I was inspired to take your plein air class after viewing your magnificent still life demonstration. The more I view your paintings, the more impressed I am with your ability to convey the sense of light, atmosphere, time and place when viewing your paintings from a distance, while retaining thoroughly abstract characteristics when viewed close-up. It is a remarkable skill which reflects your mastery of oil painting.
Though I have taken a number of oil painting classes and workshops, including a few from nationally recognized instructors, I found your hands-on instruction approach more helpful than any of the other classes or workshops I have taken. Not only do you generously share your knowledge, but your critiques are incisive, yet sensitive. In addition, your knowledge of color temperature, and ability to convey that knowledge, has greatly improved my paintings and is sincerely appreciated.
Keene W
Alameda, California I appreciate Elio Camachos boundless enthusiasm for art and teaching. From day one, he began gently correcting my lifetime of bad painting habits, but in a gracious way, so that I never felt criticized. He is generous with his time and demonstrations, and his students return for the warm, friendly atmosphere that fosters growth. I feel what I am learning from Elio will make me a better artist no matter what media I chose to explore.
Susan S
Burlingame, California “I joined Elio’s classes as a beginning art/painting student. Thanks to his competence in teaching, he has kept me inspired in my efforts and instilled confidence in me for my future as a painter. We are learning technique and most importantly for our long term development, he is teaching us, as painters, how to see the world around us.
Elio is fun and his enthusiasm for painting is contagious! ”
Peggy A
Berkeley, California “Why isn’t this painting working?”
“I know, I’ll try adding some warm tones near the base of the trees.”
“No, that’s not it. How about a different blue? Manganese, Cobalt?
“I am totally confused as to what is needed here. No matter what I try, it doesn’t seem to give the effect I”m after.
“Elio, would you look at this painting and tell me how to fix it”
Elio comes over to my canvas, in about 3 seconds, mixes just exactly the right mixture of blue and red and yellow ochre on the palette. And with his simple quick analysis shows me what I couldn’t see at first.
That’s what Elio does best. He teaches his students to “see.”
He knows painting, especially color, and is great at communicating that knowledge to his students.
-Dennis M
Oakland, CA < Hi Elio,
Sunday was a real encouraging day! I am surprised in how the two paintings I did turned out - because I had no idea how they would! The small one especially didn’t look like much from up close, but from twenty feet back the way they both tighten up into an image. I’m still pretty surprised that I was able to make that happen and it’s a little intimidating because of course I want to be able to do that consistently.
I did a very small 5×7 this morning looking out the back yard, it’s almost too small of a size - trying to think about edges and temperature though.
It was again a real help to watch you on your demo to see what you do and how you are doing it. Hey, for the past four years I’ve been seeing paintings in my head while on Bart or driving places and have just been frustrated as hell from the lack of not knowing how and not doing it, so I’m excited to have found someone whose work I am drawn to and that also teaches so well - thanks for doing these classes!
cheers!
Gregory Artist Mike Baily was kind enough to drop in one of my classes. He wrote the following about his experience. Today is September 1. I celebrated that fact with a few other artists, but one in particular was none other then Elio Camacho . . . .in the flesh.
Elio and I have become sort of blog-buds in the last few months . . .he and I both being neophytes at this blogging stuff, but also we have found each other to be strong minded and informed painters who don’t mind a punch to the gut now and then. We both know syrupy crits are just that: sweetness and light. But they don’t do much to help one really look at what they are doing and attempt to grow above that. For that reason I have always welcomed his straightness . . .even when I don’t agree. The best painters I know look for peers or superior painters to help them sort out what they are doing.
When you just don’t know ‘what for’ or ‘how to’ or ‘why,’ its best to do the wise thing; grow by someone else’s experience and mistakes rather than your own.
So, today I drove a little more than an hour and spent the day with Elio teaching his workshop. If anyone out there has the chance to take from Elio . . .any instruction at all . . . grab it with gusto and hold on for the ride. He is a high energy guy who NEVER sits down. After his demos, he is at every painter’s side coaching and critiquing. And today we had killer heat! He never faded the whole time. Believe me; this guy gives all he’s got and then some. High energy and totally in it for the improvement of the painters who come to his sessions.
Mind you, I am the sort of guy who likes someone who has a little mischievousness behind their eyes! That is the sort of person I relate to the most. What I dug about Elio was I could confront him and he would take me on! And, he was most always right. I really enjoyed the twinkle in his eye, his energetic, all business ‘let’s paint’ attitude and his well earned painting wisdom.
He is like I am/was. He wants this stuff! And he wants it baaaaad! That means his whole life is about painting. Man! Is it ever nice to meet someone who cares that much! I don’t get to meet them often, but when I do, it is a complete connection.
So, I took as much as I could get from him today and tried to do all that he was attempting to show us. I am sure you can see him in both these pieces, but frankly, I needed to be shaken up and shown a way around the obvious. I will fool around with his style for a few paintings until I really understand the theme of what he teaches (color harmony, stroke energy and rhythm and mood) (Boy do I ever know about MOOD!)
Thanks, Elio, for a terrific day. It was strong, directed teaching with challenge and coaching. I say "Way to go!; . . .I’ll be back at the first chance I get. One of my students Artist Jana Bouc wrote the following about her first day in class.
Sunday was my first plein air oil painting workshop with Elio Camacho and it was fabulous! Elio is not only a wonderful painter, but he’s a fantastic teacher so energetic, enthusiastic and generous in sharing everything he knows (which is a lot!).
Although Elio covered a huge amount of artistic territory in his conversations with us, what really sunk in for me at this session was the importance of temperature (warm vs cool colors) and value (dark vs light) and how to use those relationships to paint the effects of light in the landscape.
To better understand this concept and practice seeing color temperature, he suggested doing a still life of all yellow objects as homework so I painted these dahlias from my garden (after scrubbing all the nasty aphids and ants off them). Yellow is a good color to practice with because there are many yellow pigments from cool to warm and dark to light and you can successfully lighten it with white, unlike red which turns pastel pink when white is added.
Since I started this journey to learn oil painting, I’ve read many books, watched a dozen oil painting videos, and received wonderful support from my online painting mentor, Nel. There were so many concepts, rules, and techniques that I understood intellectually but in class they came to life! Seeing the process demonstrated and being able to ask questions each step of the way was great.
And even better was having Elio checking on me every 15 minutes or so during the three hours I was painting. He demonstrated what he meant when I didn’t understand; he recommended I quit dabbling put down a stroke and leave it; he showed me how to hold my brush correctly and at what angle, so I was putting paint down without scraping it off at the same time (hold the tip of the brush and keep it at a low angle to the canvas, not perpendicular as I was doing). So many things just clicked.
The painting I did in class isn’t worth posting, though it had some nice moments along the way. Now that I know how to hold my brush properly and understand the importance of the direction of the brush stroke, and am learning to see color temperature and value better, I’m can’t wait to start my next painting!
June 22nd, 2008 at 9:44 pm
The workshop was incredible. We saw your demonstrations and were ready to head out to the woods with our sweet tea to accomplish ours all the while we were carrying our gear and scratching red bugs in the strangest places! It kept us moving and I saw some of the best pictures ever! We love your joyous attitude and humor trying to help us Tennessee ladies and it is a challenge, but we can feed you well.
You are welcomed back in Tennessee.
Nellie Jo Rainer
July 20th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
The very first day I had trouble with Elio trying to get me to see the sky as pink, the river as yellow and the tree as blue. I thought he must be from another planet. The last day of the five day workshop, I saw the river as pink!!! (in relation to the other colors around it of course) This was not too long after saying I never did and never will.
After five days with Elio, I began to see the importance of having a plan, “choosing a focal point, eliminating what is unnecessary, simplifying and organizing the values, seeing all the new colors, and moving things forward and backward with temperature and brushstrokes. Watching him paint the sunsets at the end of the day was like watching a world class Olympian. “I’ve had lots of other teachers talk about all this stuff for years and years but I never saw anyone put it all together and embody all these things from the very first stroke and carry it through to a beautiful, complete, finished work in a matter of a few hours. His demonstrations were an absolute revelation. My life as a painter will never be the same.
The next day after the class, in a nearby town, I and another student of Elio’s entered a plein air painting contest and we both won prizes! I have Elio to thank for this. I would never have put it all together fast enough otherwise. Thank you Elio . I told everyone who was interested about your workshop and how much I gained from it. All the colors I’m seeing now makes it seem like I am living in a strange new world.