The palette knife is a significant tool in JJ Jiang's oil painting with some of his work done completely with the knife.  JJ finds that the palette knife offers several benefits for the oil painter -

• Freeing the artist from a laborious detail-oriented painting approach

• Results in more expressive and bolder work due to the nature of application

• Energizes the artist to paint more dynamically

• Offers safer and easier clean up than brushes, avoiding the use of harmful chemicals

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In this workshop JJ will do daily step-by-step demonstrations, give clear, purposeful instruction, and provide individual guidance tailored to your level. He will model and explain his process of working through a painting using the palette knife, and how to decide between the knife and the brush as well as when to integrate the two. To wrap up each day, as time allows, JJ will have a question & answer session or critique.  Participants will work on two paintings during this workshop.

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Clarity.  Confidence. Common sense.  These are what JJ Jiang brings to his instruction.  But you will quickly realize that his artistic passion and creativity underlie all that he says and does.  With sincerity and good humor, JJ will share his wisdom and insights stemming from his eastern cultural background and his deep knowledge of western art.  He approaches painting with a unique and refreshing perspective that he truly enjoys sharing with workshop participants!  His years of teaching experience in fine art enable him to pull you in and grow in depth and confidence as an artist.   JJ’s teaching is based on his belief that four fundamentals apply to all subject matter and even across mediums.  JJ’s daily demos and talks will include clear instruction on these fundamentals: drawing, value, color, and edges.  While JJ will also discuss and demonstrate various techniques in oil painting with the palette knife, he emphasizes the need for all artists to go beyond technique to explore their creative drive that has brought them to the easel.

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JJ Jiang is an award winning artist and a gifted instructor. He is a signature member of Oil Painters of America.  Though accomplished in oil, he is a versatile artist and is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society and a North Carolina Watercolor Society Master Member. He also excels in drawing and Chinese brush painting, and works with a variety of subjects including landscape/urbanscapes, human figures and portraits, and still life.