The
Slow Food movement was started in Italy
“by Carlo Petrini and a group of activists in the 1980s, with the
initial aim to defend regional traditions, good food, gastronomic
pleasure and a slow pace of life.” “Today Slow Food represents a
global movement ...in over 160 countries.” “Slow Food envisions
a world in which all people can access and enjoy food that is good
for them, good for those who grow it, and good for the planet.”
(Quotes
are from the website. See more at: http://www.slowfood.com)
In
the Triangle area of NC, the Slow Food Movement is a well-established
culture, & blends easily with the thriving Slow Money,
Sustainable Agriculture, Sustainable Energy, & Buy Local
movements that energize the community here. There are more
sustainable & organic farms per capita in Chatham County than
anywhere else in the state.(More
artists & craftspeople, too!) You will also find solar panels
everywhere in this rural countryside with rolling hills. (See below
for references.*)
 |
|
Crops
under the solar panels at Piedmont Biofarm, Pittsboro, NC (detail)
© 2015
Stacye Leanza
|
Come
practice your reportage skills as you document the journey our “Slow
Food” takes to get from the farm, all the way to your restaurant
plate, & the dedicated people who do the work all along the way.
Artists sympathetic to these causes will find this workshop a great
way to express their views! Those who like the challenge of
reportorial drawing will appreciate the variety of settings &
activities we will draw. Those who appreciate great local food will
love what's on the menu!
Our
assignment:
We
are pictorial journalists (aka: reportorial illustrators), traveling
with the people &
crops grown at Granite Springs Farm, & Piedmont Biofarm,
two sustainable farms in Chatham County, NC. Over
the course of 2 days, we'll
follow the produce as it is harvested and goes to the local farmer's
market. Then we'll visit a restaurant that buys from these local
farmers, &
draw
“behind the scenes” in the kitchen. Finally, we'll
put down our sketchbooks & dine on their local creations.
For
our final drawing session on Sunday,
we'll visit the kitchen of our
own Italian country chef, Giancarlo Toso, at Blue Heron Farm. He will
offer a cooking class (homemade pasta!), as he prepares our Harvest
Meal. Workshop participants may opt to
join the cooking class for part of the session.
Our
meals: Throughout the
workshop, we will dine on delectable food from local cafes, such as
Angelina's Kitchen (Greek), & Vimala's Curryblossom Cafe
(Indian). All eateries serve meals made with produce, dairy, &/or
meat bought from local, sustainable farms, like Granite Springs &
Piedmont Biofarm.
An
important part of the Slow Food movement is savoring the meal. We
will
get to witness this first-hand as we share a couple of meals with our
farm hosts at Blue Heron Farm. Our
own Italian country chef, Giancarlo Toso, will prepare our Sunday
Harvest Meal with produce from Granite Springs, & other local
farms. There will be time to relax for a bit after the meal. So, do
count on a lot of scrumptious food to complement the drawing!
Learning
goals:
One
of the most important things about Reportage is learning how to tell
the story efficiently & effectively. It is a constant editing
process. I will guide you through the editing process throughout the
workshop. The specific lessons listed below will help you with speed,
accuracy, expression, & story-telling.
1st
session: Using
“Blobs” to compose your picture, & draw people in motion.
- Page Composition (Who's in charge of your drawing??)
The
concept of using “blobs” to compose your picture requires you to
distill your scene into very general shapes. These “blobs” are
easy to adjust, because they have no sharp outline. By using this
method, you can compose & adjust your composition relatively
easily. Adding detail becomes easier afterwards.
 |
| Here (above) is an example of a composition that has been “blobbed in”, then adjusted with slightly darker color. If you look closely, you can see that light lines have been added. |
 |
|
Here (above)
you can see that more detail has been added, as well as more color, &
darker & brighter lines.
|
(Click
here for complete Blob
Demo &
explanation:
- Gestures & body-language
When
people are moving quickly, there are only seconds to record the
essence
of their pose. “Blob” gestures (aka: mass gestures) can be done
in a few strokes. And, if you are observing their body language
closely, these gesture drawings can be very expressive! Another good
thing about blob gestures is that – if you get lucky – your
subject may stick around a few seconds longer, so you can scratch in
a few lines of detail. Below (left) is an example of the traditional
“blocking in”. Observe the faint, general lines beneath the
darker, more detailed lines. On the right, the colored shapes were
“blobbed-in” first, adjusted, then the dark line added. Note that
the line diverts somewhat from the colored blobs.
2nd
session: Multiple
images; Zooming In & Out
- Multiple images at the same time
People
working tend to repeat a series of motions over & over. We can
use this to our advantage, by drawing 2 pictures at the same time!
I've drawn white circles around the 2 images (below) to show they are
'insets', separate from the rest of the composition. The subject
switched back & forth from the 2 positions.
- Zooming In & Out
You
are drawing a picture of someone when you notice the exquisite
expression of their feet. But your picture is too small to do justice
to the detail. What to do?
3rd session: What's
Your Angle? How to tell the story visually (We'll
be touching on this throughout the workshop.)
- First – find your story angle.
What
jazzes you about what you see? (You may want to follow a particular
person, a particular crop, or activity.) Your angle may become
apparent to you after you've been drawing for awhile.
- Second - tell your story visually
Learn
& practice continuity & sequencing skills, so that your
pictorial “essay” makes sense to the viewer. What's important to
include about the people, the action, the crops, the setting? What
can be left out? This is (partially) subjective! Based on your own
interest & delight.
4th session: Using
color & line to unify, accentuate & polish up your work.
Tricks
for creating a cohesive foreground, mid-ground, & background, so
your drawings are not too busy, & 'read' well.
5th
session: Q&A
–
We'll cover questions students have about the previous lessons.
Schedule
of Events
22
– 25 Oct., 2015
Details
are subject to change.
Thurs
eve: 5:30
- 8:PM Welcome, Intro at Blue Heron Farm; 2.5 h
Lite
dinner w/ Giancarlo,
country chef!
Fri
morn: 9:AM
– 12:30 Harvest sketching
session,
Granite Springs Farm 3.5
h
Lunch: 1: PM – 2:30 Slow Food Lunch with Giancarlo 1.5 h
Fri
aft.: 2:45
– 5:45 2nd
sketching
session,
Piedmont Biofarm 3.0
h
Fri
dinner: 6:00
PM Local
food picnic (Angelina's!*) at Piedmont Biofarm 1.0
h
Fri
eve.: 7:00
– 8:00 Wine
tasting at Fair Game Distillery, & author talk* $5.
Sat.
morn: 9:AM
– 12:30 Chatham Farmer’s Mkt. sketching
session 3.0
h
Lunch: 12:30
– 1:45 buy lunch at Chatham/Carrboro Farmer’s Mkt. $
Sat
aft.: 2:00
– 5:00 4th
sketching
session; Vimala's
Curryblossom Cafe!* 3.0
h
Sat
dinner: 5
or 6:00 Vimala's
Curryblossom Cafe* $
Sat eve.: Out
to play? (optional)
Sun.
morn: 10:AM
– noon Final sketching
session:
Cooking with Giancarlo 2.0
h
Lunch: 12:30
– 2:30 Giancarlo’s
Harvest Feast 2.0 h
Sun
aft.: 3:00
– 5:00 Art show - Invite Farmers & Blue Heron Farm hosts?
5
pm Good-bye!!
*
Details
are subject to change.
Schedule
Summary:
Thurs
night - Welcome & Introductions , 2.5 hours
Friday
& Saturday - 2 workshop sessions/day, approx. 6.5 hours
total (+ optional play at night!)
Sunday
– final workshop session & farm cooking event (2 hours), +
Harvest Feast (2.0 hrs), & art show (2 hours)
Participants:
Minimum of 6, maximum 15. All levels are welcome.
Click
here for the Supply List
Cost
for the 3+ day weekend will include:
15
hours of instruction, with demos & individual guidance
4
meals*, mostly locally & sustainably grown & prepared! (see
below, or schedule for details)
5.5
hours of socializing (See below; doesn't include optional play at
night)
Register
by 22nd
August for
a discount:
$280
USD
Full
Price, after August
22nd
:
$295 USD
*(Cost
does not
cover our Saturday meals, nor wine-tasting.)
Travel
from site to site is not included, but carpooling will be organized,
so costs should be minimal.
Cancellations:
Registration
Fees will be refunded (minus the Paypal fee of approx. $9. USD) if
you cancel by Sept. 30th.
If
you cancel after Sept. 30th. , a cancellation fee of $50.
USD will be retained.
Click here: to register
There
are several B&Bs in the area, some that serve locally grown food.
There
are also a few choice homey B&B-style accommodations being
offered by locals at blue Heron Farm. As these are in private
homes, you'll receive contact info for these preferred accommodations
once you are registered.
About
the Instructor:
I'm
an illustrator with a BFA from Parsons School of Design in NYC. My
cartoons for kids have been published locally and my editorial &
book illustrations nationally. My murals are scattered around the
Triangle area of NC. I teach Figure Drawing, Reportage, and other art
classes, to grown-ups & kids. I also offer private art-coaching.
I
love teaching! It's a major part of my artistic life.
I have been sketching my surroundings since childhood.
My
passion for urban sketching has left me with countless sketchbooks
chronicling my travels.
Visit my Facebook page: “Leanza-art, etc.,” and my website:
www.leanza-art.com.
References:
*Reference
these articles about local visionaries, & related books by local
authors:
Overview
of Chatham County
Article
about Angelina's:
https://discoverpittsborosilercity.wordpress.com/2014/03/10/707/
Financing
Our Foodshed: Growing Local Food with Slow Money,
by Carol Peppe Hewitt
Interface
between Slow Food & Slow Money:
http://www.ncsustainabilitycenter.org/business/financing-the-food-system-how-slow-money-grows-local-food
Small
is Possible,
by Lyle Estill;
AND
websites:
Piedmont
Biofuel and Biofarm Tours:
The
plant: eco-industrial tours
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