LoriAnn Signori PSA
A New Kind of Seeing: Journey Through and Beyond Realism (Continued)
Skill Level: Intermediate to Advanced
February 19, March 5, 19, and 30, April 16, and 30, 2027 (Fridays, except March 30, which is a Tuesday)
1:00 to 4:30 pm EST.
Zoom Only
Class Overview
What is seeing? Is it simply visual?
We say that the job of the artist is to see openly, huge, and forever morphing. How can that happen?
Think about it, how often do we impose our will on a painting? Wrangling it into shape simply because “the photo says so.” In this course, we will work to erase the to-do list and formulas. Painting is not a linear endeavor. Instead, we will work to refresh your curious eye, that which bathes in questions instead of answers. Rather than take a position in front of nature and contemplate reproducing it, let’s be inside it. After all, isn’t the painting a fragment of reality, in the sense that the imagined space proceeds beyond the space depicted?
This will be a new kind of learning. An in-depth course, it will be a journey into understanding what you are doing and why. It will require a deep dive. Keep in mind that first, one needs to hone the necessary skills to understand space, value, color, and design. Only then can we start to explore the whys.
This course meets biweekly, allowing time to distill new information and invest fully in fresh work. We will not be painting during class time. It is not a paint-along. Instead, we will discuss, analyze, critique, and view new ideas through small demonstrations, interviews, required readings, and research, along with your own paintings.
Let’s uncover some new reason for delight where an indifferent observer would find only an irritating defect.
We teach ourselves only if we listen.
What You Will Learn
- How to use, not abuse, photos
- The creation of color and value studies to fine-tune relationships
- Ways to use underpainting and layering techniques
- Opening your mind to the ways the written word can enhance your understanding
- The strength of working in a series
- The art of construction and destruction
- Interviews with top artists
Who This Course is For
Returning students continuing their studies with Loriann are especially welcome, and new students are also invited to join, provided they bring a strong foundation in composition, color, and value. This is an in-depth, discussion-based course, not an introductory one.
Instructor Bio
Loriann Signori is an American pastel and oil painter known for her luminous, light-filled landscapes, work that sits between abstraction and recognizable form as she explores color, air, and beauty. She earned her BFA from Swain School of Design and her MFA, under full fellowship, from American University.
Signori’s paintings have been exhibited throughout the United States and internationally, including an invitational exhibition in Russia, and her work has been featured in publications such as Pastel Journal, Plein Air Magazine, Pratique des Arts, and Home and Design. She is represented by Warm Springs Gallery in Virginia and maintains her studio in Silver Spring, Maryland.
An experienced workshop instructor, Signori has taught pastel painting across the United States and in Italy and is a faculty member of the Pastel Society of America. Her teaching reflects her own intuitive, process-driven approach to painting, encouraging students to balance careful planning with a willingness to let each piece find its own direction.
Materials and Studio Setup
This course does not require materials during class time, since sessions are discussion- and critique-based rather than painting sessions. All painting work takes place between sessions, in your own studio, using the materials you already use in your regular practice. Loriann will offer material suggestions as needed, tailored to each student’s individual work.
