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Abstraction
in CE Courses by Subject
Painting Over the Line, Summer 1 (Online)
with Kassem Amoudi
Wednesdays, 1 – 4 p.m.
Take your work to the next level under the guidance of artist/critic/mentor Kassem Amoudi in this live Zoom class. Expert instruction and advice will push you to explore new possibilities and work more intuitively, allowing unplanned marks and passages to become artistic breakthroughs. Paint from personal subject matter to find your own visual language, informed by examples from contemporary and modern art. Painting experience recommended. Kassem will begin each class with a slide presentation/lecture focusing on how master artists through history have addressed color, harmony, focal points, space, mark making, paint application, and more, and how to apply these concepts to your own work.
Image: Kassem Amoudi.
Register by: Registration Still Open!
Cut-Paper Still Life Painting Workshop (In-Person)
with Meghan Cox
Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Abstraction meets representation in this creative take on still life painting.Students will assemble their own still-life set-ups from folded and cut colored paper and then translate these arrangements through observational oil painting on paper.Working from colored planar structures allows the opportunity to explore all the essential aspects of representational still life painting – form, space, value, color relationships, and composition – while experiencing the inherent abstraction of simple shapes and planes of color.Printed papers may additionally allow the introduction of compositional concepts of harmony, pattern, and repetition.Discover the unexpectedly beautiful results of working from the most unassuming of subjects.This class serves both as an engaging exercise in color and abstraction to inspire one’s painting practice and as an excellent introduction to painting concepts through humble, easy-to-draw subject matter.
Image: Meghan Cox, that early evening and orange (detail), oil on paper over birch panel, 14 x 12 in.
Register by: June 16
Painting over the Line, Summer 2 (Online)
with Kassem Amoudi
Wednesdays, 1 – 4 p.m.
Take your work to the next level under the guidance of artist/critic/mentor Kassem Amoudi in this live Zoom class. Expert instruction and advice will push you to explore new possibilities and work more intuitively, allowing unplanned marks and passages to become artistic breakthroughs. Paint from personal subject matter to find your own visual language, informed by examples from contemporary and modern art. Painting experience recommended. Kassem will begin each class with a slide presentation/lecture focusing on how master artists through history have addressed color, harmony, focal points, space, mark making, paint application, and more, and how to apply these concepts to your own work.
Image: Kassem Amoudi.
Register by: June 23
Abstract Drawing/Mixed-Media: 10 Rules for Art Students (In-Person)
with Keith Leitner
Tuesdays, 1 - 4 p.m.
Artist, philosopher, and influential 20th-century composer John Cage, along with artist and educator Sister Corita Kent, developed a set of 10 Rules for Students and Teachers to encourage artistic production. Learn to apply these valuable guidelines toyour own creative processes to find useful and meaningful ways of generating ideas, moving past ruts or stumbling blocks, and maintaining a steady and productive studio practice. This hands-on drawing/mixed-media class will utilize engaging exercises to challenge you to go beyond your comfort zone and find inspiration in chance, impediments, and simply your coffee cup. Work on paper in your choice of media from imagination or prompts to explore means of building abstract imagery through personal means of mark-making and layering. Instruction will be supplemented by discussions of the artists who encouraged Cage and those who were influenced by him. This class is geared toward students with some prior art-making experience but is perfect for those who are launching their artistic career/studies, artists returning to the studio after an absence, and anyone seeking inspiration and stimulation for their art-making practice.
Image: Keith Leitner, Saturation Dawn.
Register by: June 23
Text Art: Using Words in Mixed Media Painting Workshop (In-Person)
with Doah Lee
Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Presenting or incorporating words in art is a powerfully direct way of speaking to the viewer for personal, serious, or comic effect. Modern and contemporary artists such Jasper Johns, Barbara Kruger, Jenny Holzer, Robert Indiana, and the collective Guerilla Girls have depicted words or phrases, or combined text with imagery or abstraction, to express emotions or ideas or to comment trenchantly on politics, social concerns, advertising, or media. Explore methods of incorporating text into your own paintings and mixed media work to make potent and personal statements. Bring in found/collected text or your own writings and ideas, sketch to investigate ways of incorporating them into compositions though painting and collage, and progress to creating a finished piece that communicates effectively through word and aesthetic. Instruction will focus on acrylic and mixed media approaches, but students are welcome to work in oil if preferred. This class will focus on individual students’ needs and interests and emphasize the development of personal style. All levels welcome.
Learning Objectives:
- Explore a variety of mixed media and acrylic painting approaches, including an understanding of the appropriate use of acrylic paint, brush, and palette knife techniques
- Gain knowledge an appreciation of the topic through an overview of historical and contemporary abstraction in painting and text art
- Learn processes of initializing and developing ideas, with a focus on individual student needs and interests, toward achieving finished work in one’s personal style
Image: Doah Lee.
Register by: July 7
The Expressive Still Life: Color and Abstraction Workshop (In-Person)
with Doah Lee
Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Experience still life painting as a means of exploring vibrant color and abstraction. Day 1 of this workshop will focus on understanding and mixing color: examining basic color theory and relationships, using a limited palette of primary pigments to achieve an array of colors, learning how to identify and adjust value and temperature. Day 2 will take this color expertise from describing objective objects to promoting personal and aesthetic effects through abstraction: composing form and space expressively, and using color for personal or formal effects. Instruction will be geared toward acrylic painting, addressing materials and brush/palette knife techniques, but students may use oils if they prefer. All levels welcome.
Learning Objectives:
- Become familiar with the appropriate use of acrylic paint, including brush and palette knife techniques
- Increase understanding of basic color theory and color mixing
- Learn means of translating observable objects toward abstract effects
- Gain an appreciating for color and composition through an overview of historical and contemporary abstraction in painting
Image: Doah Lee, 2018, detail view mixed media on cotton fabric, acrylic, crayon, and spray paint on hand dye canvas, each 60 x 47 in.
Register by: July 14
Spontaneous Abstraction Workshop (Online)
with Kassem Amoudi
Friday – Sunday, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Take your work to the next level under the guidance of artist/critic/mentor Kassem Amoudi in this live Zoom class! Many artists can feel frustrated in front of a blank canvas, unsure of how to start and what to paint. This workshop offers a step-by-step technique which will enable you to paint with confidence by tapping into your intuitive process and finding inspiration more easily. Expert instruction and advice from the instructor will push students to explore new possibilities and work more intuitively, allowing unplanned marks and passages to become artistic breakthroughs. Demonstration of different drawing and painting techniques will enhance your knowledge of the process of painting. Students will utilize line, color and space as will learning the power of editing to create busy/calm areas and focal points in their paintings.
Image: Kassem Amoudi.
Register by: July 21