Day 3, Marc Folly Workshop

Today we painted a typical Marc Folly subject: a workshop in backlight with clay pots and old tools, where light streams in from a large window in the center of the image.

He began by carefully drawing the window. Then he drew the pots—but negatively, meaning the dark shapes between them. After that, he painted the dark areas first and finished with warm colors—yellow and red. In the opposite corner, he added a green, fairly abstract area.

Today he taught us something important: not to try to fix everything immediately when it doesn’t turn out as planned. Wait until the painting is almost finished—it might not look so bad after all, or it might even add something interesting.

So take care of your mistakes.

Once everything had dried, he used a damp flat brush to lift off color. Nearly white areas emerged, and the light became even stronger—truly impressive.

Words of the day from Marc:
“Take care of your mistakes—they might become the best part of the painting.”