Garth Benton - Mastering Trompe L'oeil Trickery

 
 

TROMPE L'OEIL WORKSHOP

As human beings, we are unique from all other creatures on the planet because of one magnificent quality that we all share: We create just for the sake of creating.  And as creative beings, it is not by happenstance
- but by design - that we seek out the means to fulfill this human propensity by exploring different avenues of expression.  Whether we choose our individual form of expression by writing; or by dance and theater; by sculpting and graphic pictorial art; or by any of the other means available to demonstrate human creativity, we strive to obtain the skills that will enable us to put our creations out there for the world to see; out there so that we can share our creations with others. (The mere fact that you may be considering attending, or have already signed up to attend my Trompe L'Oeil workshop at the Faux Academy attests to the above.)
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In my life, I have chosen the painted image as a means to express my creative side.  We all draw upon our unconscious - to a certain degree - for creative inspiration.  And since the language of the unconscious is imagery, I felt that painting images was the most direct way of expressing my unconscious inspirations.
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In my Trompe L'Oeil workshop, I will help you to learn the techniques needed to express your own inspirations and thereby achieve amazing results.  I do this by reducing the steps needed to achieve a finished work to a minimum; the equation, so to speak, into it's lowest common denominator; into the simplest approach. An approach, I might add, that even a non artist can assimilate and execute in order to achieve amazing results. (I sincerely feel that whether you possess any degree of experience or none at all; whether you have proven artistic abilities or not, you can greatly benefit from the workshop.)
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Above all, for those who do attend, we are going to have fun!  The "fun"
and thrill that goes with turning a blank canvas or bare wall into something wonderful - something that never existed on that blank canvas or bare wall before!  If you are anything like me, you will step back from a finished work and feel a "glow" and a sense of exhilaration at what you have just created!
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In my seven-day class the schedule will be as follows:

Day 1-3)  ARCHITECTURAL TROMPE L'OEIL
          a) Egg and dart moldings
          b) Fluted column with ionic capital;
          c) Acanthus leaf motifs and rosettes, etc. 
Day 4-6)  NON ARCHITECTURAL TROMPE L'OEIL
          a) Draperies
          b) Sashes,fringe and tassels  
Day 7)    FAUX BOIS
          a) Panel with moldings. 

I will supply pre-drawn cartoons on tracing paper of the various designs that we will all share.  (This will eliminate the time-consuming necessity of drawing the designs individually.)  I will also supply light-weight canvas (sign cloth) to all who attend.
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Remember, the main goal of the workshop is not only to achieve results in trompe l'oeil you have never before achieved, but - above all else - to have a fun and enjoyable experience, and a sense of fulfillment.
These are my sincerest wishes for you all.   -- Garth Benton