Women's Work Master Study Series: Maria Sibylla Merian's "Deep-Sea Fish, Crabs, and Sea Snails" (one-day online workshop held on Monday, May 20, 6:30-9:00pm EDT)

Women's Work Master Study Series: Maria Sibylla Merian's "Deep-Sea Fish, Crabs, and Sea Snails" (one-day online workshop held on Monday, May 20, 6:30-9:00pm EDT)What It Is In this one day workshop, Ill be hosting a livestream master study session featuring Maria Sibylla Merian's 1717 painting "Deep Sea Fish, Crabs, and Sea Snails." Ill begin our session by sharing some information about the artist and the painting, and will walk participants through a process of assessing elements of composition and making decisions about how to approach a study of the piece. Well then spend the remaining two hours of our

What It Is
In this one-day workshop, I’ll be hosting a livestream master study session featuring Maria Sibylla Merian's 1717 painting "Deep-Sea Fish, Crabs, and Sea Snails." I’ll begin our session by sharing some information about the artist and the painting, and will walk participants through a process of assessing elements of composition and making decisions about how to approach a study of the piece. We’ll then spend the remaining two hours of our session replicating the piece using media of our choice and in our preferred style. I’ll be painting my demo using Sennelier watercolor pan paints on Arches cotton watercolor paper, but participants are invited to use whatever materials they have on hand and are most comfortable with. (As this is a very detailed piece and we only have two hours to paint, I'll also be working exclusively to replicate the fish and will skip over the smaller items.)

Registration will give participants access to my private “Artist Community” channel on Discord where our workshop session will be held via group video conference and where they will be able to share their finished work and seek feedback. Participants will be able to access and engage with the Discord community even after the conclusion of the workshop. Sessions will be recorded for participants to access for a period of three months following the conclusion of the class. 

This workshop will be capped at ten participants, and there must be a minimum of three participants enrolled in order for it to go ahead. I will give you three days’ notice via email if I need to cancel due to low enrollment, in which case you will of course be refunded in full. 

Who Is This Workshop For?
Everyone! This is a low-stakes one-day workshop designed to be welcoming to artists of all skill and experience levels. The goal is not to create a perfect copy of the reference but rather to experiment, try new things, and learn more about our media.

What Is A Master Study?
Master studies are a time-honored method of artistic development, and I find them a calming practice for breaking out of creative slumps, getting myself inspired again, and learning a whole lot in a short period of time. A traditional master study consists of researching and sitting with a piece by an established artist and seeking to understand their process and decisions by considering and then replicating portions or the entirety of the piece. Master studies are a way to learn from the compositional choices and techniques employed by artists whose work inspires us while also improving our competence with our own media of choice. 

About the Women’s Work Master Study Series
In 2019, researchers at Williams College found that only 13% of artists featured in the collections of major U.S. art museums were women—even though women currently make up more than half of working artists in the United States. The thing is, women were barred from serious participation in the art world for long centuries of human history, and we have yet to close the gap. Unfortunately, that sexism has resulted in some big losses that affect everyone interested in art. For example, many highly-talented female artists from the past remain relatively unknown due to cultural biases by which women’s artwork is still widely perceived as less valuable than men’s. Between 2008 and 2019, women’s artwork brought in just 2% of revenues made by the sale of art at auction. |

In 2024, I’ve decided to call more attention to historic female artists by hosting a series of master study workshops focused exclusively on paintings by women. While these artists won’t typically be as well-known as, say, Vincent van Gogh or Leonardo da Vinci, I believe they have plenty to teach us and that there are riches to be found in excavating this area of our history. 

Learn more about women’s representation in the arts here. 

What Next? 
Once you've placed your order, you should receive an automated confirmation email. You are now registered and don't need to take anymore steps until you hear from me in the days leading up to our workshop for instructions on how to access the Discord group and gather your materials.