If you feel like you’ve been playing it safe in your art, or that you are in a rut with
predictable paintings, this workshop will shake up your practice and get you well out of
your comfort zone. You will gain the courage to make bold moves and dramatic shifts in
your pieces as you let go of the preciousness of each mark. In addition to the new
techniques in collage and painting, this workshop offers a radically freeing approach to
composition.
We begin each piece with multiple layers of collage, which in itself is an exciting visual
journey. Then we sand through the layers (by hand and with a power sander), peel back
the papers, rub away paint with alcohol, and generally excavate the surface revealing
the complexity beneath. We repeat the collage layering, including applications of paint,
gesso, marks, splatters, drips and scribbles. And then excavate… continuing to build
up and tear down layers as the images gradually emerge. This process encourages you
to let go of judgement and become attuned to the visual interplay between color and
surface, line and form, texture and pattern. Working on multiple pieces at once allows
time for the layers to dry and the ideas to blossom.