Events: Arizona - Phoenix - Scottsdale

Day 1 and 2 we will be focusing on interpreting visual history, examining forms of abstraction in painting and drawing by way of our own responses graphically.

Working in the studio from reproductions including older and 20th century masters, we’ll move through a guided series of exercises to understand that abstraction – composition with color and shape – is THE foundation, the great engine behind all painting. Significant emphasis will also be placed on drawing interpretively from the images, as the most abstract graphic language, with part of each day spent engaged in a series of exercises using crayons and graphite to complement our examination of form with paints.

Day 3 – REFRAMING THE ORDINARY: DRAWING ON THE STREETS WITH A CRITICAL VISUAL EYE

This one day class will introduce and cultivate the perceptual tools of rapid visual summation and notation, both in terms of how to understand what you see and how to remake that into clear and intelligent graphic formats on paper. Working in very ordinary places in downtown Sedona we will focus on noticing how everyday architectural space is really extraordinary visually and then, with how to translate that awareness into drawing.

Opportunities for dinner gatherings and ongoing discussion and critique are arranged on an ongoing basis giving this workshop a broad scope and richness.