“Cheap” Joe Miller is a natural born teacher. Although, he may not have realized this until he began painting. His enthusiasm and desire to share what he knows is evident at every workshop he teaches. It is no wonder that his yearly workshop at Cheap Joe’s is usually sold out a year in advance. If you are ever in the area and want to attend his workshop, I would highly recommend signing up as early as possible. This workshop is not the one you want to wait until the last minute to decide!
Even if you are not able to attend a workshop with Joe, there are several other ways to take advantage of his vast knowledge of painting. Joe has written and illustrated four books, he has many YouTube videos online for free viewing, and he’s always ready to take the time to personally encourage folks that come right into the Cheap Joe’s outlet in Boone, N.C.
Although Joe is a great instructor, he is still, and will always be, a great student, first and foremost. Joe knows that you really can never learn too much. He is likely to attend many of the workshops that are scheduled for Cheap Joe’s every year. In the past, he has studied with mentors such as Cheng Khee Chee, Don Andrews, Skip Lawrence, Robert Burridge, Ted Nuttall, among many others.
With Master painter Cheng Khee Chee
Recently, once again, Joe was discovered hanging out in the workshop studio, this time with Frank Francese. He hung up his teaching apron and donned the title of student along with several others who signed up early.
Frank Francese: NWS, TWSA Master, WHS, WW, SDWS, WFWS, TWS, CWS
(Wow! Look at all of those Signature letters behind his name! That is a sign of his years of experience and dedication to his art.)
Frank Francese, NWS, TWSA…
Frank is from Grand Junction, CO and has a love for painting the mountains that surround his home. He is right at home in Boone, though, which is also situated among some of the tallest and most beautiful mountains around. His loose and fluid watercolor technique lends itself to capture the beauty of the rolling hills and towering peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
“Watercolors came to the forefront of Francese’s artistic work in 1983. His liquid style is unique and distinctive. Frank enjoys working on a very wet surface, letting the pure color mix itself on the paper. His shapes are large and loose, often disregarding fine detail. Frank uses abrupt color changes of the same value with the white of the watercolor paper to bring his paintings to life. The subject matter for Francese watercolors is always varied, reflecting his national and international travels, as well as, local western Colorado scenes.” From Frank’s WebsiteFrank has produced DVDs that are available at Cheap Joe’s and also has many YouTube videos available for viewing online. He schedules workshops with venues across the nation, as well. Besides the American Journey Professional Watercolors, Frank loves Cheap Joe’s new Pseudo Squirrel Wash Brushes. He wouldn’t use anything else!
New Cheap Joe’s Psuedo Squirrel Brushes are the favorite of Frank Francese
Fast and Loose with Frank Francese DVD
Exciting Color In Everyday Paintings with Frank Francese DVD
- Joe is really into his work!
- Morning demos get everyone off on the right foot.
- Life in living color!
- Lots of great inspiration on the walls of the studio.
- What happens at the back of the class, ultimately, gets rumored to the front!
- Pat studies every paintbrush stroke.
- Boats are the day’s subject.
- Frank is a wonderful teacher.
He loves sharing his years of experience with students.
More workshop memories with Joe
Joe and Bob Burridge make a great stand up comedy team!
“Suzi Sells Seashells by the Seashore…”
O.K. So maybe it was a plein air workshop gone awry?
Skip Lawrence seems to have strayed away from the lesson plan, as well!
Tom, Pat, Joe, and Cathy are Partners In Crime
It is my thought that you should try to learn something new every day. Try to immediately use the information and put it into practice. There really is nothing like hands-on instruction like you find in the workshop studio!
I like the advice of Ben Franklin who said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
Also, always remember the words of Leonardo da Vinci, “Learning never exhausts the mind.”
So, if you ever attend a workshop at Cheap Joe’s don’t be surprised if Joe is in space right up front! He won’t even mind if you come by and look over his shoulder during class! (We don’t consider that cheating!)
Happy “Be A Student” Day!
And Keep your mind open and your brushes moving!
Welcome to Cheap Joe's Sketchbook, a place where artists can gain creative tips and ideas for their next art project. This art blog will inspire you to try new mediums across the art spectrum while gathering knowledge on different painting techniques.
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Welcome to Cheap Joe's Sketchbook, a place where artists can gain creative tips and ideas for their next art project. This art blog will inspire you to try new mediums across the art spectrum while gathering knowledge on different painting techniques.