Painting a Story in Still Life with Scott Conary

September 31 & October 1

10 am-5pm

Instructor:  Scott Conary

Every painting, even the humble still life, has a story in it. It’s told by what subject we choose to paint, how we present that subject, and how we paint it. Finding what interests us and how we connect to it drives that story, and directs how the painting is made. We will work on small still life paintings to explore the process—from thumbnail sketches, lighting the subject, considerations of composition, to the application of paint to build form with light, color and mark. We will walk the line between technique and intuition, using the still life as a way to explore paint, how we see, and why we make art.  Each student will be provided with their own 16″ square black box in which they will set their still life and lighting (provided).  Students may bring objects with them as subject matter and/or use a variety of interesting and colorful fresh produce that will be provided at the workshop.

There will be a 1-hour lunch break each day.  If you are traveling to Chattanooga from out of town, feel free to contact us and we will be happy to provide you with accommodation recommendations.

About the instructor

Raised where the east coast suburbs filtered into the woods and farms, Scott Conary (RISD, BFA ’93) creates paintings of everyday objects and places with which we have complicated and often ambiguous relationships. Pulled from their context, they have something to say about how we interact with the world and each other. These are stories of the arbitrary nature of beauty, of melancholy, of fleeting triumph, and the camouflage of time: the meat we greedily consume but are repulsed by, the weed that fights to survive in the gaps of our attention, the old door used for generations but now forgotten, and so on.

Fueling and inspiring this work is his young daughter’s battle with complicated heart defects and her experiences with disability. And the impact that has had on those around her. This has directed his focus towards the narratives and tensions in the common and is why he wanders deeper into the thicket of representational work.  He and his family live in Portland, Oregon.  He is represented by Principle Gallery, Charlestown Gallery, Sager|Braudis Gallery, and Heidi McBride Gallery.