Abstracting from Nature with Mary Moquin

Have you always wanted to try abstraction but can’t figure out a way to begin? This workshop will help jumpstart your process with exercises designed to get you thinking differently about abstraction. It isn't my goal to turn you into an abstract artist, it's to help you think more abstractly and concentrate more on what paint, shape, composition and color can do on their own without being hung on a representational image. How can we transcend the subject matter and evoke more of the experience we witnessed as artists?

We will begin these exercises outside in the morning with intense observation and note-taking and then move inside the studio to further explore mark-making and color exploration. This workshop is designed for oil or acrylic painters with prior painting experience. Other mediums are also welcome.

Materials List:

I don’t expect anyone to go out and buy a bunch of supplies for this, so if you have something similar on hand feel free to substitute.

• 16 x 20 or 18 x 24 canvas pad (or large sheets of paper (gessoed for oil painters), something large enough to subdivide it into 4 to 6 smaller sections with tape. 

• A board large enough to mount your paper to. (We may bring these outside to do quick sketches on)
• Several smaller supports to paint on or you can just cut up the canvas pad. Sometimes we’ll be doing 4 paintings on one sheet, sometimes only one smallish painting, so variety is good.
• Sketchbook for quick drawings and note-taking (any size) 
• Paint - a variety of colors, be sure to include black and white
• A few of your favorite mark-making crayons, pastels, graphite, charcoal, paint pens, white chalk mix it up! You can’t make a variety of marks without a variety of tools!
• A palette to mix paint on (something flat) freezer paper and tape on the table works fine.
• Tools to apply paint - palette knife, brushes, credit card, squeegees, a variety
• A couple cheap 1-2” brushes
• Paper towels, small bag for trash when outside.
• Masking tape
• Scissors
• Ruler