Hey folks !
As it is never late to give an answer, here is my testimonial. Its a huge one but I swear I could tell you more and
more...
I did Barry s workshop 2 years ago. I must say I was searching during a long long time some very good knowledge about painting, tones of books, some dvd but in most cases I did found good stuff but it seems always to stop when it was becoming interesting.
One day I was surfing around, searching again about good information I found Barry s site.
http://www.bjrgallery.com/
It consist mainly of PDF courses. I pick up one of them. Bought it online, and few minutes later had the content. No shipping cost, no tracking list !
The theme I picked up was about Color. It took me one night to realized I found THE MASTER. The knowledge was clear, well organized and deep. So what did I do ? I purchase the whole course and spend one month reading the stuff again and again. It s not what you should do but I couldn t stop.
It is really fantastic. Answer to witch easel you should buy and why, how colors works, how to compose an image, how to handle color tone and so on. You ll find also great exercice, as painting is not about reading but about practice.
Soon I realized a lot of things about how to make a good picture, not only in painting but in moving images. But let me continue. So I decided to go to Barry s workshop. It was a huge step for me.
WHY ?
The workshop was in Venice (italy). And I m french but at this time I m leaving in Brasil, this means crossing the big ocean and go to Italy, where Barry was doing the workshop..Then I had lot of work at my daily job (visual
effects) so I had find a gap and leave for few days. And naturaly had to go alone to concentrate on painting. So I left family at home.
And so during one week I was in Venise ! I meet Barry and few student that where doing the workshop. Soon we begun, and until this day I can t look at the world with the same eyes.
If you are just looking to have a demonstration of a trendy painter that s the wrong place to go. But if you are looking to develop your own pictural entity and get a solid fundation about painting your found the GUY !
Barry teached us in one week more than I could learn during years of reading around, screening dvd. The first day he introduce us what it is that make a painting a good one from a genious one. He soon send us in mission to accomplish small exercice.
He point the thing that are obvious when you know them. But to know them, it take some years. And Barry just share all that stuff with you, building not only strong knowledge about composition, form, observation
and and and but also helping you to critique yourself. That means when the workshop is done you can continue learning.
The next day he makes some critiques pointing the good things and the bad. He loves the bad things. And when you get one bad things you get a medail. When you get lots of bad things (be prepared) you ll get some gold medails. Why ?
Because he construct knowledge through experience. That mean failing is good as you learn not to do the same mistake twice. He objectively explain you why you did the wrong thing, and explain how do the right one. And so each day that we where doing the workshop was a huge step forward.
All people that went to the workshop where satisfied, people with experience and people without. I for example come
from computer, so my contact with traditional art was almost in-existent.
I work with 3D (maya mainly) ranging from film to advertising. Its a lot about technique and a lot about sense of realism when you compose the images. Doing the workshop will help you understand the fine color tuning, and a sense of critic even when looking at some films. I did the workshop and it overcame my expectation. Barry is a great and generous teacher and became a friend as well.
So should you do the workshop? Definitively ! For the knowledge that the teacher share and also the great place that are choosen for this purpose ! Purchase the pdf, it is a must for the one who need a strong base (watercolor, oil or acrylic) and is a bible to your daily question about what did I do wrong:? Why do my picture not work ? Funny is also as you progress, you ll see you barely didn t pay attention to one little line, and reading the stuff again give you the light that you didn t turn on because you were not ready for it. Some time I will even catch myself looking for a painter like Mucha, Monet or even contemporary as Jenny Saville and then smile about the new way I see the things (Kind of Matrix....you take the red
pill and see how deep the rabbit hole goes)
Check also Barry s video or internet content. He gets a blog, a forum, a newsletter, well very active person.
Any question, I ll be pleased to answer....
Cu guys
Ciao
Fred, still in brasil !!
Fredpalacio.blogspot.com