What we’re about
Focused on Portraiture and created with oil painters in mind Phthalo Green is an initiative that runs atelier style untutored paint-from-life sessions. Whether you're drawn to the beauty of plein air painting, the challenge of capturing a model in a long pose, or the simplicity of a still life setup, Phthalo Green offers a space for artists to immerse themselves in the act of painting from observation.
If you’ve ever wanted to try plein air painting but felt unsure about going solo, or if you've wanted to work from a live model but found most sessions too focused on quick sketches, this is for you. My own experience of wanting these very things inspired the formation of Phthalo Green, an opportunity for artists to enjoy focused, no-pressure painting sessions together.
Primarily the focus is on portraiture but on occasion we gather to paint in a variety of settings—sometimes outdoors, capturing the changing light of the landscape; other times indoors, where a model poses for a longer duration, allowing you to work longer on the composition you want; or a still life, perfect for honing your drawing, brush work, colour and value work.
For outdoor sessions, we’ll paint in light rain or drizzle—perfectly manageable for a plein air artist. However, if strong winds or heavy rain are forecasted, the session will be cancelled. I strive to find interesting, inspiring locations for our outdoor sessions, but please keep in mind that these may lack amenities such as seating or shelter, and toilet facilities may not always be available. I’ll do my best to share details on the location and any relevant conditions ahead of time, so you can come prepared.
Sessions are untutored and self guided so bring your own materials and approach. The focus of the sessions have the oil painter who wishes to work for longer on one subject, however other mediums are more than welcome. Events with other costs associated, i.e. space rental, model payments, etc have a cost to attend however others, such as plein air events are free.
