"Palette Knife Painting" workshop with Rob Shaw

Please direct any questions to our workshop coordinator, Carol Blackwood, at carolblackwood@yahoo.com or 803-603-8634.

Workshop Description (from the instructor)

 In this workshop, you will learn to use a palette knife to create an entire painting and to create effects and techniques that you wouldn’t be able to do with a brush.  You might know the palette knife as a tool for mixing paint on a palette, but it can do so much more than that! In fact, you can use a palette knife to create effects and use techniques that you wouldn’t be able to do with a brush. Some contemporary artists like me favor the palette knife so much that we often don’t use brushes anymore. Both oil and acrylic paint can be used for palette knife painting, though I personally prefer using oil on canvas.

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One of the best things about this style of painting is the wide array of textures that you can get with a palette knife. Sharp lines can be made using the edge of the palette knife. You can achieve the broad, sweeping strokes of impasto, or create interesting effects through sgraffito or scratching into the paint. You can even paint wet on wet—that is, painting on top of wet layers without the paint blending together. A palette knife really allows you to put layers of paint together in a distinct way compared to a brush.

Palette knife painting isn’t just great for texture. Color is another area where palette knife painting really shines. A palette knife is an excellent tool for dragging colors into each other, making very stark edges, and creating shifts in color. You can also get distinct broken color effects through this style. The effects that can be achieved through palette knife painting will depend on how much paint is used, how much pressure is applied on the canvas, and what angles the palette knife is used at.

Instruction will run from 9am-4pm with a lunch break midday. Instruction will be live and interactive on Zoom. Students will be asked to set up zoom camera so as to show their painting in progress so Rob can monitor their progress and provide individual instruction throughout the day. 

About the Instructor

Rob Shaw graduated from the University of South Carolina (USC) with a Bachelor of Arts in Art Studio.  When he discovered the palette knife style of painting he began to use it exclusively.   And he has been teaching palette knife painting techniques to others. He has had numerous individual and group shows in South Carolina galleries and also been the featured artist at Havens Framemakers and Gallery since 2003. In 2005, he won second place in the NBSC Oil Painter’s Invitational, an art show that traveled the state for a year. In 2008, he won Best in Show (Professional Division) at the South Carolina State Fair for ‘Green Mist on Gervais.’ In 2016, I was juried into ArtFields in Lake City. His paintings are part of many private collections all over the United States and even Europe. You can also find his work at First Citizens Bank and The Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties.

https://www.robshawgallery.com/

Workshop Supply List

Required Oil Paints (Preferred brand: Winsor Newton Winton):

Large Tube (200ml)

200ml, Titanium White

Small Tubes (37ml tubes)

Alizarin Crimson

Cadmium Yellow Light

French Ultramarine Blue

Cerulean Blue

Viridian Green

Yellow Ochre

Burnt Sienna

Required Acrylic Paint:  Raw Sienna or any warm color (such as Orange, Red, Burnt Sienna)

Other Supplies:

Large tear drop shaped palette knife

Palette for paint mixing (flat wood panel/plexi)

Roll of paper towels

You can use any size canvas you like.  I recommend using a 16x20.

Registration

Registration is open to CCAL members for $60. 

Registration is open to non-CCAL members for $85.