Workshop grisaille

At the workshop we were given demonstrations on how to execute a grisaille by the two instructors and then asked to do it ourselves. A grisaille, in this case, is an underpainting done in monochrome, the idea being to concentrate on the drawing aspect of the painting as well as the values (light and dark), before addressing color. I learned a lot by doing this exercise, but I doubt I will use this method as a practical matter, because the slow, deliberate pace does not really suit my artistic personality.
We visited the painter Nelson Shanks in his studio, and got to see dozens of amazingly realistic paintings crammed into his surprisingly small workspace. He works in one corner of the studio which is slightly less cluttered than the rest of it. After viewing the studio we had refreshments on his terrace overlooking the Delaware river and found him to be a very unpretentious, down-to-earth guy, which is somewhat unexpected in a fellow who mingles with British royalty, American presidents, etc. His wife, Leona, is equally pleasant and unassuming.