Watercolor: Abstract Flora

Create a dynamic sense of wall power by pushing two-dimensional painting onto three-dimensional surfaces. Incorporate physical elements, painting on a variety of substrates and collage to develop a sense of physicality, space, and texture. Painters and sculptors alike are invited to delve into the painterly world of stepping outside of the rectangular picture plane to incorporate found objects and alternative painting surfaces while maintaining painting as the primary medium. Lectures include an exploration of artists who make sculptural paintings, and discussion centers on how a painting changes when the focus shifts to painting as object.

Observe flowers with an exciting new perspective using abstraction interpreted in watercolor. Students capture not only what they see using watercolor, but also their personal responses as they paint form, line, shape, and work in color. One day of the workshop is focused on color theory and mixing. Daily demonstrations, one-on-one instruction, and sharing with other students provide the foundation for a dynamic exploration of this nuanced medium.

Painters consider the ways in which to magnify space and depth in their paintings through various prompts and new ways of thinking about the steps of building a painting. The class embarks on the creation of dioramas as a first step, then moves to painting directly from models to be able to envision the three-dimensional into two dimensions while examining color, contrast, figure/ground, and many more formal elements that contribute to the creation of deep space. Content is also emphasized as a paramount concern as students examine their intentions and merge form and meaning.