In 2009, I wanted to go to Tom Hoffmann‘s Oaxaca workshop. Donald and I discussed it, and I was ready to make a commitment, but alas, that year, we had a huge income tax payment to make, so I just couldn’t justify going. I started thinking about it in 2013, but I had already made other plans, so this year, I finally got to go. I had run out of excuses.
Tom started us right off in a lovely shady square across the street from a church and told us to paint shapes. We were all nervous, but put paint to the paper. As it got warmer out, we moved to Manual Alvarez Bravo Institute where Tom suggested we paint flowers abstractly and to learn about values by painting in just one color. And yes, I did learn.
3 responses to “Tom Hoffmann workshop in Oaxaca – day 1”
About the churches in Oaxaca… we deliberately painted them to look austere and monolithic.
But they were anything but. I have never heard music from so many churches as I did there.
As we sat and painted, people were singing at all times of the day. At one church, some beggar was outside playing a harmonica. He did this for quite a while. Then inside the church the singing started..And we couldn’t hear the harmonica any more. I have to compare this to Italy, where the churches seemed like museums, with very little life.
I LOVE the flowers…the church looks a bit empty or maybe old and unused? Anyway, I’m so glad you are doing this right now!
The flowers are beautiful – the old church looks a bit ghostly!