Creating the Abstract Landscape

Description

2021 Workshop

Creating the Abstract Landscape
with Amanda Hawkins

There is a sweet spot of overlap between the traditions of abstraction and contemporary landscape painting where mark-making and the implications of planar structure combine with color and light to create a magical realm of newly discovered space.

Transform Sedona’s beautiful scenery into rich, energetic, abstract landscape paintings. My approach to abstraction is both structured and intuitive, meant to give students the tools and confidence to take risks and make informed decisions on the canvas, both in the workshop and long after our time together. Each morning we will explore and experiment with warm-up exercises, and each afternoon will be used as open studio time with ample individual attention. Over the course of the workshop, we will create several color studies, a series of miniature abstracts, and 2-3 larger abstract landscape paintings; all led by demonstration.

Day 1: The day will be spent exploring the power and nuances of color. We will engage in a few exercises to help us better identify color as value, build non-conventional palettes, and abandon the local color of the landscape. The afternoon will be devoted to a larger abstract work created onsite.

Day 2: There’s no better feeling than throwing a big brush stroke across your canvas. But, how can we translate that expressive, intuitive energy into a landscape painting? Together, we will discover a method within the madness of abstract painting. The morning will be spent working on multiple smaller canvases onsite, and the afternoon working on one larger canvas in the studio.

Day 3: Slow down and take a long look at your paintings. After a few warm up exercises, our final day is reserved for completing our works-in-progress. Each student will receive ample guidance and individual instruction for their own methodology.

Amanda Hawkins

Amanda K. Hawkins is an award winning painter living and working in Boston, MA. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Montserrat College of Art in 2014 and is currently a candidate for a Master of Fine Arts from Boston University. Amanda exhibits her work throughout New England, teaches painting workshops across North America, and has work in private collections across the globe. She maintains an active blog, sharing her studio practice with over 20K people worldwide. If Amanda isn’t in the studio, she’s likely swimming in the sea or exploring the Maine backcountry.

Supplies:

Value Chart

HB Pencil

Compressed Charcoal

Palette (Masterson Sta-Wet Premier Palette recommended if painting outside)

Paper towels

Spray bottle

Reference photos (5-10 photos, variety of competitions)

Paint brushes (recommended: Round 2-4, Round 10-12, Bright 10, Flat 20, 2” house paint brush

Palette Knife, any size or shape

Alternative paint applicators (old credit cards, sticks, forks, sponge, etc)

Paint:

5oz Titanium White (Golden or Liquitex Heavy Body)

2oz Mars Black (Golden or Liquitex Heavy Body)

2oz Phthalo Blue (Golden or Liquitex Heavy Body)

2oz Phthalo Green (Golden or Liquitex Heavy Body)

5oz Raw Sienna or burnt umber (Golden or Liquitex Heavy Body)

2oz Cadmium Yellow Light (Golden or Liquitex Heavy Body)

2oz Cadmium Orange (Golden or Liquitex Heavy Body)

2oz Cadmium Red Light (Golden or Liquitex Heavy Body)

2oz Alizarin Crimson (Golden or Liquitex Heavy Body)

2oz Quinacridone Magenta (Golden or Liquitex Heavy Body)

Supports:

Stonehenge Paper Pad, 11×14, Warm White

Stonehenge Paper 22×30 (1-2 sheets)

Newsprint Pad, 18×24

(3) 9×12 canvases

(3) 18×24 canvases (or smaller depending on your home studio setup)

Recommended equipment:

Field Easel

Large table

Adequate lighting

Plastic sheet for floor or walls

Lightweight chair

Umbrella

Sunscreen

A bucket and gallon jug of water

Instructor Bio:

Cancellation Policy

Registration Information:
Each student must register individually. Students may pay in full or choose the payment-plan option during registration. The payment plan requires a non-refundable $125 deposit with the balance due 30 days before the first day of the workshop. There are no refunds after the 30-day final payments have been made. Students may enroll online or by calling the Sedona Arts Center’s Administrative Offices in the Art Barn toll-free at 888-954-4442 or locally at 928-282-3809. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express are accepted or student may pay with cash or check by registering in person during office hours at the Art Barn (M-F, 9-5).

Cancellation Policy:
The $125 deposit is non-refundable; the balance is due 30 days before the first day of the workshop. If paying in full upon registration, $125 of the total tuition fee is non-refundable. The Sedona Arts Center is not responsible for providing make-up sessions or issuing refunds, credits, or transfers for courses missed as a result of illness, emergencies, or other events beyond our control. There are absolutely no refunds after the 30 day cut-off date for any reason, unless the Sedona Arts Center has to cancel the workshop, then all fees paid will be refunded in full.