Jean Chambers: Treasures in the Attic

Jean Chambers has produced another tour de force painting with "Treasures in the Attic", which has been winning awards in recent important national art competitions. This painting received an award in the 2008 international art competition sponsored by American Artist magazine, as well as an award in the National Oil Painters of American annual competition in 2008.

We had the pleasure of filming and watching this important piece being brought to life from the first brush stroke to the last. Now you can see how a master artist creates a painting that is worthy of such national recognition and praise. If you rely strictly on workshop demonstrations to see how your favorite artists work, then you are missing some of the best work they do in preparation for a gallery-bound painting.

We strive to offer programs showing artists at work on projects that they intend to send to their best galleries, and as in the case of this one, to national art competitions. We give the artist the freedom to paint at their own pace, without the pressure of having a specific time frame in mind before they start. In a workshop situation, most demonstrations are confined to a three-hour demo, or shorter, and the finishing details are never discovered.

In a video such as this one, you can see how the painting develops from conception to completion. The close-up camera shots in this program allow you to see the brushwork as if you were holding the brush. It's a better viewpoint than you would have looking over the shoulder of the artist.

For those who have always wanted to know how to paint fabric, this program will show in great detail how that is achieved. Jean is a master of painting the subtle values in light fabric, especially. She breaks it down into a very simple value and temperature lesson that can be understood by anyone. While the white cloth may look quickly painted with a careless stroke, nothing could be farther from the truth. Watch as she analyzes every fold and shift in value in this important element in the painting.

Her flawless painting of the apples presents an optical illusion. At some point, it appears as if she is putting paint ON an actual three-dimensional piece of fruit instead of a two-dimensional, flat canvas, so great is the illusion.

Known for her powerful, evocative still life paintings, Jean will not disappoint with this one. It's worth the price of a week-long workshop with her, as she includes painting concepts, theories and tips on execution throughout the program. She explains the purpose of every brush she uses and how its unique features create the brush stroke and illusion she is after. While she is not known as a palette knife painter, she frequently uses the knife to achieve her signature look of atmospheric, transparent backgrounds

I can't heap enough praise on this master artist, her skill, and down-to-earth explanations of what goes into making a painting work. The camera work showing close-up detail works, in partnership with her demonstration and dialogue with the viewer, explain the techniques that she uses to achieve the incredibly dimensional look of the objects in her composition.

If you purchased her first video, and think there is no more to learn from Jean, then think again. This DVD should be in the collection of every aspiring still life painter, to see her paint the coffee grinder and apples alone. See first-hand what it takes to create an award-winning painting by a master artist.