This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to study the portrait in charcoal with Teresa Oaxaca. I have been spending a lot of energy this year studying figure drawing and when I heard Teresa was coming to Albuquerque I signed up immediately. In my self-study I had been experimenting with different materials and papers and started to feel frustrated with the time limit in my usual figure drawing group. During the workshop we were only using charcoal and Canson mi-teintes papers and spending a full day on one composition. It was such a luxury to have a so much time to concentrate on each portrait. It was a two day workshop, so the class worked on a new portrait each day.
Here is the model Malia on the first day of the workshop. Teresa started the day with the following demo:
portrait by Shana Levensen
Here is Teresa's work on the second day. Teresa was a wonderful instructor and such a lovely person to meet. She spent the majority of the time circulating the room and offering personal guidance and instruction. She spent as much time with you as you wanted and answered every question with the utmost patience and respect no matter what level an artist you were. Even though I've been painting for fifteen years I felt like a newbie, but by the second day something clicked for me and I felt really focused. I was pleased with the work and happy because I felt like my self-instruction and practice over the year had finally come together. Drawing on weekends and finding time in the evenings was worth it and I will continue to hone my skills during these stolen moments between painting and family.
