Workshop Wednesday: Dennis Perrin
“Sonata” by Dennis Perrin. 40” x 40” Oil on linen. Available through his website.
"My method flows from page 17 and 18 of Robert Henri's "the Art Spirit" shared Dennis Perrin on the first day of his floral painting workshop.
Over the course of 3 days in May of 2019, I had the pleasure of attending a workshop by Dennis in a private studio. We watched in rapture as he painted not one, but two beautiful demos that long weekend. What I observed was a gifted artist who was also a deep thinker, a man who was as interested in philosophy and meditation as he was in the art of painting.
Among Dennis’ many gifts, he certainly has a gift for simplifying information. It is a trait I have tried to cultivate in my own teaching practice and so his method resonated with me immediately.
The following are my notes that I took during his workshop mostly on day 2 and 3. The photos were taken by me and fellow attendee Lorrie Herman.
The first demo..
The Palette:
Winsor Newton Water Soluble Artisan Paints
Titanium White, Cad Yellow Light, Cad Red Med, Cad Red Dark, Alizarin Crimson, Cerulean Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Viridian, Ivory Black
Day 2
Early stages of the second demo. Notice the quadrant framework underpinning the composition.
-Dennis begins with a very soft gestural drawing in Alizarin Crimson.
-He looks for ”counterpoints of weight” in the four quadrants of the canvas.
-Encourages "intuitive placement" first, then checking for accuracy.
-"Ask yourself ; Do I want drama, poetry, a lyrical feeling?".
-"If background is close in value to the subject then you get poetry. It will all merge together as subject".
-"You are looking for the integration of all the elements in your painting. Bring things together in a much more subtle way".
-"The mood of top-lighting is more uplifting - convivial. In almost all classic painting the subject is light form above".
Dennis’ palette for his first demo. He began with 5 puddles of local color/value and then altered them as needed while he worked.
-Begins painting any subject by reducing the visual information to 4 or 5 values of local color and mixing them accordingly. This is based on the writings of Robert Henri where he explains that all masterworks can be reduced to 4 or 5 values. {Try analyzing any masterpiece yourself and you will see he is correct}. Dennis then alters those values within strings as needed.
-"Scumble in the lights, you want to see the pattern of light & shadow".
-"(When squinting) If shapes merge, let them merge".
- Uses a size 20(!) flat brush in the beginning stages of painting.
Blocking in the light and shadow shapes and to the right beginning to shape the forms further.
-Uses the tip of the brush when abstracting foliage.
-"Paint a mass from which the stems will emerge".
-When painting silver uses overlapping strokes of black + yellow + red for the dark value.
-"Blues (and black) put you in the right value slot, then red, yellow and orange tip the color ratio".
-When painting the roses, he used cobalt blue + cad red dark + yellow + a touch of white for the rose shadows.
-"Don't overmix your paint. If you mix with a brush you avoid that".
-"Mixing with a brush allows you to stay in flow and this is what you want".
-Will use the background color in turning the form IF the value is right.
-"Unity over diversity every time".
-Uses a palette knife to remove soiled paint into piles.
-When he has painted for a substantial amount of time he steps back from his canvas and muses, "I tell myself that I am on my way to town but that I am not there yet. So if the color, temp, etc. is off that is ok. I will get to town eventually".
-Switches to a size 16 flat or filbert brush when when beginning to refine shapes.
-"Simple statements. You don't have to be perfect, just convincing enough".
-Recommends that people read the book, "The Painted Word" by Tom Wolfe.
Day 3
Second demo close to completion and final state.
-His painting needs a little reworking because a couple of flowers expired.
-When replacing flowers, do not pull the old flowers out because you will disturb the arrangement. Instead, cut the bloom and insert the replacement with a much shorter stem so that it will merge with the arrangement".
-He paints while wearing a hat in the studio which helps when assessing values.
-Prefers a broad stroke when building form. Lays it down Horizontally and if the area needs to be smaller will look for a smaller brush width to fit it.
-He likes the look of Carol Marine's brushstrokes.
Detail from the second demo (the lower right peach rose).
-”You can create a painting from start to finish with a bright.”
-A more limited palette to try is: Cobalt, Cad Red Dark & Cad Yellow Light + White.
-Suggests keeping values to 3 for exercises.
-Try limited stroke exercises.
-He intentionally makes his table line very subtle so as not to take away from the contrast/balance of the painting.
-”Start looking at painters who say less with their paintings. It is how you build aesthetic. Search them out, study with them and them approach your work with the same intentionality.”
The set up for Dennis’ second demo. Flowers were carefully replaced as they wilted.
At this point I bet you are wondering how you can study with Dennis (smart question)! Luckily for all of us during this time of COVID, Dennis offers virtual courses and mentorship opportunities through his “genius circle” , For more information click here.
Our jubilant band of happy painters at the conclusion of the workshop (I am on the far left). A special thanks to Dennis, his wife Aimee and our dear hostess Francie Freitas for making it all possible.