Huihan Liu Destination Workshop
Figure in the Landscape
in Maynard Dixon Country
Instructor: Huihan Liu
Medium: Oil Painting (Figure)
Dates: September 21–24, 2024
Class times: 9:00–4:00
Tuition: $995 + $100 model fee due at class
Class Size: ONLY 12 students
Level: Intermediate-Advanced
Huihan Liu will lead an intensive 4-day studio and outdoor figure painting workshop in Mt. Carmel, Utah at the Maynard Dixon home and studio. It is designed for students who have already had life-painting experience but would like to continue to improve painting their skills, as well as visual concepts. There will be a deep discussion regarding visual elements such as design, placement in the composition, and color pallet… all from direct observation from life. Huihan will be doing painting demonstrations for the class. The class will be an indoor and outdoor setting—focusing on both figure and plein-air landscapes.
The scenic town of Mt. Carmel, Utah, will be the backdrop for a 4-day plein air and studio workshop. This distinctive setting, once the residence of the renowned American West painter Maynard Dixon, provides an ideal environment for learning and drawing inspiration from the beauty of the West. Positioned just one mile from the town’s center and in close proximity to five national parks and numerous national monuments, Mt. Carmel offers breathtaking landscapes to explore and capture through painting.
Maynard Dixon’s Mt Carmel, Utah cabin and tool house.
The Maynard Dixon home, constructed in 1939 by Maynard Dixon and his wife Edith Hamlin, stands as a testament to their legacy. The Thunderbird Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization, is dedicated to preserving and maintaining the Maynard Dixon home and its surrounding property. Through the foundation’s efforts, this significant historical site in Utah has been successfully listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It now serves as a noteworthy attraction along historic Highway 89.
Situated in proximity to the early Utah settlement of Orderville, the Dixon home and studio holds particular importance for artists seeking to immerse themselves in the beauty and spirit of Southern Utah. The Thunderbird Foundation proudly hosts events such as Huihan’s workshop at this historic location. We hope you can join us and partake in the artistic and historical richness that Maynard Dixon Country offers.
Huihan Liu Bio
Hailing from Guangzhou, China, Huihan Liu displayed an early aptitude for art. Huihan Liu underwent training in China from 1972 to 1975 at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art, graduating in 1975 with a B.A. However, his urban existence took an unexpected turn during Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution, as the government harbored suspicions towards the educated. Consequently, Liu’s father, a professor at a Christian college, was deemed in need of “re-education,” prompting the family’s relocation to a rural setting to acquire agricultural skills. Undeterred, Liu fled to his sister’s residence in Xinjiang, near Russia. Later, he returned home, finding employment in a factory while consistently indulging his passion for painting.
After he moved to America, he earned both a Bachelor’s degree and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Academy of Art College of San Francisco in 1989. During his studies in China, he cites 19th-century Western painters as his primary influencers. Specifically, he notes the impact of Russian painter Ilya Repin’s depictions of peasants, emblematic of the influence exerted by the group of artists known as the “Wanderers.”
Apart from his exploration of Tibetan people and their lifestyles in his artworks, Liu developed a profound appreciation for the architecture, colors, and landscapes of the Southwest upon relocating to the United States. Having visited New Mexico many times since his first visit in 1997, he attended an American Indian pow-wow with his wife, an experience that, in his words, “touched my heart.” Huihan expressed his admiration for the costumes and children, emphasizing that it was during this event that he derived inspiration for his paintings. He notes that some of the same patterns he observed in Tibetan life also drew him to depict scenes from American Indian culture.
Join the waiting list below for the upcoming
Huihan Liu workshop in Maynard Dixon Country
We will send you a note as soon as we are taking registrants.
