VIRTUAL WORKSHOP
Pushing the Boundaries: creative digital image-making

This workshop introduces students to expressive painting techniques, using abstraction as a foundation for collage. Emphasizing spontaneity, students will learn to relinquish preconceptions about paint application, allowing the medium to guide the creative process and reveal unexpected surfaces and textures. Once their abstract paintings are complete, students will explore various collage techniques, incorporating personal photographs, found materials, prints, drawings, and other adherable elements. The abstract paintings will serve as the foundation, influencing the composition and direction of the collages. Techniques covered in this workshop include polymer transfers, water-based paint applications, proper adhesion methods, contact paper transfers, the integration of joint compound, and strategies for composing and constructing layered images. SPECIAL OFFER: Consider also attending Holly's From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Experimental Collage workshop the week after this one and save 20% off that second tuition. (This offer cannot be combined with any other offers, promotions or scholarships.)

In this workshop, students experiment with methods of representation and abstraction using an interdisciplinary approach that embraces painted and/or photographic images, physical layers, repurposed materials, and sculptural forms. Analog methods of image manipulation such as cutting, folding, and photo transfer are taught in combination with digital techniques. Primarily working in the painting studios, students also learn to use the laser cutter and UV printer in the digital fabrication lab. Participants explore the role of texture and layers in their work through shadow, color, and surface. This course encourages playful and innovative ways to integrate two- and three-dimensional elements.

The excitement of creating often stems from the unexpected—those moments that arise when applying new techniques or materials in innovative ways. In this workshop, artists eager to elevate their practice are invited to explore the art of collage by experimenting with various materials on flat surfaces. Participants go beyond simply gluing paper onto substrates; they engage in building dynamic surfaces that reflect a spirit of experimentation and risk-taking. Utilizing a diverse range of materials including photographs, paint, text, contact paper, parchment paper, and joint compound, participants discover new methods of transferring elements from one surface to another. The resulting collages not only culminate in finished images but also serve as gateways to unlocking the unconscious creative process. Artists emerge with works that are distinctly unique, pushing the boundaries of their artistic expression and propelling their practice to the next level. SPECIAL OFFER: Consider also attending Holly's Paint and Photography: the Perfect Marriage workshop the week prior to this one and save 20% off that second tuition. (This offer cannot be combined with any other offers, promotions or scholarships.)