocolate, fries, and mussels are legendary), drink (their beer is reputed to be the best in all the world), architecture (with adorable gabled buildings and bridges galore), or art history (the Flemish Primitives were some of the first yet best oil painters in the history of the medium) you are sure to find days of intrigue throughout Bruges..
THE ATELIER
The Flemish Classical Atelier has played host to dozens of the world's top workshop teachers as well as offering its own course of regular study steeped in the traditions of master art-making. We are thrilled to have a superb host facility to work with.
August 5
Take a walking/biking tour with Glen through the quaint and picturesque city of Bruges as we gather photographic images to paint from during our workshop. Glen will discuss composition, lighting, and color as we collect images in our cameras. Later that day, we will explore how programs like Photoshop can assist with further image refinement as we ready our image for painting.
August 6-9
With our images selected, we will shift our venue to the gorgeous Flemish Classical Atelier where for the next 4 days we will craft our masterworks. Glen will lecture and demonstrate how to draw and mix color accurately, how to develop a painting in stages, and where to deviate from the photograph in the creation of a painting that is more than the sum of its parts.
Bruges is a city full of history and vibrant contemporary culture. It is also a short distance from other vibrant art and culture hubs.
For those who would like to travel together from DC, we will plan to fly into Brussels on August 3. Traveling with a group is a fun way to start the magic early, and it can make the process of traveling to a foreign country a little less daunting for less experienced travelers.
August 4
On August 4, we will visit the Markt, Belfort tower, and the Historium to get acquainted with our host city. The painting workshop itself will run from August 5-9. Nightly activities will also be available during the workshop dates.
August 10
After the painting workshop, on August 10, we will visit the Groeningemuseum, the definitive museum of the Primitives—oil painting’s earliest (and still some of its best) practitioners.
August 11
August 11 will be a fun trip to the Frietmuseum (Museum of the Potato) and a visit to Chez Vincent for some of the world's best frites.
August 12 & 13
On August 12 & 13 we will visit the artistically significant cities of Ghent and Antwerp to view masterworks in person and discuss. We will plan to fly out on August 14.
This entire tour is ideal for artists of ANY skill level (especially beginners who will benefit from the focused time in the studio). Spouses and non-artists will also thoroughly enjoy themselves with both scripted and unscripted time.
AUGUST 4-13, 2019 (only 3 spots left)
Total cost: €1050
This is the cost for the workshop and tours. Transportation, room, and board are the responsibility of the participant. Early enrollees may be able to arrange for a group rate on accommodations and possibly coordinate travel. An email will go out in early 2019 to discuss these topics and more.
Total cost: $175
Spouses and non-artists may join us for all activities other than the painting workshop (August 5-9):