Painting & Drawing
Code: D1633-26
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Open to All
Students of any skill and knowledge level.
Contemporary Acrylic: Materiality and Abstraction
Sep 14 - 18, 2026
9 AM - 5 PM
Tuition: $1,295.00
Course Fee: $270.00
Registration Fee: $45.00
Concept
This workshop, open to students of all levels, explores the connectedness between nature, the elements, and people through acrylic painting and mixed media art making. Using fluid and heavy body acrylics, participants incorporate the fundamentals of composition, color theory, energy lines, and mark making. Using mixed media applications, students explore creating layers, adding surface texture, and developing meaningful subject matter in their work. Abstraction and representationalism are investigated and merged into imagery to evoke dynamic and complex paintings.
View All Painting & Drawing Workshops
Media & Techniques
Acrylic, spray painting, canvas, wood panel substrates, foliage, paper, metallic leafing, stencil, reductive techniques, underpainting
Faculty
Brent Greenwood
A graduate of the renowned Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe and Oklahoma City University, Brent Greenwood serves as the Fine Arts Director for the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma. His work has been exhibited across North America and in Paris. Greenwood is of Chickasaw and Ponca heritage, and because of this distinct cultural background he expresses his narratives through both the Southeastern and Plains tribal lens.
Brent Greenwood, Butterfly Composition no. 2
Tuition: $1,295.00
Course Fee: $270.00
Registration Fee: $45.00
Join Waitlist for Contemporary Acrylic: Materiality and Abstraction
Thank you for your interest in the waitlist. When space in a workshop or program becomes available, registration will open on the website. Everyone on the waitlist will be emailed to alert them of the opening. This ensures that everyone has an equal opportunity to register for the workshop or program.
Workshop Details
Workshop Supplies
For general information about studio access, shipping, and more, please visit our info page.
If you have any questions regarding your supplies for your workshop, please contact Lindsey Yeager, [email protected].
Provided by Anderson Ranch
Equipment
- Butcher paper
- Containers
- Cordless drills
- Cutting mats
- Drawing boards
- Easels
- Gamsol (OMS)
- Gloves
- Glues
- Hand tools: hammers, screwdrivers, pliers, clamps
- Laser printer
- Palette knives
- Palette-topped utility carts
- Presentation projector
- Push pins
- Rags
- Rulers
- Scanner
- Scissors
- Spray bottles
- Staple guns
- Stools
- Tape
- Work tables
Supplies
- 22" x 30" Strathmore 500 Gemini Watercolor - 300 lb. cold press, 2 sheets per student
- 140 lb watercolor paper, 9" x 12"
- Compressed charcoal sticks, dark
- Compressed charcoal sticks, medium
- Ebony pencils
- Liquitex fluid medium, gloss
- Liquitex spray paint - carbon black
- Liquitex spray paint - phthalo green
- Liquitex spray paint - quinacridone magenta
- Liquitex spray paint - raw sienna
- Liquitex spray paint - unbleached titanium
- Nitrile gloves
- Palette paper
- Paper towels
- Prismacolor pencils, eggshell
- Prismacolor pencils, white
- Saran wrap
- Sponges
What you need to bring
Required Tools and Supplies
- Prohibited supplies: power tools, torches, spray paint, encaustic, turpentine, resin, plastisol, any solvent that isn’t low VOC
- X-acto #1 knife**
- Two 24" x 32" masonite panels
- Two 16" x 20" wood panels
- Pebeo acrylic markers
- 2” flat wash brush
- Assorted synthetic nylon paintbrushes
- Golden fluid acrylics - colors of choice**
- Liner brush
- Portfolio large enough to transport artworks (The Ranch often has scrap cardboard as well). 22" x 30" paper can be reduced if needed.
Optional Tools and Supplies
- White (or light colored) t-shirt for screen printing**
* Available for purchase in the studio.
** Available to purchase at the Anderson Ranch ArtWorks Store for 10% off. The store aims to stock comparable items, though specific products from the supply list may vary based on inventory.
Learn more about shipping supplies and artwork to and from the Ranch in the Student Handbook.
Lodging & Meals
Housing is limited and includes shared and private lodging options. Reservations will be managed on a first-come, first-served basis. The earlier you reserve housing, the better your chance of receiving your preferred option. Please note: Workshop costs do not include accommodations.
NEW: Course fees includes a welcome dinner and lunches. In our effort to foster a stronger sense of community and accessibility at Anderson Ranch, we include the welcome dinner and all lunches as part of course fees for summer workshop students. Our hope is that this adjustment will encourage all students to come together to share meals and engage in meaningful conversations. The Ranch Café Meal Plan, which is included with Room and Board fees, strives to provide healthy, creative meals that will nourish your artistic creativity. Learn more.
We have established a Business Safety Plan with added layers of precaution that prioritize the health and safety of our staff, students, faculty and guests while continuing to provide you with the Anderson Ranch experience that you know and enjoy.
Painting & Drawing
Painting & Drawing Studio in Aspen / Snowmass
The Painting & Drawing Studio at Anderson Ranch Arts Center, located in Snowmass Village near Aspen, Colorado, is a professional studio environment designed to support immersive artistic practice across a wide range of media. The space provides dedicated work areas, natural light, and technical infrastructure for artists working in oil, acrylic, watercolor, mixed media, and drawing.
Interested in enrolling? Explore the full schedule of Painting & Drawing workshops at Anderson Ranch.
Make, reflect, consider, engage—these are all critical elements of the Painting and Drawing workshops at Anderson Ranch. Our exceptional workshops combine focused, hands-on art making with critical feedback for artists of all levels. Painting and Drawing guest faculty are phenomenal artists and educators with experience supporting students by offering technical knowledge and encouragement.
The bright, natural light of the Wyly Painting and Drawing Building provides an inspiring environment where students can explore and expand their artistic practice. Our facilities are equipped with individual worktables, wall space, easels, rolling palettes, odorless solvents, a wide range of hand tools, computer access with Adobe software, wifi, printing, scanning, and projection capabilities. Spend a week here— or several—and engage in a variety of activities that will fuel your practice throughout the year.
Don’t know where to start? View the skill levels for Painting and Drawing workshops.
Anderson Ranch Arts Center is a historic, rustic campus that features gravel pathways and uneven terrain that may pose challenges for individuals using wheelchairs or other mobility devices. We strive to provide accommodations to ensure all guests can access and enjoy our programs and facilities. With advance notice, our staff can offer personalized assistance and coordinate access to studios and campus spaces. For questions or to request an accommodation, please contact us at (970) 923-3181 or [email protected].
Related Events
Scholarships, College Credit & Discounts
Making Art Accessible
Applications for scholarship support are encouraged. Specific scholarships are funded by Ranch supporters, either through endowed funds or special gifts.
Many colleges and universities offer college credit for workshops taken at Anderson Ranch. Discounts are available for students and teachers.
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Jan 4 - 29, 2027
9 AM - 5 PM
January Studio Sessions: Painting & Drawing
Lindsey Yeager
Tuition $5,200
Code ZSD0101-27
Anderson Ranch’s January Studio Sessions provide artists the opportunity to work on independent projects while receiving mentoring and critique sessions with Anderson Ranch artistic staff. Each participant receives an assigned studio space, orientation and access to equipment, as well as some morning group demonstrations and / or critiques. This program affords artists the experience enjoyed by national and international artists who access our state-of-the-art studios. Participants may expand their practices, take artistic risks, try new media or complete works for exhibition. *Studios are open 24 hours a day and on weekends for students enrolled in multiple weeks, with limited use of equipment due to safety requirements. IMPORTANT DETAILS: Students will be responsible for all material costs associated with their projects. Private dorm rooms are available at Anderson Ranch for an additional fee; click here to view January 2027 lodging options. Breakfasts and dinners are included in the dorm fee. Lunches are included in the studio fees. TO APPLY: Applicants must submit project proposals or portfolios for approval. Contact Liz Ferrill to apply: [email protected]