Workshop Content: Learn to develop an abstract composition, color palette, and content, as in a raison d’etre, a reason to be. Class participants will learn to plan a composition, to mix intermediate colors, and to select a palette based on color symbolism and preferences. Working with various paint application methods, we will cover the surface of the prepared canvas with color, scraping into the wet shapes to reveal the underpainting beneath. As we work, art elements such as value, color relationships, and line will be selectively incorporated to create an impactful composition. This process is an intuitive approach where the imagery develops over time, each act of painting suggesting the next. Appropriate for both beginners and experienced artists, this class is designed for participants who want to loosen up, take a break from realism, get un-stuck, or simply try abstract painting in an encouraging environment. The class includes demonstrations, lectures, and exercises to illustrate possibilities and to cultivate greater understanding of art and design principles. Sandy offers a lot of individual attention as the paintings evolve.

Supply List:

Acrylic paint
Various brushes, sponge brushes & sponges, painting tools such as palette knives, brayers, scrapers, stamps, and stencils
Gloss medium and gel medium
Two spray bottles, one with alcohol and one with water
Water container, apron, paper towels, sketch paper and pencil
Canvas

Optional:
Gold leaf or other metal leaf
Acrylic paint pens or sharpies

BEFORE CLASS: Prepare your canvas by painting it with one of the following intermediate colors: red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue- violet, and red-violet. Cover the canvas completely with this color, blending with white. Let this dry, then coat with gloss medium mixed with water.

Biography: Sandra Paynter Washburn is a professional artist and art educator who maintains a studio in the Chattanooga, Tennessee, area. Her studio work has evolved to include acrylic painting, mixed media on panel, canvas and paper, 2- and 3-D assemblages, metalsmithing and jewelry making. From 2012 to 2014, Sandra has mounted five solo shows and participated in several juried group exhibitions. Her painting and experimental mixed media classes are widely recognized learning opportunities throughout Tennessee and the southeastern U.S. She has taught workshops and classes for the Tennessee Art Education Association, Tennessee Tech, Watkins Design Institute, Tennessee Watercolor Society, Knox County Art Teachers Association, Arrowmont School, Tennessee Art League, Hunter Museum of American Art, and the Association of Visual Artists in Chattanooga, among others. Her work and working methods have been featured in The Artists Magazine, Chattanooga Magazine and Chatter Magazine. Sandra is a signature member of National Watercolor Society, Southern Watercolor and Tennessee Watercolor Society, where her aqueous acrylic paintings have won numerous awards. Sandra currently teaches mixed media workshops, plus drawing and exploratory acrylic classes at Art Creations at Hamilton Place in Chattanooga. She also freelances for art materials manufacturers such as Ampersand and Strathmore, giving product demonstrations in venues around the southeast. Sandra earned a BFA in Art Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where her studio concentrations were painting and fibers.

Instructor Website: https://www.paynterwashburn.com/

COVID Protocol: Individuals are invited to wear face masks based on their own comfort level.