Mediums: All mediums welcome – Michael will work in oil
Level: All
Class Dates: Thursdays, August 20-September 10, 2026
Class Times:
• 9:30 am-noon Pacific Time
• 12:30 pm-3:00 pm Eastern Time
• 5:30 pm-8:00 pm UK Time
This four-week course explores the expressive potential of sustained observation through the focused study of a single subject: the pear. By working within a deliberately limited framework, participants will investigate how repetition, close looking, and thoughtful decision-making can deepen both technical understanding and personal expression.
Drawing on a painting practice that balances observation with abstraction, Michael Weller demonstrates how simplification need not come at the expense of individuality. Through years of repeatedly painting three pears in changing arrangements, he developed a way of working that embraces restraint while allowing space for experimentation, sensitivity, and a distinctive painterly voice.
Each class begins with a demonstration in which Michael shares his approach to drawing, composition, colour, paint handling, and the practical considerations of building a still-life painting. Emphasis is placed on developing visual awareness, understanding relationships between form, colour, and space, and learning to trust the painting process rather than seeking a finished result too quickly.
Suitable for painters of all levels, this course is particularly valuable for those wishing to strengthen their observational skills, develop confidence in colour and composition, and cultivate a slower, more attentive approach to painting. By returning to the same motif over four weeks, participants will discover how familiarity with a subject can lead to greater freedom, nuance, and depth in their work.
Course Outline
Week 1: The Power of Three – Three pears viewed at eye level. Exploring proportion, form, and spatial relationships.
Week 2: The Power of Three – Three pears viewed from above. Considering perspective, composition, and negative space.
Week 3: Pears on a patterned plate. Investigating colour relationships, pattern, and surface.
Week 4: Pears, some halved, with the possible addition of a knife. Examining structure, texture, and narrative possibilities within the still life.
In stock
$295.00
Michael Weller studied librarianship in Manchester, England and realized early on he didn’t want to be a librarian. Life-drawing cheered him up. Later he did a degree in Fine Art and studied portrait-painting at Lavender Hill Studios and drawing and painting with the New English Art Club. In 2015 he won the Le Clerc Fowle Medal for a group of outstanding paintings at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters’ annual exhibition, and the Winsor & Newton Award for a painting at the New English Art Club annual exhibition.
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