Description
This course will introduce students to the training of visual memory and its history as part of a landscape painter’s practice. The importance of memory training and the ability to use memory in one’s work cannot be overstated. Memory distills and intensifies observational experience, aids in the simplification and editing process, and has a direct correlation to the artist’s emotional response to the motif- clarifying both how to paint it and why to paint it. A well trained visual memory allows the artist to observe and retain the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere, reducing the reliance on photography. The sustained observation required to train memory deepens and focus’s the artist’s relationship with Nature. Memory acts as a bridge to competent work from imagination.
Students will learn through directed exercises how to strengthen their observational and memory skills. They will learn how to incorporate memory into their own work and to continue to improve their memory skills.