Working with Michael Workman

Spring City is an old historic Mormon town located in Sanpete County. Although largely a farming town, Spring City has also become a popular artist community. The town is a great example of Mormon pioneer town planning and architecture. Spring City is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2010, Forbes magazine declared Spring City as one of the prettiest towns in America. It proved to be a great spot to slow down, get inspired, open up to new ideas and learn from one of the best.

Michael's Studio was an inspiring space to hang out in although it wasn't quite big enough for all 10 of us to sit comfortably. It smelled of Juniper Ridge incense mixed with oil paint and was flooded with light coming in through the large north-facing windows. The walls were covered with finished and unfinished paintings which helped us see and better understand this particular artist's process.

The workshop with Michael Workman was among the best art lessons I've had in my life. In addition to learning a ton about art, painting, technique, materials and the business of art making (Mike is very generous), I especially enjoyed listening to Mike go off on one of his many tangents and getting to know him a little better this way. He's just a genuine, creative, thoughtful, humble, generous, and funny guy to be around. I'll cherish this experience for the rest of my life. Thank you sir!

Here's a painting I did in one of the sessions with Mike. Its based on a photo I took one night driving out of nearby Mount Pleasant, Utah. You can read more about the story behind it here.