PAINTING THE TRUTH IN THE LANDSCAPE
Three-Day Workshop with Bruce Peil
American Landscape Painter
September 18, 19 & 20, 2025
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Morning in the San Juan Mountains
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Bluebonnets
Learn how to truthfully represent the landscape
I am a landscape painter working in oil, but the concepts in this workshop work for any subject matter and any medium if your goal is to truthfully represent the subject.
The workshop starts with a lecture about how and what I think about while I am painting. To emphasize these essentials, various charts with examples are shown about values, color, composition, contrast and edges. This leads to students asking questions that lead to other topics.
In the morning, color mixing is discussed and demonstrated. I show how to mix any color using only three primary colors. This covers the whole morning. In the afternoon students paint color and value mixing exercises immediately following my demonstration.
The next two days we look at subject matter and start painting. I encourage everyone to bring several photos to paint. I will also have several photos for students to use, displayed on two, large 50" and 43" TV Monitors.
My easel stays set-up to provide examples and answer student questions. I go to each student to help with questions. I encourage everyone to paint small because we will paint several starts in this workshop. The goal is not to work on one painting during the 3-day workshop until finished. I believe one can learn more by painting several starts to learn the process of an accurate foundation for the painting to build on. Most paintings fail due to an inaccurate start. The goal here is to capture the essentials – the masses while ignoring the clutter and needless details that only distract the eye from the important elements. The feeling of light and air.
What you see in my paintings is what I teach. Learning to paint well is like learning to play a musical instrument. It does not happen overnight and only comes with endless practice and dedication.
Bruce Peil
Bruce was born and raised in Oklahoma and now resides in Athens, TX.
He is a signature member of the Oil Painters of America, the co-founder and Master Emeritus member of the Outdoor Painters Society, a member of the Oklahoma Society of Impressionists and the American Impressionists Society.
His paintings are widely collected, and he is primarily known for his landscape paintings.
"No matter what the subject matter is, it's that fleeting moment in time and the feeling of the light and air, that I strive most to capture in my paintings. I want the viewer to feel as though they are experiencing that moment in time. My goal is to capture the truth about the subject without over embellishment of color or too many unimportant details that can distract the eye from the main idea. The feeling of the light and air."
"There are many artists who have influenced me and whose work I admire. Besides the obvious Sargent, Zorn, and Sorolla, there were living artists like Wilson Hurley, Robert Lougheed, John Clymer, Clyde Aspevig, James Reynolds, John Encinias, and so many more whose work had a big influence on me at the beginning of my art career.
I discovered these great artists paintings at the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City when I was first beginning to paint. As a new artist, having access to paintings of this quality, and the artists who created them, confirmed the direction I wanted my work to take and gave me a goal that I will always be striving to achieve.
But as much as I admire these great painters works, my goal has always been to let my own style evolve naturally and to make my own statement. "
To learn more about Bruce visit his website: www.brucepeilart.com
Workshop details
Student Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Workshop Fee: Members $500 | Non-Members $525
12 Student Maximum
Dates: September 18, 19 & 20, 2025
Location: The Woodlands Art League Studio
701 Sawdust Road The Woodlands, TX 77380
Time: 9:00am to 4:30pm each day
Lunch: Noon to 1:00pm each day
Please bring your lunch or plan to go nearby or consider ordering from Uber Eats/Doordash for delivery.
If you have any questions about this Three-Day Workshop, please contact TWAL Workshop Sponsor Karen Stork at kstork718@gmail.com
Bruce's recommended Supply List
The colors listed below are the ones I use. You may bring whatever colors you prefer. I will talk about how a simplified palette like mine will work to your advantage.
My Oil Palette
Ultramarine Blue
Cerulean Blue Hue (not Grumbacher brand for this color)
Alizarin Crimson
Cad. Red Light
Cad. Yellow Medium
Cad. Yellow Lemon or Pale
Titanium White (large tube)
Paint palette
I suggest not using a white palette, as the extreme value contrast when mixing colors on a white surface makes it hard to judge color mixes.
Brushes
Flat Bristle - long handle #2, #4, and #6
Palette knife
Paper Towels
Painting Surfaces
Several inexpensive white painting panels as we will paint small studies during the workshop – 6x8 to 8x10 to 9x12.
Odorless paint thinner
I only use Sunnyside or Crown found at hardware stores. Most other odorless thinner brands are too strong for studio use.
TWAL Workshop
Changes, Cancellations & Refunds Policy
Effective August 1, 2025
- Refund requests must be made via email to the Treasurer at twaltreas@thewoodlandsartleague.org 14 days before the first day of a workshop.
- This applies to all workshops - mini-workshops, half-day or single-day workshops and multi-day workshops.
- Refund requests received less than 14 days before the first day of the workshop are non-refundable.
- No refunds are issued for “no shows” for a workshop.
- A $75 processing fee will be deducted for a refund on any workshop fee of $150 or over.
- A $25 processing fee will be deducted for a refund on any workshop fee of less than $150.
- Refund checks are mailed approximately 10-14 days after the workshop refund request is received by the Treasurer at twaltreas@thewoodlandsartleague.org
- Refunds will only be issued by checks.
- In the event the League must reschedule a workshop (mini-workshops, half-day or single day workshops and multi-day workshops), every attempt will be made to reschedule the workshop and notify all registrants before a refund is made.
- If the League is unable to reschedule the workshop, a full refund by check approximately 10-14 days after the scheduled start of the workshop will be issued.
