Painter Archer Dougherty at work. Courtesy photo

Still life in oil by Archer Dougherty. Courtesy photo

Join Archer Dougherty these next two Saturdays to share the wonders of painting with oils.

Why paint with oils? Oils dry very slowly, which allows the artist to blend the wet paint hours or even days after the previous layer was applied. Oils can hold a great deal of pigment, which is why oil paintings can be richer in color than some of the other mediums.

Oil paint is easy to manipulate and can be blended directly on the canvas. This allows great flexibility in producing a wide range of varied effects. You can combine transparent and opaque techniques, glaze and body color in a full range within a single painting. If you can see it, you can paint it, with oils.

Dougherty welcomes all students. She will teach a broad instructional class, covering various aspects of everything from painting surfaces to alla prima, underpainting, and plein air techniques. Individual instruction, based on what you like and how you want to work, will be provided. She will loosely discuss classical and contemporary artists throughout for a holistic learning experience. This class is modeled to be fun, organic, and geared toward all skill levels.

Dougherty loves the historical value of oil. Oils were used in England as early as the 13th century, but not really applied for artistic purposes until the 15th century. When asked to think of exceptional art, many of us will immediately picture works by the great masters of the Renaissance Period, most of who painted in oil paint. Dougherty said, “It’s the most versatile medium. It’s the staple because it can mimic many other mediums; it allows for a lot more experimentation.”

Whether you have never tried working with oils or you are already accomplished in some form of artistic expression, Archer Dougherty wants to help you find your “voice” as an artist.

Dougherty is somewhat of a late bloomer in finding her own voice as a professional artist. Although she loved to do 3-D art in high school, she went to college intending to study writing. She did pursue the writing and also continued to study 3-D art and printmaking, successfully enough that she was shown at Matrix Fine Art soon after she graduated. 

Eventually she started getting bored and frustrated with the art she was doing and ultimately discovered drawing. Last summer, after four years of self-study of drawing and painting she participated in a painting intensive with a truly inspiring teacher who encouraged her to consider the theories and philosophies behind art.

Archer Dougherty now blogs, draws and paints, and she is working on a graphic novel. She describes the essay she is currently writing as an exploration of “the spaces in between Japanese poetry, avant-garde art, and how painting, music, poetry and language all have a common language.” Visit her website at http://www.archerartworks.com/.